Posted by Cindy on July 27, 2009
After a nice LONG summer break, we’re starting back for the 2009-10 school year next week! I can’t believe I’ll be teaching 7th and 4th grades this year – and we can’t forget the 2 1/2 year old who will continue to wreak havoc daily! 
Here’s the basic daily plan – which hasn’t changed much from last year:
- Dressed/Bedroom Chores
- Breakfast/Bible
- Daily Chores
- Math
- Language Arts
- Unit Study
- Free Time for outdoors/handicrafts/hobbies
- Reading Break
Curriculum plans are (as always) subject to change, but here’s the projected list. Remember, I never teach from all these materials everyday, or even every week for that matter. These are just resources that we’ll use at some point or another.
7th Grade
Math/Logic
Language Arts
4th Grade
Math/Logic
Language Arts
Bible/Devotions
- Bible Topics – Daniel, Jonah, Ruth, Romans, Psalms, Proverbs
- Possible Bible/Character/Devotion Missionary Studies include:
How to Study Your Bible for Kids
Journeys of Faithfulness: Stories for the Heart for Faithful Girls
The Squire and the Scroll
with Life Lessons from the Squire and the Scroll
Princess & the Kiss: A Story of God’s Gift of Purity
with Life Lessons from the Princess and the Kiss
Beautiful Girlhood
Bible Games Packet that reinforces books of the Bible, divisions of the Bible, Bible research skills and more. I bought this at a Bible outlet store that was going out of business a few years ago. The game boards and pieces are all just paper tear-outs. Since I’ve already prepared all the games, I can’t find the title of the product anywhere. It was originally published by Standard Publishing, but I’ve had no luck finding it on their site either. It’s a wonderful resource! If I find out the title and it’s still available anywhere, I’ll be sure to post it.
Bruchko
George Muller: The Guardian of Bristol’s Orphans
Bartholomew’s Passage: A Family Story for Advent
Hero Tales, vol. 1: A Family Treasury of True Stories from the Lives of Christian Heroes
Unit Studies
This is the fourth year in our four-year history/science cycle. We will be working on modern history and physics. I’ll post plans as each unit comes along. For now, here are the tentative unit lists.
History/Geography
- US Geography
- Statue of Liberty and Other National Monuments
- US Government
- US Presidents
- Inventors
- 1900-2010 History – This will be our biggest unit!
- World Geography
Science
- Energy – Heat & Electricity
- Light, Color & Sound
- Magnets
- Simple Machines and Work
Nature Study
We’ll use various ideas from the NaturExplorer units once (or more) a week. I’ll be posting many of those ideas here and at Shining Dawn Books.
Artist and Composer Study
August – Cezanne, Chopin
September – Rousseau, Vivaldi
October – Rodin, Gershwin
November – Gauguin, Ellington
January – Toulouse-Lautrec, Schubert
February – Seurat, Berloiz
March – Russell, Schumann
April – Matisee, Brahms
May – Kandinsky, Stravinsky
I’ll be sure to post lots about our daily lessons and happenings through the school year! Have a super 2009-10!
(You can find our current studies along with the resources I’m using in the sidebars.)
Posted by Cindy on November 30, 2008
School is slowing down a bit for the next three weeks. (Yay! – Shhh, don’t tell my kids I just cheered about that!) Besides all the real-life skills that come with writing Christmas cards, baking cookies, budgeting for gifts, crafting and such, I’m planning to keep some “real” school alive with the following:
Among anytime readings from the books on my sidebar, I think we’re going to purposefully read a daily chapter from
then
I’m excited about our Bible/unit study – The Names of Jesus from Easy Fun School (which was FREE!) I’ll be sure to post about the notebooks the kids create in a few weeks.
We’re ditching most of the regular math schedule for a geometry unit from AIMS called
We’ll also be keeping up with weekly artist (various nativity scenes) and composer (Handel) studies. I’ll post more about those plans soon.
And that about does it for planned school time this Christmas season. I hope you’re able to take a break from the normal to enjoy something a little different this December. Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy your children and the joy and excitement that comes with this time of year. They’re only little once!
Posted by Cindy on August 8, 2008
School is just about up and running again and schedules are getting back on track. I sure love the freedom that summer brings, but I’m always ready to get back on schedule. School schedules, chore schedules, weekly engagement schedules. Somehow, life is just calmer when it’s scheduled (around here anyway.)
Here’s a rough sketch of this year’s daily schedule and school routines.
- Breakfast
- Praise, Prayer, Bible
- Chores
- School Work
- Lunch
- Free time for big kids while mom gets little man down for nap
- While little man naps – read alouds and/or game time
- Free time for big kids to explore nature, handicrafts, projects, play, cooking….
