Our "official" start date for the 2011-2012 school year was Wednesday. It being summer, we haven't done that much in the way of formal education. That said, the following all occurred.
EG
- Four activities in Sentence Composing for Elementary School; we started this late in the school year, so she was finishing up a section.
- Typing practice x 3
- Rosetta Stone (German) x 3
- C25K x 2 (w1d2 on Wednesday, w1d3 tonight)
- Trumpet practice x 3
FB
- Two days from the end of WWE 1
- Rosetta Stone (German) x 3
- lots of reading
Me
- lots of writing going on, mostly fiction
- planning for formal work for 2011-2012
- finalized EG's grammar syllabus for 2011-2012
- C25K workouts with EG (I've done the whole program, but on a treadmill and not surface streets, like we are this time)
- GNO with two of my three Ms :)
- Thwarted twice in our quest for Pride shirts from Old Navy, SmrtMama and I had an impromptu day in Midtown yesterday.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Showing posts with label homeschool: 1112. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschool: 1112. Show all posts
31.5.11
"Official" Days of School
It's only taken me six years of homeschooling (five years of reporting to the state) to finally decide upon the following course of action.
For a couple of years, I've been very diligent at counting days for our state reporting, and only counting days where I felt we reached a certain threshold of learning. It occurred to me several times, though, that there were days we didn't count that were probably far more educational than the end of the year celebrations at the local public schools. As it happens, I also never counted the days that EG was doing end of the year testing. We were usually done with our required number of days by that point.
I also never had a real interest in doing "year round school" in the way that many people usually mean it. I didn't want to do a three week on, one week off schedule, or a three months on, one month off schedule. Summer camps are very important to me as a parent. I'm sure I'd feel that way regardless, but as a homeschooling parent, they're very nearly sacred. Next year, PC can go to a half-day camp at the local YMCA, which means I am eagerly anticipating getting a week where I am ALONE for three hours a day, as well as two weeks where one of the older kids is the only one home with me. I'm getting off track; suffice it to say, while we do light schoolwork throughout the summer, camp is Very Important.
This past year, I did an experiment. Each year, as I filled out my "attendance report," I kept track of our running total of days. Then, I kept an unofficial count. It included things like trips out of town, field trips, and more. If it was somewhat educational, I went ahead and included it. I probably missed a few.
As of the end of May, I have 242 days of education counted for the eleven month period of July 2010-May 2011.
I don't feel bad about what I'm going to do tonight or tomorrow, then: I'm going to print out our "attendance sheets" and fill them out for the 2011-2012 school year. In advance. All 180 days. If we hold with the past year, we'll surpass that by at least 60 days.
For a couple of years, I've been very diligent at counting days for our state reporting, and only counting days where I felt we reached a certain threshold of learning. It occurred to me several times, though, that there were days we didn't count that were probably far more educational than the end of the year celebrations at the local public schools. As it happens, I also never counted the days that EG was doing end of the year testing. We were usually done with our required number of days by that point.
I also never had a real interest in doing "year round school" in the way that many people usually mean it. I didn't want to do a three week on, one week off schedule, or a three months on, one month off schedule. Summer camps are very important to me as a parent. I'm sure I'd feel that way regardless, but as a homeschooling parent, they're very nearly sacred. Next year, PC can go to a half-day camp at the local YMCA, which means I am eagerly anticipating getting a week where I am ALONE for three hours a day, as well as two weeks where one of the older kids is the only one home with me. I'm getting off track; suffice it to say, while we do light schoolwork throughout the summer, camp is Very Important.
This past year, I did an experiment. Each year, as I filled out my "attendance report," I kept track of our running total of days. Then, I kept an unofficial count. It included things like trips out of town, field trips, and more. If it was somewhat educational, I went ahead and included it. I probably missed a few.
As of the end of May, I have 242 days of education counted for the eleven month period of July 2010-May 2011.
I don't feel bad about what I'm going to do tonight or tomorrow, then: I'm going to print out our "attendance sheets" and fill them out for the 2011-2012 school year. In advance. All 180 days. If we hold with the past year, we'll surpass that by at least 60 days.
7.3.11
World Geography
I’ve posted previously that I just wasn’t happy with the way history was proceeding this year for EG. Logic stage history is supposed to be about making connections, discovering the “why” behind history, and delving into cause and effect. I felt like it had instead become a checklist and the result was merely a continuation of learning and approaches like those used in grammar stage. Ouch!
I decided to make a change for next year. Instead of continuing with a chronological study of the world, using a spine, we’re going to look at history through different ‘lenses’ for the next two years (sixth and seventh grades, approximately). Next year, EG is going to study physical geography, the history of cartography, and a bit of cultural geography, all through Ellen McHenry’s Mapping the World with Art. One of things that appealed to me was the drawing component; art skills is one area that continually gets neglected in our home/school. I ordered it last weekend, received it last week, and spent the weekend printing it out and then reading through the history material, the map drawing directions, and the activity suggestions.
I’m really excited about this course of study for next year! Now, if you’re familiar with the curriculum, you know that it really doesn’t include any cultural geography, and that is an area we’ll supplement somewhat. In theory, we have 30-60 minutes set aside each week for art skills, plus 3 hours a week for history/social sciences. With this amount of time, I’m confident EG will be able to complete the reading, the map drawings, one to four activities per chapter, and still have time for a bit of supplementary reading and projects. We may use Evan-Moor geography units for each continent to enhance the physical geography, or we may not; I have to procure at least one in order to decide. One of the things I really want to do is incorporate some cooking for various countries and geographical areas. I also want EG to complete four projects over the course of the year (approximately one per quarter, or one per every seven to eight chapters). Essentially, I’m thinking of having EG do these projects each on a topic that is more related to cultural geography or the history of cartography (as opposed to physical geography), and she’ll have a choice of what format in which to present each one: a display board, a standard essay or paper, a Keynote/PowerPoint-style presentation on the computer, or a website are the formats I’ve brainstormed for now. We’ll also try to actually take advantage of the library for the cultural geography study; I’m thinking of those series of books in the children’s section that cover most of the countries in five or six well-photographed chapters per book/country.
