Our Homeschool Curriculum Choices 2012-2013

Part of the Cornerstone Confessions Titus 2 Tuesday Linky Party
and the Parent 'Hood link up.

This post may seem a little past due, but for us year-round homeschoolers, it's right on schedule. The way we do our schooling is we take each subject at the pace each of the girls needs. So, for Alexis, who HATES math, we go slower in that subject than we do in Bible, which she LOVES. Although, even at the slower pace, we're still ahead of where she would be if she were in traditional school. We're coming upon the time that we're starting to order new curriculum in the areas where she's finishing up her 2nd grade work.  We'll be transitioning over the next 3 months. By the time January hits, we will be into her 3rd grade studies in all her subjects. Woot, woot! In traditional school, she would have just started 2nd grade last month.

Of course, Kailtyn not wanting to be outdone has done a great job on her preschool work and is now ready to start her Kindergarten material (a year early). Woot, woot! Katie!

So, without further ado......here are our curriculum choices for Kindergarten and 3rd grade:

Kindergarten

{BIBLE}

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We chose the Explorer's Bible Study - Beginnings because we loved the curriculum so much with Alexis. This one is great for little ones who can't read on their own yet. Rated for ages 2-5. It's so good that Alexis has asked me if she can read the lessons to Kaitlyn. She does a wonderful job playing teacher, and Kaitlyn gets most of the answers correct when it's Mommy's turn to see how well Alexis taught and Kaitlyn listened. It is great!

{MATH}

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We chose the Saxon Math K, Home Study Kit because we have not been very happy with the Horizon Math Curriculum and thought we'd give this one a try. We also got the Manipulatives Kit to go with it.

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I am really hoping we have more luck with this curriculum than the Horizon's. We'll test it out for awhile and then maybe I'll do a write-up on it.

{LANGUAGE ARTS}

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We're going to give these a try this year for Kaitlyn's Kindergarten Language Arts. I have not used them before but have heard wonderful things about them from some other homeschooling moms. 

{HANDWRITING}

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This will be our 3rd time using Handwriting Without Tears. It is fantastic! Both the girls have done well with it, so I'm just ordering Kaitlyn the next level of it. She's so excited.

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3rd Grade

{BIBLE}

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Again, we LOVE-LOVE Explorer's Bible Study. Alexis is so excited to start her new study that she can barely stand it.

{MATH}

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I have two homeschooling friends who have used Teaching Textbooks for their children and they could not say enough good things about it. One of them had a student that was great at math and one that hated math - it worked very well for both of them. The one that hated math came to not hate it and did quite well. We're going to give it a try because the Horizons Math is complete drudgery for Alexis. She HATES it. Poor thing. I was also told that it is advisable to have the student do the placement test first because the program seems to be a year behind - so Alexis may place in the 4th grade math program instead of the 3rd. Hence- the two different pictures above :)

{LANGUAGE ARTS}

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Again, this curriculum came highly recommended by a friend who uses it with two of her daughters. They just LOVE it. Alexis is really excited that the first book she gets to read for this program is about a horse. She's practically over the moon :)

{GEOGRAPHY}

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Alexis has been wanting to do the states and capitals for a while now so I promised her that when we were done with our current geography study we would do that. Of course, you have to have some mapping, graphing, and all that good stuff as well :)

{HISTORY}

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We are really enjoying Volume I of this curriculum series. Both girls like listening to the lessons, doing the activities, and working on the timeline poster. We can't wait to start Volume II.

{SCIENCE}

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Everyone I've talked to about Apologia has told me it is an excellent science curriculum. I can't even find a bad review of it either. So, we will be starting Zoology 1 for 3rd grade.

{SPANISH}

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We will be continuing our study of Spanish using ¡El Español Fácil! It teaches kids the language through conversation, activities, and songs. The girls seem to enjoy it and Alexis does really well at memorizing the vocabulary.

{COMPUTER SKILLS}

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For 3rd grade we're going to be doing two different things for computers. Of course we'll be continuing to learn keyboarding/typing (whichever you like to call it). But, we're adding some computer programming this year as well. In this day and age, it's going to be essential for the girls to know a bit about computer programming. As always, it's easier if you get them started early.

