I was asked for an update on my curriculum for this year.  I haven't blogged here in a while now - I moved my blog to Blogger.  I will respond to this question; however, for more details & my "REAL" blog check out www.teaching2manydiligently.blogspot.com 

This year I decided to go with Tapestry of Grace.  I really tried NOT too (out of fear), but it just kept coming up & I decided to take the plung.  YES, after ALL my Truthquest planning & supplementing I changed it all!  Originally, I was only planning on doing American history, but with TOG that would pass up the explorers & after I bought the entire year 2 I decided to do the first 2 units in a FAST FORWARD pace.  We did some Middle Ages last year, but it was actually a "Dark Time" for us as well b/c my husbands sweet momma passed away.  Anyway, we are about to finish our first unit (week 1-9) in a couple weeks & we are LOVING it.  I am so glad I decided to go with it.  TQ has a fabulous book list, but my kids love the crafts, projects & geography TOG has to offer & much of the books (core, in-depth & literature) are very similar to TQ & other popular curriculums.  I am so glad I decided to go with TOG. 

My day begins b/t 5:30-7:30 depending on how motivated I feel.  The kids are up no later than 7-8ish depending on how early I am ready for them & what their day was like before.  My daughter tends to be a little moody, so I prefer her getting her beauty sleep.  Our school day ends around 3-3:30 Mon-Thur.  Fridays we have our Enrichment Classes from 9-1:30pm during the Fall & Spring for 10-11 weeks.  For more details on our schedule check out my other blog.  *Note:  When my dh is home during the week -- Our schedule is out the window!

So what are we really using?

Math:  Math U See

Grammar:  Easy Grammar 2 & 5

Language:  1st Language Lessons *Grade 2, Language books from Queen Homeschool *2-3 days a week (less with my 2nd grader sometimes, as we are really focusing on Phonics)

Copywork/dictation: 1-2x a week -- THEY WANT TO DO THIS

Cursive:  Queen Homeschool "Pictures in Cursive"

Logic:  Mind Benders 1x a week

Explode the Code: 3-4x a week, 2-3 pg's a day

Spelling:  Natural Speller (10-15 words per week on average)

Science:  We will start this in a few weeks (on hold due to fast pace of TOG)

Nature:  1x per week at this point (TOG) -- various nature books

Phonic's:  UGGG . . . I am really struggling with this & am still trying a little of everything to see if ANYTHING will motivate my resistent reader.  He is just to busy to possibly take reading seriously.  -- I am trying to change this attitude!  Lately we have just been reading & reviewing phonics w/ Color Phonics. (4x a day for 1 hour)

Reading:  My daughter is using TOG literature suggestions, with literature activity pages.  I haven't added anything to this from Drawn into the Heart of Reading; however, I would still like to use some of it & the workbook at some point.  She reads on her own for 1 hour, 4x a week & I listen to her 1x a week.

Writing:  We are using TOG Writing Aids, FANTASTIC (3x a week - possibly 4 soon)

Art/Music:  Just doing picture study at snack time & lunch w/ a composer

Latin:  This is taught at our Enrichment class by another mom.  I just review new words during dinner.

Poetry & Character Building:  Haven't started this yet!

Bible:  Right now we are using a Character building curriculum at breakfast 4x a week usually (Obedience)

Geography:  TOG offers excellent geography work

History & all the subjects that tie into it:  We are using TOG Year 2.  I did add some of the Beautiful Feet activities into our studies; however, I really wasn't impressed & was rather disappointed (making me even more reassured that I did the right thing using TOG).  I haven't used any of the TQ supplements (movies, etc.) b/c most of that is geared to American History.  I am still planning on adding it to our studies.

