Category Archives: Curriculum

Week 19. Clowns, Cookies, and the Sistine Chapel.

Written on February 3, 2012 by in 170 School Days. 2011, Curriculum
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Let me start with how much we are loving our Bible Curriculum. We use Positive Action. They have elementary through high school curriculum. With my older two kids I am doing the study on Proverbs, Wise Up.

Positive Action has GREAT studies. My kids did them at the Christian School they went to before we brought  them home for school. This is our third year choosing this curriculum and I believe we will be going with Route 66 next year.

The one issue that you will have to work through is the freakish illustrations throughout the book. I am not quite sure what’s goin’ on with that. Consider it a little humorous gift. The content outweighs the illustrations and I promise that is the only creepy clown I have seen thus far.

The first year I did not order the teacher’s guide with this curriculum and that was a mistake. I always find the guides helpful and many times definitely necessary. I know it is tempting to abort the extra cost, but I have never regretted having them.

I do Bible with the kids daily. We almost always spend 30-45 minutes during Bible time. In addition to the text, the kids do a weekly project, quiz, and have created a life principle notebook. I have been really happy with this and plan to start Emma when she begins 2nd grade next year.

 

I began Emma on Victory Drills this year. Her reading has improved dramatically since beginning daily drills. The book is under $20 and will be reused year after year. When she successfully passes a page, she earns a piece of candy. It’s a great incentive. I made a tracking sheet and stapled it to a folder, so she can see her progress.

We had lots of learning and fun projects this week.

Lots of fun workbox projects. I love first grade. Rainbow hair books rock.

Science projects that involve Oreos pretty much rock too.

This week, during our Pyramid Cafe study, we went through each of the food groups. Our project today got hands on with BEANS. We did a little project that I found on Pinterest. I love Pinterest. I find great everything there and with the find of this cute craft, I made a new bloggy friend, Amy. She is and has a darling blog…go say hi!

Expedition Earth has brought us to Italy.

We took advantage of the spring like weather today and did a little Michelangelo style painting.

The kids adored it. I snuck under there with Emma to help her and I highly recommend giving this a try. Put it on your bucket list. It should be added right below visiting the Sistine Chapel.

Next week, we will study the country in as much depth as four days will allow.

We may decide to stay for two weeks. Italy is one of my favorite stops on our world tour. One thing is for sure, I am pretty certain that pizza will be involved somewhere along the way.

We were a little park happy this week. Taking advantage of this strangely warm weather. With the central valley spring allergies looming in the near future, I am trying to get outdoors as much as possible. Very soon there will be about 2 months coming up that my 11 year old and myself stay housebound in order to not sneeze ourselves to an early demise.

Finally, would you help a girl out? I have a pile of these staring at me. They were Christmas ornaments that were just .10 a pack after Christmas. They will make a perfect Valentines decoration. Only what? I’ve lost inspiration. Thinking garland or ????? Any ideas for me? Help my crafters block. I can’t think of something fabulous enough. They have SO much potential!

Have a great weekend!

A Whole lotta Random.

Written on October 13, 2011 by in 170 School Days. 2011, Curriculum
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I’ve been putting in fifteen hours a day. You know what is funny about home school? I pay taxes to support a school system that we don’t use and I have taken on a more than full time job that I don’t get paid for. Yeah, perhaps you need to be a little bit crazy to homeschool your kids.

We finished off our trip to Japan last week, with Expedition Earth. In every country we learn basic facts regarding language, religion, government, etc. We review all the countries each day. It’s fun to see the kids excited about the fact that they now can locate the 7 continents and so far three countries and their capitals. There is SO much fun stuff to do every week with this curriculum. It rocks.

This week the principal came in for crab races.

These guys became super competitive really quick.

The girls also made Japanese Gardens. Sand symbolizes the water and rocks symbolize the mountains. They got to mist the “water” and then create patterns throughout. It was interesting.

One of the highlights each and every country we visit is to spend time at google translate. You can type in anything and hear your choice of language translation. Let’s just say supercalifragilisticexpealidocious has received its fair share of listens.

Among our other moments, we have had surprise visitors…

had fun activities in our workboxes thanks to Pinterest

and found lots of free resources such as Super Teacher Worksheets .

