After two weeks with Abeka math 4 this year I was ready to pull my hair out.  My ds was frustrated and was taking a hour to do one page.  He's really good at math, so I was at the end of my rope.

After much prayer, counsel, and research we decided to switch to Singapore Math.  We've used it for two weeks and I'm so happy with it.  Most importantly we took the placement test.  I opted to start with 3A even though he did well on that test.  The 3b test showed things I knew he wouldn't get and I wanted to get a feel of the Singapore method without adding frustration again.  I wanted him to have some victory in math. 

I knew it was going to be a hit when I bought it.  I bought the Home Instructors Guide as well, which I recommend.  It suggested some manipulatives.  When it said number discs I thought of Poker chips.  Any math that my ds can use poker chips and dice will be a hit.  I didn't want to buy a whole base 10 set, so I improvised.  I used legos for part of it and a Rubic's cube to represent 1000.  Now I know the Rubic's cube doesn't have 1000 pieces but it sure feels that way when you try to solve it!  Ds loved it and got the point. 

The other day we were doing a science experiment for the planet Mercury.  It involved a bowl of flour and rocks, so i thought outside might be a good place to do it.  It was.  After the experiment ds wanted to put flour all over his body and his clean himself off with the hose.  Why not.  So we did math orally and he got them all correct.  It was great.  It was a hoot watching him slather his legs with flour while trying to figure out 4 digit numbers.  Definately a priceless moment. 

So singapore math is a hit with us.  Now I just wonder if there are any health benefits to being covered in flour.

I'm finally at downloading the pictures of our new classroom.  It is in our seldom used dining room. 

Here's our school desk.  Plenty of room to spread out.  Yes, a chandelier over a school desk should be standard.

This is my desk.  It's amazing how much space you don't need when you get rid of the desktop computer.

This is from our orientation.  I set most of our books out for my hubby to look at.

That is our theme for school this year.  We've done one since we started homeschooling.  Last year was "Bloom where you are planted".  That worked out great.  What I hadn't known when we picked that was that we would be moving 800 miles. We dug up our roots and are still in the midst of replanting them.  Of course, God knew that when he placed that thought in my head.

I thought I'd share some of what we will be using for school this upcoming year.  The most exciting part is the history lesson plans I just finished writing.  We are doing US history from ancient Indians to modern era all in one year, crazy I know.  I couldn't find anything I really wanted to use that was in my budget, so I was inspired to write my own.  Wow, now I see why people pay big money for instructors guide's. So 15 books  and 100+ notebooking pages later our theme for history is "Explorers, Inventors, Pioneers, & Patriots".  Okay almost half of the notebooking pages are of Presidents, so it's not so bad. 

Another big step I took was taking workbooks apart and putting them in binders.  Talk about getting out of the box, why didn't I do this before.  My son hates trying to write on the edge of a workbooks.  I think last time I thought about doing it we had no budget for binders so I rationalized not doing it.  When someone on a forum brought that up it got me thinking. There's always time to revisit old mindsets and this year our workbooks are free!! Free to lay flat, free to be written on properly. wow, the teacher learns a lesson and school hasn't even started yet.

We are changing providers in every subject except math.  I am hoping that my structured, wiggly, don't leave me while I'm working, son will love each subject.  One can dream, right? Anyway what we chose were:

Easy Grammar 4, Natural Speller

How to write a story, Just write 3, 10 Fabulous forms of poetry (used one at a time, poetry will take 2 yrs)

Abeka math 4

Apologia's Astronomy

US Geography

PE - written from a college textbook on how to teach pe to elementary kids

Music Theory (Alfred's essentials of music theory, book 1)

Drawing basics w/Thomas Kinkade

Spanish

Bible  ( Student discovery bible & Teaching kids authentic worship)

Abeka Health 4

many readers and read alouds

Our journey starts in the middle of August.  Like any trip that I am excited for, I want my bags packed way in advance.  So I'm in the final stages of that now. School supplies in hand, pencils sharpened, and a special place for extra patience and smiles.  I have to keep reminding myself the adventure is in the journey.