Now, here I'll record my neat and tidy plans for curriculum this year. This evolves during the year as I add things and scrap others, but this is my current plan.
Aiden 7th, Alex 6th, Riley 4th, Remy 2nd, Oliver Pre-PreK :0).
*We do these things all together during Circle Time. We don't do all of the memory work or songs everyday. We mix things up during the week.
SINGING and MEMORY WORK--Bits of CC Memory Work and Timeline Song
Memory work from First Language Lessons CD
Scripture Memory Songs from Randall Goodgame, The Harrow Family, Jamie Soles, Steve Green, and Nathan Clark George
BIBLE--Popcorn Bible Reading from the ESV
PRAYER--Prayer Box and Answered Prayers book
BIBLE HISTORY--The Old Testament Made Simple
The New Testament Made Simple
The Picture Smart Bible--If we get the OT and NT Made Simple done we might use this).
WORK--Usually it's some kind of manual labor like cleaning baseboards for 15 minutes.
READ ALOUD--I'm using Ambleside Online some to help me choose books from our collection to focus on this year.
*We work these in weekly or monthly.
SCIENCE--Supercharged Science--I'm still figuring out how to schedule this the best way, but we have tons of terrific experiments to do, lots of videos online to watch, and lots of great info to read on the website.
ART--Aiden Alex, and Riley are taking a drawing class and we also do art projects at home some and review flashcards from our Fine Arts year a while back.
MUSIC--Aiden, Alex, Riley, and Remy are taking piano and we listen to tons of good music all the time, and have hymn sings at church.
COOKING--It is a major priority of mine that my boys know how to cook by the time they leave my house and that I cook ahead as much as possible. So, it only makes sense that I would cook with the boys to get ahead! We will try to do this once a week in addition to my helper for the day helping me with cooking prep. We have also enjoyed watching these cooking classes.
SERVICE--Raymond and Dorothy Moore describe education as a three legged stool. The three legs are book learning, work, and service. I love that model and here we look for ways to be hospitable or serve others in the church and/or community.
GEOGRAPHY--I'm going to spend one month making sure that my kids have a comfortable knowledge of the continents and oceans and some major landmarks. I'll be using The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide and Geography Flashcards that you can buy here.
FIELD TRIPS--We will shoot for one field trip per month. It's so nice to get out together and enjoy God's creation!
*Everyone does these on their own.
MATH--We are using Math U See. We switched from Saxon at the end of last year and so far I've been really glad that we did. The kids are enjoying math a LOT more. It has been a bit complicated switching over. I tested each boy to see what level he should begin at. Then I backed up one level from their recommendation and then had them zip through and do one page of the lesson work per day instead taking a week and doing multiple pages. This way they could learn how he teaches (via DVD) and how he explains things and get used to the change at a level that they were comfortable at. It would also be great review. Now I am just watching their scores on math and if they start missing 1 or 2 then at that point I will slow down and help them get the info. If they are getting everything right the first try then I am still letting them move more quickly. I help them as needed, but the video of Steve Demme gets them started off right each week. I have been supplementing with Challenge Math, but I'm comparing that with Mathematical Reasoning and Beast Academy (at the recommendation of a Math Counts leader) to see if those might work better for us. Also, we are doing flashcards to make sure that their math facts are as normal as breathing :0).
COPYWORK--I write a new quote on the white board each morning. So far they have all been quotes about the Bible by famous people. It's been really fun finding these. Now I am moving into quotes about personal piety.
NARRATION--Each of them narrates to me by themselves in the laundry room after our read aloud time.
OUTSIDE FOR 15 MINUTES--This has been a great addition to our flippers! They can combine this with another subject by doing their work outside or they can just go play and have some recess. It's wonderful to get some fresh air! Even if it is raining they can just go out on our front porch. And, of course, they can stay out longer than 15 minutes.
PIANO--Our 4 big boys are taking piano so they each have to practice every day. We have a piano upstairs and a keyboard with headphones downstairs so that helps.
READERS--I used Ambleside Online to choose some of the books we already have as readers for the boys at their appropriate reading levels. I require them to read 30 minutes of their assigned book. After that they are free to read other stuff. I just told them this week that I might be changing the required reading to an hour. After all, I am picking awesome books for them to get into and they usually end up loving them! Some of the books are Michael Clay Thompson's Literature Trilogies. These are terrific! If have never heard of them...check them out!
*Aiden, Alex, and Riley are doing these things:
MICHAEL CLAY THOMPSON LANGUAGE ARTS--I finally took the plunge (after looking at it for about 5 years!) and bought this curriculum this year and I am so pleased! It begins in 3rd grade and covers Grammar, Writing, Vocabulary, Practice and Poetics. I just started Aiden, Alex, and Riley all on the first books and I am zipping through them with Aiden and Alex and taking it slower with Riley. I can't say enough about how accessible he makes grammar and vocabulary. He really boils it down and makes it so simple and thoroughly enjoyable! The vocabulary in this program is very advanced and the end goal is to be able to write an MLA style paper so the kids will be ready for college. This curriculum is a bit hard to explain, but do some research if you are interested. There is quite a buzz about it around the web!
GREEK--Aiden, Alex, and Riley are all using Hey Andrew Teach Me Some Greek. Jeremy did just find a curriculum that teaches Koine Greek by having them listen to it spoken. He has heard some rave reviews about it and so we might be switching over to that soon.
*Aiden and Alex are doing these things:
FRIDAY ESSAYS-- This year I am having Aiden and Alex do an essay for me (due each Friday) about current events. We get World Magazine and then we have a few sites that they can go to for research online. This is nothing fancy, but we are working up to more sophisticated writing.
*Remy is doing these things:
Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading
I read picture books to him.
He is still doing Prescripts Handwriting and Explode the Code
*Oliver is doing these things:
I read picture books to him.
One fun activity every day.
Outside for 15 minutes every day.
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To recap a different way, I will list the flippers we use. These are small laminated cards that the kids and I flip over when we have completed the subject listed on the card. I absolutely love this system! The subjects listed here are fleshed out above.
Our Family Flippers:
Daily
Sing
Memory Work
Pray
Bible Reading
Bible History
Read Aloud
Once or Twice a Week
Cooking
Art
Geography
Music
Science
Service
Aiden's Flippers--7th Grade:
Before 9:00
Math
Challenge Math
Copywork
Grammar Island (Michael Clay Thompson)
Narration
Greek
Reader
Piano
Outside 15 Minutes
Alex's Flippers--6th Grade:
Before 9:00
Math
Challenge Math
Spelling (I just take misspelled words from his essay and other work, have him study and copy them and then test him on them each Friday)
Copywork
Grammar Island (Michael Clay Thompson)
Narration
Greek
Reader
Piano
Outside 15 Minutes
Riley's Flippers--4th Grade:
Before 9:00
Math
Challenge Math
Copywork
Grammar Island (Michael Clay Thompson)
Narration
Greek
Reader
Piano
Outside 15 Minutes
Remy's Flippers--2nd Grade:
Before 9:00
Reading Book (Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading)
Math
Challenge Math
Copywork
Read to Me (I read him at least one picture book.)
Narration
Handwriting/Explode the Code
Reader
Piano
Outside 15 Minutes
Oliver's Flippers--Age3:
Outside 15 minutes
Read to Me
Activity
There you have it!
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