We have the most adorable little mascot who doesn’t mind playing in his “cage” while we tackle our studies.

When he is on the loose, he causes plenty of mischief because he walks around now like he owns the joint.

Last week we made Teepees in our unit study on The Indian In the Cupboard.

Thanks again to Pinterest, I went for the edible version. There is cake inside that yummy goodness.

There have been science experiments…

plenty of swinging…

and important life lessons learned along the way…

Homeschooling has been one of the hardest adventures I have ever encountered in my life. Yet, one of the most rewarding. You have to experience it to understand it. Embrace it to succeed at it. Pray to survive it….and hang on to your hats. There NEVER is a dull moment and I love it this way.

Expedition Earth ~ South Korea

Written on October 5, 2011 by in 170 School Days. 2011, Curriculum
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Week two of our Expedition Earth curriculum is done. We had a fabulous whirlwind trip to South Korea.

We read all kinds of facts and looked at all kinds of pictures.

We Looked at a typical day for a child in South Korea.

We prayed for the people of their country.

We stamped passports.

We played Kawi, bawi, bo….(rock, paper, scissors).

 

We had Korean Beef and Asian noodles for dinner. {Y U M}.

 

 

On week two, I am already in love with this curriculum. It is exposing my girls to this whole big wide world that exists around us. It is presented in a way that is fun and engaging….and I am learning right along side them.

 

Next week it’s off to Japan.

Expedition Earth ~ China.

Written on September 25, 2011 by in 170 School Days. 2011, Curriculum
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We had a great trip to China over the last two weeks. I definitely wasn’t as prepared as I wanted to be and so we didn’t get to all of the great ideas and activities that I wanted to, but we still squeezed a ton in.

We spend about 30-45 minutes each afternoon on this EXPEDITION EARTH curriculum that I have chosen for an elective for my girls. It has GOBS of cool activities, projects, info, etc. and China was a great beginning. At the end of the year the girls will have a binder full of all that they have learned about 31 different countries.

Passports were stamped and we were off….

We located and learned where China was on the map.

We prayed for the people of China.

We watched the Story of Ping.

We played with Google Translate to hear a bunch of different words in Chinese.

We read lots of facts and stories about China.

We played Chinese Checkers.

We learned what a typical day in a school in China looks like.

We watched a dvd that toured the streets of Beijing.

We studied some animals that live in China.

We practiced writing 1-10 in Chinese.

We learned about and built the Great Wall of China.

We listend to Chinese music.

We learned traditional Chinese dance.

O.k. I am totally lying on the dance one, but it would have been fun.

We learned to say HELLO in Chinese.

…and we ended our tour of China with a trip for some egg rolls and fortune cookies.

Passports were stamped and we are safely back in the U.S.

Next week it is off to South Korea….

 

 

Week Three.

Written on September 22, 2011 by in 170 School Days. 2011, Curriculum, Homeschool Tips
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School is going incredibly well this year, so far. My 12 year old son informed me that he still hates school “no offense”, but it is SO much better this year. That’s a complement from an incredibly tough critic. I’ll take it.

I love most of our curriculum this year. The only thing I do not like is our Monarch history curriculum from Alpha Omega. It is non returnable and so we are stuck with it….for the year only. Then I will switch. We have had horrible customer service and it is a very unfriendly program to both set up and manage. That is our only nightmare, so far. Not too shabby.

Everything else has been great. The teacher’s handbooks all make sense to my brain this year. BIG PLUS. They all have a lot of extra ideas included to make things more engaging. It works.

A lot of what we are doing is pretty hands on stuff which has been great too.

{We take small breaks during math to build giant towers. No, that is not in the lesson plan.}

One of my favorite changes we made this year is switching to Explode the Code. It’s funny. Read these sentences. Look at the pictures. I like to be entertained while reviewing phonics.

Not to mention this inevitably sparks super important conversations such as how Jim can manage to actually sit on a pan. Does he have a tiny rear or an overly large pan? We can only speculate….