{LATIN}

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Anthony and I discussed it and we've come to the decision that it would be best for the girls to having a working knowledge of Latin. I think Dorothy Sayers says it best when she said, 

"I will say at once, quite firmly, that the best grounding for education is the Latin grammar. I say this not because Latin is traditional and medieval, but simply because even a rudimentary knowledge of Latin cuts down the labor and pains of learning almost any other subject by at least 50 percent."

{ART}

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I Can Do All Things art program is what we've chosen for this year's art study. It includes drawing lessons, color, penmanship, art appreciation, rules, measurements, painting, academia, and creativity. I really think both the girls are going to enjoy it.

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That's the rundown for what we'll be using next in our homeschooling adventure. You can feel the excitement and anticipation in the air as the girls get closer and closer in each of their subjects to moving on to the next level. I love that they reach new levels at different times in each of their subjects. It's easier on the pocketbook and the excitement lasts longer :)

Lesson Plan for "Letter I Day"

First off, I have to tell you that I am in no way an authority on preschool education. I am simply a homeschooling mother with a Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Washington that strives to find an interesting/effective way to teach my preschooler the basic foundation of what she'll need to build her future education on. And, being a blogger as well, I get to share this journey of ours with you {smile}. Having one already in 2nd grade (homeschooling as well), I'm already aware of the things that DON'T work well. Been there, done that.

I've found that introducing the letters in a specific order really helps my preschooler chunk the sounds together and read small words a lot easier than if we had just gone straight through the alphabet. 

We have already gone through the letters: A, N, T, and E (lesson plans for those to come soon). 

Today, I introduced the letter "I". So, if you're looking for an interesting and fun lesson plan for the letter "I" then keep reading:

Of course we start off each morning with this wonderful "Good Morning" song. Both girls love it.

Devotion Time:

Today's devotion was on Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." We talked about how, if you had watched God create our world, you would not need sunglasses in the beginning because everything was dark. Then on the 1st day of creation, God separated the light from the dark and called the light, "day" and the dark, "night". You can have your little one close their eyes and then open them again to see how light and dark can be separated. Have them try to put into words what they see when their eyes are closed, and what they see when their eyes are open. If their attention span allows, you can then start talking about what God created on the other days. We got through day 3 before Katie was maxed out on her devotion time. Have your little one memorize Genesis 1:1 and review it every day for a week. You could even make a little poster of the verse to hang up if you have the space.

Introduce Letter of the Day:

If you have a subscription to Scholastic Printables, you can print out the letter "I" clipart on cardstock and laminate it for a nice visual. I used contact paper on ours because I do not have a laminator yet {sad face}. It works just as well though. If you do NOT have a subscription, I would highly recommend one if you are putting curricula together yourself (or supplementing).

Even though the letter "I" can make three different sounds, we just stuck with the short and long sounds for now. I will introduce the long "e" sound that it can make later when she gets more into blending and reading harder words.

Letter "I" Videos:

Katie enjoyed these videos very much and requested that she be able to watch the Storybots video again (5 times, actually). 
Letter Formation/Recognition:

We then headed into learning how to write the letter (both uppercase and lowercase) properly. If you have a membership with Starfall (which I highly recommend), you can print out letter "I" worksheets here. If you do not, then some other fun worksheets can be found here and here. Either way, it is VERY, VERY important that you make sure your preschooler understands the correct way of forming the letter. It will make writing a whole lot easier for them in the long run. Pay attention to how they're forming it and their tendency to either do it backwards or not. 

"Where do you start your letters? AT THE TOP!"  (from Handwriting without Tears). 

There are many sites online that offer additional worksheets, such as letter searches, matching, etc. to help familiarize the student with the letter and the sound. If your child doesn't mind sitting and doing those then it can be quite beneficial. However, most preschoolers aren't that interested in sitting down to a worksheet (or more than 1 worksheet anyways). Instead, have them search through magazines for the letter "I". Name some objects and ask them if they can hear the short or long sound of the letter "I" in it. You can make it an all-day activity of pointing out things that have the letter "I" (signs, movie titles, the ice cream container when you dish up a small snack {smile}). Your preschooler will more than likely find a gazillion, million I's on his/her own as well that he/she will shriek about and need to show you - so be prepared for the onslaught of I's.
Letter I Craft:
And, of course, what would a day of preschooling be without some good crafty fun. An easy and fun letter "I" craft that we really enjoyed was the ice cream cone craft. 

