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This next school year I'm breaking out of the box, boxed curriculum that is! This is my third year to homeschool my soon-to-be second grade student. My, time flies!
I have considered everything from A (Beka) to Z (Zaner-Bloser) in my quest for the perfect curricula! Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning in uncharted waters! But I'm just like a kid in a candy store - the candy store being all the catalogs and websites from which I can't tear myself away! I've looked at Timberdoodle and Rainbow Resource and Sonlight. I've been to the Well Trained Mind boards, the Classical Christian Homeschooling website, and a million other sites!
So far I've only bought MathUSee for MATH. It looked fun, came highly recommended, and I loved the demo tape! But that's as far as I have gotten.
Extras for MATH I'd like to purchase are the Bible Heroes skip count kid CDs; and I would love to get the A Beka flashcards, too. I like that they are large and there's only one fact per card - makes studying families in groups SO easy (no flipping card around to get another fact!) I'll also use Prof B's site for a reference and maybe throw in some A Beka and Saxon type stuff. Right now I am trying to find a BIBLE curriculum. Loved the one I did last year (Positive Action for Christ) but I want something a little more intense this year. The Bible Study Guide For All Ages really impressed me!
I may have dd do Keys for Kids devotions (love that because it's free! And it was super easy to use) by herself and then narrate it back to me. Plus, we'll do AWANAS at church. I really believe in Bible memory!
I plan to review the ABC verses and Lords Prayer (we made a Lords Prayer Sandwich - there's also a Lord's Prayer song!) and Psalms 100 and Psalms 23 to my dd (who learned all these verses in Kindergarten.)
For HISTORY I want the Greenleaf Press Old Testament History - 3 book Study Package (Contains The Greenleaf Guide to Old Testament History, How The Bible Came to Us, The Student Bible Atlas) Their stuff looks so good! Also, I'm getting Story of the World I and Activity Book this week (keeping fingers crossed) from another homeschooler.
I also want to do some AMERICAN HISTORY- just reading and doing things on my own and Which Way USA from Highlights. My dd read at a 3rd grade level going into first grade so she reads fine but I'm thinking I would like to do a phonics/spelling program of some sort for the spelling. I like the TATRAS Vertical Phonics because it looks easier and more fun than the other Spalding type methods. Also, it seems more logical to me than the traditional phonics methods for the spelling aspect anyway.
In addition, I want to do a timeline of some sort. I think I'll make my own in the vein of Konos but with more detailed figures copied from the net or cut out of books, etc.
I'd love to do Mapping the World by Heart, too! Maybe I'll just apply the concept this year though.
I could do LANGUAGE ARTS with their English for the Thoughtful Child vol 1. (I was considering First Language Lessons for the WTM until I read that it had lots of typo's, had edited poems, and was boring). This has been the hardest subject to choose - I guess because LANGUAGE ARTS is writing, grammar, phonics, and reading!) I may just pick a couple of LA books - English for the Thoughtful Child and Primary Language Lessons. Also, I want Copywork for Little Girls from Queen Homeschool. Or some LANGUAGE ARTS program that teaches using literature and/or picture books? (I've ruled out Learning Language Arts Through Literature - too many people said it was boring) *Side Note: I love A Beka's English Grammar and I plan to use that in the upper grades.
My dd read at a 3rd grade level going into first grade so she reads fine but I'm thinking I would like to do a phonics/spelling program of some sort for the SPELLING. I like the TATRAS Vertical Phonics because it looks easier and more fun than the other Spalding type methods. Also, it seems more logical to me than the traditional phonics methods for the spelling aspect anyway.
I may buy the old Webster's Blue Backed Speller (This is an exact reproduction of the 1824 edition.) I'll use Don Potter's page for a reference.
For SCIENCE I think doing Dinah Zike's books would be fun. I loved the cause and effect idea! She even has a Texas History book.
Also, for SCIENCE I want to check out books from the library and I would LOVE to get some fun stuff like "Uncle Bob" (Bob Devine is the creator and narrator of "The Storybook Room" on Moody radio and the author of many children's books on nature (Moody Press). I know A Beka sells some of his tapes.
I'm thinking I may just work on a subject until we get bored with it. Maybe just do HISTORY and SCIENCE a couple of days each week but spend a long time on it. I would want to do MATH and BIBLE daily though.
Finally, my daughter's taking PE and ART classes in Co-op each week.
I'd love to do some fun educational puzzles, games, videos, and DVDs. And I'll be using a ton of resources like What Your Second Grader Needs to Know. And of course the WWW!
Ugh! I keep changing my mind. I am praying and waiting until I know for sure. I really don't want to spend a ton of $. And the questions I keep asking myself are:
So, how does that sound? Am I leaving something out? How am I going to get through all this? :o) Is it too much for 2nd grade? At least I won't be stuck with boring workbooks......I hope :o)!
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