This year of study won’t lend itself to writing as well as straight history might, so I’ll have to make sure to include outlining practice and writing practice in other subjects moreso than I might otherwise would have. It won’t give EG a chance to practice interpreting written primary sources, but it will give her experience with a different type of primary source: old maps! Since the course is projected to take only thirty weeks, we may take time halfway through to do a Jackdaw, and again at the end of the course. Even with these potential downsides, though, I feel like it’s a great choice for her for the coming academic year.
I decided to make a change for next year. Instead of continuing with a chronological study of the world, using a spine, we’re going to look at history through different ‘lenses’ for the next two years (sixth and seventh grades, approximately). Next year, EG is going to study physical geography, the history of cartography, and a bit of cultural geography, all through Ellen McHenry’s Mapping the World with Art. One of things that appealed to me was the drawing component; art skills is one area that continually gets neglected in our home/school. I ordered it last weekend, received it last week, and spent the weekend printing it out and then reading through the history material, the map drawing directions, and the activity suggestions.
I’m really excited about this course of study for next year! Now, if you’re familiar with the curriculum, you know that it really doesn’t include any cultural geography, and that is an area we’ll supplement somewhat. In theory, we have 30-60 minutes set aside each week for art skills, plus 3 hours a week for history/social sciences. With this amount of time, I’m confident EG will be able to complete the reading, the map drawings, one to four activities per chapter, and still have time for a bit of supplementary reading and projects. We may use Evan-Moor geography units for each continent to enhance the physical geography, or we may not; I have to procure at least one in order to decide. One of the things I really want to do is incorporate some cooking for various countries and geographical areas. I also want EG to complete four projects over the course of the year (approximately one per quarter, or one per every seven to eight chapters). Essentially, I’m thinking of having EG do these projects each on a topic that is more related to cultural geography or the history of cartography (as opposed to physical geography), and she’ll have a choice of what format in which to present each one: a display board, a standard essay or paper, a Keynote/PowerPoint-style presentation on the computer, or a website are the formats I’ve brainstormed for now. We’ll also try to actually take advantage of the library for the cultural geography study; I’m thinking of those series of books in the children’s section that cover most of the countries in five or six well-photographed chapters per book/country.
This year of study won’t lend itself to writing as well as straight history might, so I’ll have to make sure to include outlining practice and writing practice in other subjects moreso than I might otherwise would have. It won’t give EG a chance to practice interpreting written primary sources, but it will give her experience with a different type of primary source: old maps! Since the course is projected to take only thirty weeks, we may take time halfway through to do a Jackdaw, and again at the end of the course. Even with these potential downsides, though, I feel like it’s a great choice for her for the coming academic year.
3.3.11
Curriculum Infusion!
Box Days! Some of this is for the remainder of this year, some is for May Term, and some is for 2011-2012.
English Workshop Second Course (grammar workbook)
Figuratively Speaking and Sentence Composing for Elementary School; the latter is really too easy for EG, but then, I wanted something light for the end of the school year.
Ellen McHenry curriculum: Mapping the World with Art and Excavating English. I started printing out the former and EG caught sight of it. "Oooh. This looks like fun!" I think so, too.
Art of Problem Solving. EG is going to review/refresh her algebra I & II knowledge for the next few weeks to couple of months, while also doing their Introduction to Counting & Probability course.
Lots of goodies! First Time Analogies for FB for May Term, and Primarily Logic for FB for 2011-2012. The Young Investor for EG (maybe May Term, maybe 2011-2012). Primary Grade Challenge Math for FB for 2011-2012 and beyond.
Geography! A May Term project/subject for FB
Vocabulary Workshop Purple. This is for FB, and we'll start it at some point in 2011-2012, though probably not at the beginning of the year. I ordered it at the same time as EG's Vocabulary Workshop A & B, but only this one arrived in today's shipment. Weird!
Last week, I won a facebook contest that Timberdoodle was having for Presidents' Day, and those goodies arrived as well:
A graphic novel-style biography of President Obama, a graphic novel-style book about Lincoln's assassination, a Sterling Point book about George Washington, a 3D puzzle/model of the White House, and Brainbox Presidents. Yay!
I got one more very awesome thing, but since I purchased it prematurely (a long story), it has to wait a few weeks to be introduced. It's really difficult to wait!
English Workshop Second Course (grammar workbook)
Figuratively Speaking and Sentence Composing for Elementary School; the latter is really too easy for EG, but then, I wanted something light for the end of the school year. 
Ellen McHenry curriculum: Mapping the World with Art and Excavating English. I started printing out the former and EG caught sight of it. "Oooh. This looks like fun!" I think so, too.
Art of Problem Solving. EG is going to review/refresh her algebra I & II knowledge for the next few weeks to couple of months, while also doing their Introduction to Counting & Probability course.
Lots of goodies! First Time Analogies for FB for May Term, and Primarily Logic for FB for 2011-2012. The Young Investor for EG (maybe May Term, maybe 2011-2012). Primary Grade Challenge Math for FB for 2011-2012 and beyond. 
Geography! A May Term project/subject for FB
Vocabulary Workshop Purple. This is for FB, and we'll start it at some point in 2011-2012, though probably not at the beginning of the year. I ordered it at the same time as EG's Vocabulary Workshop A & B, but only this one arrived in today's shipment. Weird!Last week, I won a facebook contest that Timberdoodle was having for Presidents' Day, and those goodies arrived as well:
A graphic novel-style biography of President Obama, a graphic novel-style book about Lincoln's assassination, a Sterling Point book about George Washington, a 3D puzzle/model of the White House, and Brainbox Presidents. Yay! I got one more very awesome thing, but since I purchased it prematurely (a long story), it has to wait a few weeks to be introduced. It's really difficult to wait!
8.2.11
First Grade List for Next Year
In order to not think about the subjects I don’t have decided for 2011-2012, all of which fall under the category of “EG’s Sixth Grade Plans,” I’m going to write down all of my plans for FB, which are complete and therefore not a source of anxiety at the present moment.
Language Arts
Spelling: Continue with Spelling Workout B and begin Spelling Workout C; this includes beginning to copy the “Pep Talk” rules onto paper, and keeping a running list of “Trouble Words.”
