On Homschooling...Part 2

When I started out this year, I wasn't sure if homeschooling would be the long-term plan for us. We just committed to 1 year.  There was always the possibility that my children would return to the classical christian school that they attended last year.  I chose most of my curriculum (same curriculum that the school used) with that possibility in mind.  If my kids did go back to school, I wanted them to be right in step with their peers.  Now that we have decided to stay at home next year too...some of my choices may change.  I absolutely love the Charlotte Mason "method" of homeschooling.  I am currently trying to find better ways of incorporating more of her ideas into what we do around here.  So with that said, here is what we have been using so far:

Math: Saxon Math (year 1 for kindergartner, year 3 for second grader)

So it is not the most colorful or "fun" stuff out there, but in my opinion it definitely gets the job done.  Math is not my subject!  I was super concerned about being able to convey concepts that I struggled with myself.  But get this, the teacher's manual has a script!  It is so comprehensive, there is very little planning for me.  Hannah is a very visual learner and Saxon has really catered to her in this way.  I intend to continue with this text next year.

English Grammar: Shurley English (year 2 for second grader)

Emma loves Shurley Grammar.  Again, there is a script and a very helpful teachers manual.  This program has little chants that help her remember how the parts of speech work.  These little songs are catchy and come in handy when she is labeling sentences.  I do feel however, that there is a bit of busywork involved in this program.  Several weeks of the program are just review with no new concepts introduced.  It felt like a waste of time.  I am not sure if we will continue with this next year for Emma, but I plan to use the little songs with Hannah when she is ready.

Spelling/Reading/Handwriting: Spell to Write and Read and Wise Guide to Spelling 

I am not in love with the aesthetic qualities of this program.  It is very visually dry- something that Hannah and I struggle with (she is a "bells and whistles" kind of girl). It also requires quite a bit of training for the teacher (me!) in the beginning. That said, this program teaches phonics.  Yes, I am in that camp.  I have seen both of my girls learn to read, write, and spell at rapid rates well above their grade levels with this program.  Emma is currently spelling at a 5th grade level. Hannah is getting really great at sounding out unknown words.  I love this because, she can read independently- which is the goal right? This program did not come with readers, and I wish it would have.  We have used both Bob Books and the Brand New Readers series. I have not been overjoyed with these books.  Charlotte Mason would have considered them "twaddle".  But Hannah loves them and the little reward system that they come with.  I have just gone along with them so as to not discourage her enthusiasm. Hannah will continue with STW&R next year to beef up her reading skills and also for cursive instruction, but I am not sure about Emma.  Instead, I like the idea of taking the misspelled words from all of her written work and compiling our own lists- seems less redundant.

History: Story of the World- Volume 1 Ancient Times

Though the girls seem to like the "story format" of this book, I have never felt like it delved deep enough into each time period.  All year I have sort of felt like we were glazing over large chunks of history.  I originally chose it because there are so many ideas included in the teacher's manual for hands on projects. I appreciated someone planning all those out for me. What I am finding however, is that we don't usually get to many of them.  After doing a narration with a picture, coloring a map, and adding an entry into our Book of Centuries...there isn't usually time left in the week to do much else.  We tried some of the books onthe list over at Ambleside, but my kids were bored stiff!  Still investigating history options.

Science: Apologia- Astronomy

I can't put my finger on why, but we just really don't like this curriculum.  We have sort of limped along through the book.  My girls love to do hands on experiments and activities, and there doesn't seem to be much of that in this text.  I also feel as thought this book may be geared towards children a couple of years older than mine.  I definitely don't want to use Apologia next year.  Nature study (one aspect of a Charlotte Mason education) has been something that my girls have fallen in love with.  We head outside and take on some sort of exploration and observation.  We have been keeping nature journals which are lovely.  The whole garden planning idea would fall under nature study.  Currently we are tracking the process of vegetable seedlings.  We also did a bit of study on insects and birds.  This will definitely be a part of the plan for next year.

 

(we take this little box with us to the park and on little hikes.  it has sketch books, pastels and pencils)

Bible Study: Bible Study Fellowship Home Training Lessons

I attend a BSF class each week.  It is a 7 year program that basically covers the entire bible.  I love it because it is very academic and it really provides expositional style teaching.  What's better, is that it not only helps me to learn more...but they also provide home training lessons.  I have used this along with Old Testament Days as we have studied the life of Moses this year.  Laurel loves "Baby Moses" and frequently reenacts the whole basket floating down the river thing.  They have really enjoyed it. (also really love this!) 

Okay, whew!  That was a lot!  I'd love to hear about what is working for you.  Be back soon with how we fit all this into a week and what a typical day looks like.