(I really apologize to my readers who come here for something other than homeschooling. But I post about my life, and that's life right now....)
As we finish up our year of Classical Conversations, I'm evaluating where we're at and where I want to go for the rest of this spring, over the summer, and into the next school year. I also wanted to gather in one place the links to my main resources. This is mostly for my benefit, but maybe one or two readers out there will find this interesting or helpful.
We are on "spring break" this week (though doing some light school work), and then we have three CC classes remaining. I'm proud of how we held it together last fall despite more than a month of illnesses, a new baby, and Russ losing his job. And we've done some really solid work the last couple of months.
The boys are all pre-registered for Classical Conversations 2011-2012. We are also currently registered with a distance learning program. They help pay for some of our non-faith-based materials and activities as well as administer the standardized testing which Levi was scheduled to take this year as a homeschooler (and has now completed).
I hope to keep up our current pace (minus CC, but adding in some resources) through the spring and then very light lessons over the summer, and picking back up in September when CC begins again.
It has come to my attention that my boys need to be kept busy and quite structured if I wish to keep the house (and its inhabitants) from being destroyed. Now that I look at my list, however, I'm not certain there is enough Dr. Pepper and chocolate in the world to keep me alive... (And, oh Lola, please be an angel toddler...)
Much of our work will be done together (with allowances for individual abilities and attention spans) unless otherwise noted.
LEVI ~ 4th grade
LUKE ~ 2nd grade
LEIF ~ Kindergarten
Classical Conversations (Cycle 3) (One morning each week for 24 weeks; includes social time and public speaking.)
Faith:
Bible Memory:
CC Memorize John 1:1-7 (in Latin and English)
Sing the Word From A to Z until completely memorized, then A New Commandment (CDs)
(Finish independent Bible reading:
Levi: Day by Day Kid's Bible
Luke: The Children's Illustrated Bible (DK)
Leif: The Early Reader's Bible)
Telling God's Story
Passion Hymns For a Kid's Heart
Hymns For a Kid's Heart (Vol. 1)
(Luke: weekly hymns on piano)
(weekly patriotic hymns/songs)
(Christmas: The Handel's Messiah Family Advent Reader)
Math:
Teaching Textbooks (Luke: 3, Levi: 4)
Supplement with Singapore workbooks (Leif: Singapore only)
CC weekly memory work (skip counting/formulas/laws) (solidify memorization, practical application of formulas)
Science:
Christian Kids Explore Chemistry (finish)
DK First Human Body Encyclopedia (human body unit study)
CC weekly science memory work (human body and chemistry)
CC weekly science projects and experiments
Christian Kids Explore Physics
The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia
Supplemental books and DVDs
P.E.:
Swimming
(mini trampoline)
Fine Arts:
CC drawing, tin whistle/music theory, fine art/art projects, composers/instruments of the orchestra
Monthly Fine Arts Study (one composer/artist/poet each month)
Piano lessons (Luke) (loving this piano book series!)
Language Arts:
IEW Writing (Luke: Primary Arts of Language Writing, Levi: TWSS/Student Writing Intensive A/Fables, Myths, and Fairy Tales Writing Lessons)
IEW Poetry Memorization
MCT Poetry, Grammar, Writing, Vocabulary (finish Island level and move on to Town)
CC grammar memory work (verbs, parts of sentences)
All About Spelling Level 2 (and 3)
Handwriting Without Tears workbooks
TYPING (need a program...)
Latin:
Song School Latin (finish)
Prima Latina
CC Latin memory work
Spanish:
Spanish for Children A
Geography:
Maps & Globes
CC U.S. geography (states, capitals, mountains, rivers, lakes, features, and more)
Continue map drawing and 'blobbing' continents (CC)
(review CC cycle 2 geography)
(history related maps)
History/Literature:
The Story of the World: Early Modern Times (finish) (with Activity Guide)
The Story of the World: The Modern Age (with Activity Guide)
CC weekly history memory work (American history)
The Usborne Encyclopedia of World History (Luke)
The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (Levi)
DK Children's Encyclopedia of American History
CC Veritas History Timeline Cards and U.S. Presidents (solidify memorization)
Supplemental books and DVDs
Assigned reading and read-aloud lists (Need to compile these!)
Lots of free reading
Review CC memory work from cycle 2
Leif:
"Grammy School" (one or two afternoons each week at Bambi's house)
(reading, phonogram cards, handwriting workbook, math workbook, cooking/baking, crafts)
21 comments:
I noticed you need a typing program. We like ten thumbs.
Exciting! We definitely need to get together sometime this summer -- we'll be in Eugene before heading over to Bend.
I got a review copy of Telling God's Story and I LOVE it! So excited to use it next year. Do you have it yet?
