Everyone loves free curriculum don't they! Read on to find out more about some great giveaways.

 Tristan over at Our Busy Homeschool currently has 7 giveaways. You can visit her blog to find out more and enter by clicking here.

Maureen over at Spell Out Loud also has a giveaway for Sequential Spelling.

Coffee and Conversation is having a also giving away a copy of Spell Quizzer software.

Well we start our homeschooling schedule this coming Monday August 4th. We will school for 7 weeks and then take 2 weeks off. For our first week back, I wanted to do something really fun and out of the ordinary. So I thought we would do an Ice Cream Unit. There is a great FREE Literature Based Unit and Lapbook at Homeschool Share. We will be learning about the history of ice cream. The process, pastuerization, dairy cows, and also making some of our own concoctions.

Then for the next 6 weeks we will be using Apologia's Zoology 1 -Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day as our spine. Now It really isn't a spine book, but we will use this as our base and do unit studies from FIAR and HSS around what we are studying.

I don't have the order all figured out yet, but here are some of the units we plan to do alongside our Aplogia study.

Here are some of the resources I will be using:

Apologia Zoology Yahoo group.-They have other members that are currently using this curriculum along with notebook pages and schedules.

I also plan to use the mini books for Apologia Zoology 1. They can be obtained on Notebooking to Learn yahoo group.

There is also a notebook cover page on The Notebooking Nook yahoo group.

Truman's Aunt Farm -FIAR also using parts of the free ant lapbook.

The Bee Tree-FIAR

When Mosquitos Buzz in Peoples Ears

Honey Bee Lapbook

Eric Carle Insect Study

A Pocketful of Cricket

Butterfly Unit and lapbook

Dragonfly Study and Lapbook

Praying Mantis Animal Unit Study and Lapbook

And I will also be using theInsect Connections page at HSS. They connect studies for you.

I belive these units will keep us busy all semester. So whatever we do not get to in the first 7 weeks, we will do in the last half of the first semester. I hope to finish up flying insects before Thanksgiving.

Well I got exciting news! I was one of the Back To School Contest winners. I teamed up with Maureen at Spell Out Loud. We did a unit study on Christmas Around the World.  (Look under Multi Age units).

Maureen made up the lapbook components while I researched several countries. We also had other people contribute research and I compiled the information and added where necessary. You can see more about the unit here on her blog.

We took first place in the Tag Team category.

This is a great unit to learn more about the customs of different cultures and countries around the world. We included songs, traditions, oranaments they make, recipes etc. I plan to use the unit this December to launch our Galloping the Globe study in the Winter/Spring semester.

I won a Time Traveler of my choice, a Learning Grammar through literature pack and A Jim Weiss CD.

Each year I take a sampling of the kids work and put it in a folder. (Believe me I have a whole lot more than this.) WIth all the lapbooks we do and our memory albums and each child has an art portfolio too.

But this serves as a sampler of all their work. This way we can see the progression year to year.

I just use an inexpensive folder. I laminated a picture of her with the grade underneath and glued it to the front of the folder. It came out really nice. (And didn't cost much.)

I decided to take advantage of Big Lot's 20% sale the other night. I bought 2 bookshelves. I know you are probably wondering why I am putting them together... Well I wanted them done today! (And wasn't willing to wait for dh to get to them.)

Here they are up with stuff organized on them.

Of course this made me realize the wall was now unbalanced because of the short bookcase on the opposite side of the school cabinet. So I went back and bought a third shelf!

Inside the supply cabinet is pretty neat now.

The other book shelves, white board and animal classification board. More storage in the dresser. (I know it isn't real attractive, but it stores a ton of stuff, so it is being used for now.) On the closet door I added a clear shoe organizer for supplies. I bought this pretty little storage container at big lots too. It was the perfect size for our Science Experiments in a Bag and you can just raise the lid to pull one out.  

I numbered the work drawers.

This is ds's workdrawers and his curriculum is on the shelves around his set.

(So I can easily pull stuff for him each day. Here is dd's drawers and her curriculum is on this shelf. The storage containers on the right hold various things. One has our music curriculum (Pianimals) another I keep curriculum magazines in and another is for curriculum we are not quite ready for yet. I got these from ABC Distributing a few years back for around $7.95 for the whole set! I wish I could find them again!

