Category: 1

Course of Study 07/24/2010

The Year to Come

Throughout my homeschool journey, I have always searched for that thing... that one curriculum or method that would ignite my children's interest. In the beginning, especially, after two years of public school, I had no doubt about my decision to homeschool, but I was completely clueless as to how I would go about educating my children. I would accost my homeschooling friends whenever we gathered, peppering them with questions about what they were using and how it was working for them. They would answer in Homeschoolese, using terms like " Unit Study" and "Classical Education." Which only served to confuse me more. Not being one who fears ridicule (or having gained an immunity to it!) I kept up the pursuit, asking "What do you like about that method/curriculum?" or "How do you go about doing that?" or "Where do you get those resources?"

I don't remember getting any remarkable answers. It's not that they were resistant to my query, it's just that many were so familiar with their own educational path that their methods were second nature, and explaining them was either 1) a very involved process or 2) something they were unable to articulate. Consequently, I presented my children with a course of study that was similar to that of a public school, making our home education look more like "school at home." Over the years, I have slowly seen the light dawning on other modes of education. After 14 years of homeschooling, and four children with different personalities and needs - I am still learning - and still "tweaking" my approach.

Perhaps you are completely content in your educational endeavors, but you are curious just the same. Perhaps you are searching, like I was, to discover tools that will create interest or - dare I say - excitement about learning. Provided here is a unique window into what others are doing in their homeschool endeavors. I have included a few of my favorite curriculum choices, with links to read more about them. Also included are links to blog posts by some other homeschooling moms, outlining their plans for the coming school year.

Tried and True Favorites
★ Click the links for complete descriptions and product reviews. ★

Grammar

Daily Grams & Easy Grammar
Incremental development is coupled with extensive review and refreshment, and the prepositional approach is utilized for increased retention and ease in identifying parts of speech. Daily Grams are a quick and easy 10 minutes of grammar essentials that my kids do daily. Easy Grammar provides more in-depth exercises for each grammatical concept.

Math

Saxon Math
Their incremental approach to education has been proven to be one of the most effective teaching methods; learning pieces of information in small amounts, and then continually repeating concepts keeps information fresh and active in one's mind, preventing once-learned information from slipping away. I have used Saxon Math for 14 years, and my children are proficient in math.

Teaching Textbooks
I am switching to TT this year. Designed specifically for homeschoolers, this program features CD-ROM teaching, that allows students to work through problems with a tutor in the comfort of their own homes. It is a more "visual" program, and my girls enjoyed the sample lessons.

History

Veritas Press OT & Ancient Egypt
My first exposure to "Classical Education." I enjoyed how easy this was to use, despite the copious list of books you could get to accompany this program. With a few titles from the book list, the workbooks and easy projects laid out in the teachers' manual, this curriculum made history fun for us. We have also enjoyed Veritas Press NT Greece & Rome.

Story of the World
I am looking forward to using this one. Also under the category of "Classical Curriculum," Story of the World is simpler. Written in a straight-forward, read-aloud format, it is appropriate for use with multiple ages. The accompanying Activity Book provides a corresponding literature suggestions and engaging projects.

Phonics

Explode the Code
Simple, simple, simple. These workbooks for phonics preparation were fun for my pre-readers. Get Ready for The Code, Get Set for The Code, and Go for The Code introduce consonant letters in this three-book series of primers for the Explode The Code series. By the time children finish the series they will be ready for Explode The Code Book 1, which teaches basic phonics for early readers, and later more complex phonetic concepts necessary for intermediate reading. They are a great supplement to any reading and spelling program.

Veritas Press Phonics Museum
We had a lot of fun with this one. A little pricey, but well worth the price. In this complete phonics program, your child is transported into an adventure, following a young boy and his family on a scavenger hunt through the museum, learning about art and history while discovering letter sounds. This program incorporates a multitude of learning styles.

Science

Apologia Science
Apologia was created specifically for the home educators, so it lends itself easily research and experiments in a homeschool setting. This year we will be using Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology, along with the Notebooking Journal that accompanies it. I think the activities and experiment project pages will be lots of fun.

Bob Jones Science
For several years, I used Bob Jones curriculum for science. We used it conjunction with BJ HomeSat, which gives you access to Bob Jones classes via a satellite dish. It was great for my son when he was ready for high school chemistry and physics.

Writing

Institue for Excellence in Writing
Student Writing Intensive
This program is more expensive than most, but it includes fifteen lessons on four DVD's. It completely removed the stress from writing for my son, and demystified it for my daughters.

What Others Have Planned for the Coming Year

WriteShop
A good incremental program, and very cost-effective too. Here is a Sample Lesson you can look over.

These are products I have used over the last 14 years. I have no other reason for posting them, except that they have worked well for our family.

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Homeschool Creations
Jolanthe gives her line-up of curriculum choices for her crew. Well, for her three oldest anyway - including her reviews of the curriculum she has chosen.

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Confessions of a Homeschooler
Mom of four, and avid digiscrapper provides us with a list of curriculum choices for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year:

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Noggins and Nonsense
This homeschool mom of three, Dana, outlines her curriculum choices for her children, ranging in age from 9 - 17 years, each with special needs.

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To Be Busy at Home
Homeschooling mom, Samantha, gives us a peak at what she has planned for her children who are in 8th, 6th, and 4th grades this year.

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Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers
Kris has given a run-down of her curriculum choices for the year, explaining why she likes the things she has chosen.