PRE-K:  This is my grade!  I love love love Pre-K & K.  I have had a blast w/ my boys.  We have a busy day as the big kids do their independent work; if you are interested in this you should really see my other blog for MUCH MORE detail.  I am using Little Hands & BFIAR.  We do LH 4x a week & BFIAR 1-2x a week.  I did add Handwriting Without Tears & it is FANTASTIC!! -- Much more than just "handwriting."  I am so pleased with it & it is perfect for my boys.  We use HWOT almost daily.  My Pre-school day begins at 8:30am *usually & ends around lunch time (noonish).  They have 2 hour break/playtime with Sissy, then Bubba & a 20 minute snack time in-between.  Nap/quiet time from 1ish-2ish.

I hope this answers your questions.  Please feel free to ask away!  I will say that I devote most of my day to homeschooling my children.  We have clean up times & I get a few breaks of my own, but I decided that if I "worked" I would devote an entire day to a company or other peoples kids if I decided to teach, so I might as well be willing to devote that time to my own children/family.  I will add that I have 2 good kids (& 2 Wild Mustangs that 2 & just turned 4).  My 2 big kids are a HUGE help to me & definitely carry their weight with Chores & helping me out.  They rarely complain about having to do chores & are pretty willing to pitch-in when they see I'm becoming overwhelmed with disaster!  lol  I rarely have to ask for help when it gets to that point & yes, it does get to that point - but my time with them (for all of us) is so worth every minute of mess, laundry & so on.  I truly love teaching my kids & they truly enjoy the "work" I have planned for them (minus writing for Taylor & reading for Tyler - "It's too hard." aka:  "CHALLENGING to them.)

God Bless,

Tiff

I am having a RARE moment of curriculum cleaning, here is what I am parting with:





Amos Fortune Free Man, Elizabeth Yates (SC) $3

A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Sevenson Illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith (HC) $8

America's Providential History by Mark A. Beliles & Stephen K. McDowell (SC) $18

Pocahontas by Ingri & Edgar d'Aulaire (SC) $ 8

Leif The Lucky by Ingri & Edgar d'Aulaire (SC) $9

Columbus by Ingri & Edgar d'Aulaire (SC) $9

Heidi by Johanna Spyri (SC) $3

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois $2.50

Konos Volume 1-3 $50 ea.

Konos Compass $10

"In The Beginning" Christian Cottage VOL 1 CD $35

Beautiful Feet Early American History Intermediate Guide (ONLY) $8

Beautiful Feet Early American History TIME LINE *missing first 3 pictures $5

*These Prices are BEFORE shipping!

Tiff
rockinc@ntin.net

Here is a link to a blog giving wonderful instructions for the "set up" of TOG ("the box is here, what now?")

http://togsetup.blogspot.com/2007/06/step-two-weekly-folders.html

I have done my set-up a little different than this (see Control Journal -- Teacher's Manual & Student Folders for more); however, this is an awesome site that is great for any TOG user!

Another AWESOME set up for folders is:  (I'm not here yet!)

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/karenciavo

Here is another site that is helpful if you are interested in the TOG Blog Roll:

http://standrewshomeschool.com/tapestry-of-grace-blogroll/

*This site also has A LOT of great info.

Quick Link for beginner's trying to figure out a plan for their family & an explanation of the set-up of TOG:

http://www.tapestryofgrace.com/tog_fast/FAQ/four-year.htm

• Here is a quick link to the Forum of TOG:  http://www.lampstandpress.com/together/index.php

• Here is a quick link that lists & explains ALL the mail groups for TOG:  http://www.lampstandpress.com/together/mailgroups.php

These groups are all very warm & eager to help!

Here are a couple websites to buy or sale used homeschool curriculum:

• www.ebay.com
  • *NOTE:  ebay does NOT allow the sale of teacher's manuals
• http://market.hslda.org/auction/xcAuction.asp
• http://www.homeschoolclassifieds.com/default.asp
• http://www.thislittlepiggystayshome.com/auction/index.php?

