I Was Thinking...

Which means we are all in trouble now. It's that time of year when I start planning curriculum for next year. I have my wish list and my list of things we must have. I also have a tub full of curriculum I'm going to post on a couple of sites and see what I can get rid of. Everything else goes to the thrift store. I finally have a plan. I'm not sure it's going to work, but I have a plan. Want to hear it? Of course you do or you wouldn't be here.  ;)

Bible: I have so much stuff I have downloaded. We are working our way through a great curriculum that I downloaded for free I don't remember where from. I also have three age levels of Quest curriculum I bought a couple of years ago that turned out to not be quite what I was looking for then. I can always pull that out because I think the kids would do it now. I also have lapbooks galore and access to more for free. We are set.

Math: The big girl will be using Prentice Hall Geometry. I have looked and looked, but this is one that has everything I need without costing an arm and a leg. I just wish it had a solutions manual. It has answers but sometimes how they got there is a nice thing to know. I'm actually pretty excited about geometry. The big girl, not so much. The boy is going to use Landmark Freedom Baptist math. It's the same one I used for the big girl when she was in 7th grade. It is not fancy at all, and that's ok. The baby is going to do one more year of LIFEPACS. I think that's the right thing for her for now. I am looking into something else for her for 5th grade. These fit her and our schedule best. It gives her a feeling of confidence when she finishes one of the workbooks.

Science: The big girl will be using A Beka Biology. Yea for biology!! I am thinking of ordering 3 disecction kits. I want her to do an earthworm, a frog, and maybe a fetal pig. That was my favorite thing about 2nd year biology. The boy and the baby are going to have science together again this year. We are going to study weather and the seasons and a bunch of other stuff I have. We may even finally start the history of hot dog lap book I have. There has got to be some kind of science in a hot dog. Maybe not good science, but still science.

History: Ah, glorious history. The big girl will be using Bob Jones American History for Christian Schools. We'll supplement with a little America: The Story of Us and some books from the different time periods. I adore American history. The boy and the baby (and me) are going to study the states. We have studies for Texas, Florida, and New York. I also have some state unit studies and notebook pages that are sort of fill in the blank. It gives you an outline and you research the state and fill in the blanks. I'm also thinking about eating our way around the country. Find a signature dish from each state and have that for dinner. We'll see how we do.

Language Arts: Here's where it gets complicated. Lots to do, lots to do. The big girl will be using the world literature part of A Beka language arts. I'm thinking about having her do a couple of literature studies as well, but I haven't decided about that. With the extra history reading and everything else, I'm not sure when she would get to it. She will also be working on her vocabulary with Wordly Wise 3000. She has used that previously, but that was 5th or 6th grade. I think the series is fantastic. The boy will be using a couple of Progeny Press study guides. One of them is The Magician's Nephew and the other is either Island of the Blue Dolphins or The Secret Garden. He is also going to finish his grammar from this year. There is no way we'll be done by the end of this school year since we started so late. Then I have a grammar workbook for him to keep his skills in his brain. The baby will be using the reading portion of A Beka 4th grade language arts. She will also be using Worldy Wise. She will start the same grammar her brother will be finishing. That won't be confusing at all!
 
Foreign Language: We are going to start Latin. I'm getting ready to order it and need to fit it into our day. The kids are more than ready and so am I. I was going to have them do 2 different levels. The baby learning one and the boy and the big girl another. I've waited long enough that now I only have to buy 1 level and 2 extra workbooks. It is supposed to incorporate grammar so we'll see how much of their other grammar they'll really have to do.

I am getting 2 different lesson plan books. I think it would be easier to separate the big girl's stuff from the boy's and the baby's. Dance and piano and field trips and co-op will fit in there somewhere. That's our plan for next year. I'm not sure how much of it will actually get done, but at least we have options. Putting it in writing helps me see it. Getting it done is something else.

Have a great day.