Since we decided to homeschool next year, we've been in a whirlwind of curriculum choices and lesson planning.
We will be using the Classical Method as laid out in The Well-Trained Mind.
Here are our curriculum choices by subject:
Spelling - Spelling Power; I love this because it's a one-hit wonder. I won't ever need another spelling curriculum. The lists are arranged phonetically.
Language Arts - First Language Lessons; The text covers 1st and 2nd grade. But since I'm not sure what Gator already knows, we're starting at the beginning. I think we'll fly through it though.
Handwriting - D'Nealian Handwriting; Gator already started learning D'Nealian last year, so we'll continue with this until he starts cursive. Then, I think we'll switch to A Reason for Handwriting.
Reading - Any reading we do will be directly linked to what we're studying in History, along with some leisure reading as well. We will visit the library a lot!
History - The Story of the World - The Ancients and Activity Book; I LOVE the way this series is written, chronologically from pre-history through to modern times in four books. If I had been taught history this way, it would have stuck! I will definitely be learning along with my kids for this subject. And we get to mummify a chicken while covering Ancient Egypt!
Science - Exploring Creation with Zoology 1 and Notebooking Journal; Science learning by immersion is such a great way to learn! I'm really looking forward to all the experiments we will do.
Math - Right Start Mathematics; I chose this one for Bull's sake. Gator could learn math by any method. This hands-on approach is perfectly suited for my kinesthetic second-born.
Music/Art/PE - I'm still trying to figure all of this out. Art will most likely be with a co-op. I'm not sure that I'm ready to commit to instrument lessons yet (baby steps!). So, we'll likely do some type of Music Appreciation. As for PE...well, they're boys! We'll most likely do some combination of Gymnastics Plus, team sports on post, and co-op involvement.
Memory Work - We will have numerous sources of memorization for the boys: literature/poetry, historical lists (i.e. Egyptian Pharoahs), and AWANA at a local church.
Bible - We will work Biblical history into our study of Ancient History. We will also take advantage of Daddy's time at home between PT and office work and do family devotionals while we eat breakfast.
While I need one-on-one time with Gator, Bull will have plenty of Montessori-inspired activities, worksheets, and play-doh to occupy his time and hands. And Monkey? He'll just keep being cute, I suppose!
That's the plan. Any other ideas? Do you see any holes? This will be quite a grand adventure!
5 comments:
I've always admire your organizational skills! Looks like you have a plan and I know you'll do great with it! Good luck!
Very good plan!! I am going to use the same history his year!
~Jennifer H
way to go! i'm sorry i didn't finish our "list" via email, but this looks great! just remember, cut yourself some slack when you need to. with these ages, you still have some flexibility and it'll keep you from burning out. we'll be praying for all of you as you start your homeschool journey. keep us posted! love you guys! :o)
I used First Language Lessons for 1st grade for all of my kids. Then, I did something else. But I've gone back to it, especially since they made books for the older grades. I love it! I also really like A Reason for Handwriting.
We use Sequential Spelling which teaches spelling by recognizing patterns, not memorization, but I've heard Spelling Power is good.
I would highly recommend checking out Sonlight's suggestions for art and music appreciation... their stuff is fantastic. And Sonlight's science program that they've put together is unbelievable. Exploring Creation is really good, but I'm in love with the way Sonlight does it.
I would love to talk more on this subject, especially Classical education, including Latin... but I have to get off the computer.
I am so excited for you!
Christie,
I went to take a nap, but got woken up and I can't go back to sleep because I'm thinking about a couple of things I forgot to mention.
The same family who wrote First Language Lessons has also created a writing program called, Writing with Ease. This is not handwriting, it is an introduction to composition. I started it this year because I thought my boys needed a more systematic approach and I really like it.
Also, there is a really good book about classical Christian education called, Teaching the Trivium. If you can get a copy, it is wonderful. And, since you're interested in classical education, you might want to check out VeritasPress.com and MemoriaPress.com.
Jen
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