2013-2014 Curriculum Choices

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We officially started back to school on July 29th.  Our plan for this year is to do six weeks on and one week off.  We will also be taking extra time off in December.  This will have us finishing up our school year on May 16, 2014.

Emily is in 5th grade this year.

For her core curriculum we are using Trail Guide to Learning ~ Paths of Settlement.

We used Trail Guides to Learning Paths of Exploration last year and loved it so much that we are continuing on with the series.

No changes here for us this year.  We are continuing on with  Teaching Textbooks 5.

Emily’s core curriculum includes everything, but math.  We decided Emily needed a little extra help with spelling and grammar.  For spelling she is using Sequential Spelling 1.

For grammar we are using Easy Grammar 5 and Daily Grams.

Aiden is 1st grade this year.  We will be using the following:

For Aiden this year I decided I needed to simplify and buy a curriculum that had it ALL laid out for me.  We LOVE, love to read and our lessons have always been around books we are reading, so we decided to use Sonlight Core A with Readers.

This is another change for Aiden this year.  We are switching from Math-U-See to Singapore Primary Mathematics and Life of Fred.

We are using the Language Arts program that comes with Sonlight Core A and adding Explode the Code 1, 2, and 3 and Getty-Dubay Handwriting 1.

This is another change, as we will be doing science everyday.  We are using Sonlight’s Science A.

Whew!  That’s everything.

Linking up with iHomeschool Network “Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop.

~Cindy

Our Homeschool Curriculum Choices for 2011-2012

We are actually in our fourth week of homeschooling for the 2011-2012 school year, but I have been such a slacker about posting ~  I figured I should write about our curriculum choices.

Emily is in 3rd grade and Aiden is in doing Preschool (and some Kindergarten). 

Emily ~ 3rd Grade

Emily is using the following daily:

• Teaching Textbooks ~ Math 3
• A Reason for Handwriting Transition
• Daily Geography Practice Grade 3
• Learning Language Arts Through Literature ~ Yellow
• Building Spelling Skills Grade 3

 

In addition we are going to be studying subjects in blocks this year (including grammar and math).

• 2 weeks for drawing ~ we started out our school year doing 2 weeks of form drawing using A Little Flower Garden DVD set.
• 10 weeks Prairie Primer ~ we will reading Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie.  During this time our main focus is going to be on preparing for winter, harvest, different fibers and handiwork. 
• 2 weeks Native Americans/Thanksgiving ~ our focus will be on Indian homes and Thanksgiving preparation.
• 2 weeks telling time and money.  
• 4 weeks (December) cooking/measurement ~ we are going to spend the month focusing on Christmas, baking and measurement (liquids and solids).
• 6 weeks Old Testament Stories ~ we will be using Christopherus Old Testament Stories Manual and Storybook.
• 4 weeks grammar ~ we will be using the World of Language books by Ruth Heller and lesson plans from Serendipity.  During this time we will focus on grammar, sentence structure and cursive writing.
• 3 weeks math ~ focusing on multiplication and division.
• 1 week Easter
• 4 weeks Prairie Primer ~ we will be reading Farmer Boy and focusing on farming and planting.  We are also going to do some building during this time.

Aiden ~ Preschool/Kindergarten

Our focus this year will be Before Five in a Row, along with the amazing Preschool Packs that Jolanthe at Homeschool Creations created. 

In addition to Before Five in a Row we will be using the following:

• All About Reading Level Pre-1
• Language Lessons for Little Ones
• Are You Ready for Kindergarten?
• ABeka Arithmetic K
• A Reason for Handwriting K
• A Child’s Seasonal Treasury ~ which has seasonal poems, crafts and recipes.

We will also be doing circle time together, but I’ll post more about that later.  I’m excited about our year and for once ~ I feel ORGANIZED and READY!!

~Cindy

Mud Pie Kitchen

I have many fond childhood summertime memories.  One of which is concocting mud creations ~ beautiful pies and cakes made from mud, sand, leaves and berries.  As soon as I saw the idea for a mud pie kitchen on one of my favorite blogs, Rhythm of the Home, I started gathering supplies.

Our mud pie kitchen has been up for a month and the kids have been spending lots of time, playing and creating.  Would you like to see?  Follow me.  Our mud pie kitchen is hidden in a corner of the yard.

It is the perfect location on a hot summer day to “cook up” some fabulous mud pie creations!   The two chiefs are busy preparing something in the kitchen right now.

I purchased two crates from Michaels for about $13.00 (using a coupon of course!). The rest of the items I found at Good Will or around the house.   I probably spent around $20 for everything.

In the hanging wire baskets you can find stones and shells. The kids are using the bottom basket to place bowls and such as they dry.

The shelf has pegs, where you can dry plants, or hang supplies.  The top shelf has a basket with tongs, spoons, etc. and provides extra space.

One of the kids favorite kitchen items is a mortar and pestle. 

I had the perfect container for dirt, just sitting in the garage.  Do you know what the container was original used for?  If so, please don’t tell my kids ~ and yes I cleaned it with bleach! : )I planted some good smelling herbs (mint, lavender, and basil) for the kids to use.  I have since discovered that we have a groundhog in our yard who is also thankful for the small herb garden.

