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!

2013-2014 Curriculum

So, it's been a while since I last checked in. Last year about this time to be exact. I thought what a better way to kick off my blog (again) would be to join in on the iHomeschool Network blog hop!

Big Girl (4th grade) - Seriously! Where has the time gone?

• Math - Saxon Math 54
• Science - Apologia Zoology 2 with Notebooking Journal
• Handwriting - American Cursive Handwriting by Michael Sull
• Piano - Simply Music - Click along the left hand side to find a teacher in your area! This is not a curriculum you purchase and teach yourself, but it is a wonderful program none-the-less. Last year we struggled so much with getting Big Girl to practice, and this year, she is practicing without needing the reminder!
• P.E. - After 4 years of dance, she will be switching gears and starting karate at our local dojo. This makes her mama (a former dancer) a little bit sad, but I'm excited to see her learn new things!
• Everything Else - Tapestry of Grace Year 3 - Yes, literally every other subject comes from this one place. It intermixes Bible/church history, geography, history, literature, spelling, writing, and art beautifully! Our first two years with the program I was so impressed, I've never looked back! Plus, it is all housed on the computer, so no big binders to lug around!

Big Boy (1st grade) - This is a big year full of big changes for him because he gets to join his sister for many classes!

• Math - Saxon Math 1
• Science - Apologia Zoology 2 with Junior Notebooking Journal
• Phonics - Saxon Phonics 1
• Piano - Music for Little Mozarts - I was horrible about staying on top of this last year, so we'll probably start over with this book. Hopefully I can be more disciplined!
• P.E. - karate at the local dojo
• Everything Else - Tapestry of Grace Year 3 

Baby Boy (2 yo)

No official school here, but I've been pinning things like crazy this summer and plan to get together busy boxes and other "school" activities for him. I also bought a few books that I used with Big Girl just in case he surprises me and wants to do "big kid school" like his sister did at this age. I'll be honest, though, keeping him busy is my biggest concern going into school this year! 

So that's it! Our curriculum choices for 2013-2014. I'm beyond excited to get started on it this September (as soon as it all comes in *wink*)!

Want to see what others are doing? Either click the button at the top of the page or right below for more great ideas, and don't forget to come back next week for a tour of our school room!