2012/2013 curriculum

Back to school time already?  Believe it or not, this is a very exciting time for homeschooling parents.  We are filled with energy and well-laid plans for the upcoming school year.  Ahhhh!!! The cracking open of new books, that new book smell, and pouring through the books to see what fun new lessons are ahead.  I know it sounds crazy but if you homeschool, you know what I mean.  I love to read other blogs that outline the new curriculum choices that have been made for the year.

Time to reveal our curriculum for our 8th year of homeschooling.  I have 2 middle-schoolers this year.  I cannot believe that!  We are very lucky!!!!

So lets talk planners.  This year, I went a different route planner-wise.  I really hate filling in boxes that are labeled math, science, history, etc.  I just hate it!  I prefer to just jot down the things we do and call it a day.  I feel like I get more done this way.  I do like having a month-at-a-glance calendar and a weekly calender to make notes on our outside activities and keep track of our attendance.  So this year, I went with Mom's Planet which is not necessarily a homeschooling planner but it looks really nice.

Nice and colorful cover.

Month-at-a-glance

In the back are a few misc. pages along with this sticker page which has reminders for such things as dentist and doctor appointments.  

I think this planner will be simple to use.

Latin!  In my opinion, all kids (all people) should learn Latin.  Maybe not how to hold a conversation but at least the basics.  It is the foundation of our language and is very helpful in figuring out word meanings.  I know that for some, learning Latin might seem like a waste of time because it is not a spoken language today but if you really think about it, it is!  We use unchanged Latin words and Latin root words every day!  For example, when you use the word bonus that is a Latin word that has been adopted into the English language and there were no changes made to the word.  Another example is the word inter.  We use the word inter quite often, like when we say international, interlude, interaction, and interject. See?  I am so Latin!

We did not make it through the entire Latina Christiana curriculum last year so we are finishing it up this year.  It is a fairly intensive program and should not be rushed.

We are also adding English from the Roots Up this year which covers both Latin and Greek which is another topic I feel is necessary.  Greek.  We English-speaking people have also borrowed many words from the Greek language as well.  For example the word photos which simply means light.  Telephoto, photosynthesis, and photograph are all examples of how we use Greek.

Good old grammar!  This is the first year that I have spent money on a grammar curriculum, and we will only be using the last part of this book.  My kids learned basic parts of speech early on. They can easily identify subjects and predicates. They have never had problems in this area, and I personally feel like it is a waste of valuable time to go over the same thing year after year.  Parts of speech do not generally change over the years so why keep watering it down year after year.  I think in public school they teach it every year to fill up the time but we have plenty to keep us busy without adding the redundancy of parts of speech.  I think children can learn grammar without formal lessons through writing, reading, and especially during conversations.  Grade-by-grade grammar, GAG!

Moving on to math.  A11 will continue with Singapore Mathematics.  I found this after trying a few other programs and I have to say, it is my favorite.  Students in Singapore have excelled in mathematics for the last decade and after using this method of teaching math, I can see why.  I wish I could have learned math this way.  It is a mental math approach and is very effective.  When I am teaching a lesson, I have to work through the problems to get the answers.  Usually before I have solved the problem I am working on my scrap paper, my kids already have the answer because they can work the problems mentally and faster.  I may be too old to master this now but I am very happy that they can do this. Love Singapore math!

click link to go to website

C13 is my real math enthusiast.  Not really but she did like the Singapore program.  This year she will be using Key to Algebra.  I could not find one negative review for this math program.  I think it looks great, not too many redundant problems, and clear explanations on how to learn to work the problems.

click the link to go to the website

This year, they will be doing separate science curriculums even though it will be harder for me.

So A11 will be working through Zoology 1, Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day and after that, she will work through Exploring Creation with Botany.  These books are designed to take a full school year but A11 loves science so I know we can get it all done.

click link to go to website

click link to go to website

C13 will be using Exploring Creation with General Science this year by Dr. Jay Wile.  I love this so far, and she has not started it yet.  I have been reading through it and watching the companion CD too.  It is so interesting!  Dr. Wile does a great job with his conversational style of writing.

click link to go to website

Another new addition for us this year is The Mystery of History.  I have had my eye on these for years and now that we are done with Beyond Five in a Row (sniff), I am giving them a try.  These books are very well-written and there are a lot of activities to choose from. 

click link to go to website

We are going to begin our year with a little American history since it is an election year.  We are going to review states and capitals, as well as presidents and how the government works and a review on the voting process.  We will also track the votes and follow along with the current news that goes with the election process and the inauguration of the new president.  We will be using parts of the books below, as well as other references.

Astronaut ice cream.  There is no reasoning behind this other than the fact that we saw this at the homeschool convention, and we decided to give it a try.  I admit, I really wanted to try this.  Fascinating stuff, dehydrated ice cream.  The ice cream is in brick-form.  We picked Neapolitan  flavor so we could have vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.  Of course as soon as it was opened, the chocolate disappeared, mostly because the principle (their dad) was there and ate the biggest piece.  I have to say, it was pretty good for dehydrated, non-frozen, crumbly ice cream.  We also picked up a few owl pellets but I am blogging that separately because the contents of the pellets were so interesting.

We will also partake in a number of outside activities such as photography, music lessons, kickboxing, ice skating, art, Spanish class, Awana, and field trips and events with our homeschooling groups.  We will probably be dissecting some roadkill during the year too so watch for those blog posts.

Well, that is it.  A full year of homeschooling.  Of course, any of this could be changed if it does not go well.  That is another bonus (Latin word) of homeschooling.  We can change what does not work.

Happy homeschooling!