Our 2011-2012 Curriculum Choices

When I was just considering homeschooling, I would go to the "Not" Back to School Blog Hop and read other people's posts on this topic.  This year I actually get to join!

I was am super obsessed with curriculum.  There are so many options and so many of them are great.  I did get advice to not pick/choose too much my 1st year because I might get overwhelmed.  I really tried not to do that but I kind of ended up that way.  It wasn't intentional--I should have stopped looking after I purchased!!  Here's my wordy list of our choices: 

Samuel, 4 years old, preschool:

-I had a book by Heart of Dakota called Little Hands to Heaven from when the twins were 3 or so.  I decided to go with it because it was free and it seemed like a good, basic yet gentle program.  It pretty much includes everything!

-I am adding work from blogs I love just to have something ready for those times I'm working with Hunter and/or Lily and Samuel isn't sure what to do with himself.  Those will come from my fave blogs (1+1+1=1, Homeschool Creations and Confessions of a Homeschooler).  I just printed off a Star Wars preschool pack that I think Samuel will love!!  I also have many, many old workbooks from the twins that have a lot of pages left.

-I will add puzzles, coloring, etc. from my fun cabinet, as well.  I bought a few new learning toys/games for this purpose.

Hunter and Lily, 7 years old:

-After much deliberation and back and forth thinking and stress and talking and etc., I went with Heart of Dakota for these 2, as well.  I still waffle with this decision, honestly. They will be doing Beyond Little Hearts to Heaven.  I liked this curriculum because I could keep the twins together for a big chunk, even though they are so different in learning styles.  It's, again, a very gentle approach and I felt that was important this year since school was kind of a drag last year.  The placement is based on ability and ages instead of a grade level

so that appealed to me.  However, I did buy some other things so we're using this curriculum for history, science, geography, art, Bible, poetry, and reading.  The book selection was a big bonus for me because I could get different levels for my kids, I loved the options and everything was there--their reading and the books I'll be reading aloud.  I'm looking forward to that part!

- Math: We ended up with BJU Math, grade 2.  That was totally from left field if anyone knew what I had been thinking but I'm excited about it.  I needed a program that was mastery instead of spiral because the spiral thing was too overwhelming.  This program seemed to start at a level that seemed, honestly, behind what they had been using at school, but that was perfect for us.  It's very teacher-intensive but right now, that's going to be needed, anyway!! 

-Handwriting will be A Reason for Handwriting Level B, which means we will not start cursive this year.  If they stayed at their school, they would be learning cursive this year and they had talked about that so I was tempted.  However, as Hunter's eyes improve in therapy, his handwriting improves and I think an extra year on manuscript won't hurt.  I haven't forgotten Lily--she said she likes handwriting sheets so I figured she would be fine with it!  This handwriting program is great because it's such a small section each day--I showed Hunter right away.  True story: he used to hide his handwriting sheets in his desk at school last year.  Not his favorite thing.

-Spelling is split up.  I knew right away that I wanted to use All About Spelling because I had read such great things about it and spelling was a pretty difficult subject last year.  It's a program that utilizes a type of teaching called "Orton-Gillingham".  This approach was recommended to me by Hunter's vision therapist and is supposed to help kids that struggle to learn due to dyslexia (which Hunter does not have but those methods still help his own issues).  It's a multi-sensory approach and I knew that would be a big hit.  I started with Level 1 but I did worry that Lily would fly through this because she is just a natural speller.  

I then went to a homeschool convention and my friend and her husband told my husband and I all about this spelling program they had seen.  I resisted looking at it because I already bought something.  However, the next day I decided to check it out and I loved it.  It looks like it will be somewhat independent, which Lily is capable of, and it does have a lot of fun things in the pages.  So, Lily is using A Reason for Spelling.  I still worry it will be too easy but I got the 2nd grade level so we'll see what happens.  They do add challenge words so she'll be doing those for sure!!  

If Hunter loves her spelling, I have an extra workbook.  If Lily loves his spelling, I have extra student materials.  I am set!  Hopefully, we like one or both!!

All 3 kids will be joining in on calendar time and I added some fun  flash cards to review for character training, as well.

We are ready to start (and have started doing some phonics review from the A Reason for Spelling books) but we are waiting until Hunter's vision therapy appointments are done mid-August.  We're so excited!!