Grammar: First Language Lessons, Level 2 (the older, combo version of Levels 1 & 2)
Penmanship: Printing Power, and daily copywork sheets made via HWT’s worksheet generator.
Composition: Writing With Ease, Level 2, along with writing a letter once a month.
Oral Reading: Weekly reading aloud from the appropriate Reader of McGuffey’s.
Poetry: Memorization of level two poems in IEW’s Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization; appreciation of poetry through the use of the Poetry for Young People series.
Literature & Reading: In addition to thirty minutes of free, fun reading daily, FB will have assigned literature. Some will be related to his history studies (some of this may be read to him), some will be from a list I’ve compiled of “good books,” and the remainder will be books specifically assigned just at his reading level to continue to improve his reading. I anticipate he will finish Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading prior to the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year.
Mathematics
Right Start B, moving into Right Start C; Calculadder drills; The Red Book & The Blue Book from Miquon; Kitchen Table Math and Primary Challenge Math.
History
The Story of the World: Volume Two: The Middle Ages and the accompanying Activity Guide; supplemental biographies and other history books, drawn primarily from the You Wouldn’t Want to Be... series and Who in the World Was...? series.
Geography
Rand-McNally Schoolhouse Beginner Map & Geography Activities, if I can find a new copy; The Geography Book.
Science
Life science, using DK’s First Animal Encyclopedia, The Kingfisher First Human Body Encyclopedia, and Incredible Plants as spines, with supplemental books drawn primarily from the Rookie Read-About and Let’s Read and Find Out series, as well as titles by Seymour Simon and National Geographic.
German
Saturday School and/or tutoring/class.
The Arts
Art Skills: Projects at Master’s Academy; also projects at home using How To Teach Art to Children.
Art Appreciation: Visits to the High Museum; use of Mike Venezia artist biographies and books like A Child’s Book of Art for informal study; history-related art appreciation using Art in Story periodically.
Music Skills: Recorder instruction and singing at Master’s Academy; basic piano instruction at home using Music for Little Mozarts.
Music Appreciation: Focus on each month’s composer on Classics for Kids podcast; Beethoven’s Wig series, Classical Kids series, Mike Venezia biographies, and Opal Wheeler biographies with accompanying CDs.
Performing Arts: Participation in end of the year play at Master’s Academy; attendance at one ballet performance, one theatre performance, and one musical theatre performance throughout the year.
Physical Education and Health
Health: informal coverage of nutrition, personal hygeiene, disease prevention (through rest, clean hands, good nutrition), and the importance of exercise.
Physical Activity: Eight weeks of homeschool soccer; ice skating; gymnastics; possibly team sports (baseball or basketball).
The important question, of course, is what do I need to buy at the convention next month?
• Writing With Ease, Level Two Workbook
• Spelling Workout B
• Spelling Workout C
• Printing Power
• Right Start C
• The Red Book
• The Blue Book
• Primary Challenge Math
• The Story of the World: Volume Two
What else do I need to purchase? Some of these may be a better deal at the convention, but I’m not yet sure.
• Supplemental history books
• Supplemental science books
• Mike Venezia artist & composer biographies
• Kitchen Table Math
• Poetry for Young People series
• Literature books
• The Geography Book
• Rand-McNally Schoolhouse Beginner Map and Geography Activities
• Music for Little Mozarts Deluxe Starter Kit
Language Arts
Spelling: Continue with Spelling Workout B and begin Spelling Workout C; this includes beginning to copy the “Pep Talk” rules onto paper, and keeping a running list of “Trouble Words.”
Grammar: First Language Lessons, Level 2 (the older, combo version of Levels 1 & 2)
Penmanship: Printing Power, and daily copywork sheets made via HWT’s worksheet generator.
Composition: Writing With Ease, Level 2, along with writing a letter once a month.
Oral Reading: Weekly reading aloud from the appropriate Reader of McGuffey’s.
Poetry: Memorization of level two poems in IEW’s Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization; appreciation of poetry through the use of the Poetry for Young People series.
Literature & Reading: In addition to thirty minutes of free, fun reading daily, FB will have assigned literature. Some will be related to his history studies (some of this may be read to him), some will be from a list I’ve compiled of “good books,” and the remainder will be books specifically assigned just at his reading level to continue to improve his reading. I anticipate he will finish Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading prior to the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year.
Mathematics
Right Start B, moving into Right Start C; Calculadder drills; The Red Book & The Blue Book from Miquon; Kitchen Table Math and Primary Challenge Math.
History
The Story of the World: Volume Two: The Middle Ages and the accompanying Activity Guide; supplemental biographies and other history books, drawn primarily from the You Wouldn’t Want to Be... series and Who in the World Was...? series.
Geography
Rand-McNally Schoolhouse Beginner Map & Geography Activities, if I can find a new copy; The Geography Book.
Science
Life science, using DK’s First Animal Encyclopedia, The Kingfisher First Human Body Encyclopedia, and Incredible Plants as spines, with supplemental books drawn primarily from the Rookie Read-About and Let’s Read and Find Out series, as well as titles by Seymour Simon and National Geographic.
German
Saturday School and/or tutoring/class.
The Arts
Art Skills: Projects at Master’s Academy; also projects at home using How To Teach Art to Children.
Art Appreciation: Visits to the High Museum; use of Mike Venezia artist biographies and books like A Child’s Book of Art for informal study; history-related art appreciation using Art in Story periodically.
Music Skills: Recorder instruction and singing at Master’s Academy; basic piano instruction at home using Music for Little Mozarts.
Music Appreciation: Focus on each month’s composer on Classics for Kids podcast; Beethoven’s Wig series, Classical Kids series, Mike Venezia biographies, and Opal Wheeler biographies with accompanying CDs.
Performing Arts: Participation in end of the year play at Master’s Academy; attendance at one ballet performance, one theatre performance, and one musical theatre performance throughout the year.
Physical Education and Health
Health: informal coverage of nutrition, personal hygeiene, disease prevention (through rest, clean hands, good nutrition), and the importance of exercise.
Physical Activity: Eight weeks of homeschool soccer; ice skating; gymnastics; possibly team sports (baseball or basketball).