I also got these canvas storage bins at Big Lots. I just made tags to label the contents. The white hanging shelf also came from Big Lots, and I went back today to get more and they were gone! Sigh

Here is a robin's nest the kids found while tree climbing yesterday. Great time for a nature study.

And I just got 2 great books on Nature. I bought them at BPS. Now I usually won't spend this kind of money on books, but I love these.

And this one too: More Fun with Nature

The red book here features a mini book inside called

Birds, Nests and Eggs

Both of these books are comprised of many little books.

After each segment there is a craft activity or experiment, and scrapbook pages

so you can add your own pictures.

This next year I hope to do one nature study every 6 weeks.

Then in the Spring we may do a couple months just on nature studies.

Well our official school week ended last week.
Peyton finished up MUS Gamma, and SOS Language Arts.

Lexi will still work on phonics and reading over the summer.

Peyton will be reading and doing a little math here and there for review.

They are both participating in the Library's Summer Reading program.

They both need to read 12 books.

We plan to hike, canoe, swim, and do alot of playdates.

Mom has her own huge list of projects to do over the summer as well.

Yesterday we finished up our last "Official" day of homeschooling for the 2008-2009 year.

We ended our study with Boss of the Plains. (Another freebie and HSS.)

This is a great unit, everything is written out for you, and there are lapbook components that go along with the unit. We learned about Colorado, the gold rush, California, the Stetson hat and the many uses it had and how it became famouse.

Peyton still has a couple lessons to finish up in Gamma and another week of SOS.

Over the summer DD will still do some ETC  and phonics. We will continue with reading, we will play alot of math games, continue our scripture memory/knowledge for the BIble Bee.

We also plan to do alot of swimming, playing outdoors and hit some local attractions.

I will be working on the HSS Blast Unit (Christmas Around the World over the next few weeks.)

We also have many home improvement projects planned over the summer.

I expect to start back around the 1st of August.

(So we will be taking about 8 weeks off during the summer.)

I just learned about the Bible Bee. I enrolled the kids just in time.

Today is the last day to do it.

I am excited about the opportunity it will give us to grow in the word and scripture memorization

over the next few months. The contest is held in Septemeber.

We had our end of year field day and picnic. 

The Three Legged Race

Our Unsocialized Teens 

The Egg Race 

They found a cute furry caterpiller.

This week we are studying the Underground Railroad. Today we read Henry's Freedom Box.

It was about a slave boy, who was taken from his family. He grows up, marries and has his own children. Then his wife and children are sold and are taken away. He mails himself in a box to Pennslyvania so he can gain his freedom.

Tomorrow we will read :

And we will finish our week with Minty.

We have a very busy week and will be out of the house 3 of our school days, so we will just do a

few associated lapbook components from Homeschool Share.

Today was homeschool day at Dollywood.

We went with many homeschool families from our Co-Op.

We had a great time!

 Homeschool Share is once again having their blast contest!  If you love to use, research or write unit study or lapbooks this is a great time to get an extra reward for all your efforts.

This year they have added categories for WorkBox activities, preschool activities and completing units that are in the skeleton closet. They also have tag team events.

Click on the link below to find out how you can get involved!

Ok now I know everyone can use some free curriculum. Debbie in Ak is giving away some items to make room for new stuff.

You can find out more about it here. http://unafamiliaalaskena.blogspot.com/2009/04/spring-cleaning-giveaway.html

This week we are doing a Pizza unit. This was a special request by my son, so I squeezed it in.

I decided to use Currclick's Papa Paulo's Pizzeria.  It has alot of great ideas. Here is our line up.

Monday we read: Pete's A Pizza byWilliam Steig, Pizza Pat by Rita Golden Gelman (This is really cute and goes along the lines of the house that jack built.) The Pizza that We Made by Joan Hulub-this talks about three children and how they go about making a pizza. The Princess and the Pizza by Mary Jane and Herm Auch.

DD went over Pizza pattern pieces. I made patterns and she completed the sequences.

For math we are going over pizza fractions and will play pizza fraction bingo. This game is included in the unit from Currclick.