This year, I began making lunches the night before. It has been something that I have thought about for a couple years, but never done. Primarily because at night I’m too tired. However, kids love eating out of lunch boxes. It’s fun. Now my crew is no longer deprived of the fun of opening a lunch box and finding their surprise lunch inside. More importantly, it is an incredible time saver. When lunchtime arrives, the kids all go grab their boxes out of the fridge and usually head outside. I can clean up from the morning, feed the baby, and get ready for any afternoon activities without having to stop and feed the masses.

Anything that can get done ahead of time makes for a smoother day. Along those lines, I discovered this year that someone became crazy brilliant and created lab kits of popular curriculums. Homeschooling becomes very challenging, financially speaking, when you dive into the world of science and art. You may need a bottle cap, a drop of green food coloring, a 6 inch string, and a pink balloon. Seems easy until you realize you can’t buy those things in those quantities. Enter the brilliant person. I purchased lab kits for all three of my kids to use for Apologia science.

The supplies come in baggies for each lesson…LABELED! Pinch me I’m dreaming.

I have tried to set up any system that will make life easier. For example, we are using a lot of library books this year. A basket has been put in the classroom for all library books.

I put a folder inside that I use simply to clip my checkout receipt to. This way I can keep track of which books need to go back to the library! I hate library fines.

The addition of Emma entering a full day of first grade curriculum and my little one being mobile has brought about a lot more work this year for me, but it’s working…

…and it’s all worth it in the end.

Chocolate Walk.

Written on June 1, 2011 by in 170 School Days. 2010, Curriculum
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As we are completing a unit study on Chocolate, I had devised a clever little plan to go on a chocolate walk. I was inspired by an idea I found while looking online for things to do revolving around chocolate. There is a website of gourmet walks in San Francisco that offer Chocolate tours. You pay $50 a person and walk and eat gourmet chocolate. O.k. so my white trash, kid friendly version of this is to walk all over and eat various non gourmet chocolates. Much cheaper.

We have been having insane weather for California. It is currently in the 50′s and threatening to unleash buckets of rain. School is out tomorrow and we have been putting off this chocolate walk, while waiting for a clear day, for quite awhile. So, this morning, I aborted the chocolate walk and turned it into a chocolate drive.

Three rules : NO QUESTIONS , NO COMPLAINING and ONE FACT ABOUT CHOCOLATE RECITED AT EACH STOP. It is amazing what children will do for candy. Taylor was very pleased that Greyson was partaking in our fun by drinking his GERBER GOOD START baby formula which was originally Nestle. Did you know that in 1867 Henri Nestle’s first big hit was infant formula, not chocolate?

Loaded up and ready to go.

First stop: STARBUCKS and kid’s hot chocolate all around. $3.19

 

Next stop: Sees candy. I bought 2 pieces and the lady gave us 8 pieces as samples. The kids each ate one piece. $1.26.

Next stop: Henry’s Market. They were allowed to pick 2 pieces from the barrel candy. Chocolate covered cherries, chocolate covered pretzels and pure chocolate were the winners. 53 cents.

Next stop: McDonald’s. A snack size Rolo McFlurry split 3 ways. As you can see…the sugar is starting to kick in. $1.47.

Final stop: Bel Air. Sample cookies. I split one chocolate chip cookie 3 ways. FREE.

 

$6.50 is not bad for this fun little field trip. We will finish up our study and complete our lap books in the morning. Then school is out for SUMMER. We all survived our SECOND YEAR of this strange little phenomenon known as home school.

I’ll Tell You Why. Curriculum Review Pt. 2.

Written on May 20, 2011 by in 170 School Days. 2010, Curriculum
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A while back, I began to review my curriculum choices for next year. My overall plan can be found here. I have almost everything in now and will begin organizing and working on overall lesson plans for next year. I REALLY wanted to have this completed before the end of this school year. I will continue to work towards that. However, sudden classroom and pantry makeovers, among other things have stolen my attention and I am definitely NOT on track to complete that goal.

 

First Grade items make me happy. I think I am a kid at heart. I love fantastic illustrations and the choices that I selected did not disappoint.

A Reason for Spelling ~ There is a lot of Bible throughout this curriculum. Each lesson focusses on one verse that is the same verse that is being used for practice in A Reason for Handwriting. It starts with a short phonics review and then begins with spelling word lists. Each list contains a variety of ways to practice the words and activities and stories to focus on the meaning of the verse for that week.

