Always a couple of months before we finish school, my mind begins to wander… into the next school year. I don’t know WHY I do it so early, but I always do. Late spring finds me perusing curriculum catalogs and doing online research. It’s a weird hobby, I know, but it’s one that always kicks in at the same time each year.
My plans aren’t set in stone yet, but I do have a pretty good idea of what we’re using.
Math-U-See: D1 (5th in the fall) is finishing Gamma and will begin Delta. D2 (3rd in the fall) is finishing Beta and will begin Gamma. We also use The Quartermile Math software for skill practice. We bought a 3 year subscription, and we really love it!
Shurley English 4 OR Easy Grammar 3 & 5: I have used both over the years with the big kids. We used Shurley 2 this year with both boys together. We did everything on a white board and while that was OKAY, I would prefer to have a book for them to write in. And I really DON’T like a the writing portion of Shurley so I feel like if we stick with it and buy books we’ll be wasting some money. I want to use Easy Grammar for both of them. D1 is insistent that he must use Shurley. Not sure what to do there yet.
Spelling: D1 uses Sequential Spelling and D2 has been using The WISE Guide for Spelling. His phonics skills aren’t totally up there yet, or I would let him use Sequential Spelling too. For now, we will stick with the WISE Guide.
Excellence in Writing: We began working on keyword outlines about two months ago. They are picking it up, and I can see that the skills it IEW will come to benefit them later on. I have to DVDs now and syllabus, so we are going to continue working through the writing units monthly.
Handwriting Without Tears: If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. This program is simple for my boys with their fine motor and spatial issues, and while it’s not my favorite style of penmanship, at least they can write and it’s legible. We’re sticking with it. D1 is in the middle of the second Cursive book and doing well, and D2 is still struggling with keeping his letter in the vicinity of the lines, in the second manuscript book. Slowly but surely they are overcoming the fine motor struggles.
Diana Waring’s Romans, Reformers, and Revolutionaries: I cannot WAIT to use this! I’ve been a History Alive! wanna-be for as many years as I have homeschooled. That would be 12. Yes. 12. And I am finally getting to use her history programs!! I’m very excited about this. That being said, we are adding in a lot of public domain books to our history studies, because I have already got them on my computer, already formatted them for easy reading and printing, so why not? Later on I will share these books with you, too! Another place I located a few books for this study is The Paperback Swap. I was able to request 3 titles that we will be able to use.
Building Thinking Skills, Book 2: I picked up the TM and a student workbook at a used curriculum sale, and purchased another student workbook online. Thinking Skills is an area where they need some sharpening, and we started using this together this year. We’ll continue with it next year.
Science: I’m not sure yet. Science is the subject that we always co-op’ed with another family on. I have struggled with pulling it together with just the boys and I. We do have Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day, which we didn’t end up using this year, so we could use that. I’m just not sure yet!
Lapbooks: We have done a few lapbooks. I’m not so great at getting to them or finishing them. I am sure we will do a few more lapbooks this coming year. They are a great way to pull a subject together to display what they’ve learned!
Keyboarding: I need D1 to do a typing course this year. We have Typing Tutor 10, but it was for XP and they don’t make it any more. I need to locate another good typing program that isn’t all about cartoon characters but appeals to kids. Do you know of any??
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
typing- my kids use typing instructor. they like it and it seems to be a good program. i decided to do it with them last year and set up an account for myself… but didn’t keep up with it… so i can’t really tell you about it from PERSONAL experience, just from looking over my kids’ shoulders.
it has lessons through which the kids progress and typing games they can play for fun. it also has a nice feature whereby i/they can choose from a number of subject-based articles (science, u.s. history, etc) & literature selections and use them for extra typing practice.
bethany aka 40winkzzz recently posted..Weekly Wrap-Up- In Which It is Very Hot and I Cease to Be Forty-Four
Thanks Bethany! I will take a look at Typing Instructor.
