Well we are almost finished with the 2nd week of school for this year. We haven't hit any major stumbling blocks so I'm going to lay out what we are using for Curriculum and also our schedule.
This year Thomas is in 1st grade for Reading/Grammar and also for Math. He will do 2nd grade work in Science, Social Studies, and History.
This year Judah is in the 2nd grade for Reading/Grammar and also for Math, Science, Social Studies, and History.
We also do art projects. In the winter I try to do them once or twice a week.
I absolutely count cooking and shopping as school. So you can add Home Ec and Economics to the lineup as well. ;)
The base Curriculum this year is a GODSEND. I cannot say enough about it. Truly.
It's called A2. You can read about it
HERE.
This is the first curric. that Michael and I have ever BOTH loved. We knew it was a keeper. See, we're both old school. We want a meaty education for our boys with lots and lots of reading. We also want them to understand our country. The beauty of this curr. is that it is only $99.00 for K-12!!! WOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!! You do have to supplement a Science every year and possibly a Math but the rest is right there. Happy sigh.
So that's the base.
We start every school morning with a reading from this devotional:
I despise the devotionals that are obviously taking verses out of context to "go with" the story. This one takes the passage and bases the devotional on that. It's more geared towards boys but definitely could be used in mixed company (IMO) because we are all called to be warriors for God.
The boys also do writing three times a week. I am not currently using a curr. for that because I feel like I can teach my boys to print beautifully on their own. So far, they have pretty good writing for their ages.
I decided to go with a separate Math Curr. because I am not very skilled in that area. I needed one that would help me teach and one that would KEEP MY BOYS INTEREST. Michael didn't like Math U See. I tried Saxon last year and, while it was a pretty good program, it was really boring. So this year we are using this:
For Judah's Math, the next Level Up:
The Math Curr. is not my favorite organizational wise but it has bright pics and the kids like it. I will definitely have to get some flash cards to use on the side for their 1+1=2, 1+2=3, etc.
Thomas needed something different for Reading. His learning style is more hands on/auditory...so, for him, I got
For Science We are using Bob Jones University Second Grade Science and I LOVE it!!! They have so many hands on projects. For my artistic children it's like combining art and Science.
This is just for fun. History is in the A2 but I wanted a bit more book fun. The kids like doing books.
For Art I ordered THIS!
I can dream up lots and lots of fun things for us to do together. Or I can look some up on the internet and be pretty sure to have enough supplies to do them with. LOL
We are putting a Crockpot cookbook together this year too. I want them to be able to survive as bachelors and impress ladies in the VERY VERY FAAAAAAR future. :)
Our schedule looks basically like this: (This is only a rough estimate however, some days take longer, some not, etc. This also doesn't include all the teachable moments throughout the day.)
Monday:
1/2 hour reading/grammar with Judah while Thomas plays quietly.
1/2 hour reading/grammar with Thomas while Judah plays quietly.
1/2 hour Math with Judah while Thomas does Starfall.com
1/2 hour Math with Thomas while Judah does Starfall.com
Writing- 15 minutes-1/2 hour together
Spelling- Judah only
Tuesday:
Science
Social Studies
Art
All of those are done together!! Yeah!
Wednesday:
Same Reading and Math Schedule
Spelling for Judah
Writing for both
Thursday:
Science
History
Art
All together again!!
Friday:
Read, Math, Spelling, and writing again
Chores that are done together as much as possible are:
Monday: dust and vacuum, Laundry
Tuesday: Laundry
Wednesday: Sweep and mop Entryway, dining room, kitchen, and laundry room
Thursday: catch up day with chores
Friday: bathrooms
What does Gideon do during school you ask?
Sits at the table with us and colors, "draws", plays quietly in the adjacent living room, sits in my lap etc. (on a good day that is-wink wink)
Today he joined us at the table for most of it and had a blast making homemade playdough with us and then using it to make imprints, casts, and molds for our Science lesson.
If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask. Have a blessed day!! -Angela :)
3 comments:
does GA have an hour minimum for homeschooling per day? SC requires 4.5 hours a day for 180 days....just curious what other states required.
We have the same requirement. This is only the "formal school" section. If you add in all the PE, the teacable moments (that I think are school) during the day, home ec, Art, etc. Then we have 4.5 hours no prob. Judah usually reads to himself for another hour during naptime. (He is the only one that has to be "legal" right now.)
Usually I'm a VERY to the letter person. In this area however, I'm not. I believe that all of life is school. OUr whole world should be our classroom. We are constantly learning and practicing around here. Plus, (this is the first year we have had to declare) with only 2 hours a day my boys are already one full grade level ahead. I think it's because I make them be 100%focused during the 2-3 hours we school. No daydreaming, no slacking off, etc. Small breaks are allowed for brain freezes.
Also those times listed are a very rough estimate. Usually we go formally for about 3 hours in the morning from 9-12am.
Just didn't want y'all to think I was slacking. :)
thanks for the info.....It's interesting to see what each state requires/allows. Ya never know when ya might need such info ;)
Post a Comment