The important question, of course, is what do I need to buy at the convention next month?
• Writing With Ease, Level Two Workbook
• Spelling Workout B
• Spelling Workout C
• Printing Power
• Right Start C
• The Red Book
• The Blue Book
• Primary Challenge Math
• The Story of the World: Volume Two
What else do I need to purchase? Some of these may be a better deal at the convention, but I’m not yet sure.
• Supplemental history books
• Supplemental science books
• Mike Venezia artist & composer biographies
• Kitchen Table Math
• Poetry for Young People series
• Literature books
• The Geography Book
• Rand-McNally Schoolhouse Beginner Map and Geography Activities
• Music for Little Mozarts Deluxe Starter Kit
16.1.11
Merrily We Plod Along
Let's visit my by 1 July 2011 list, shall we?
By 1 July 2011
01. Decide on supplemental titles for Story of the World Volume Two. (FB)
02. Plan out life science/biology with spines, supplemental books, and projects and activities. (FB)
03. Work through the next sections of Art in Story for art appreciation. (FB)
04. Make a better plan for grammar stage art projects. (FB)
05. Make a tentative literature list. (FB)
06. Decide whether or not to enroll the kids in a Saturday language school. (FB & EG)
07. Decide what to do about literature for EG for next year. (EG)
08. Work on Hogwarts-ian plans. (EG)
09. Decide on online classes. (EG)
10. Figure out social sciences/history. (EG)
11. Plan social sciences/history once decided. (EG)
12. Make a final decision on science and plan out if necessary. (EG)
13. Decide on what technology/computer skills to emphasize. (EG)
14. Plan art history for the year. (EG)
15. Plan music history/appreciation for the year. (EG)
16. Make a list of various math resources, since she’ll probably tear through them. (EG)
17. Make a shopping list of everything, to take to Greenville.
What have I done?
08. Work on Hogwarts-ian plans! I have a good plan for making our subjects mostly correspond to Hogwarts' subjects, without compromising on what I want EG to cover next year. I also have done a lot of the fun prep: EG now has a Ravenclaw scarf, bookscarf (bookmark), and iPod Touch cozy. I'm working on her hat. She doesn't know about any of this, of course! I'm also going to be making her a hat or two in Ravenclaw colors, plus mittens.
12. Make a final decision on science and plan out if necessary! Our primary science focus next year is going to be chemistry, and I think we're going to use Spectrum Chemistry. I have a plan for a few supplemental resources.
13. Decide on what technology/computer skills to emphasize. Since the goal is for EG to master the basics and typing by the end of the summer, I've decided that for next year, EG should participate in a few workshops/classes at the Apple Store for her primary technology/computer focus. We may get into basic HTML programming during the second semester next year.
16. Make a list of various math resources, since she'll probably tear through them. I've started this process. Some things will be done this year (e.g., Patty Paper Geometry), and others will be for next year. The tentative plan is for her to do an AoPS class during March-May of this year, Geometry during first & part of second semester next year, another AoPS class at some point next year, and probably starting on Trigonometry during second semester.
17. Make a shopping list of everything, to take to Greenville. I have started my shopping list! I'm sure it's still incomplete, but I feel better having started it.
My next big goal is to work on numbers one and two. Number seven will probably happen after I have a chance to look at various things at the convention.
By 1 July 2011
01. Decide on supplemental titles for Story of the World Volume Two. (FB)
02. Plan out life science/biology with spines, supplemental books, and projects and activities. (FB)
03. Work through the next sections of Art in Story for art appreciation. (FB)
04. Make a better plan for grammar stage art projects. (FB)
05. Make a tentative literature list. (FB)
06. Decide whether or not to enroll the kids in a Saturday language school. (FB & EG)
07. Decide what to do about literature for EG for next year. (EG)
08. Work on Hogwarts-ian plans. (EG)
09. Decide on online classes. (EG)
10. Figure out social sciences/history. (EG)
11. Plan social sciences/history once decided. (EG)
12. Make a final decision on science and plan out if necessary. (EG)
13. Decide on what technology/computer skills to emphasize. (EG)
14. Plan art history for the year. (EG)
15. Plan music history/appreciation for the year. (EG)
16. Make a list of various math resources, since she’ll probably tear through them. (EG)
17. Make a shopping list of everything, to take to Greenville.
What have I done?
08. Work on Hogwarts-ian plans! I have a good plan for making our subjects mostly correspond to Hogwarts' subjects, without compromising on what I want EG to cover next year. I also have done a lot of the fun prep: EG now has a Ravenclaw scarf, bookscarf (bookmark), and iPod Touch cozy. I'm working on her hat. She doesn't know about any of this, of course! I'm also going to be making her a hat or two in Ravenclaw colors, plus mittens.
12. Make a final decision on science and plan out if necessary! Our primary science focus next year is going to be chemistry, and I think we're going to use Spectrum Chemistry. I have a plan for a few supplemental resources.
13. Decide on what technology/computer skills to emphasize. Since the goal is for EG to master the basics and typing by the end of the summer, I've decided that for next year, EG should participate in a few workshops/classes at the Apple Store for her primary technology/computer focus. We may get into basic HTML programming during the second semester next year.
16. Make a list of various math resources, since she'll probably tear through them. I've started this process. Some things will be done this year (e.g., Patty Paper Geometry), and others will be for next year. The tentative plan is for her to do an AoPS class during March-May of this year, Geometry during first & part of second semester next year, another AoPS class at some point next year, and probably starting on Trigonometry during second semester.
17. Make a shopping list of everything, to take to Greenville. I have started my shopping list! I'm sure it's still incomplete, but I feel better having started it.
My next big goal is to work on numbers one and two. Number seven will probably happen after I have a chance to look at various things at the convention.
7.12.10
The Other Planning
Okay, the easy planning.
For language arts next year, FB will continue in his curriculum from this year, for the most part. He'll use Printing Power for penmanship, and Spelling Workout for spelling – probably Level B, but he could get into Level C before the end of 2011-2012. He'll also keep using First Language Lessons, and we'll continue his writing with Writing With Ease Level 2. Literature will continue to be a mix of him listening to great picture books and history-related fiction and reading books on his level.