I’m interested in following your journey with Diane Waring’s history. I’ve wondered what it was like to use.
We used the BBC’s Dance Mat Typing and now are using Rapid Typing to increase her speed. Both are available for free online.
I have to find those free typing programs you’re talking about. I am so curious! The only free ones I’ve found either aren’t full programs or they are for adults. Thank you for the suggestions!
I’m totally changing our writing from what I just posted on Friday. I bought IEW at our curriculum fair this weekend, after having debated for awhile. I’ve heard wonderful things about it and can’t wait to get started.
Kris @ Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers recently posted..Weekly Wrap-Up- The Curriculum Sharing Edition
I really love the methods they use, and can’t wait to see it come together and bear FRUIT. I wish I’d been taught to write that way!
I enjoy reading your list – what you were using and why. I need to make a post like this soon! I love planning and thinking about the next year!
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It’s NOT a weird hobby – or if it is, then I’m weird too! ;0)
I, too, have some critical thinking workbooks planned for this year, but I didn’t put them on my list because 1.) I’m *hoping* I get to purchase them, I have to get everything else first and 2.) It’s really going to be more supplemental than anything else. Every other Tuesday morning I have to go help sort our organic produce co-op delivery. To avoid the kids wasting away their entire morning I’m going to put together folders of things they can do without my help and those workbook pages are one of the things I want to put in the 10yo’s folder. The workbooks I’m looking at are The Thinking Toolbox and The Fallacy Detective – they were recommended by Five J’s. I also have some grammar workbooks and a Spanish workbook that I want to get for that purpose.
For typing, we’ve seen and used Dance Mat Typing, too. Princess really liked it, we forgot about it and stopped using it but every time I watch her typing I think “MAN, I need to get her back on that.” =P I’ll have to make a point to have her practice several times a week.
For science, I’m SOOO excited about getting and using the Apologia this year. I had a lot of people on Twitter respond and say very good things about it. I downloaded the samples online and it looks like it’s going to be very good.
Amber @ Classic Housewife recently posted..Back to Home School 2010- Our Curriculum
Dance Mat Typing, again! Okay, I haven’t looked that up yet but I WILL. My son desperately needs to learn keyboarding skills, because writing is such a task for him.
I have heard great things about Fallacy Detective (it’s by the same company as the BTS that we’re using). I try not to go TOO workbooky, because of the boys’ fine motor/processing issues. Those turn into torture (for me) really quickly sometimes. lol
Do it! Go Google Dance Mat typing now! =)
I know, I know. Princess likes workbooks, though, and always has so I gotta milk that for all it’s worth, right?
Amber @ Classic Housewife recently posted..Back to Home School 2010- Our Curriculum
Okay, I did! WOW that looks cool and I think it’s just what we need! Thanks Amber!
I do the same thing every spring! Looks like a great year.
Kara @ Home With Purpose recently posted..Weekly Wrap-Up 73010- Attempting to Gear Up For the New School Year
Hi Dawn!
I used Writing without tears with my son and recommend it ALL of the time to my other homeschool friends! We are finally going to try IEW because everyone just RAVES about it. We switched from Shurley to Easy Grammar and I can’t say that I miss the monotony of Shurley one bit! The best recommendation that I have for typing is Mavis Beacon. It’s been around for years because their methods work so well. After each lesson you can play a game, and my son really enjoyed them. He learned how to type so well that I would definitely recommend it as well.
Hope you have a wonderful homeschool year!
Blessings to you,
Sue
Sue recently posted..Almost time for Hip Homeschool Hop
Sue:
Glad to see you here again! I haven’t looked at Mavis Beacon, but I have heard of it before. I’ll check it out. And for grammar, I straddle the line because I like both programs, and both have their pluses and minuses. My dd son not wanting to leave Shurley isn’t all that encouraging to me though, because I really think he’ll do well with EG… if he is willing to try it.