One of the kids creations.

I just love summertime and mud pies!

~Cindy

Our Memory Garden

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.  

   ~From the television show The Wonder Years

The kids and I have talked about planting a memory garden for over a year and we finally finished it ~except for a couple more bags of mulch.  We planted flowers and plants that remind us of loved ones (and pets) we have lost.

Over the past two years we have lost two very dear people to us.  My dad died unexpected almost two years ago and then one year later my mother-in-law passed away.  I’m not sure why but, the kids have been talking about their granddad a lot lately.  Emily has a blanket and several toys that she recently put in a safe place because they remind her of granddad.  Aiden, who was only 2 1/2 when my dad passed away, still talks about him all the time.  I asked Aiden the other day if he had two wished, what he would wish for.  His first wish was to have granddad come down from  heaven.  Can you tell what a influence my dad was in our lives?

Since the kids seem to need to talk about granddad and I need to let them know that it is ok to ask questions and talk about him, I decided it was time to plant our memory garden.

My husband and I bought the house I grew up in so finding the perfect spot for the memory garden was easy.  I use to sit on this rock bench with my dad all the time. 

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. ~ Psalm 18:2

Some of the plants and flowers we planted include:

Elephant Ears ~ my husband remember his mom planting these all around their house. 

Dianthus ~ they just smell so good!

My dad loved orange, red and yellow so we planted some Marigolds.    

Hostas ~ I just think of my dad when I see them.  Probably because dad and mom planted so many of them in the yard.

Gerbera Daisies ~ these are one of my favorites.

The owls in my blog header represent my kids.  This sweet little owl in our garden is in remembrance of the baby we have in heaven.   

When I look at our memory garden I smile.  I think of my dad, mother-in-law, and baby.  I remember that God is with always with us and will bring us through all things. 

~Cindy

Our Pumpkin Patch Tradition

Every year we visit a small pumpkin patch, out in the country. 

It is owned by a local family who still relies on the honesty system for payment.  Going to this pumpkin patch has become a family tradition, which we started when Emily was one. 

I went past this pumpkin patch everyday on my way to work, before I had kids, and I always dreamed of the day I would be able to take my own kiddos out to find the perfect pumpkin. 

Emily loves going because she has fond memories of us tramping around look at all the different pumpkins.  If you ask her I’m sure she will say her favorite memories are when it was just her and I  ~  before her brother came along. 

 

Aiden loves going because they provide loppers to cut the pumpkins free from their vines, and small wheelbarrows.

I love going because now I have two kiddos to take.  Six eyes all searching for the perfect pumpkin to take home and carve!  Three people with entirely different ideas on what the perfect pumpkin is.  

 

Do you have a favorite pumpkin patch that you like to visit?

~Cindy

Weekly Wrap-Up: China Week 3

We’ve finished up our tour of China.  I have to admit I am rather sad that we are moving on ~ we have had so much fun learning about China! 

It was quite a busy week!  I had a bug of some sort on Tuesday and ended up calling our substitute teacher~ my Mom.  I  really am blessed that my family is supportive of my decision to homeschool and willing to help me out.

The Three Rs:

Nothing much to report ~ we are moving along with reading, writing, and arithmetic.   Emily really could have completed her math this week in two days or just skipped the lesson, which was a review of skip counting by 2s.

Geography:

We reviewed the following weeks and the Asia geography song.  The kids pulled out our Asia continent box and talked about the Chinese abacus, money from China, animals from Asia, and Asian landmarks.   

Family Reading:

Emily made a dragon hat, which is very cute, after we finished reading the Magic Tree House: Day of The Dragon King.  We found the instructions to make the dragon hat in the book Multicultural Art Activities.  

Chinese Shadow Puppets and a Theater:

We learned about the legend of how shadow puppets were created and then we made a theater and Chinese shadow puppets.  You can read more about it here.

   

Lapbook: Giant Pandas

I had no intention of doing a lapbook this week, but Emily asked if we could do one on Pandas after we finished reading Giant Pandas by Gail Gibbons.   How did Emily even know there was a Giant Pandas lapbook?  She loves to look over my shoulder when I’m reading Jolanthe’s blog, Homeschool Creations.  I was looking at her lessons plans for China and Emily commented on the lapbook, so I printed it from Homeschool Share, and we put the lapbook together in two days.

           

Art:

To go along with our lapbook Emily learned how to draw a Giant Panda using Draw Write Now – we love these books! 

We finished our Giant Panda study by watching The Amazing Panda Adventure on Netflix and the kids ate popcorn with chopsticks.  

The entire family loved this movie.  It was about a young boy who goes to China to visit his father, who is helping to save pandas in their habitats.  While out on the preserve,  the father is separated from his son and a young girl who is their translator, when poachers attack and harm a mother panda.  The young boy and girl are left with the baby panda as they make their way through the wilderness to safety.

Our Book Basket:

 

Next week we are going to take a break from our geography studies so we can talk about fall ~ one of my favorite times of the year!

I hope everyone else had a good week!  To see what other homeschoolers have been doing this week, visit Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

~Cindy