Since we are settling into a routine I thought I would share what we are doing and plan to do over the course of this school year. Many things we have already begun using into our routine, but a few additional resources we are adding as we adjust.
For math we are using Math-U-See. Rebekah went through the Primer and Alpha, and she began Beta at the end of last school year. She is doing well with it, so we are continuing it. I also purchased the games set from Right Start so that we can supplement with some fun games occasionally to reinforce those facts. Joshua is going through the Primer.
For reading I am still having Rebekah read out loud to me. She is a good reader, but when she comes across words she is unfamiliar with her phonics still seem to be lacking. She is reading Harriette Taylor Treadwell's Third Grader Reader. Joshua read through Treadwell's The Primer in a matter of three weeks, so he is now reading Pathway Readers. I purchased several books through grade 3 or 4 so that Rebekah could read the more advanced books.
For handwriting I just give Rebekah some copywork to do. She is presently writing the poems and Bible verses from God's Wisdom for Little Girls by Elizabeth George. On other days we are working through English for the Thoughtful Child, Vol. 1. So far I really like it for a light introduction to grammar and the English language. We also started All About Spelling today. While we are following a Charlotte Mason approach to education (for the most part), I am branching out and doing some spelling earlier than recommended. For one thing, since Rebekah is a good reader already and is almost 8 years old, I think she is ready for some spelling. Also, I feel like she could benefit from a spelling curriculum, and it may help with her reading phonetically.
Joshua is doing Handwriting Without Tears. We have been doing some preliminary things before we start the kindergarten book. We have used the roll-a-dough for shaping letters with dough, forming letters using wooden pieces, writing with the finger, and now using the Stamp 'n' See Screen for beginning writing. We will also practice using chalk and wet pieces of sponge to erase the chalk before moving on to pencil and paper.
In literature we are finishing Little House in the Big Woods. I will probably let the children decide what they want to read next, but I am leaning toward Winnie the Pooh. Our homeschool group is planning to go to see The Wizard of Oz this year, and I have had it on my list to read soon, so we will probably read it closer to the time of the play so it is fresh on our minds.
For Bible history, world history, and geography we are finishing Genesis through Deuteronomy and Ancient Egypt. We have a couple of months' worth of lessons left before we move on to the next study. I found a kit on making papyrus paper that I thought would be fun to do while studying hieroglyphs. Rebekah knows her African countries well, so we are going to branch off and learn the continents and oceans. I didn't think to cover this first thing last year, so we'll take time to do it this year, and I will have Joshua learn them orally while Rebekah can fill in a world map. Because Rebekah's Bible lessons are in depth I have decided I want to do something simpler with Joshua. I am going to start with Creation and go through the main stories of the Old Testament using The Child's Story Bible by Catherine Vos. She does a great job taking the accounts and stories and putting them on a level appropriate for children without dumbing it down. I have been impressed with how she takes stories that involve sexual immorality and other such topics inappropriate for young children and writes them in a way that explains what they need to know to understand the gist of the story without compromising their innocence. I have been using a flannel board for Rebekah's stories to give her a visual while I read straight out of the Bible, and I will do the same for Joshua. A flannel board makes it fun and visually stimulating.
In addition to world history, Rebekah has an interest in learning American history, so if I can fit it in our schedule we will take some time to learn a little American history, about once each week. I plan to use Beautiful Feet's Early American History Primary Study Guide.
For character development we are finishing A Child's Book of Character Building, Book 1. From there we will move on to Wisdom and the Millers. I also purchased some missionary stories from YWAM Publishing for Rebekah that I think she would love. She wants to be a missionary when she grows up, so I want to invest in some time to read to her about real life missionaries, particularly women, who were faithful to the calling the Lord placed on their heart to reach the world with the Gospel.
For science we are using 106 Days of Creation Studies. I started this with Rebekah last year, but we have not finished it. It is a study that goes through Creation in 106 lessons. We were on reptiles when we finished up the school year in May, and then we picked up with dinosaurs. I found a really cool dinosaur kit from Answers in Genesis. It included a replica of a dinosaur skull and all that was needed to make a head similar to what one might find at the Creation Museum. What a fun activity! So things like this have slowed us down, but we are enjoying the curriculum, taking our time through the lessons.
Art study we do with our friends every other week. We read a book or two about the artist and study several of his or her images. We do the same with composer study, reading a couple of books on the composer and listening to several selections, but we do this at home or on the road. We have also done some nature study with our friends, and we will be learning one play by Shakespeare during our little co-op this year.
Rebekah will be taking an art class this year. She took it over the summer and really enjoyed it. Art is one of her favorite things, and knowing how much she enjoys it I wish we had started it last year. I can't wait to see what she learns and creates this year! She will also be taking a music class using the Kodaly method. I had planned to teach her this past year, but it was one of those subjects that just didn't get done with everything else we were doing. I am glad she is going to be in a class, though, because she can learn so much more in a group setting while playing games and doing group activities. I will also be teaching music at a co-op at church. I am really looking forward to this! I will only get to teach the 1st and 2nd graders for the second semester, so I wanted Rebekah to go on ahead and take another class. I will get to teach kindergarten level music the entire year, so Joshua will get everything he needs from the co-op. The kids will also get to take a gymnastics class at the co-op. Joshua's class will be going through Five in a Row, and Rebekah will be taking art and government (learning about presidents, campaigning, etc. with the upcoming election) the first semester, and anatomy along with music the second semester.
I still want to add Spanish for the kids. We will be using La Clase Divertida. I have had this curriculum sitting in our homeschool cabinet for a year, and I really need to start using it.
So, that is what our year is looking like. Some days I wonder if we will get it all done, and we still manage to accomplish most of what I have planned for the day. I am thankful to have my children home during this season. I don't know how long it will last, but I am enjoying teaching them and investing in their lives as much as I can while I can.