A Reason for Handwriting~ I chose this because each daily lesson is short and uses words from the verse of the week. These lessons are a “practice” for the big day at the end of the week where your child can select a background paper and then write out the entire verse for that week. It is suggested then to color in the paper and use these completed scripture sheets to send to a sick friend, turn into a placemat, or any other creative idea you can think of.

Apologia Science ~ After aborting A Beka science I was on the hunt for a new science curriculum. I couldn’t turn anywhere without running into Apologia. I read review after review and literally found almost no negative. This curriculum appears to have  a ton of hands on learning. It is for multiple age levels and offers a note booking journal. I am really curious to see how this one will go over. I have just heard so many good things, I can’t help but think, “How can a curriculum be THAT good?” I will let you know. I will be ordering this as soon as I sell off some more of our curriculum that we are finished with from this year. This kit comes conveniently labeled for each science experiment throughout the year with all of the necessary supplies.

Write About Me/ Write About My World ~ These are great and inexpensive books for beginning writing practice.

My Calendar Book ~ Additional calendar practice and practice in charting and graphing daily weather patterns.

6th and 7th grade curriculum just does not provide the cute factor anymore! However,I am looking forward to getting into all of these books and planning it all out. This is completely one of my most very favorite parts of homeschooling.

Teaching Textbooks ~ I  just love it. The kids just love it. It is so easy for them to understand. It provides explanations for missed problems and real life examples to implement the learned material. I found out last year while although I can DO math. I am awful at teaching it and I do mean awful. Trying to explain math concepts is difficult. I did not do well. I completely embrace the online approach and will stick to it. We are all happier this way.

Apologia Science ~ Astronomy for my 6th grader and General Science for my 7th.

Positive Action ~ I love their Bible curriculum. I have used it for 2 years now. These Wise UP books are based on Proverbs and I was able to purchase for just a few dollars each because they have redone the cover for this year. Yay for me.

Reading ~ I have selected 4 titles and purchased the unit guides for each title. We will be spending a quarter on each title. These guides offer, quizzes, project ideas, prompts for discussions and a ton more. In addition, my kids will do at least 30 minutes of reading of their own approved selections.

Writing ~ Open the Deck. I have noticed that it seems that most of the curriculum that I have looked at for language arts seem really skimpy in writing. This may or may not be true, but regardless this writing program that I have found looks awesome. It has very high reviews and goes through what appears to be super creative and thorough teaching of writing styles and basics.

Not so boring grammar ~ basic grammar review of parts of speech and all that jazz. Complete with a bit of a flair when it comes to the exercises. They do really look “not so boring”.

Expedition Earth~ These are the supplemental materials suggested to purchase for our Expedition Earth Curriculum. I still need to do the printing and organizing to put the kids binders and passports together. I look forward to doing this with all three of my kids next year. My crew is not so good at working together with their siblings. Magically they seem to turn into respectable citizens when placed next to a friend or stranger. However, ask them to do a project with one of their own peeps and they need some work. I am hoping that engaging in this year long program will provide some growth in this area for us. This program is so cool. It gives a great overview of different countries, prays for the countries and incorporates listening to their music, cooking some of their foods, and doing some international art projects. It should be a lot of fun for all of us.

 

IF you are new~ish to homeschooling you may be asking yourself HOW DO I CHOOSE CURRICULUM? This is my theory…you may want to sit down for this, as it’s pretty deep.

I am going to go in with the assumption that while I am quite certain that some curriculums are “better” than others, each one provides an opportunity to learn. All I can do as a parent educator is to pray, trust the professionals who have created the curriculum, read reviews, and talk to others for opinions. Ultimately, you absolutely can get lost and overwhelmed in the infinite number of choices out there. It can make your head SPIN. Spend some time researching, pick, commit and move on with life. Despite the distracting fun of shopping, I am pretty sure that learning is supposed to be the most important part.

I’ll Tell You Why. Curriculum Review.