Mathematics will be what he has left of Right Start B after this year, followed by Right Start C. He'll also keep working in Miquon – I anticipate him working in the Red book and possibly the Blue. Drill will continue, using Calculadders, and we'll throw in some other resources as well: MathStart picture books, the Kitchen Table Math books, and possibly Primary Challenge Math.
For history, FB will be continuing with The Story of the World, moving into Volume Two, which covers the time period from 400 CE through 1600 CE. We'll use the Activity Guide again, and add supplemental non-fiction, which I anticipate pulling primarily from the You Wouldn't Want To Be… series.
Science next year will be biology. We'll probably start that a little early, doing some botany in late spring and throughout the summer, using Incredible Plants and perhaps Green Thumbs. I'm going to use The Natural World as a primary spine, alongside the Kingfisher First Human Body Encyclopedia and the DK First Animal Encyclopedia. The Natural World does touch on cells and evolution, which otherwise would go neglected. Supplemental books will be pulled heavily from National Geographic, Let's Read and Find Out, and Rookie Read-About Science.
German… I want to start all the kids on German. As with EG, this may involve tutoring, or Saturday school, or who knows.
FB will continue attending Master's Academy, which does a good deal of art and music appreciation. We're doing those very informally at home this year, which I'll probably continue next year. We have the Classical Kids series, The Story of Classical Music, and we do listen to Classics for Kids as well. I'd like to get more of the Venezia books on composers. I'd also like to get the Venezia books on artists. We have a few books on art and artists. Again, we'll keep this informal for the most part, though I do have Art in Story that we'll use periodically, correlated to history. I'd like FB to attend a ballet performance, a theatre performance, and a musical performance next year.
In terms of skills in fine arts, FB has expressed interest in starting piano next year. I think we'll use something like Music for Little Mozarts at home. They use the classroom program at Master's Academy and he's always talking about it. We may even start this by mid-spring of this year. He also is learning recorder at Master's Academy, and they do art projects there as well. In either first or second grade, I'll have him work through Drawing With Children.
This is really all even easier than it looks. I'm fine with music appreciation being decided as we go, as well as most art. Art in Story takes a little bit of prep, but no more than an hour or two total. I do have to finalize supplemental books for history and science, as well as create a schedule, and make literature selections. That's it, though, for FB. Easy peasy! All the major decisions are already made.
For language arts next year, FB will continue in his curriculum from this year, for the most part. He'll use Printing Power for penmanship, and Spelling Workout for spelling – probably Level B, but he could get into Level C before the end of 2011-2012. He'll also keep using First Language Lessons, and we'll continue his writing with Writing With Ease Level 2. Literature will continue to be a mix of him listening to great picture books and history-related fiction and reading books on his level.
Mathematics will be what he has left of Right Start B after this year, followed by Right Start C. He'll also keep working in Miquon – I anticipate him working in the Red book and possibly the Blue. Drill will continue, using Calculadders, and we'll throw in some other resources as well: MathStart picture books, the Kitchen Table Math books, and possibly Primary Challenge Math.
For history, FB will be continuing with The Story of the World, moving into Volume Two, which covers the time period from 400 CE through 1600 CE. We'll use the Activity Guide again, and add supplemental non-fiction, which I anticipate pulling primarily from the You Wouldn't Want To Be… series.
Science next year will be biology. We'll probably start that a little early, doing some botany in late spring and throughout the summer, using Incredible Plants and perhaps Green Thumbs. I'm going to use The Natural World as a primary spine, alongside the Kingfisher First Human Body Encyclopedia and the DK First Animal Encyclopedia. The Natural World does touch on cells and evolution, which otherwise would go neglected. Supplemental books will be pulled heavily from National Geographic, Let's Read and Find Out, and Rookie Read-About Science.
German… I want to start all the kids on German. As with EG, this may involve tutoring, or Saturday school, or who knows.
FB will continue attending Master's Academy, which does a good deal of art and music appreciation. We're doing those very informally at home this year, which I'll probably continue next year. We have the Classical Kids series, The Story of Classical Music, and we do listen to Classics for Kids as well. I'd like to get more of the Venezia books on composers. I'd also like to get the Venezia books on artists. We have a few books on art and artists. Again, we'll keep this informal for the most part, though I do have Art in Story that we'll use periodically, correlated to history. I'd like FB to attend a ballet performance, a theatre performance, and a musical performance next year.
In terms of skills in fine arts, FB has expressed interest in starting piano next year. I think we'll use something like Music for Little Mozarts at home. They use the classroom program at Master's Academy and he's always talking about it. We may even start this by mid-spring of this year. He also is learning recorder at Master's Academy, and they do art projects there as well. In either first or second grade, I'll have him work through Drawing With Children.
This is really all even easier than it looks. I'm fine with music appreciation being decided as we go, as well as most art. Art in Story takes a little bit of prep, but no more than an hour or two total. I do have to finalize supplemental books for history and science, as well as create a schedule, and make literature selections. That's it, though, for FB. Easy peasy! All the major decisions are already made.
5.12.10
After December Comes 2011.
And, of course, 2011 means that after 2010-2011 is over, there will be 2011-2012. How'd that happen, again?
When it comes to next year and my two students, there's one for whom it's easy to list what we'll be doing. Then there's my darling EG.
Thank goodness for Michael Clay Thompson's language arts. We'll be using the entirety of the level four package - grammar, poetics, vocabulary, and composition. We'll also be continuing to use All About Spelling through the planned seventh level (no, we haven't started the sixth level; that will happen after Christmas, hopefully).
Everything else? Is vague.
Literature… I am taking a serious look at Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings, possibly done through the onlineg3 class. That would cover September, October, November, December, and January, leaving me with a month at the beginning of our school year, as well as the remainder of the school year after January. I need to look at what we're going to do in history through the end of this school year, and restructure that literature accordingly. Then, I'll have a better sense of what other works I want her to read next year.