School time is shaping up to look something like this:
Mahayla
Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri
Bible w/all Bible study Bible study Bible study Bible w/all
Saxon Saxon Problem solving Saxon Problem solving
Spelling Nature Study Spelling Spelling Spelling test
Journal Artist Tea Writing Blog Foreign lang
Grammar Lap Club meeting Grammar Grammar
Typing
30 min reading 30 min reading 30 min reading 30 min reading 30 min reading
Piano Piano Piano Piano Piano
History History Chemistry History
Caleb
Bible w/all Bible study Bible study Bible study Bible w/all
Math Math Math Math Math
Phonics/Read Read Alone Phonics/Read Phonics/Read Read Aloud
Spelling Nature Study Spelling Spelling Spelling Test
Journal Artist Tea Cursive copywork Cursive copywork Foreign lang
Grammar Club meeting Grammar Grammar
Piano Typing Piano
History History Chemistry History
You can see many of our curriculum choices here. We will do the following subjects together as a family:
- Some Bible
- Nature Study
- Artist Tea
- History
- Chemistry
Our small county homeschool group already meets for Creation Club and 4-H. Since both groups already meet on Tuesdays, we decided to add two more clubs to round out the month. We’ll have a club four Tuesday afternoons a month. The other clubs will vary between art, chemistry, a book of the month club and play dates thrown in for good measure.
Oh, and I got the wonderful idea to dedicate a morning to nature and art (integrating other subjects) from my beautiful friend, Melissa. Our Tuesdays should turn out to be wonderfully rich and exciting.
Posted by Cindy on July 21, 2008
School will be starting up again soon! We’ll probably wait until the rest of the garden has been harvested and canned/frozen, but the serious planning is well underway already. Following is our overall plan for the year.
Bible
Since working through the Old, then New Testaments over the last two years, I think we’re going to branch off into various devotionals and kid-friendly Bible studies this year. Some of which will include both kiddos, while some will be seperate. A couple will be completed as part of our kid/youth group studies at church, too. These are just to get us started. I haven’t decided exactly where we’re headed after these are finished.
How To Study Your Bible for Kids
Boy, Have I Got Problems
Biblical Responsibility lapbook – Jr. Church
Friendship study – Girl’s group at church
Science and History
This year’s science cycle is chemistry. Besides a once a month chemistry club that a friend is going to host, we will work our way through:
Christian Kids Explore Chemistry
Library books about chemistry and chemists
Of course, nature study will continue at least weekly, too.
Our history cycle is Early American History. The plan is to get through as many of the units below as possible and pick up where we leave off as we head into Modern American History next year. I’ll be posting detailed unit plans as we get to them.
Explorers
Native Americans
Pilgrims
Colonial America
Revolutionary War (and other significant wars – French Indian, 1812)
Pioneers/Westward Expansion
Salvery/Underground Railroad
Civil War
I’m also considering buying the Audio CD of Story of the World Volume III for our listening pleasure. (And to keep up with world history of the time period.)
Mahayla – 6th Grade
Math
Saxon 7/6
Problem Solving from various sources
Logic from various sources
Math literature
Grammar
I picked up a variety of resources at the used curriculum sale this year. We will poke our way through each and decide what we like the best.
Grammar lapbook
Winston Grammar
Easy Grammar
Spelling
We’re going to see how the program below goes. If it doesn’t go well, we’ll be on the hunt for something else as I haven’t really found a spelling program that jumps out at me this year.
Making Spelling Sense II
Writing
We’re continuing the blog, journal, field trip journal, writing prompts and newsletters. We’ll also be adding things here and there from:
A Beka Creative Writing
Daily Paragraph Editing
Reading
With each unit, she will be assigned at least one book. Otherwise, I never have to worry about her reading and comprehending. In fact, I often have to ask her to stop reading so she can get other things done!
Handwriting/Typing
Handwriting and typing will be practiced thoroughly through writing assignments. Within each unit, there will be some copywork, though. And at least weekly, she will practice keyboard skills at:
Nimble Fingers
Caleb – 3rd Grade
Math
Horizons 3 workbooks
Miquon blue and green workbooks
Problem solving from various sources
Logic from various sources
Math literature
Reading/Phonics
Right Track Reading
Christian Light Education readers
Library books
Spelling
Making Spelling Sense I (Again, we are trying this to see how it goes. I will most likely switch to Spelling Workout if needed.)
Writing
We will continue with the journal, field trip journal, writing prompts and newsletters. Additionally, we will work from:
Story Writing
Grammar
We’ll pick and choose from the following programs:
A Beka Language 2
A Beka Language 3
First Language Lessons
Rod & Staff 2
Daily Language Review 3
Handwriting/Typing
Cursive practice worksheets
Nimble Fingers
Other Things That Will Be Tackled At Least Weekly
Art/Artist Study
Adventures in Art – an out of print book I found at a used curriculum sale
Discovering Great Artists
Library books
Drawing books
Music
Paid piano lessons for Mahayla
Madonna Woods Piano Course for Caleb
Classical Kids CD’s / composer library books
Foreign Language
We don’t hit this hard, but here are some resources I at least plan to pull out once in a while.
Prima Latina
English From the Roots Up
Rummy Roots
Spanish CD-ROM
Home Skills, Homestead Skills & Handicrafts
Hopefully, our Keepers At Home group will continue. If not, we are always busy learning or perfecting some sort of home skill and/or handicraft.
Indoor and outdoor chores
Weekly cooking responsibilities
Serving others
4-H Club
I know this looks like A LOT, but remember I don’t do everything from every curriculum, nor do I teach everything every day! Life is education!!! I’ll be keeping you posted on our school year and I wish you a very blessed, productive and smooth school year at your house!