Written on April 26, 2011 by in 170 School Days. 2010, Curriculum
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First, let me say that I am completing my 2nd year of homeschool. I love my children. I have a brain. I have done lots of research, questioning, and prayer. However, by no means do I consider myself anywhere near of an expert on the subject of school curriculum….not one bit.

I have had multiple questions on why I chose what I chose and why I aborted A beka. If you are like me at all. I love to hear what other people use and why and then filter it into my world and how it fits into my gig. So, here goes. Random, unprofessional, thoughts on curriculum a la me….

First off, I tried SONLIGHT last year. We used it for weeks. The company has unmatched customer service and incredible return policies. This curriculum requires a ton of parental involvement and a ton of reading. My kids have had a strong classroom setting background for 5-6 years and they weren’t super comfortable with the switch in learning styles. Sonlight has little to no tests, quizzes, or worksheets. I think it is an awesome curriculum if you love literature and reading and plan to do a TON of both. It is a user friendly curriculum I think, as the lesson plans were super easy to understand and use. Another downside is because you are purchasing so many books, it is quite expensive.

A BEKA. From what I have gathered from people I have come in contact with, A beka seems to be viewed as a solid, traditional, kind of “old school” curriculum. It is worksheet driven. It is bright and colorful. It has incredibly detailed lesson plans. Down to…”say this, say that, etc.” I used A beka almost exclusively (Bible was with Positive Action) in year one. I used it almost exclusively this year for my kinder and parts for my 5th/6th grader. My Kinder is super tired of worksheets and I simply can’t seem to wrap my brain around the lesson plan/teacher guide books For some reason they are so tedious and confusing for my brain and we don’t play well together. This is one of my main dislikes about the curriculum. I have also heard that their science is super easy. I really can’t attest to that, other than to say it comes from people that I know and trust in the education field.

Why I’m eclectic ~

So, you can choose a curriculum company such as A beka, Sonlight, Monarch, Switched on Schoolhouse, or others. You can order an entire grade. With A beka for example you can order the student kit and teacher kit. Choose any additional supplements they offer and you will be set for the year. I would recommend this for the first year if you are unsure of what to do. There is so much to learn and figure out that using one publisher can really eliminate a lot of work by getting used to different styles and layouts of the various curriculum choices. I found it helpful.

The second year, I deviated a bit more as I become more comfortable with home school itself. This year I will became totally “eclectic”. I made a list of subjects and inserted the curriculum that I wanted to use to fulfill that subject. I have seen people who use exclusively one publisher, those who don’t ever use more than one subject from the same publisher and everything in between. I think there are pro’s and con’s to everything and every combination. I also think, especially for those of us who are new to this, that there is the possibility to get lost in the oceans of curriculum and all of the shiny options. Research is super important, but at some point you need to just make a decision. With that being said I also feel like if something is completely not working, go ahead and switch.

Personally, I have several teacher friends that I periodically check in with. I also plan to do the testing for my kids. I also continue to periodically check homeschool reviews etc. I also completely commit this to prayer as I really believe God will guide me to find what is right for my kids and this home.

I personally want a mix of learning options for my kids. It seems to fit us best. Some computer, some worksheets, some reading. Just well rounded with lots of variety. I want some tests and some quizzes. I want some independent work and some unit studies that will provide me teaching my kids together. I want everything with a pretty bow on top. I feel putting in a bit of extra work and going eclectic allows me my bow.

THIS YEAR….

I am using EXPLODE THE CODE. My six year old daughter is kind of “worksheeted out”. The downside to using all one curriculum is that everything starts to look the same. I love variety and I think its natural my kids will too. My daughter has done 2 solid years of A beka and I just think it is time to change it up. Explode the code offers an online deal for $65 a year that is a huge draw to me. It is the only part of school that I plan to have my first grader do online. I also have purchased the workbooks and she will do these as well. They are all black and white from what I can see, but have adorable little stick type figures that my daughter already finds “so funny”. The teacher books are written in a way that I completely understand which is huge. I need them. I will confess that I have a bit of anxiety knowing that I am really the one responsible for the foundational learning that she is doing. My other two were at a great school during the first few years of their education. When I brought them home, they had a wonderful foundation under their belt. Explode the Code has fantastic reviews and when you combine that with the ease of the teacher guides, the online options…I’m set and excited about the change.

