Updated Homeschool Plans

The month of May was:

• Prom
• High School Graduation
• Updating the high schoolers' transcripts
• Getting the 17 year-old ready to start the summer semester at the college
• End of year performances for everything - theater, gymnastics, ballet, etc
• Getting the oldest three registered for the fall semester at the college

I will "graduate" the last two kids into the next grade on June 1.  We usually have a pretend knighting ceremony with a sword in the living room.  As of June 1st, we have 3 college students, a 10th grader and a 2nd grader.  

I revised our curriculum plans a little.  The 14 year-old was not enjoying history, so we switched that.  The 7 year-old needs to beef up his language arts.

Here is our updated curriculum plans.  Some of these things are still the same as what we were doing before.  I'm starting them both back up on Monday.  Things should be more normal now that everything has ended.

7 year-old - 2nd Grade

Math

• Mathusee Alpha (continuing)

Reading

• Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading (continuing)
• BOB Books, Easy Readers from the library

Language Arts

• All About Spelling 1 (it's time...I'm adding spelling)
• Handwriting without Tears
• Funschooling Journals

History, Bible, Literature

• Sonlight B: World History 1 (continuing)
• Hands-on History Box 

Science

• Books from the library, projects based on what I find/what looks interesting

Art

• Art projects based on what looks like fun

Physical Education

• Our once a week of playing sports together at the park

Outsourced Classes (at homeschool enrichment center)

• Intro to Theater
• Learning with Legos

14 year-old - 10th Grader (she turns 15 in the fall)

Math

• Mathusee Geometry (she started this on her own during our break)

History, Literature

• Bookshark J: History of Science (this was a spontaneous purchase, because she did not like what we were doing for history and there is a big overlap in the old Sonlight 230 and Literature J - they are basically the same books)

Grammar/Vocab

• Easy Grammar Ultimate 10th Grade Workbook (continuing)
• WordTeasers SAT Cards (continuing

Bible

• Daily reading through the Old Testament
• She fell in love with CS Lewis after reading Till We Have Faces and The Screwtape Letters, so we are going to continue with Mere Christianity

German

• German Demystified (continuing)
• We might add DuoLingo German

Science

• Still planning to spend two years alternating between Astronomy and Biology

Art

• Projects based on what looks like fun.  We just went to the art store and bought an acrylic paint set plus some practice canvases

Physical Education

• Our usual once a week of playing sports together at the park

Outsourced Classes (at a homeschool enrichment center)

• Beginning Ukelele 

I am adding an afternoon a week for her to spend with another homeschool friend, working on beginning electronics/engineering projects, but I don't have firm plans for that, yet.

Extras - Sports, etc for the Fall

They are continuing ballet, Cub Scouts (7 year-old) and Youth Group at church.  14 year-old will continue helping teach gymnastics on Tuesdays and the 7 year-old is continuing taking gymnastics.  He wants to add karate.  I'm trying to talk the 14 year-old into taking tennis.

High School Credits for 10th Grade

These are possibly what I'm assigning as credits for 10th grade.

1 credit Geometry

1 credit History of Science 

1 credit Classical Literature

1 credit Old Testament Studies (continued from last year)

1 credit German 2

1 credit Astronomy (finishing Junior year)

1 credit Biology w/ Lab (finishing Junior year)

0.5 credit Visual Arts or Studio Art

0.5 credit Beginning Ukulele

0.5 credit Physical Education 

Possibly 0.5 credit Technology or Engineering

8.5 - 9.0 credit hours

Planning: Late 1st grade/Early 2nd grade

 This is going to be a series of posts about planning, since we are finishing lots of things and starting new things.  I'm going to start with the 6 year-old 1st grader, who is turning 7 in a few weeks and would be a 2nd grader in the fall.

It's important to remember that we school year-round, so we usually start/finish curriculum at odd times.  I also drop/change things if the kids don't like something.

I do not know how long it will take to get through these things, but I plan to take a full calendar year to get through the Sonlight core.

Math

• Mathusee Alpha  
• I am switching him from Miquon.  I love Miquon, but it's not quite right for him.  I need him to slow down a bit.  Mathusee is similar, in that it uses the blocks.  He really needs the blocks/Cuisinaire rods.

Language Arts

• Handwriting
• Just keep chugging along with Handwriting without Tears workbooks.  The workbooks are cheap and get the job done.
• Funschooling's Storytelling Book- this is a book with nothing but cute pictures of different scenes.  The idea is, your child looks at one page per day and tells you a story based off the pictures.  You can then transcribe your child's story onto paper.
• Funschooling Curious Creatures Notebook - this is basically a blank journal full of pictures he can color, lines he can write on, etc.  I'm just going to try this to get him writing/coloring. He can write whatever he wants in it.

Reading/Phonics

• Explode the Code - we're continuing this series.  It's like spelling, phonics and handwriting altogether in a workbook
• Sonlight 2nd Grade Readers

Bible/History/Literature/Geography

• Sonlight Core B (World History 1) - I bought the Instructor's Guide and the Bible, poetry and history spines.  The rest of the books I plan to get at the library, if I don't already own them.  I also bought the Timeline Figures, the Timeline and the Hands-on History box.  I'm going to do the 5-Day a Week + 2nd grade Readers.

Science

• Interest-led - we'll do whatever he wants to do - read library books, do some Magic School Bus kits, whatever he thinks looks like fun

Links:

Mathusee Alpha

Handwriting without Tears

Funschooling

Explode the Code

Sonlight Core B

Curriculum Shopping 2022

 Around February/March, I usually buy most of our school books and curriculum for the year.  Here's what I bought today.  This is good timing, since we keep finishing everything and I'm running out of things to do.  This stuff should take them through late 1st and 9th grades into 2nd and 10th grades.

Mathusee Alpha.  (for late 1st/2nd grade) - I'm switching him from Miquon to Mathusee.

Mathusee Geometry  (for late 9th/10th grade)

Easy Grammar 180 Days Teaching Lessons 10th Grade

WordTeasers - SAT Vocabulary Edition (9th/10th grader)

Sonlight B - World History 1 (for the late 1st/2nd grader)

    I bought the Instructor's Guide, the Timeline Book, the Timeline Figures, the binder for the IG and several of the books that I know won't be available at the library.  I also bought the Hands on History box.   I'm going to do the 5-day schedule with Grade 2 readers.  I didn't buy the LA, because I looked a the samples and I don't think he is at that level.  However, I am going to have him slowly read through the Grade 2 Readers throughout the next year.

Hands-on History Box for Level B (Sonlight)

Ellen McHenry's Protozoa - (9th/10th grade)

I am planning to put together Robotics resources for the rising 10th grader - I'm just not sure what to buy yet.