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Doesn't it look "delicious"? My little one LOVES pom poms and any excuse to finger them, squeeze them, roll them, throw them, etc. is just fine with her. And, of course, tiny bead "sprinkles" are delightful as well. You'll want to make sure you do this on a cookie sheet (with a lip), or something similar, to keep all the bits and pieces in one area. How many scoops can you fit on your cone?
Of course, these are just a few of the many options out there for exploring the letter "I". However, I found that it really kept Katie's attention and she had a great time with it. In fact, she asked if we could do letter "I" again tomorrow {smile}. So, just have fun with it and if something isn't working for your little one, don't push it. Just move on to the next thing....keep it light....keep it enjoyable. We want to instill a love of learning, not make it drudgery.

Found on Cornerstone Confessions: Titus 2 Tuesday Linky Party and Uncommonly Yours Link Party

School Time

It's SORT OF the first day of school for us here. We took a few weeks off for the nice weather here in Alaska and are now picking back up where we left off in our curriculum we started in June.

Do you like our homeschool logo? We love eagles and one of the biggest reasons we're homeschooling is due to our Christian faith.......hence the design for our logo. We love it and will be ordering hooded sweatshirts with the logo in the near future. GO TEAM TRAIL!! {smile}

Our days are filled with 2nd grade fun and Preschool fun. The girls are doing really well in their work and have already made lots of progress. 

Either tomorrow or Friday I will post about all the resources we are using for each grade.

Back to School for the Homeschooler

Have you seen all the "Back to School" ads, ideas, themes, parties, etc. swarming the web right now? I have to admit, it completely caught me by surprise this year. Being in Alaska for the construction season and feeling a bit "out of the loop" anyways, I got that deflated feeling when all my lovely blog ladies that I faithfully read started churning out the "Back to School" season items. I thought, "What!? Is it seriously that time again? Oh no - I haven't even started preparing." Oh well.  Guess I'll get started now :).

As a homeschooling mom, I know that it can be difficult sometimes to get into the "Back to School" spirit, especially if you're a year-round schooler like us. So, go ahead, throw a PARTY! See how it will rejuvenate the spirit and add some fun to the mix. The kids will love it.

You can go all out and do a whole theme. This one from catchmyparty.com is really cute for the mom who loves to do creative foods and tablescapes.

Back to School Party from CATCHMYPARTY.COM

You don't even have to get super fancy. You can do a simple tablescape with construction paper, and other supplies on hand. The kids will think it's great. Watch their eyes light up when they realize something special is going on.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/s_ripperton/2792590619/

And what about all those cute ideas for teacher gifts? I have seen so many that are just too fun to pass up. I say, why not make something special and unique for your kids' teacher this year, even if that teacher is YOU. Or should I say, BECAUSE that teacher is you. I know that, for me, having a new gadget, organizer, personalized notebook, etc. really gives me an attitude boost and makes things more fun/interesting.

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Mini Modpodge Clipboard from MARTA WRITES

Menu Planner Spiral Notebook from ARTSY-FARTSY MAMA

Desk Organizer from HOME CELEBRATION

Personalized Calendar w/Journaling Page by SCHOOL SUPPLY DANCE

The same goes for the kids too. Have you seen how excited they get over something new, even if it's just a new box of crayons? How about some of these fun ideas to get the kids excited about a new year (or just for fun if you school year-round)?

Desk Caddy from GINGER SNAP CRAFTS

Beadboard Supply Caddy from THE CRAFTING CHICKS

Pencil Case from BY NIGHT

Reading Nook from THE LAWRENCE GIRLS

Flip-Down Wall Art Desk from ANA WHITE

Organizer Board from BUSY AT HOME

Just looking at all these ideas has me excited for OUR "Back to School" celebration. So get your crafty-mama hat on and start planning that party :). And, if you're one of those whose kids are all gone, why not create a little something for the grand-babies who are schooling. It'll just add one more thing to your "why I'm a totally awesome grandma" list :).