I am switching to HORIZON from A beka for math primarily for two reasons. First, the lesson plan/teacher guide books again just make sense to me when I read Horizon. A beka does not. Second, there is a manipulatives kit that is used with this curriculum that I am looking forward to. I think this is going to be a great addition to my daughter’s learning. Again, she is kinda over the repetitive continuous worksheets. This will provide some variety for both of us.TEACHING TEXTBOOKS is a permanent fixture in our home for math. I love it. It begins in third grade, however. We will have to wait a bit longer for my soon to be first grader to start that.

WORDLY WISE is a program I found by looking on the Sonlight website. My kids have done A beka spelling for awhile, but I feel like they just memorize the vocabulary and don’t have a huge ability to use the words correctly. Soooo naturally I was drawn to a program that is primarily vocabulary. We will use the same vocabulary list for the spelling as well. This program begins in K. I will be using the first grade set for my youngest. I love it.

more tomorrow…….

 

2011-2012 Curriculum Plan

Written on April 26, 2011 by in 170 School Days. 2010, Curriculum, Homeschool Tips
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I purchased almost all of my curriculum through Rainbow Resource. After a lot of research, I found their prices to be the best….by far. I feel like this is pretty early to have done. HOWEVER, I really want my summer OFF with no thoughts of school. I have a lot of planning to do and I need time to get it DONE! SO, the tax refund arrived and the shopping began! I am sure there will be tweaks, as usual. I went completely eclectic this year.  I researched a lot of different curriculums, asked a lot of questions, and read a lot of reviews. I spent time praying about it and this is the result.

 

First Grade

Phonics  - Explode the Code

Reading – A beka readers. We were able to borrow tons of these for lots of daily reading.

Spelling – A Reason for Spelling

Penmanship – A Reason for Handwriting

Vocabulary -Wordly Wise

Creative Writing- Just Write

Math -Horizons

Science-Apologia Astronomy

Geography/History- Expedition Earth

Bible & Art – Both are integrated through some of the above curriculums

Sixth Grade

Reading -Unit Studies, one book per quarter and daily reading of their choice.

Vocab/Spelling – Wordly Wise

Grammar -Not Boring Middle School Grammar

Creative Writing- Stack the Deck

Math – Teaching Textbooks

Science-Apologia Astronomy

Geography/History- Monarch, Expedition Earth

Art -Global Art

Bible- Positive Action WISE UP

Seventh Grade

Reading -Unit Studies, one book per quarter and daily reading of their choice.

Vocab/Spelling – Wordly Wise

Grammar -Not Boring Middle School Grammar

Creative Writing- Stack the Deck

Math – Teaching Textbooks

Science-Apologia General Science

Geography/History- Monarch, Expedition Earth

Art -Global Art

Bible- Positive Action WISE UP

 

Other cool things I found:

Track weather and continued calendar practice for my 1st grader with THIS.

My drawing loving 10 year old loves this find.

Clock learning. {apparently I am finding this is well known and common, but since I am new at all of this, this is new to me}

If you want prepackaged science experiment kits that correlate to popular science curriculum, enter your science curriculum in the search box here or here and you will find a box of all the goodies you need without having to gather them all up. This may seem ridiculous to spend money on some of these common household items. However, believe me with 4 kids and a dog running around…this money is well spent. Something as simple as 5 minutes to grab a few things may turn into 15 minutes and ultimately may keep us from doing the experiment after all. Ask me how I know that?

 

We are on the countdown to summer over here! 23 days of school left, curriculum boxes arriving for next year, the classroom getting a makeover to become more functional, we got real LOCKERS from my sis’s old craigslist find, and we will be done by June 2nd so we can spend the summer PLAYING…

Horse camp, robot camp, VBS, musical theatre, soccer, the lake, family get away, slip n slide, and a secret hope that I get to see the ocean this summer…

For now I am living each day with my antihistime Visine in hand, trying to get through spring and these ridiculous central valley allergies. Hurry up summer!

 




What’s Working…Curriculum.

