Monday, August 2, 2010

{Not} Back to School Blog HOP ~My Curriculum Picks~

 

Not Back to School Blog Hop

 

Curriculum. Sigh. Honestly I never thought that THIS would be the hardest part about homeschooling. I have spent HOURS browsing and researching to make sure that I have picked what is the best for my children. And then I read someone say they didn’t like it because ______________. EEEK!

Alright, I took a chill pill and got myself a Diet Coke. All’s good. And I’m feeling more confident and less likely to believe every curriculum success or failure story out there. I’m now basing it on if my children are challenged by the curriculum and retaining what they learn. 

We are in a very weird situation too. We had some circumstances that caused us to have to change curriculum mid-year last year.  So I started a number of things in January. Some subjects we are starting fresh with something. Other things, I decided would be worthwhile to finish up and then move on.

 

So these are what I went with. I know the suspense has been killing you! LOL

5th grade:
Finish TT7 and maybe move on to Saxon 78?
CLE Reading 5 & Language Arts 5
E=MCQ Earth Science (finish from last year)
Story of World 1 (finish from last year)
Power Glide German
Writing Strands 3 (I had to assure her this wasn’t 3rd grade)
Misc. Geography and Civics from some books I picked up along the way
Sunlight & Library Reading lists
Art class at school

2nd grade:
CLE Math 2, LA 2, Reading 2
Real Science Odyssey, Life Science
Story of the World 1
Power Glide German
A lot of reading!
Geography from a book I picked up
Art class at school

Kindergarten:
Learning Language Arts Through Literature
Explode the Code (Get Ready, Get Set, Go for the Code)
Starfall for fun
Bob Jones Math
Tagging along for Science with older brother
Tagging along for History mostly doing the coloring pages

Thursday, July 15, 2010

here I am again...

I'm still lesson planning and I'm worn out! I get so focussed on things I forget all the other things I should be doing like the dishes and laundry. Oh, and cooking dinner. Duh. I printed and photocopied today like crazy. I put pages in binders and I'm pretty sure I have carpel tunel from all the hole punching. (I have a big 3-hole punch, but I always put in more than the 5 sheet limit and push really hard.) I have all the books for next year lined up in boxes ready for further sorting when the shelves get put up! Tomorrow we go shelf shopping! I really don't get out much. LOL!

So we missed a day at the pool. (That's pretty much all we do all summer is go swimming!) Not only was I lesson planning like crazy, I had a terrible sinus headache. I just didn't want to be out in the sun. Maybe tomorrow afternoon?

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

a year? really?

So I’m not very good at updating this blog. Needless to say, I’ve been very busy! I may have to change that this year.

And the busy carries on. I’m working on the lesson plans to start school on Aug. 1. And this year, I’m going to be super organized. I need to take pictures of my really cute planner that I made using stuff from my digital scrapbooking stash. I’m really proud of my customized planner! :) I started filling it out and I almost have the first 6 weeks of school planned. phew! And I’m working on cleaning up the school room. Out with the old and in with the new! Hopefully DH will put up some shelves for me this weekend to hold the massive amounts of books I’ve accumulated. I have one more student this year.  E will be joining us for Kindergarten! Yay! He’s so excited to learn how to “draw words”. But he’s insistent that he will never learn to read. I’m sure he will learn in no time!

And I would like to show some digi pages that I created! I’m excited to be scrapping regularly again.

ethan_spring10

Lauren_Spring10