I love to read about it:).
sandy toe
I am so glad for your blog! I am gearing up to begin homeschooling my oldest for kindergarten next year, and I refer to your blog constantly! I'm sure I will be even more in the next few months as I gather curriculum. Thanks!
I am preparing for next year also. Thank you so much for this, I look to you often and admire the books and curriculum you choose. We don't have CC here, but have something similar that I'm thinking about trying next year. We also have a Community Bible Study for moms and home schooled children (they have lessons and homework for the week) So, I'm praying about which one to use. We are starting 1st grade and am having a hard time deciding what Math program to use. Our son loves Math, and right now we are just playing games and using worksheets, but for next year I'd like something more structured. So you have any recommendations? Also, which Telling God's Story do you use? Your link is attached to Passion Hymns. Thank you so much Heidi!
Heidi,
So I hope you can tell we really appeciate your posting all of this! So helpful!! So, you are using IEW...are you going to reveiw this? I would love to know which pieces you are using. It is expensive!!! But I want to use it...just don't know what parts to start with. Would welcome your insights! You are a gift to me, Heidi! Thank you! Julie in St. Louis
Thank you so much for taking the time posting this! It is so very helpful for a HS newbie like me.
Renee~ Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check that out.
Jeana~ I'm not sure I'm the one to ask about math. ;-P We really liked RightStart math, but I have a non-mathy son, the lessons were very teacher-intensive, and it took FOREVER....which didn't work with our life this past year. So we did tons of worksheets, games, computer stuff, etc. Now we are working on Singapore workbooks (Singapore Math has a *great* track record). Thanks for letting me know that link was incorrect. I think I've fixed it. I'm planning on doing the Year One text.
Julie~ Yes, it is expensive. That's why I had the distance learning program buy it for me. ;-P I'm looking forward to using the writing system across all our other subjects, so I think it will be really worth it! I am just getting started with Levi, so I'll review when I have something productive to say. :)
Heidi - I would love to hear what distance learning organization you are using.
Cheryl~ It is called Paisley Distance Learning Program. Here is a link: http://paisleydistancelearningprogram.org/
Wow, I read these updates of your homeschooling and can't believe you do all this. To be honest, I feel like I'm missing something. I aspire to be as forward thinking as you.
Thanks for the link to the Paisley Distance Learning Program. My family was just down in that area for a quick vacation a few weeks ago...I had no idea they had something like that in such a itty bitty place. The program looks and sounds fabulous, and is apparently full. Bummer. It mentions that you meet twice a month with a tutor/teacher mentor. Do they have someone locally that you meet with or does this involve a serious travel commitment? Your blog is always very inspiring. Thanks so much for sharing all you do.
Cheryl~ They have local teachers. The Albany/Salem area teacher's class was full by the time I signed up, so we have a teacher from Portland who drives down to see us. And it isn't necessarily twice monthly face-to-face meetings. That's more for people who need or want it. :) But we stay in touch via email.
Thank you for sharing this post! It's useful for me!!
Heidi, I really enjoy your homeschool posts...so helpful. I do have a quick question about your collages that you do. Do you do all of them on picnik? How do you get the space with words to have different colors for the background? Does that make sense? Thanks, Lori in Tennessee!!
I do make all my collages in picnik. You can make the spacing any size or color. When I have a large block of color, I've made a collage and left one space blank, so that it is just the plain background color.
hi heidi --- thanks so much for focusing so much on homeschooling. you seem to be doing a wonderful job. i have a question about mct and iew --- do you use them together? or are you using mct for the younger kids and moving to iew when then finish mct? or doing mct for vocab/grammar and iew for writing? i was planning on starting iew until you shared mct and i love his style. please share!!! thanks so much!!!
Great question. At this point I'm planning on using mostly IEW for writing. We are reading the 'writing' book (Island level) of MCT, and the writing exercises are a little too open-ended/creative for me to implement. IEW is going to be much more along the lines of what I want to do for writing right now. I plan on still reading through the MCT writing and maybe doing an activity here and there, but using it mainly for grammar, poetry, and vocabulary. Both boys will do IEW for writing.
Great post. thanks for sharing in so much detail all you do.
I am so glad to have found your blog. My son (6 years) and I will be starting CC in the fall. I include myself because I have signed on as a Tutor for Foundations. I look forward to reading your blog as our lives will be similar in that respect.
Blessings,
Rebecca
Heidi, thanks for posting all this great info. My oldest turned 5 yesterday and we are preparing for Kindergarten (I also have a 2yo and 6 month old twins- all boys). I am wondering how many minutes/hours (on average) a day did you spend on school with your K age boys? I know the WTM recommends only 30 min a day and most others say an hour. I don't want to induce burnout before we even start 1st grade, but it seems there is so much to cover! Any thoughts you would care to share?
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