Mathematics… EG loves Fred, so I won't take her from her beloved Life of Fred for Geometry, even though I think the idea of putting "algebra" in a proof for any algebraic property is bunk. I've looked through the text, though, and anticipate it taking only 108 days, leaving plenty of room in the schedule for her to work through the proofs and end of chapter problems, if not the entire book, from Art of Problem Solving's Introduction to Geometry. All of that said, if next year is like every other year with math, she'll accomplish more than I suspect possible at the outset, so I'd better buy up Life of Fred Trigonometry. (I half-think she'll start Geometry before the end of 2010/2011.)
Social Sciences… I have to reconfigure my expectations for this year. Once I make sure she can finish the middle ages and the Renaissance, then I can begin to move forward. Tentatively, though, I'm looking at Ellen McHenry's Excavating English, as well as her Mapping the World with Art. I also have plans to pull together an economics study, and United States government, plus a world history course focused through the lens of food. All of this is for sixth and seventh grade (and possibly part of the remainder of fifth grade, to be honest), so here's another area where things are totally up in the air.
Science… I'm seriously considering having her tackle chemistry next year, as opposed to biology. Why? For starters, this year, we've spent and will spend a lot of time on biological topics. PLATO Life Science, yes, but also a human body study, a prehistoric life study, and a focused study of evolution and genetics. I love biology, but I do not want to burn her out on biology! Chemistry also fits more neatly into my Hogwarts school plans. We'll probably supplement science in other areas, thanks to Hogwarts, but I can find a chemistry program designed for homeschooling so much more easily. I'm actually seriously considering Spectrum Chemistry, even though I've sworn for years that I wouldn't buy any science materials from an obviously sectarian or creationist company. As far as I can tell, though, from all my reading and investigating, there's nothing in it to which I would object. It seems to be a 32 week course, with only three days of work expected in a week. Since we do core subjects four days a week, that gives us the flexibility to add enrichment (Caveman Chemistry, anyone?) as well as the other Hogwarts sciences (astronomy and herbology/botany).
German… I am considering enrolling the kids in a German Saturday school. I'm also making doe eyes at a friend who knows German to teach the kids. We may do both. Who knows? Not me!
Fine Arts, Skills… EG will continue with trumpet instruction and participation in band. She will audition for the "Advanced Band" and may apply to join Beginning Jazz (admission based on qualifying for Advanced). I think she'd like to continue piano lessons, even though my requirement of two years piano instruction will be met at that time. If she doesn't do any formal drawing instruction this year, it will definitely be on the list for next year. I'm going to outsource it, though, either by getting my mother to do it (with Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain) or by paying for outside instruction.
Fine Arts, Appreciation… Performances will continue to be important. I'd like her to attend two ballet performances, at least one musical performance in addition to the band concerts, and one to three theatre performances. I really would like to take her to an opera if there's an accessible one being performed nearby. She'll continue working through The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music History for, well, music history and world music appreciation, and Art for art history. I hope to renew our membership to the art museum, as well.
Logic… Unless something drastically changes, EG will be using The Snake and The Fox. I anticipate it taking one-half to two-thirds of the year. I also have Nonsense about fallacies, and a list of possibilities saved on amazon, to round out the year. Thanks to onlineg3, she'll have done both Critical Thinking 1 & Critical Thinking 2 this year, which should be a good basis for all of this. I also have some books on mathematical logic by Suppes, though I have no answer key for either. I think that's the point where I outsource, right?
Computers & Technology… I want EG to take some of the free classes and workshops offered at the Apple store. Ideally, I'd like her to take Art of Problem Solving's introduction to Python in seventh grade, so our main goals for sixth grade are to improve typing speed and to get comfortable with basic software usage.
I really want to have everything finalized by March, which means I will have a busy two or three months ahead of me. Why March? We're going to Greenville! (I'm so excited. Susan Wise Bauer, Jessie Wise, Jim Weiss, Michael Clay Thompson, Ed Zaccaro, plus Tim Hawkins. Yay!)
When it comes to next year and my two students, there's one for whom it's easy to list what we'll be doing. Then there's my darling EG.
Thank goodness for Michael Clay Thompson's language arts. We'll be using the entirety of the level four package - grammar, poetics, vocabulary, and composition. We'll also be continuing to use All About Spelling through the planned seventh level (no, we haven't started the sixth level; that will happen after Christmas, hopefully).
Everything else? Is vague.
Literature… I am taking a serious look at Literary Lessons from Lord of the Rings, possibly done through the onlineg3 class. That would cover September, October, November, December, and January, leaving me with a month at the beginning of our school year, as well as the remainder of the school year after January. I need to look at what we're going to do in history through the end of this school year, and restructure that literature accordingly. Then, I'll have a better sense of what other works I want her to read next year.
Mathematics… EG loves Fred, so I won't take her from her beloved Life of Fred for Geometry, even though I think the idea of putting "algebra" in a proof for any algebraic property is bunk. I've looked through the text, though, and anticipate it taking only 108 days, leaving plenty of room in the schedule for her to work through the proofs and end of chapter problems, if not the entire book, from Art of Problem Solving's Introduction to Geometry. All of that said, if next year is like every other year with math, she'll accomplish more than I suspect possible at the outset, so I'd better buy up Life of Fred Trigonometry. (I half-think she'll start Geometry before the end of 2010/2011.)
Social Sciences… I have to reconfigure my expectations for this year. Once I make sure she can finish the middle ages and the Renaissance, then I can begin to move forward. Tentatively, though, I'm looking at Ellen McHenry's Excavating English, as well as her Mapping the World with Art. I also have plans to pull together an economics study, and United States government, plus a world history course focused through the lens of food. All of this is for sixth and seventh grade (and possibly part of the remainder of fifth grade, to be honest), so here's another area where things are totally up in the air.
Science… I'm seriously considering having her tackle chemistry next year, as opposed to biology. Why? For starters, this year, we've spent and will spend a lot of time on biological topics. PLATO Life Science, yes, but also a human body study, a prehistoric life study, and a focused study of evolution and genetics. I love biology, but I do not want to burn her out on biology! Chemistry also fits more neatly into my Hogwarts school plans. We'll probably supplement science in other areas, thanks to Hogwarts, but I can find a chemistry program designed for homeschooling so much more easily. I'm actually seriously considering Spectrum Chemistry, even though I've sworn for years that I wouldn't buy any science materials from an obviously sectarian or creationist company. As far as I can tell, though, from all my reading and investigating, there's nothing in it to which I would object. It seems to be a 32 week course, with only three days of work expected in a week. Since we do core subjects four days a week, that gives us the flexibility to add enrichment (Caveman Chemistry, anyone?) as well as the other Hogwarts sciences (astronomy and herbology/botany).
