Homeschooling Curriculum 2011-2012

Ten things to do with Children before age 10
1. Reading & Writing	Intensive Phonics; Copywork; start English Language Notebook
2. Oral Narration	Daily
3. Memorization	Bible; poetry; passages of literature; Greek and/or Hebrew alphabet
4. Hearing & Listening	Read aloud 2 hours per day from a variety of fiction and nonfiction; start History Notebook; timeline
5. Family Worship	Family Bible study morning and evening using grammar level questions
6. Arts & Crafts	Provide the time, space, and materials; develop creativity
7. Field Trips & Library	Start learning elementary library research; investigate the world
8. Work & Service	Schedule for chores; visit nursing home, etc.
9. Discipline	First-time obedience
10. Play & Exploration	Develop the imagination

3-year-old daughter  Listens in on Bible reading, character studies (Character First!), participates in Scripture memory, listens to history and science readings, and does lapbooks that her older siblings do.  She will start with the preschool Handwriting Without Tears book in January.  She practices letter names and sounds with me.

 

5-year-old son and 6 year-old daughter  Listens to Bible reading, character studies (Character First!), participates in Scripture memory, listens to history and science readings, and does lapbooks for the monthly unit study.  Each does the Handwriting Without Tears book at the appropriate level.  For phonics, we use TATRAS (Teach America to Read and Spell), Bob Books, McGuffey readers, and Rod and Staff readers.  Swim lessons.  My daughter also does science and art at our co-op, BSF (Bible Study Fellowship), and Upward Basketball.

 

8-year-old daughter  Listens to Bible reading, character studies (Character First!), participates in Scripture memory, listens to history (Mystery of History Vol. 1 and Story of the World Vol. 1) and science (Apologia Zoology 1:  Flying Creatures) readings, and does lapbooks for the monthly unit study.  Science (Apologia Flying Creatures notebooking journal) and history (Homeschool in the Woods Old Testament and New Testament) lapbooks.   Copywork of the book of Acts.  Handwriting Without Tears cursive.  Rod and Staff readers for read-aloud practice.  Science and art at our co-op, BSF (Bible Study Fellowship), piano and violin lessons, Bible Bee and Upward Basketball.

 

9-year-old son  Listens to Bible reading, character studies (Character First!), participates in Scripture memory, listens to history (Mystery of History Vol. 1 and Story of the World Vol. 1) and science (Apologia Zoology 1:  Flying Creatures) readings.  Science (Apologia Flying Creatures notebooking journal) and history (Homeschool in the Woods Old Testament and New Testament) lapbooks.   Math (Math-U-See Delta and Epsilon).  Copywork of the book of Acts.  Logic Critical Thinking Co. Building Thinking Skills Level 2) and Latin (Latina Christiana book 1).  Science and art at our co-op, BSF (Bible Study Fellowship),  piano and violin lessons, Bible Bee, and Upward Basketball.

 

And my oldest son has moved into the next level of the Trivium.  (Actually, my 9-year-old son has already started a lot of this, too, but not grammar, composition, or interpretive reading.)

1. Family Worship

2. Literature and Reading Aloud
This will include memorization of poems and speeches and interpretive reading.

3. History
We’re starting at the beginning again this year, and will go through the time of Christ’s resurrection.  He will keep a history notebook with map work, notebooking, and copywork.

4. Composition
Copywork, dictation, narration, journaling, writing letters, writing stories and poems.

5. Spelling and English Grammar
We’ll use  Daily Grams (Phillips) for grammar. He’s a great speller, so I’m not planning on using anything specifically for spelling.  There is a lot of grammar in the Latin curriculum as well (Latina Christiana 1).

6. Latin and Greek
Latina Christiana 1 for Latin. No Greek studies at this time.

7. Early Logic
Building Thinking Skills, book 2.

8. Arithmetic
Delta and Epsilon from Math-u-See

9. Science
Zoology 1 (Flying Creatures), projects with our co-op.

10. Art and Music
Art (drawing) at our co-op. Violin lessons. Band (clarinet) at Christian school.

Other: Bible Study Fellowship (studying Acts and the Epistles), P.E. (including swimming and basketball), Bible Bee, Geography Bee

 

Here is a list of some of the read-alouds we are doing this year.  Some are historical fiction which go along with our Ancient History studies.  Others are read by my husband to the boys or by me to the girls at night before bed.

Adam and His Kin, Life in the Great Ice Age, Mara Daughter of the Nile, Hittite Warrior, God King, Victory on the Walls, Theras and His Town, Greek Myths, Famous Men of Greece, The Bronze Bow, Famous Men of Rome.  The Hobbit, Anne of Green Gables series, Summer (Fall/Winter/Spring) With the Moody’s, Poetry Anthology (one poem/day), Bartholomew’s Passage.

Monthly Unit Studies for the Younger Kids:  Hermit Crabs, Fall (pumpkins, apples, leaves), Beavers, Thanksgiving, Christmas (Jesse Tree), Dinosaurs, Arctic Animals, etc.