My friend Karen at Between the Worlds is hosting a curriculum fair this week.  How fun!  I love reading about what other people are using in their homeschools.  Here is what we are using this year:

Math:  Saxon math 2 - Dylan finished his first grade workbooks that I bought him from Wal-Mart, so I invested in a real Math program!    My debate was between A Beka and Saxon.  I eventually decided to go with Saxon because I saw the results.  Some friends use Saxon, and their sons are very well grounded in math which is what I want.  Saxon reviews the concepts over and over until the student truly knows it.  Saxon explains concepts in a way that makes sense to me.  It goes beyond simple rote memorization of facts and uses a combination of memorization and logical explanations as well as some tricks to help remember.  If I have a complaint about Saxon, it is that it moves really slow.  Dylan is a fast learner (I have a hard time keeping up with him at times).  

History:  The Story of the World Volume 1 - I love, love, love this book and have bought the Volume 2 for next year.  I am learning so much just reading the selections to Dylan.  It is amazing what I missed in school and am learning now.  This is supposed to be about Dylan not me!    We have a timeline that we make to go with the book and next year we are going to use the activity book along with it.

Geography:  We use Ambleside Online recommendations of Paddle to the Sea, Tree in the Trail, and Seabird all by Holling C. Holling.  My son has thoroughly enjoyed these books.  We trace the journeys on the map and learn about the local animals and flora.  Using these books, he has learned about the Great Lakes, the American West, and the Atlantic and Artic Oceans.  Next year, we will be studying about the journeys of Marco Polo.

Reading:  A Beka - awsome reading program.  Dylan finished all of the 1st grade readers and has started on the 2nd grade readers.  The reading books use a great mixture of poems, fables, and wholesome stories to reinforce phonics.  I like the books because the selections are moral and good reading.  They're not just fluffy filler pieces. 

Science:  We have used unit studies on whatever struck his fancy this year.  We used the Usborne Illustrated Dictionary of Science as well as lots of library books to explore dinosaurs, the solar system, the human body, the microscope, and several other topics.  We also do nature studies and have spent a lot of time studying birds.

Language Arts:  We use Ambleside Online which overlaps with Science and History.  This year we have read almost all of the year one booklist.  Using these books, we are studying history, geography, science, literature, and poetry.  I love this curriculum.  I love using living books as much as possible.  We plan on using Year 2 next year.

Dylan does copywork for handwriting.  He copies the morals from Aesop's Fables on the days we read from that book.  He copies verses from Proverbs and other passages of the Bible.  He copies poems and funny sayings.  I try to make his copywork relevant to what he is studying in history, science, Bible, or literature.

I do not have a formal grammar or spelling program at this time.  I think grammar should be formally taught a bit later.  We do discuss capital letters and punctuation as we come across it in his journaling and copywork. 

That sums up our homeschool.  A lot of reading which is fine with both of us!  I would love to read about your curriculum choices.  Let me know if you post yours.