Serenity Academy | |
What I'm UsingSo I guess sooner or later you'll figure out that I'm a fan of both Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. When I read The Well-Trained Mind last year, it pretty much changed all my ideas of homeschooling. I can't imagine doing anything but the Classical Method. It just works for us. So it will be no surprise to you when most of my texts and spines come from recommendations from The Well-Trained Mind.Xander who's 4 soon to be 5 is at a first grade level. (Little over achiever... he's going to be smarter then his dad and I, I just know it) First Grade Texts Math- A Beka. This was the one text that he wanted me to use. He used it when he was homeschooled and loved it. History- The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer. Xander absolutely loves this book. I've never seen a kid so excited about history. The other day he said to me... "Mom, I want a library like Ashurbanipal someday, only with books not clay tablets." Language Arts- First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind-I wasn't too thrilled about this books at first. I loved the short lessons and how they taught the parts of grammar and what not. But I was worried that they wouldn't cover the writing aspect of it. Especially as they went up in grades (there is a Level 3 and soon to be published Level 4). Well I needn't worry, come May Susan Wise Bauer has written a series on writing called The Complete Writer. I'm so excited. Science- Right now we're using Kingfisher's First Animal Encyclopedia and shortly we'll move to Kingfisher's First Human Body Encyclopedia. They're great as a starting point. It's full of information and it's easy enough for Xander to read by himself. Reading- We don't have an actual text for this. He did use The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading though after to other phonics programs didn't deliver. Now he just reads and narrates a lot. He flew through this with ease and he was reading quickly. Spelling-Spelling Workout, which Xander actually flies through. I like that they go over phonics rules Bible- Beginnings II: God's Promises, Old Testament Lessons for Young Readers It's from the Explorer's Bible Study curriculum. It's an easy read for first graders and they give you questions to check comprehension. I use it along with the Bible. Spanish- We use Power Glide. While I'm not completely impressed with the program it does keep my kids interested. They think the story lines are funny and a little goofy. And heck they do remember certain words. So it's not a complete waste. Although if I wanted my kids to seriously study Spanish at this level. I'm not sure this would be the way to go. Lucas who's 3 and doing preschool work is a normal child. He loves to have fun and he loves to learn. He even tries to learn what Xander is learning. Especially when we read science books. He loves to sit down and just take in the pictures. For Preschool- I simply use an on-line resource called Letter of the Week. It's simple straight forward and he absolutely loves it. I'll post some pictures of his 'learning posters' up sometime soon. Leave a Comment { Last Page } { Page 43 of 45 } { Next Page } |
About Me My Profile Archives Friends LinksCategoriesBooks I'm ReadingGeneral Homeschooling News Lapbooks Musings Text Books Recent EntriesWeakly ReportBack to Blogging We're Chugging Away Excited About Some New Finds Field Trip! Friends |