Back-to-Homeschool Day 2: Curriculum Choices 2014-2015

In my previous post, I addressed many of the questions regarding curriculum decisions and purchasing.

Let's move on now to what we've settled on for this coming year.

Big Girl - 5th Grade

Math - Saxon 5/4 and 6/5
History - Tapestry of Grace
Geography - Tapestry of Grace
Bible/Worldview - What We Believe: Who Is God?
Science - Apologia Zoology 3: Land Animals
Spelling - Tapestry of Grace
Writing - Tapestry of Grace
Art - Tapestry of Grace
Literature - Tapestry of Grace
Piano - Simply Music Learn at Home program
P.E. - weekly karate lessons & softball traveling team

Big Boy - 2nd Grade

Math - Saxon Math 2
Phonics - Saxon Phonics 2
History - Tapestry of Grace
Geography - Tapestry of Grace
Bible/Worldview - What We Believe: Who Is God?
Science - Apologia Zoology 3: Land Animals
Spelling - Saxon Phonics 2
Writing - Tapestry of Grace
Art - Tapestry of Grace
Literature - Tapestry of Grace
Piano* - Simply Music Learn at Home program
P.E. - weekly karate lessons

*We are still debating on whether or not this is actually going to fit into Big Boy's schedule without overwhelming him. We will use the Simply Music system if we decide to move forward with piano lessons.

Baby Boy - Preschool

I use the Golden Books Step Ahead series. We will start with the following titles:
Before I Write
Counting 1 to 10
Shapes and Colors
I'm Ready for School

Once we complete this set of 4 books, we will move on to the Mickey Mouse titles. He will also be sitting in on the big kids' Bible/Worldview class with his own coloring book. In between books, at holidays, or just if I feel like we need a change of pace, I like to hunt for free learning packs, folder games, and simple lapbooks on Pinterest. Anything to keep his little hands busy is a good thing!

Baby Girl will of course be present during all of this, so I know scheduling is going to be a challenge.

Speaking of scheduling, come back next week to see how I make it all work!

Back-to-Homeschool Day 1: Curriculum - How I Select It

One of the most common discussion points I encounter in the real world is curriculum. How do I know what subjects to get? Does curriculum come all in one, or do I have to find each subject separately? How do I decide which company to go with? Is it expensive? Where do I find it? I hope to answer those questions here before I share our curriculum choices for 2014-2015.

Way back when I first decided to homeschool, I consulted the HSLDA website to see what subjects were required in my state. In my state, there are no specific subjects required; however, to ensure that I cover all my bases, I take a look at what the public and private schools in my area teach.

Curriculum comes in all shapes and sizes. I've used complete kits (all subjects, one purchase, super easy), and I've selected subject by subject. Currently, I use a complete kit for my history and humanities studies with individually selected curriculum for math and science. Then we supplement with outside lessons.

Deciding which specific curriculum to go with for me was a matter of experience. I was a classroom teacher for a couple of years, so I was able to get some hands on experience with a few choices there. Then it was a lot of reading and research and trying out things with my own kids. I've had great luck with some and still use my first choice, and others have been an utter failure that I've had to toss mid-year.

Cost can range from free to very expensive. I tend to lean toward pricier options that last are designed for long term use, so in the long run it works out to be very economical. The biggest thing to realize is that you do NOT have to break the bank to educate your child.

This year I bought a bulk of our curriculum from Mardel. Other places I've purchased from include Christian Book Distributors, eBay, Craigslist, our local homeschool group, and a local Facebook buying/selling page. I also greatly rely on our local public library for a large number of our trade books.

So, stay tuned for our 2014-2015 curriculum choices!

Back to Homeschool 2014

Yeah, yeah. I know it's only July, but I'm anxious to get started on another year. I thought I'd start out this year's school blogging with a series of posts on how I get everything ready and what plans I have in mind for the upcoming year. I'm calling it ...

This year I'll be full-time homeschooling a 5th and 2nd grader and part-time homeschooling a preschooler along with caring for an infant, so having a plan in place is CRUCIAL to a successful homeschool year. :)

B2HS Day 1: Curriculum - How I Select It
B2HS Day 2: Curriculum - 2014-2015 Choices
B2HS Day 3: Scheduling - Yearly, Weekly, & Daily
B2HS Day 4: Planners - Teacher & Student
B2HS Day 5: Classroom Set Up Organization

Check back here, as I will be adding links to each post!