German… I am considering enrolling the kids in a German Saturday school. I'm also making doe eyes at a friend who knows German to teach the kids. We may do both. Who knows? Not me!
Fine Arts, Skills… EG will continue with trumpet instruction and participation in band. She will audition for the "Advanced Band" and may apply to join Beginning Jazz (admission based on qualifying for Advanced). I think she'd like to continue piano lessons, even though my requirement of two years piano instruction will be met at that time. If she doesn't do any formal drawing instruction this year, it will definitely be on the list for next year. I'm going to outsource it, though, either by getting my mother to do it (with Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain) or by paying for outside instruction.
Fine Arts, Appreciation… Performances will continue to be important. I'd like her to attend two ballet performances, at least one musical performance in addition to the band concerts, and one to three theatre performances. I really would like to take her to an opera if there's an accessible one being performed nearby. She'll continue working through The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music History for, well, music history and world music appreciation, and Art for art history. I hope to renew our membership to the art museum, as well.
Logic… Unless something drastically changes, EG will be using The Snake and The Fox. I anticipate it taking one-half to two-thirds of the year. I also have Nonsense about fallacies, and a list of possibilities saved on amazon, to round out the year. Thanks to onlineg3, she'll have done both Critical Thinking 1 & Critical Thinking 2 this year, which should be a good basis for all of this. I also have some books on mathematical logic by Suppes, though I have no answer key for either. I think that's the point where I outsource, right?
Computers & Technology… I want EG to take some of the free classes and workshops offered at the Apple store. Ideally, I'd like her to take Art of Problem Solving's introduction to Python in seventh grade, so our main goals for sixth grade are to improve typing speed and to get comfortable with basic software usage.
I really want to have everything finalized by March, which means I will have a busy two or three months ahead of me. Why March? We're going to Greenville! (I'm so excited. Susan Wise Bauer, Jessie Wise, Jim Weiss, Michael Clay Thompson, Ed Zaccaro, plus Tim Hawkins. Yay!)
22.11.10
Ack.
I was conflicted over how much work we’d do for school this week. On the one hand, no matter how many days we do, we wouldn’t get a full five days completed, so we’d be uneven (I like my number of days at the end of each week to be divisible by five). On the other hand, I was planning to complete five days between this week & the week of December 20, so the more days we finish now, the fewer we do that week.
While I was dithering over this issue, I also realized that we’re going to finish 105 days by the end of 2010! That’s well over halfway, and we’ll hit the two-thirds mark before the end of January. This in turn inspired a moment of panic about planning for next year.
I started planning this year very early last year. Most of this was because I thought we’d be moving in the late spring or early summer, and I wanted to have things planned and purchased before that time. Well, we didn’t move yet, so in theory I should be concerned about the same scenario. Add to that attending the Southeast Homeschool Convention in March, where in theory I could purchase a good amount of next year’s materials, and I realized that at the very least, I should have some things decided, if not planned.
Eeek.
I don’t. Not really. I can rattle off a list of things that are decided, but they’re decided because they are the next book(s) or item(s) in a series or curriculum that is already working for us. There’s no actual decision to be made. Don’t get me wrong, I’m extraordinarily thankful that I know those, at least, and that the majority of those require no advance planning (the best, shining example? Writing With Ease. “Oh look, it’s the first week and the third day. Here, the paper is labeled for us!”). However, that means that while on paper it may look like I’m a good way towards complete, almost all of the real work is still ahead of me.
Sigh.
I have mid-year course corrections to puzzle out, as well – I’m reworking EG’s history, and plan to add a course or two from Duke’s TIP Independent Learning offerings. We’ve shelved Latin for now, have added some computer skills, and may be adding a modern foreign language as early as January.
Help.
It’s time, then, for this year’s iteration of the by 1 July list. Call it v2.0. Subject to editing as I remember more things.
By 1 July 2011
01. Decide on supplemental titles for Story of the World Volume Two. (FB)
02. Plan out life science/biology with spines, supplemental books, and projects and activities. (FB)
03. Work through the next sections of Art in Story for art appreciation. (FB)
04. Make a better plan for grammar stage art projects. (FB)
05. Make a tentative literature list. (FB)
06. Decide whether or not to enroll the kids in a Saturday language school. (FB & EG)
07. Decide what to do about literature for EG for next year. (EG)
08. Work on Hogwarts-ian plans. (EG)
09. Decide on online classes. (EG)
10. Figure out social sciences/history. (EG)
11. Plan social sciences/history once decided. (EG)
12. Make a final decision on science and plan out if necessary. (EG)
13. Decide on what technology/computer skills to emphasize. (EG)
14. Plan art history for the year. (EG)
15. Plan music history/appreciation for the year. (EG)
16. Make a list of various math resources, since she’ll probably tear through them. (EG)
17. Make a shopping list of everything, to take to Greenville.
While I was dithering over this issue, I also realized that we’re going to finish 105 days by the end of 2010! That’s well over halfway, and we’ll hit the two-thirds mark before the end of January. This in turn inspired a moment of panic about planning for next year.
I started planning this year very early last year. Most of this was because I thought we’d be moving in the late spring or early summer, and I wanted to have things planned and purchased before that time. Well, we didn’t move yet, so in theory I should be concerned about the same scenario. Add to that attending the Southeast Homeschool Convention in March, where in theory I could purchase a good amount of next year’s materials, and I realized that at the very least, I should have some things decided, if not planned.
Eeek.
I don’t. Not really. I can rattle off a list of things that are decided, but they’re decided because they are the next book(s) or item(s) in a series or curriculum that is already working for us. There’s no actual decision to be made. Don’t get me wrong, I’m extraordinarily thankful that I know those, at least, and that the majority of those require no advance planning (the best, shining example? Writing With Ease. “Oh look, it’s the first week and the third day. Here, the paper is labeled for us!”). However, that means that while on paper it may look like I’m a good way towards complete, almost all of the real work is still ahead of me.
