Homeschool Plan 2010/2011: 6th, 3rd, and Preschool

This will be the third year I have posted our homeschool plan. I'm formatting a bit differently, but I will continue to include links to most all the materials and suppliers we use. I cannot guarantee that the links I am providing will be the lowest cost suppliers so if you find a better price on the materials I am linking please feel free to tell me in the combox, as well as ask any questions or make suggestions. We may be veteran homeschoolers, but will are always open to new ideas for materials and suppliers!

Skoshi A will be a 6th grader this year.

Math: We've been keeping her math skills fresh over the summer using Summer Bridge Activities for 5th/6th grade. She will be more than ready to dig into Saxon 7/6 this year for math.

Language Arts: She will use Seton English 6, Best Short Stories and Best Nonfiction from Hewitt Homeschooling, Spelling Power, Vocabulary from Classical Roots Grades 5 and 6, Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting Book G and Story Starters: Helping Children Write Like They Never Have Before. Story Starters is a new resource for us. Amy from Together for a Reason posted some of the work one of her children did last year and I was sold. I think Skoshi A will have a lot of fun with the creative writing projects from this book.

History: Our plan is to continue our chronological study of Ancient Rome and finish with Medieval Europe using History Links: Integrated Learning for Catholic Families; Pax Romana, The Roman Empire, and Early Medieval. Our history study will be supplemented heavily with independently read historical fiction, watching quality historical documentaries, and perusing appropriate titles from Learning Through History. We will expand our timelines and study the historical geography using Knowledge Quest's maps and timeline materials.

Science: The plan for science is still pretty fluid. Over the summer my three youngest developed a keen interest in the butterflies and moths attracted to our Butterfly Bush at the front of our house. They have a butterfly "home" that they keep their caught treasures in for an hour or two to study and then release. I picked up a live moth pupa on a walk recently and we are watching to see what might emerge. Skoshi A also planted several varieties of sunflower this spring and she just noticed they are attracting some very beautiful Gold Finch. The plan I have in the works right now is to continue our enjoyment and curiosity in nature. We might make our own nature sketch books and spend some time sketching and researching just what we see around our neighborhood. I also thought this would be a good year to dig out the microscope and use the Learn and Do Microscope Adventure Unit alongside our nature observations.

Art: I have been promising to teach my girls to sew more competently. This year I'm determined to follow through, especially after they received inspiration from their super-talented-quilting-sewing-knitting-crocheting grandma. We'll be doing many of the projects from Sewing With Saint Anne and we'll also be needle crafting Jesse Tree ornaments from patterns I downloaded from this website.

Religion: We'll be using Magnificat for our morning devotion, and my big goal for this school year is to make it to daily Mass at least once a week as a family.

Music: Skoshi will continue with private piano lessons.

PE: She will also be continuing dancing with our local ballet studio as a Grade III in the Cecchetti Syllabus. She will also likely audition for the Joffrey Ballet's Nutcracker again this season.

Special K will be in 3rd grade.

Math: She also used Summer Bridge activities to keep her math skills alive. She will be using Saxon 3 for this school year.

Language Arts: Special K will be using Explode the Code 3 1/2 and 4, Seton English 3, Spelling Power, Getty Dubay Italic Handwriting D, This is our Town and This is our Valley Seton Readers, and What do You Like to do. . . Keepsake Journal from Catholic Heritage Curricula. What do You Like to do . . . is a new book for us this year as well. Just looking through it I thought it was a perfect fit for introducing creative writing to Special K.

PE: Special K will continue her ballet studies as a Grade I in the Cecchetti Syllabus

History, Science, Religion, Art, and Music will all be done alongside her 6th grade big sister.

Lil' Wingnut will be a preschooler and while I normally do not do any formal preschool with our children, he is a special case. He has been reading for nearly a year now and can tell time and do very simple addition and subtraction. He is antsy to do what his siblings are doing and it would be a very grave disservice to him if I did not take advantage of his abilities and desire. He is currently working through Explode the Code 1, but without the writing, as he does not have the fine motor skills for writing at this time. He will also continue reading through the Little Stories for Little Folks Phonics Readers and will likely continue picking up whatever book is lying around and attempt to read that as well. I'm not sure what I'll use for math with him. I know I'll need something more hands on with little to no written material. We'll be working on his writing skills using the Handwriting Without Tears kindergarten book and manipulatives. Of course he will join in our nature studies, microscope adventure, and study of Ancient Rome and Medieval Europe. Time will tell how else he chooses to participate.

Within the next day or two I'll post the plan for our older three students. Please let me know if any of the links I've provided do not work, so that I may correct them.