Tuesday, August 3, 2010

What curriculum did YOU choose?

I've never had my children in a public/private school.....so I'm not sure how much time y'all spend on looking at the chosen curriculum of your child's school.  For a hs momma, this is a *huge* deal!  What is best for my child?  What works with our family's daily life?  What can we afford?  Which curriculum supports our beliefs, our goals for our children academically & spiritually?  What is realistic for this crazy family of 7??


ACK!?!


So, that's why I can get excited about sharing our curriculum choices.  That's why you'll often hear hs momma's talking extensively about their choices, their reasons, their failures & successes.

It's a big deal.

Not Back to School Blog Hop

And it's Curriculum Week over at Heart of the Matter's "Not Back to School" Blog Hop ~ so I'm gonna join the masses and share our choices for this upcoming school year.  To set the stage, I've got a 3rd grader (boy), 2nd grader (girl) & new Kindergarten student (girl), plus a pre-schooler (3yob) & toddler (1yob).  Ya, this should be interesting...;)


~we're big fans of AO~

3rd grade:  Isaac, 9yob
We will be using Switched on Schoolhouse:  a five core subject, computer-based curriculum (Bible, History & Geography, Language Arts, Math, and Science).  He's a computer freak, a great reader and quite independent in his studies.  This sounds perfect for him, although he'll need to gain some typing skills - still checking into a typing program appropriate for his age.  He will also be working on handwriting (don't wanna lose that skill) with Horizon's Penmanship books for 3rd grade.  Beyond that, we will do Piano Lessons weekly, with Music Theory pages in between.  I'm sure we'll fit in some art, PE, health, and loads of other stuff just with daily living & free stuff online!

~click on the above pic to view the "features" of SOS~





**With my two girls (below: 2nd grade & K), I will be trying the "workbox method" this year, in some variation or another....check out these sites for more info & different ways of accomplishing this method:
Heart of the Matter Online: Thinking INSIDE the box!
Joyful Mother of 6:  Lots of bins!
Ruby Slippers School:  Using Hanging File Folders


2nd Grade:  Selah, 7yog
Ok, since my plan is to have all the kiddos go to SOS in the 3rd grade - before that time, I just want to make sure they really enjoy reading, keep on track with Math and in general, learn to LOVE learning!  Along that line, I have Selah working through Alpha Omega's LIFEPAC's ~ they follow the same scope & sequence that SOS continues in the 3rd grade.  This year Selah will be doing Math, Language Arts & Science.  We will continue on with handwriting & cursive with Horizon's Penmanship books for 2nd grade.  If we need a bit more phonics help this year, I'm gonna try Horizon's Phonics student books and see if that works  (I just looked again at the sample page - I think I'll definitely order this - looks great!).
Selah will also have weekly piano lessons & music theory worksheets.  And of course, we'll explore any topic she shows interest in via nature, online, books, field trips, crafts, etc.  She loves the hands-on stuff!

~click the above pic for an "overview" of AO's LIFEPACs~

Kindergarten:  Talitha, 5yog
And my sweet Tali ~ I can't believe she's "officially" starting school!?  Wow....when did she get so big?
Anyway....she will also be on the LIFEPAC track:  using the Kindergarten 2-subject set of Math & Language Arts.  She really wants to be "writing" like her siblings, so I might pick her up a Kindergarten Manuscript Tablet from A BEKA.  Writing is included in her LA books, so she might not need any more practice.  We will start "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" with Tali this year as well, plus start piano lessons w/ some basic music theory stuff (this is a staff.  this is a treble cleff.  these are the woodwind instruments. etc).


~click on the above photo for an "overview" of AO's Horizons~






So there ya go ~ our curriculum choices for 2010-11.  As for the preschooler & toddler, well, I'm gonna get a tub for each of them, with age-appropriate games/activities/toys that will *only* be used during school times - times when Momma is busy and they still want to be involved.  Here's hoping that helps....*crosses fingers*


~my lil' men~


NOW, head on over to Heart of the Matter and check out other HS Momma blogs to see what else families are choosing for the upcoming school year!~

7 comments:

Jenilee said...

hey michigan momma! I'm a michigan momma transplanted to Ohio. :) I enjoyed reading your post! hopping over from the not back to school blog hop!

Lora @ my blessed life said...

We use Horizons for Phonics/Reading and are trying their Math for the first time this year. Looking forward to it! Happy Schooling!

MissMOE said...

Your remark of learning to LOVE learing is great. That's what it is all about. Thanks for taking the time to share!

Ryan Egan said...

Hi there, this is Ryan from Alpha Omega Publications. Thanks so much for sharing your curriculum choices! We're so glad to hear you enjoy our curriculum.

By the way, that Banana Bread pie looks delicious!

Unknown said...

I am James McDermott. My wife Cindy and I have been blessed by God with 13 children. We also homeschool and above all, we are Christians. We recently started a website called Christian family meeting place (www.christianfamilymeetingplace.com). Many who hold our views are isolated and are looking for online fellowship, personal fellowship, churches, and even spouses. I am inviting you to register. It is free. If you're not interested, that is perfectly fine. May God bless you in all you do for Him. - In the Vine, Jim for Cindy and the rest
P.S. We also publish SALT Magazine. If you would like to check us out go to www.saltmagazine.com

Unknown said...

Greetings,
If you're interested in homeschooling, courtship, quiverfull issues, child-raising, politics, and spiritual inspiration, try a free, no obligation issue of SALT Magazine. If you haven't tried SALT yet, all we need is a name and mailing address to send you a free issue. Or, you can check out our website (saltmagazine.com) and sign up for a free issue online.
- In the Vine, Jim & Cindy

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing your cirriculum for the upcoming year. I think we are going to enroll my oldest son in Christian Liberty Press this year and see how that goes. I have been spending lots of time looking into our new homeschooling year. You are so right it takes a lot of time and it is so very much on your mind all the time.

God Bless :)