Sigh.
I have mid-year course corrections to puzzle out, as well – I’m reworking EG’s history, and plan to add a course or two from Duke’s TIP Independent Learning offerings. We’ve shelved Latin for now, have added some computer skills, and may be adding a modern foreign language as early as January.
Help.
It’s time, then, for this year’s iteration of the by 1 July list. Call it v2.0. Subject to editing as I remember more things.
By 1 July 2011
01. Decide on supplemental titles for Story of the World Volume Two. (FB)
02. Plan out life science/biology with spines, supplemental books, and projects and activities. (FB)
03. Work through the next sections of Art in Story for art appreciation. (FB)
04. Make a better plan for grammar stage art projects. (FB)
05. Make a tentative literature list. (FB)
06. Decide whether or not to enroll the kids in a Saturday language school. (FB & EG)
07. Decide what to do about literature for EG for next year. (EG)
08. Work on Hogwarts-ian plans. (EG)
09. Decide on online classes. (EG)
10. Figure out social sciences/history. (EG)
11. Plan social sciences/history once decided. (EG)
12. Make a final decision on science and plan out if necessary. (EG)
13. Decide on what technology/computer skills to emphasize. (EG)
14. Plan art history for the year. (EG)
15. Plan music history/appreciation for the year. (EG)
16. Make a list of various math resources, since she’ll probably tear through them. (EG)
17. Make a shopping list of everything, to take to Greenville.
31.8.10
I Can't Help It, It's a Disease
With the year happily underway, I know what it means.
It's time to start thinking ahead. Time to start thinking about... 2011-2012.
Yes, I just created the "Homeschool 1112" folder on my computer.
I know, I know. Some haven't even started the 2010-2011 school year! I spread out our buying throughout the year, though, which means that very soon, I'll need to have a plan in order to purchase.
There's some good news. I know what I plan to use for FB for language arts and mathematics. The only real prep work that will need to be done for him is with regards to science and history. I know we'll continue with SOTW, so that is simply a matter of getting the activity guide and beginning to select books. For science, we'll do life science/biology, as suggested in WTM, but I need to select our spines, any experiments or experiment kits, and supplemental books. For EG, I know what I plan to use for language arts, including about half of the literature list. I plan to have her tackle geometry next year, and I have two of the three resources I plan to use. I do need to choose her history supplements. We'll continue with Latin Prep, and the art & music appreciation plans that we began this year. I think we'll use The Snake and the Fox for logic. So far, so good, right?
There's a little matter of a class called biology. O, hai there, bane of my existence. She wants to do high school biology next year. She's capable of this. That's not at issue. It's just... well, advanced math is pretty easy. We just keep doing the next thing, whether it's the next thing from Art of Problem Solving or the next thing from Life of Fred, or both. The sciences have more leeway. There's the molecular focus, or the zoological focus, or the ecological focus, or... well, you get the idea. To make matters worse, I was a biology major. Why does that make it worse? Because, as a result, I think every single part of biology is Of The Utmost Importance.
You would think that the lack of secular science material would mean I have few options. In a sense, this is true. All of the options I have identified were originally designed for classroom use, not homeschool use. It will also be necessary to add a laboratory component to the course, whatever I choose. The LabPaqs look like a possibility. If I seem to be rambling, that's because I essentially am. This has me far more flummoxed than I would like!
There was a thread on out of the box chemistry on WTM the other day, and I have half a mind to post a thread about out of the box biology. Surely there's some resource out there for biology that's vaguely reminiscent of Fred or MCT or...
In sum, though, my major decisions for next year are few. Decide on first grade life science spines, experiments, and supplemental books; choose books to accompany SOTW 2; finish EG's literature list; choose remaining history supplements for EG; and pick a biology curriculum for EG.
Sure. No sweat.
It's time to start thinking ahead. Time to start thinking about... 2011-2012.
Yes, I just created the "Homeschool 1112" folder on my computer.
I know, I know. Some haven't even started the 2010-2011 school year! I spread out our buying throughout the year, though, which means that very soon, I'll need to have a plan in order to purchase.
There's some good news. I know what I plan to use for FB for language arts and mathematics. The only real prep work that will need to be done for him is with regards to science and history. I know we'll continue with SOTW, so that is simply a matter of getting the activity guide and beginning to select books. For science, we'll do life science/biology, as suggested in WTM, but I need to select our spines, any experiments or experiment kits, and supplemental books. For EG, I know what I plan to use for language arts, including about half of the literature list. I plan to have her tackle geometry next year, and I have two of the three resources I plan to use. I do need to choose her history supplements. We'll continue with Latin Prep, and the art & music appreciation plans that we began this year. I think we'll use The Snake and the Fox for logic. So far, so good, right?
There's a little matter of a class called biology. O, hai there, bane of my existence. She wants to do high school biology next year. She's capable of this. That's not at issue. It's just... well, advanced math is pretty easy. We just keep doing the next thing, whether it's the next thing from Art of Problem Solving or the next thing from Life of Fred, or both. The sciences have more leeway. There's the molecular focus, or the zoological focus, or the ecological focus, or... well, you get the idea. To make matters worse, I was a biology major. Why does that make it worse? Because, as a result, I think every single part of biology is Of The Utmost Importance.
You would think that the lack of secular science material would mean I have few options. In a sense, this is true. All of the options I have identified were originally designed for classroom use, not homeschool use. It will also be necessary to add a laboratory component to the course, whatever I choose. The LabPaqs look like a possibility. If I seem to be rambling, that's because I essentially am. This has me far more flummoxed than I would like!
There was a thread on out of the box chemistry on WTM the other day, and I have half a mind to post a thread about out of the box biology. Surely there's some resource out there for biology that's vaguely reminiscent of Fred or MCT or...
In sum, though, my major decisions for next year are few. Decide on first grade life science spines, experiments, and supplemental books; choose books to accompany SOTW 2; finish EG's literature list; choose remaining history supplements for EG; and pick a biology curriculum for EG.
Sure. No sweat.
