Sunday, July 31, 2011

Curriculum 2011-2012

Not Back to School Blog Hop


It's time again for the Heart of the Matter's "Not" Back to School Blog Hop!
Perfect timing for us because tomorrow (Monday) is the first day of our new school year.


The first week of August is always our start date because that is the day Daddy goes back to work after his summer break.  And because it is 100+ outside and we are all getting cabin fever from being cooped up and unstructured.  And because when you start that early you can take off more of the mild, pretty fall and spring days.  Or those we-have-a-new-baby-and-things-are-kind-of-crazy days.


Following are our curriculum plans for our 2011-2012 school year.
(Dale will be 8 at the end of August.  We label him 3rd grade.
Alan will be 5 in November.  This is his 2nd year of preschool.)


Together:
Bible - The Bible! We are starting over in Genesis (for the third year) and planning to cover the major people and stories from Genesis through Acts.  Dale will be mostly notebooking, with occasional activity pages from Calvary Chapel.  Alan will have coloring pages from the same site.


Dale:
Math -Singapore Math
We are almost done with 2A and will pick up in a few weeks with 2B.  I love the affordability and simplicity of Singapore, along with the option of moving along at their quick pace or slowing down for reinforcement or review at any time.


Language Arts / Writing - I have scheduled 2 days a week for Dale to post to his blog (so if you are a follower be checking for those!).  The other three days he will do copywork or write in his journal.


I am searching for a spelling program, and am strongly leaning towards All About Spelling.  We will probably not add that in until January, because I don't want to add anything new until we are in a routine with the new baby.


Typing - Dale will be reviewing and continuing with Dance Mat Typing.


Social Studies - Same as last year, Dale will be reading human interest stories from newspapers.  These have been carefully selected and previewed just for this purpose.


Science/History - For now, I view science and history as 'gravy'.  The fun stuff.  There will be plenty of time ahead for sequential, detailed learning.  For now, we cover a unit here and there as we are interested or find it relevant.  This year we are starting with a unit on the deep sea, using library books and this study from currclick.  Later (per Dale's request) we will be covering the American Revolution with a focus on the Declaration of Independence, and the National Anthem.  I have several Currclick downloads for these as well.


Piano - Continuing with the Music In Me series.  


Literature - Dale will read almost anything he can get his hands on, but I will be selecting and assigning various books throughout the year that he might not find on his own.


Alan:
Rod and Staff Preschool ABC series- This is our first time trying Rod and Staff.  After just looking through them I am very impressed with what I see.  So far I only ordered A,C,D, and E.  If all goes well with those I will order the rest of the set.


Alan will be joining Dale for the ocean science unit with Under the Sea and Exploring the Ocean with Hermit Crab, both from currclick, and then other resources and activities from the Library, our home, and around the web.


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That's it!  That's our plan as far as curriculum goes.  I also plan on dipping into all the puzzles, learning games, and other activities that fill our cabinets and closets.


And since you are here, please do share your favorite spelling curriculum!  Have you used All About Spelling? What did you think of it?


This post contains affiliate links from amazon.com and christianbook.com.  Thanks for looking! :)

10 comments:

Karen said...

We're starting back tomorrow too! I've promised the girls there will still be plenty of time for "fun" stuff, but I am ready to add some structure and routine back into our days. (And, after two weeks of church camp, I am trying to avoid the inevitable "I'm bored"s)

Alltel12fan said...

Not sure how much it would fit your purpose but Spellingcity.com is a great resource for fun spelling study tools. My students have used it in the past to study their word lists and loved it.

Sally said...

I stopped by via HOTM's Curricululm Blog Hop. If you get a chance, hop over to our blog and see what we're into this year! Thank you for sharing!

Wendi said...

I love the Rod & Staff ABC series! So gentle and yet fun & educational. I plan to use it again with ds4 soon :)

Tristan said...

Looks like a good year. We've used All ABout Spelling for a while now and love it! My oldest started it late and is in level 3 and 4 this year. My 5 and 6 year olds are doing level 1 and it really helps with their reading too.

Jennifer said...

What an exciting year! We use Rod and staff for Spelling and for Grammar. I love it. I can't say that the kids love it, just that it is short. I don't think they would love any curriculum, its just not their favorite subject

Amber said...

Stopping by from HOTM blog hop. Sounds like you have a great year ahead of you. We are going to use Spelling Wisdom from Simply Charlotte Mason this year, we have some mom's in our homeschooling group that rave about it. We're excited to give it a try. I don't know much about All about Spelling, but I have noticed through the blog hop that several people use it! Best Wishes for a great school year!

Unknown said...

Currclick is a wonderful resource isn't it? Looks like you have a great year planned, hope it and the new arrival both go well for you. :)

Eclectic Education said...

I hadn't seen that typing program before. How cute. I'll have to try it with my little guy. Thanks! I hope you have a wonderful year.

~Lynn

Sharla said...

I'm glad that you are starting early and allowing yourself some wiggle room for when your new arrival comes along. Homeschooling aside, this year is sure to be a joy-filled, busy one in your family, but it looks like the homeschooling is going to go well too. Hope you have a great year!