Monday, July 16, 2012

Back to Homeschool 2012 - Curriculum

I have SO much fun looking at curriculums and trying to decide what would work for my kids. Nico is now 10 and Luca is starting K. I am using some of the same things I used with Nico for Luca, but also changing some up - not because I didn't like what I used, but because I found something new that looks really great. I know, I know...I just spent more money...but that's okay..it's my children's education here!

Nico 5th/6ht grade
Continuing with MUS (MathUSee)
Finishing up History Odyssey Modern Times
Real Science 4 Kids Biolgoy, then Beautiful Feet History of Science (using Literature and lots of experiments!)
A new writing/grammar program that is DVD, Essentials in Writing, based with someone else instructing and PDF files to print off. Plus adding sentence diagramming.
Handwriting/Typing/Spelling using Pentime/Type to Learn 4/All About Spelling
Spanish
Geography using Winter Promise Children of the World - includes art and cooking
Reading will consist of Wordly Wise/Reading Comprehension/Critical Thinking
Health we are finishing up from last year WinterPromise Health and Forensics.

Luca  - Kindergarten
MUS
Reading - All About Reading and Explode the Code
Science - Core Knowledge K. I also have a Harcourt Science for K that I got for free I will use both of these probably parts from each
History - I am super excited about this one!!!  WinterPromise Hideaways in History (for Nico is strictly used Core Knowledge K for Kindergarten history, but I couldn't pass up the fun hideaways in this one and Nico can help too!)
Geography will be with Nico in Children Around the World
Spanish
Language - Wordly Wise K
Handwriting - HWT

It looks like a crazy schedule but I am trying something new this year. Many public schools in our area use an A/B schedule, taking each class every other day. So instead of 8 subjects in one day they have 4 for longer time. I think this will work great for us. We like to finish our work up by 1pm. If I am crunching in 8 subjects each day we are flying through material to try to do this or we are there until 4pm--ick! Classes like history and science take longer for us as it is Nico's favorite. I want to let him have time to enjoy his experiments and projects and complete them. He will also have that extra day to complete things if he finishes other assignments early the next day.

I am also trying to get Nico to be more independent. In this way having just 4 subjects each day I am hoping it will not seem so overbearing to him and he will be more willing to work by himself. Geography will be completed together and Spanish is going to be a class taken by another instructor in her home. We all get to take Spanish. I am also trying to work it where I can 'teach' Nico and then he can complete his assignment while I work with Luca. Hopefully Luca will be able, as the year progresses, be able to focus and work on assignments by himself as well (as in completing a worksheet or project).

I am looking forward to making this a very fun year for the boys and building their love of learning. I am also hoping to squeeze in some mini trips to go along with our history. I always love a traveling lesson!

Looking foward to the hop and seeing other curriculums being used.

3 comments:

  1. I would love to know what the DVD writing/grammar program is called.

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    1. Essentials in Writing. I saw him at our Expo. It is also inexpensive. Lessons are short and the worksheets are pdf files that he gives on disk.

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  2. Sounds like a great plan for the year! I have a 5th grade son too, and a 7th grade daughter. I will have to check out Essentials in Writing (writing is my son's least favorite subject!)

    We have tried an alternating schedule before and it worked really well. It gives you time to really focus on a subject instead of getting started and then moving on to something else!

    Have a fun year!

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