Tuesday we read: Maya's World Angelina of Italy by Maya Angelou, Pizza for Breakfast by Maryann Kovalski.

We made a History of Pizza Circle book. We went over Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Pizza's, finding the line of symmetry. Here is dd showing a picture of her symmetrical pizza. We also completed the Picky Pizza Matrix (both activities are included in the unit.) We went over fractions again.

Wednesday we read: Pizza Soup by Fay Robinson. We are copying this recipe,  and we hope to make this soon. We also read Dragon Pizzaeria by Mary Morgan.

For math we ordered pretend pizza's from Papa Paulo's Menu and figuring up how much the pizza will cost with added toppings etc. and then making change.

We decorated our own pizza box (this will be our lapbook) and put our unit pieces inside to store.

Thursday is Co-Op and Friday is our Little Hands Art Group. So that makes this a short week for at home studies. 

Last week we went with some friends out for a day of bouncing fun. Afterwards we went to eat at Chick Fil A. We went by Papa Murphy's to pick up a Pizza and a cinnamon wheel for supper. Then we stopped at Sam's to get me a Laminator. It was a great day! But hanging out with our friends made it much more

fun!  

One thing the FIAR curriculum does is story disk placement.

I loved this idea, and we have been doing it now for 4 years.

We began when ds was in K.

Most of the units we have done have a story disk represented on one of these maps.

Many I have moved to the top of the map, b/c we could not see the map anymore.

It also acts as a great visual reminder. I can tell the kids

"Remember the story about the Run Away Tortilla?"

They will say "Yes, when we read about Texas."

My friend Candace, was one of the lucky ones that TOS picked to review homeschool curriculum this year. She is having a giveaway on her blog. So if you see something you want leave her a comment on her blog and she will enter you in the drawing.  (Hey but don't enter the pot for the Spears Art, cuz I want it for my Little Hands group to try.)  Just kidn' you can enter it if you really want to.

I am trying this new system for organizing our upcoming unit studies.

It is really great compared to my old system.

(Uh which did not actually exist.)

This is really great.  I had an old multiple file folder not being used.
So I decided it would be great for this purpose.

I put the unit name on each folder and then place the information I collect in the file.

The card on the outside of the box, lists the units in order.

These are the units I am working to prepare. They are contained within this folder/expansion thingy.

You can see several listed here.

Paul Revere, then further back Buffalo Bill, etc.

I am using one of the monthly planning pages I got free at the Magic Tree House Site.

(You don't have to do MTH studies to use it.) I liked it so well I copied it several times

to make one for each unit. I cut off the month and extra book info and just made it generic.

Since I want to use it for many months, etc.

On the form I include books I will use as resources, any websites

I want to visit or get printables from, etc. Books to use for teaching lessons.

This particular book we are using FIAR Volume 3 for the lesson plans.

As the unit date gets closer I begin to add any printables etc. to the actual file folder.

Here are some other things I put in the folder with the planning page.

Here are some printables I have had for a few years. These are making hat crafts.

A Paul Revere report form, from HSS.

A Timeline, from HSS.

A fog cycle page for the science lesson. 

A go along page for the art lesson.

Since I have just overhauled how we are doing school, this will work very well.

My plans are to work a few weeks on and a week off. Taking about 4-6 weeks off in the summer.

By state law we are required to school 180 days, 4 hours a day.

So that comes up to 36 weeks of schooling during the year.

That leaves 16 weeks free. 

So this will enable me to plan gather plans for enough units for the upcoming term.

Our current term ends this week. We will take a week off next week.

Our next term will be March 30-May 15th. ( 7 weeks long)

So I only have to actually get together materials, etc. for 7 weeks worth of studies.

In my large file drawer, I have many other folders. I have them arranged  by subject matter.

Science, Language Arts, Math, Bible, History, Crafts, etc.

So I can easily pull related things to add to this file when I am doing my planning.

This purple folder is just for upcoming recent studies-within say the next 1-12 weeks.

So the units that are further off, I can wait until the term break to really start worrying

about getting info together. 

I believe breaking it down like this will not only give  the kids a break,

but help me plan for the next term of school during our week off, and still manage to get many projects done around the house, that I schedule for those off weeks.