Yvonne

Sand and Homeschool

The girls have spent a lot of time on the beach near our campsite building castles, digging like dogs, finding seashells, rolling down the dune, and anything else they can think of.  I think they secretly have a bet going of who can bring the most sand back on their bodies.  I'm not sure who's ahead right now, I just know that I'm losing - and the vacuum cleaner is getting tired.

 

When it's not "sand time" one of the things that we're doing is homeschool stuff.  Alexis has started her 2nd grade curriculum and is doing very well.  Kaitlyn has started her 4-year old preschool curriculum and likes it for the most part, except when she has to color something yellow - she does NOT like coloring with the yellow crayon.

What our second grade looks like:

Explorer's Bible Study

We love this bible curriculum.  It's called Beginnings II - God's Promises and does a good job going through the Old Testament in 150 lessons.  We're about half-way through it right now and it presents the scripture very well for young readers.  Alexis either reads the lessons to herself or aloud and then answers the questions that follow. I highly recommend this curriculum.

Horizons Math

The math curriculum that we use is from Alpha Omega Horizons curriculum. We love Horizon because it does a good job of introducing math principles and building on them, and then reviewing.  Being able to really understand something has a lot to do with repetition and occasional review.  This curriculum does that very well.  It doesn't just move on to a new subject and forget about what had been learned previously.  It all builds together.

Horizons Phonics and Reading

We also use Horizons for our phonics and reading curriculum.  We had previously used LifePac for the language work in 1st grade, but it didn't really meet our needs.  This curriculum is more comprehensive and better laid out.  Also, the readers are much more interesting.

Evan Moor Daily Science

 This is not my first choice of science curriculum for Alexis.  However, it is a good overview of general topics such as: How do butterflies turn into caterpillars?, Life cycles, How is a fox different from a wolf?, How does a seed turn into a plant?, etc.  Next semester we will be digging a little deeper into topics using the Apologia curriculum.  You must check out Apologia if you have never heard of it.  It's wonderful!

All About Spelling

This is a jewel in the land of spelling curricula.  We're working on level 2 right now (finished level 1 last month) and it explains everything so well.  The student learns why words are spelled the way they are.  They learn the rules of word structure and are drilled on phonograms.  Everything is thoroughly reviewed.  As soon as we started using this Alexis's reading level jumped up.  It's wonderful. It's multisensory with magnetic letter tiles, flashcards, word banks, writing exercises, readers, and other manipulatives. Love it!

¡El Español Fácil!

We will be ordering this in June.  You have to check out their website and read about the program and their statement of faith.  There are different levels for different ages.  The K-3 is a three level course that makes Spanish really easy to learn.  We can't wait to start it.

Tapestry of Grace

We will also be purchasing this in June.  I'm really excited to finally have an excellent history curriculum that is biblically based and chocked full of resources, activities, projects, and much, much more.  You just have to go to their website to understand how amazing this program really is.


We've also started to do some typing lessons - learning the "home row" and getting comfortable typing the home row keys without looking.  I didn't purchase any curriculum for this.  All I do is bring up the notepad on the computer, type in approximately 20 3-letter "words" using the home row keys and have Alexis copy it right underneath.  It works out really well.  I'm able to keep track of the characters missed and time her progress.
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One of the things that is really important to me is documentation of our schooling efforts.  I have found the ultimate tool for that and am completely in love with it.  Homeschool Tracker Plus is a lifesaver for homeschooling moms.  You just enter your schooling data each day while the kids complete their work and all the various reports, analyses, and schedules are right at your fingertips.  There are so many tools you can use in this program that a single person would probably never use absolutely everything that it offers.  But, trust me, you'll want to try.  It's awesome!

If you have any questions about the above curriculum or tracker program, don't be afraid to ask.

Yvonne

Great Homeschool Link

One of our good friends at our church has a wonderful homeschooling site that gives great encouragement, advice, techniques, and how-to's to tackle the sometimes very difficult task of homeschooling a generation of God-fearing children.  The site is http://www.homeschool-life-situations.com/ and is a great tool and resource for those of you who have chosen this path of educating your children.

You will find links on homeschooling special needs, making homeschool fun, homeschool planning, and much more.  Being a homeschooling mother myself, I know that it is such a help and blessing when I can find tried and true ideas and methods from other, more experienced, mothers.  Take a peek around the site and see all the goodies that are there.  Let me know what you think.

Yvonne