How can we be talking about next year’s curriculum already?
It’s only July, right? Oh wait, I have always had it figured out by July, haven’t I? Ah well, this year isn’t a banner year but I think I have it pretty much figured out. So here it is, The Big List!
Math
- D1: 6th- Teaching Textbooks Math 5. He loves the interactive CD’s and uses them exclusively.
- D2: 4th- Teaching Textbooks Math 4.
- BOTH: Timez Attack for Multiplication and Division fact practice. THEY LOVE THIS GAME! The play it right after breakfast if they are allowed to. 😀
Language Arts
D1: A Reason for Handwriting (Cursive); Easy Grammar
D2: A Reason for Handwriting (Cursive Transition); Easy Grammar 3/4; IEW Student Writing Intensive Level A; The WISE Guide for Spelling
BOTH: Vocabulary-Spelling City: We have a premium membership and LOVE IT.
History/Social Studies
We are covering Early American History using All American History from Bright Ideas Press, as well as the Time Traveler’s unit study CD’s by Homeschool in the Woods.
PE
Karate twice a week for a total of 3 hours.
Technical and Other Skills
Keyboarding: D1 needs to begin a typing program. We don’t have one yet but I’m looking. Our trusty old Typing Tutor 10 doesn’t run on our Windows 7 computers!
Cooking: Both boys are begging for “cooking classes”, so I am going to come up with some lessons for them and we’ll just go for it.
Music: We really WANT to be able to have the boys take piano, but can’t afford it. I have come up with some alternatives, thanks to the Internet and technology. For starters, there are these Free Piano Lessons for Kids. We are also looking at getting Simply Music through the Homeschool Buyer’s Co-op. If you don’t already belong, you can join for free and get amazing savings on all sorts of curriculum and even online classes through the co-op!
Co-Op Classes
I can’t do it all and don’t want to do it all, and because my kids are very social creatures, we re-joined the co-op we belonged to a couple of years ago. We dropped out because I didn’t really feel like I fit, and because they were doing classes that we couldn’t really mesh with our daily work. The boys missed it terribly and begged to go back, the entire rest of that school year. They have reformatted the co-op classes, and we all really enjoyed Fall Term!
Last term they took:
- PE
- The Dangerous Book for Boys (D2)
- The Young Author’s class (D1)
- Science: Land Animals of the Sixth Day
I’m really happy that they get to do science with a group. It’s always so much more fun that way! They are taking the same class, but they are in different rooms with different teachers, by grade level. D1 is in the 5th-7th group and D2 is in the 3rd-4th group. That is GREAT.
I help the boys in their classes, as D1 sometimes needs side by side help, and I do some of the building clean up during the last class. The Spring Term class list isn’t out yet, so besides science I’m not sure what they will be offering, but we’re looking forward to it! Being involved in this co-op has given my boys something that has been missing for them: FRIENDS. E and I have become friends with some of the parents too, so it’s a win-win. 🙂
I have made some edits since I first posted this in September, but that’s what we do. Toss what doesn’t work and add in what does!
Dawn is retired 20-year homeschooling Momma and hospital CNA, currently working on her BA in Technical Communication. She lives in Eastern Washington with her husband, the youngest 2 of their 6 kids, 2 yappy pomeranians and an assortment of backyard chickens. She writes here as well as at DawnMariePerkins.com (her personal/geek blog).
very cool…what co-op? In the Valley? I think we are going to pass on co-op only because I am going back to youth 🙂
Thanks for joining in… we need to add keyboarding, too, but did YOU SEE THE SIZE OF MY LIST? I already feel like it's the size of King Kong! I'm kinda scared to add anything else!
Dawn ~
We use Typing Instructor for Kids and LOVE it! You can buy it on Amazon for less than $15… I know they have a Windows version – we have it on our Mac. I can't speak highly enough of it.
Your list is great! I love reading through these curriculum posts because it broadens my view of the homeschool world!
Thank you Mary! I will definitely check that out. Gotta LOVE Amazon! (I'm expecting a package sometime this week from them, as a matter of fact.) 🙂
I second Typing Instructor for Kids, it's fun and very focused on skills, even the games. You can also adjust the WPM goals and such for each child. 🙂
Looks like a good year – have fun with the Co-op!
Hey there! I'm hopping along the HOTM Curriculum path and enjoyed seeing what you are planning on doing this year! I hope it all goes well!
Wow! Thank you so much for the free piano site! I am so excited! That's exactly what I was looking for! Now I have to go add that to my already very lengthy list of curriculum. 🙂
Sounds like a very fun year!
Sounds like you have it together even if you think you don't. I'm curious about how you are doing history, I can't find a history program I like and thinking about doing it unit study style.
Cara: I'm not sure, exactly, how we are going to do history. I am planning on using the Time Traveler's unit study CDs as the framework, and I have several great early US history book lists to choose books from. There is SO MUCH out there for US history that really it's wide open. Unit studies aren't hard to put together and with the TT CD's I won't have to figure it all out, but just add related books. 🙂
Sounds like a cool year! 🙂
~Lynn