Konos is a Christian unit study curriculum help that is based on character traits. Many families use it for all but the three Rs, and others use it simply as a curriculum supplement. For more information on Konos, look here. Those who already use Konos timeline figures can print a free pictorial legend of the symbols used on the Konos timeline figures. TheHomeSchoolMom also has a large collection of topical pages the KONOS units.
Website: KONOS
(6 Reviews)
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Contributor Reviews
Reviews are solely the opinions of the contributor.
Cons: I always had to hunt for books, not easy to use.
Grades Used: 1-8
I used this curriculum with my 4 kids, their fiends were alwasys joining in. They loved it and have fond memories of all the activities they did. It was very stressful finding resources such as books, songs, music and poems. It was very difficult to keep written record of the work they had done.
When my kids finally joined mainstream school their general knowledge were superior to that of their peers and teachers. I believe that children using KOnos have hightened critical thinking skills.
Cons: VERY time consuming for mom
Grades Used: pre-K thru 6
I have volume II which was chosen because of the values worked on and some specific challenges one of my children was having. I consider it an excellent supplement, but far from being a complete curriculum - even recognizing the fact that they don't claim to teach reading, writing and arithmetic. Still, the heavy emphasis on getting books from the library does encourage reading and can help with critical thinking skills, and, a creative mom can figure out ways to tie in the writing and arithmetic with the various units.
We've had many fun projects from this volume and lots of good time together, but it really takes more prep time for mom than any other program I've used and when homeschooling a lot of children of all different ages, for me, that means it only works as a supplement.
Cons: Can be time consuming in prep, but worth it!
Grades Used: Pre-K-8th
There is so much information to be had and learned in these 3 volumes.
What are the goals of KONOS?
To train our children in Godly character... by focusing on character traits.
To create a true love of learning in each child... by teaching hands-on and using discovery learning to foster critical thinking.
To be a family... by learning as much as we can as a family in true multi-level fashion that builds life long relationships.
To achieve academic excellence... by immersing the children in units that integrate all subjects.
To equip parents to become master teachers of their own children... by sharing 20 years of teaching experience in seminars, videos, tapes, articles, speeches, and personal helps.
Check it out at: http://www.konos.com/www/index.html
Grades Used: primary and high school
We have used it for more than 5 years when we first start homeschooling. It is only good souvenir. We lost everything in a fire, so I could not buy it again. But I still use my Konos World history. I have learn by experience to organize/plan my own unit study. The younger one follow with the older kids, and it is just fine with me. This is a good program.
Cons: A bit time consuming, but include the kids and broaden the study.
Grades Used: 1-4
I used this when my daughters were in early grade school. There was prep required, mostly hunting down books to use with the study, but since we liked the library, that added to the fun. We created many projects that my girls still keep today. It really helped me and my girls spend quality time together. We would start a study in the morning and still be together, learning, by late afternoon. It kept them interested and happy. Another great thing with unit study books like this, you can skip what doesn't look interesting to you and you can do them in any order you wish. They don't need to be taught chronologically. Definitely worth looking into for younger children.
Cons: Tends to be time-consuming for mom and kids
Depending on whether you create your own lesson plans or use the ones provided in the later versions of the curricula, more or less time may be spent on planning. Gathering materials can be time-consuming and some children seem to thrive on the implementation of the units while others may just be frustrated.