I’ve been getting several emails wondering what our 2013-2014 homeschool curriculum choices are! And even though I feel like our summer just started, I guess it’s about that time again!
As usual during our summer break I’ve been planning like crazy, and trying to get everything in order.
AND…I am trying one new thing this year thanks to my English forum, so thank you all for participating, I hope it helped you out as much as it did me!
So without further ado, here is our curriculum line up for the 2013-2014 school year!
Teeny Tot: Preschool letter of the Week with some K4 Kindergarten mixed in. I don’t want to do full Kindergarten with her just yet. She’s , so I’m going to slowly mix in K4 items as she’s ready.
- Art: World’s Greatest Artists 2 and See the Light Art DVDs
- Preschool: Letter of the Week & K4 Curriculum
- Bible: My first hands on bible & Grapevine Traceable Units
- P.E.: Family Time Fitness
- Other: Anything fun we’re doing that she wants to be a part of!
Tinkerbell (2nd Grade)
- Art: World’s Greatest Artists 2 and See the Light Art DVDs
- Bible: Grapevine Studies, and I might add in a Kay Arthur Discover 4 yourself kids unit.
- Spelling: All About Spelling
- Phonics: Abeka Letters & Sounds 2 and Language 2
- Reading: Abeka 2
- Math: Math U See Beta
- Handwriting: BJU Handwriting 2
- History: Abeka History 2nd Grade
- Literature: Classical Literature Units
- Music: World’s Greatest Composers Vol 1 (Continued from last year)
- Robotics: LEGO Education We’re using the Simple Mechanisms set this year.
- Science: Abeka Science 2 & some of my scientist units.
- P.E.: Family Time Fitness
- Piano: Piano is Easy (We’re starting with Teach Yourself Piano Step by Step)
- Typing: Typing Instructor (CD Version)
- Vocabulary: Wordly Wise 2 (This is our first year trying this so our thoughts on it are TBD.)
Turbo (4th grade) & Strawberry Shortcake (5th Grade)
- Art: World’s Greatest Artists 2 and See the Light Art DVDs
- Bible: Grapevine Studies, and Kay Arthur Discover 4 yourself
- Spelling: All About Spelling & Spelling You See
- English/Grammar: Rod & Staff English 3 & 4 ( I was advised to use a grade level down since we’re just starting.)
- Reading: Abeka 4 & 5
- Math: Math U See Delta & Epsilon
- History: Abeka History (4th Grade – they’ll be doing it together)
- Literature: Classical Literature Units
- Music: World’s Greatest Composers Vol 1 (Continued from last year)
- Robotics: LEGO Education We’re using the Simple Mechanisms set this year.
- Science: Abeka Science, & some of my scientist units.
- P.E.: Family Time Fitness
- Piano: Piano is Easy (We’re starting with Teach Yourself Piano Step by Step)
- Handwriting: BJU Handwriting 4 & 5
- Typing: Typing Instructor (CD Version, each of them has their own login)
- Vocabulary: Wordly Wise 4 &5 (This is our first year trying this so our thoughts on it are still TBD.)
- Writing: Write Shop Junior D (Turbo) Might use Institute for Excellence in Writing for Strawberry Shortcake.
So that’s it! Our 2013-2014 curriculum lineup!
P.S. We’re in the process of moving, so we’ve actually started school a bit early this year so we can take a couple weeks off here shortly to move. I’ll keep you all posted on our new school area, and moving adventures!
Need more ideas? Check out the awesome curriculum available on my website!
Road Trip USA & Road Trip USA Animals!
Expedition Earth World Geography & Animals of the World:
World’s Greatest Artists Vol. 1 & Vol. 2
World’s Greatest Composers Vol 1
Classic Literature Unit Studies
Scientists & Inventors Unit Studies:
Looks great, Erica! I would love to see how you schedule those 4th and 5th grade subjects. I am having a hard time with that part. Also, fyi, I found free piano lessons at homeschooling-central.com that we plan to do this year.
For 2nd grade, we are doing praise and worship on youtube, Bible reading, your character studies and kidsofintegrity.com lessons, finishing MUS Delta from last year, reading living books for history, Apologia Botany, and I am so stuck on LA and spelling. I have R&S English, Grammar-Land, lots of copywork, Spelling Power, and many other spelling items. I think my problem is too many choices. He has also asked to learn cursive this year. (After hs’ing 18 years, I seem to have collected quite a bit.)
