Can you believe it is April already?!  That means homeschool conference season is just around the corner! 

I thought I'd share a bit about where we are headed curriculum-wise as we turn the corner into the next school year.  There are a lot of links within this post, so feel free to take a gander at them.  You can also take a look at what we are currently doing by going to the sidebar under the heading Heritage Arrows Homeschool and clicking on the links there.

Next year, (which will start sometime between June and September since we homeschool year round.) I'll have a Kindergartner, 3rd grader, and a 6th grader. 

To prep my new schooler, I'll be doing the Rod & Staff ABC Series.  I did it with my firstborn and was quite pleased with it.  Not intensive by any means, but definitely fun learning.  I'll also be doing 100 Easy Lessons.  This will be the first time I've used it w/ a non-reader.  I know that sounds crazy, but I used it w/ my oldest two children after they could read to reinforce phonics.  We only lasted about 30 lessons before I realized they really didn't need it.  Isn't that about like a homeschool mom...force something down my child's throat that he or she already knows simply because it's part of the almighty scope and sequence!  ACK!  Eventually, I will ease into Horizons Kindergarten math.  I am a big fan of Horizons for the early grades.  I'll also do Leading Little Ones to God with her, her younger brother, and her older sister.  And then she'll join us for tidbits of history and science and art..more on that in a moment.

My 3rd grader just began Rod & Staff Grammar and is loving it!  It is very independent and that is right up her alley.  She is finishing up her Horizons 2nd grade math and will move from there to Saxon 54 (yes, it is an easy transition).  She'll be finished with A Reason for Handwriting C soon and that will end handwriting for her.  She'll have enough every day stuff to keep her handwriting in fine form.

My oldest child is finishing up Saxon 76.  I think we'll be going to Saxon 1/2 unless he breezes through the pre-test for Teaching Textbooks Algebra.  Eventually, that is where I would like for him to end up, but I think he needs the pre-algebra first.  He is also going to finish Shurley English 4 sometime this summer and move to Shurley English 6.  According to Veritas Press, this is an acceptable jump.  (We use a lot of the guidelines set forth in Veritas Press, especially for our oldest.  It has proved to be a great resource!)  Our oldest will continue with Phonetic Zoo from IEW.  This program has taken our poor speller of a son and turned him into a very good speller and all with very little help from me.  It is totally audio and he corrects his own papers.  I am quite impressed.  Well worth the high price tag in my opinion.  He also doing a lot of logic puzzles and lateral thinking puzzles.  If you've never tried any of these, I'd highly recommend them!  We do them for fun as a family.  Beware, though...they can be terrible frustrating and terribly addictive!

Now, for Science...  We've tried a lot of things and just haven't been real satisfied with any of them.  However, I borrowed an Apologia Elementary Science book from another homeschooling mom and the kids and I were quite pleased with it.  Everything tied back to the Bible and our Creator.  The chapters were fun and captivating.  I'm excited to delve into our own copy!

We will be continuing Discoveries in Art.  It was a pricey program suggested by Veritas Press, but the children have enjoyed it and really learned a lot.  It came with all its own art supplies which was nice for a busy homeschool mom.  It has not been hard at all to make those supplies last for 2 children, so I am pleased about that!  

For History, we are finishing up The History of US by Joy Hakim and will start over in time with Tapestry of Grace some time this summer.  Eventually, I'd like to own all 4 volumes of TOG, but currently, I only own the first 2 years.  My son misses TOG, so we'll haul it back out this year and hopefully, mama will stay on top of the game with it! ;)

I'm also hoping to add a worldview curriculum for my oldest child.  I feel he needs to be challenged.  We are currently reading Hurlbut's Story of the Bible  (you can actually read this online for free!  It is an awesome chronological version that keeps even little ones engaged!) and he reads the corresponding section in Victor's Journey Through the Bible.  This has given him a great basis of knowledge, but he is a thinking and needs more.  We are looking into what Summit Ministries has to offer.  This kid is going to be one serious warrior for Christ!  We just need to work on equipping him!

So, there you have it...a whirlwind tour of what's in store for us for next year!  Feel free to do your own tour on your blog and link from here in the comments section!