This year is flying by. It continues to be the best homeschool year we have had so far.
Maybe we have found our groove. Maybe I am getting more sleep (no pregnancy, no newborn) Maybe our new curriculum choices are helping. Maybe it is due to the design of our own co-op group.
Maybe it is all of it.
Either way, here is a little update on how the different subjects are moving along this year.
Math – We use Singapore Math. I LOVE this math program. My kids are taught how to think mathematically and not just how to use algorithms. There is a heavy focus on mental math, which can be tough, but we take it in doses.
I also like the variety of resources at my disposal for this curriculum. We use the basic teacher’s guide, textbook (sometimes) and workbook. When a topic is too easy, we use the intensive practice books. These allow us to dig deeper into a math topic instead of just moving to the next topic. I love the depth of understanding these books help us achieve. I also have made use of the challenging word problem books that coordinate with each level.
We continue to supplement with flashcards and Minute Math for our fact practice.
History. This is the first time we tried Sonlight History for our main curriculum. We choose to do US History I (level 3) for both girls. It is exactly what K (age 9) is ready for. Sonlight recommends this level for ages 8-12. T is only 7 and aspects of it are definitely beyond her abilities right now.
As with everything, we have modified it for our own use. I made the decision early on to do level 3 and level 4 over the course of 2.5 years. There is a TON of excellent history and I want to take my time. This plan also gives us some time for a MD state history study at the end of the third year. Then when we begin Sonlight 5, K will be in 6th grade and T will be in 5th grade. I think this will be a better match for their abilities.
The read-aloud books have been wonderful. K has enjoyed the advanced readers. I have chosen a few of the regular readers to read to T this year and we have loved them.
I am not a “workbook” person, but I have liked the Story of the USA reading comprehension book this year. We complete one chapter every other week, so we have had to skip 2 in order to keep up the pace, but it has worked really well for K. T is not ready for this part either, so we just pass on it for her at this point.
History has become a memorable and lively subject in this house and I think we’ll continue with this curriculum at our own pace for a long time.
English. Oh my. Grammar is probably the one subject that fell apart this year. We started out the year trying to do grammar with both of the girls together. This did not work out really well. So I dropped back to some new workbooks for K.
After some various attempts, we settled into the Evan-Moore “Grammar and Punctuation” workbook for grade 4. We are also using “English for the Thoughtful Child" vol. 2”. I pick and choose from these workbooks because I like them both for different reasons. We are doing grammar 4-5 days a week right now because of the disaster in the fall.
(Note, : but even with the disaster, I noticed that K had learned all of the grade 3 grammar and we had to get the grade 4, so we must be doing OK)
Our literature studies have been through our history curriculums, though I have added in some activities this year. We spent the first half of the year working on character traits.
T (age 7) is working through Veritas’ First Favorites Guide. She and I are enjoying wonderful stories that she reads to me each week and completes comprehension activities.
Vocabulary. This year K has been using Wordly Wise 3000. This has been another great fit for our curriculum this year. I think the vocabulary words are great and the tasks reinforce what you are learning.
But, once again, I have made some modifications. I don’t think you truly learn vocabulary with a bunch of worksheets. You do get some great exposure, but I wanted us to try to incorporate the words into our daily vocabulary. I decided to type up the words each week and hang them in the kitchen. We try to use the words when we talk at mealtime and we keep tally marks to see which word we can use the most. This has actually been fun for us!
Each week there is a comprehension passage that uses the vocabulary words. Each passage has 10 questions that either use a vocabulary word or you have to use a vocabulary word in your answer. These passages drive us crazy. They seem quite contrived and K’s answers always seemed contrived when she tried to force a vocabulary word into the answer.
After a few weeks of this, we finally came up some other options. Some weeks she uses the words in sentences. Other times I have let her write a skit with the words. This is SO much more enjoyable and it lets her use the words in her way.
Science. We have focused a lot of our time in co-op on Nature Study. The kids love this. We record signs of the seasons, bugs, birds, and all sorts of things that we explore. I have purchased the Apologia Botany book for next year so that I can focus our nature studies each week.
We also used Real Science for Kids this year. It went REALLY well. We used the Pre-Level and Level One chemistry. Each level comes with its own textbook and lab book. Our family only used the Pre-Level chemistry, though I taught the Level One chemistry. I have enjoyed it enough that we are going to do the Level One Biology next year.
Fine Arts. The kids have studied a variety of artists at our co-op classes. They have really enjoyed it and studied a variety of techniques as well.
On my own, I have attempted some drawing lessons with them using the guide, “Drawing with Children.” I hope to do some more as the year ends.
We have bee VERY fortunate this year to have a friend in our co-op with a music degree. She has done a wonderful job teaching folksongs, hymns, and music theory. My girls have learned a ton.
I had to smile when we were on a trip and K was walking down a path and humming, “Come O Thankful People, Come.” (not your typical 9 year old tune) YAAAY to the music teacher this year!
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