Written on October 4, 2010 by in 170 School Days. 2010, Curriculum, Homeschool Tips
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Knowledge is power they say. I agree. I have heard so many people say that they learn more about themselves while homeschooling then potentially what the kids learn. I agree with that too. I have definitely figured out after just 18 months (yes, I’m a quick learner) that there is no one way to homeschool. However, I should have known because there is usually not one right way for a lot of things in life. In the beginning, I used to see an idea, read a blog, or a book, and immediately try to implement that glorious plan into my household only to find it was a disaster for me. All was not a total loss, however, because failure is definitely part of learning and growing. It should not be feared. Do not freeze up because you do not know which way to go. Curriculum can be returned (or sold on Ebay), systems can be changed, furniture can be re arranged, chore charts can be thrown out, and craft projects can be repurposed. You never know what kind of fabulous can be created until you try.

Over the next few days I am going to be posting on what is working and what isn’t. Not just in school land but in our house in general. I have been thinking about how things are going lately. A lot has changed since last school year when God allowed us the blessing of picking our lives up, shaking them all around, and flipping them upside down. I have had plenty of failures and successes. They are both equally important.

Curriculum…

I had an original curriculum plan. Some aspects worked some did not. Sonlight has by far the best guarantee and return options that I have seen and Ebay has helped me out too. I have taken advantage of them both. I have made changes and things are working great for us right now.

Emma~

Most subjects are A beka.  I decided last minute, last spring, to go ahead and try Handwriting Without Tears through Sonlight. The program personally caused me tears. Too much for my taste. I returned the $80 program through Sonlight and went back to the $15 writing through A beka. There are no tears around here from either of us now. Yay, because that is that important.

Bible~ I do not personally find the Bible through A Beka to be something that fits for us. We chose to go with POSITIVE ACTION. The worksheets at this level go with Bible stories that I easily look up in her children’s Bible and read to her. We do one a week. I did not order the teacher’s guide for this. I didn’t find it necessary.

I love everything we are doing for Kindergarten right now. The bright colorful worksheets from A Beka make us both happy. I love the content. It works for us. I did not order most of the lesson plan books. I tried one, but sold it on Ebay because I waited too long to return it. At the Kindergarten level it is fairly basic to plan this stuff out and I saved a bunch of money this way. My organizing system this year ROCKS for me…more about that another day.

Taylor and Cameron~

Spelling~ A Beka….traditional type lists and tests. One lesson a week. Inexpensive. LOVE!

Read and Thinks~ A Beka….The kids actually enjoy these. Timed stories with comprehension tests. One a week. Again Inexpensive. LOVE!

Bible~ I returned Sonlight and went with POSITIVE ACTION. Sonlight looked fine, but it was a devotional type book similar to what the kids have and do on their own before bed anyway. We love Positive Action.

Language Arts/History ~ Sonlight. I LOVE these products. I LOVE Sonlight’s customer service. I particularly the writing curriculum. There are very creative ideas that beautifully reinforce otherwise potentially boring writing concepts. I did supplement the grammar exercises with a work book that I found at Lakeshore for just $9.95. As for history, the kids have read a ton of books already this year and are completely enjoying this style of learning. The girls also completely enjoyed that the box the Sonlight products were shipped to us in because it was a craft project. A castle waiting for some crafty touches! I’m totally impressed with the little things.

Science~ I completed 6 weeks of Sonlight Science and it all went back to them last week, for a full refund of $250. While I thought it was o.k. I was not impressed. The biggest issue I had with it, is while although it was “God Based” it was by no means written in a way that ever mentioned God one time in the six weeks we used it. A Beka science is completely God integrated throughout the material and for science, in particular, that is a priority for me. Shiny new A Beka science curriculum is on its way to me as we speak. In the interim, I am doing a 7 week A Beka Health course that I never finished last year that actually is part of their science package. So, it all worked out great.

Math~ Teaching Textbooks. I absolutely could not love this more and even better my kids love it. They literally ask me to do math now. It is a complete online curriculum that even tracks the grades for you. It’s brilliant. It’s a bit pricey, but honestly worth every single penny.

Electives~ Cooking, art, park/library…we aim for one of these each, one time a week.

Extracurricular~ Currently Awana and Football. We LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Field Trips~ see our plan here.

More to come…

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