We are planning to do free typing from BBC, free piano (above), and I am thinking of lining up “Laptop Fridays” where we take advantage of all the amazing stuff available online. Science videos, geography games, etc. doing basic subjects M – Th and all the extras on Friday.
We also have a poem of the week, a Scripture of the week, a habit of the week and a memory list of the month. Last year he learned the books of the Bible, several poems and Scriptures, and almost had the states and capitals perfected at the end of the year. It probably won’t take long to finish those at the beginning of this year.
I like your choices for your curriculum! This is my first year homeschooling, my kids are Pre-K, 1st, and 2nd. They are wanting to add more and more to their list of things to learn, but I don’t know how I will fit it all in our daily schedule. I noticed that you have a full schedule for each one of your children, how do you schedule each one of their subjects. I’m pretty sure you divide them on certain days, but just wanted your ideas. Also, I still have to sit and explain quite a bit to them at times, they are not totally independent when it come to understanding their assignments.
I noticed that you changed somethings this year from last and I a wondering why. I was planning on purchasing BJU Press English/Grammar/ Reading, but I noticed that you are switching to Rod & Staff this year. You are also switching from A Reason for Handwriting to BJU Press Handwriting. I am wondering why you are changing out these curricula. I am adding BJU English and A Reason for Handwriting into our curricula choices this year and am wondering if there is something else that I should be considering.
Sidney, I have used BJU for year and year. I think I used them when I was home schooled! I get tests and ak from a company called christian liberty press who publishes their own cheaper version. You should check out their site, an answer key goes for like 6.00!
I switched to rod and staff language this year too!
Are you using Math U See Alpha or Beta for your 2nd grader? I ask because we are new to Math U See this year and I bought Alpha for my 1st grader and Beta for my 2nd grader. I homeschool 36 weeks out of the year and plan to review Alpha with my 2nd grader for the first 6 weeks (to get her familiar with the program) and then start Beta for the last 30 weeks (bc that is how many lessons are in each program). Just wondered if maybe I should start her at the beginning of Alpha and work our way through that entire book first before moving her to Beta… Any advice? She used Horizon math last year for first grade.
If she did Horizon’s last year, she should be fine to review through Alpha a bit, then move right into Beta.
I just sort of finalized our curriculum list. Now I guess I just need to put it on my blog. Hopefully I’ll start using it to record what we’re doing (we live in Texas and I don’t have to keep records but it would be nice to remember for our baby since the girls are 5 years apart).
Our line up is:
Phonics/Reading: Horizons P&R Grade 1
Spelling: All About Spelling (still undecided actually)
Handwriting: Rod & Staff Penmanship Grade 1
Math: Horizons Grade 1
History: Story Of The World Vol 1 Ancient Times
Science: Apologia Zoology 1 (we may hold off on this)
Bible: AWANA (at church)
Music: Piano (undecided on books, but we have to buy a piano first and praying we get one ASAP!)
Children’s Choir (at church)
Art: Drawing With Children (and your artist curriculum!)
P.E.: whatever 🙂 .. possibly T-Ball (at church)
Can’t wait to get started but I still have to finish other stuff too!
Best of luck and blessings to all!
Grace
lifeatdaybreak.blogspot.com
Great Erica! Thank you so much. Just like others have posted, I was wondering if your daily time schedule has changed at all. I have a 2nd, K and PreK student and knowing what kind of schedule others follow for those ages would be great! Thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing! I’m just curious. . . Is there a reason you’ve chosen not to go with All About Reading for any of your kids this year? I think I remember you using level pre-1 and it sounded like you really liked it so I was wondering why you’ve decided not to continue with it? Thanks a bunch!
We’re using Rod and Staff this year as well. I’ve read that the composition instruction in it is very good so I’m curious as to why you would add additional instruction. Is it lacking in some way that I need to address?
My kids have used Wordly Wise through their charter school for the past several years. I’ve liked it for them, it keeps them engaged with the mini-lessons, and they do seem to retain some of those spelling/vocabulary words in their everyday vocab.