Being the book collector that I am -- I have to share this FANTASTIC bonus to using TOG -- The book search.  Usually, it takes me HOURS upon hours to search for books & make lists -- Check this out:  *Great book list even if you don't use tapestry (just see their year plans & unit topics for the era you will be studying).   If you still don't think there is anything exciting about this, let me just explain quickly:

You can search by:

 1.  yr/unit

2.  level

3.  subject

http://www.lampstandbookshelf.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SRCHM

There is also an "original power search" that is a little different than the one above.  This one you can search by:

1.  yr/unit *or entire year

2.  level

3. individual books or every recommended book

LOVE IT!!

Here is another site that is helpful for booklists RE: TOG:

http://standrewshomeschool.com/tapestry-of-grace-blogroll/

*This site also has A LOT of great info.

I am "in-progress" with the kids folders -- here is what we have so far & what it should be when I am done.  *Pictures are of "in-progress."

1.  Cover  --  Personal Schedule

2.  Weekly Checklist for Core Subjects

3.  Math Divider

• Copy of table of contents from math book in page protector (PP)
• Symbols & tables page from math book in PP
• Math graph paper

4.  Copywork Divider

5.  Spelling Divider

• Spelling Activities List in PP
• Spelling lessons

6.  Reading Divider

• Free Reading "Reading Log"
• Reading Strategies
• Reading Calendar
• Reading Vocab. Worksheets
• Literature Worksheet

7.  Units/TOG Divider

• Topics for YR 2 in PP
• Weekly TOG assignment sheet
• 36 weeks of dividers -- From TOG (this is where weekly work for TOG will be stored)
• Worksheet Subdivider -- made w/ self-adhesive tab & cardstock
• Maps Subdivider -- made w/ self-adhesive tab & cardstock

8.  Writing Divider

*Divider is a double pocket divider (front is for "In-Progress" work & back is for "Completed" work.

• Student papers from TOG Writing Aids
• Easy Grammar Scope & Sequence

9.  Other/Weekly Work

*This is where subjects that we don't always have paper work for will go.  Example:  Art or Music Appreciation, Latin, Drawing, ect.

10.  Back  -- Mini Personal Chore Chart

This is an awesome control journal -- that I will be using some forms from -- You should check it out!!

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/PeakmoreAcademy/457720/

Taylor's desk in her room:

The Boys Room: The shelving & table system is from Ikea.  The desk I got from a friend of mine that works for a Catholic school & I am begging for more! 

This unit is also from Ikea (*the barn Tim made!)

My Office Side:

My Scrapbook Side:

As I stated before, with every season our house seems to change.  Summer is here & we have a new chore chart!  Here is what I have been busy working on.

As with most of my creations I need to explain a little . . . Taylor & Tyler have decided to rotate chores.  She misses working with the animals, but doesn't want to "pick up poop ALL the time!"  lol  So, we decided to rotate them every other week instead of every other day (which is what we did last summer).  So that is why you see 2 AM , Noon & PM boxes under their name.  One is for the 1st & 3rd weeks of the month & the other is for the 2nd & 4th weeks of the month.  The green you see next to each chore is a sticky pad that they move over the description after they have done that chore.  I think that's all!

Tyler is a very bright child, but a very busy boy . . . so teaching phonic's has been a learning process for me with him (great for the next 2 boys in line though:)  In Kindergarten I really didn't "push" him -- we explored a couple programs & ended up with Hooked on Phonics.  At the time that was GREAT & I would recommend it.  As he began to be able to read more -- he wanted more!  I realized along the way that he was wanting to read by sight (he is a great speller).  I picked up some of the Pathway Readers (*available by Rod & Staff).  We would do a story a day & add phonic's to eat for 15 minutes.  I realized in doing this that he was "done" about 5 minutes into the phonics.  About this time I picked up The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading (*available at Peace Hill Press) so I decided to make a plan for these great programs (there I go again) . . .

Monday:  1 Story in a Pathway Reader (Narrate back the story, answer my questions about the story, ect), work on sight words using flash cards, & do 2 pages of Explode the Code

Tuesday, Wednesday:  1 lesson from Reading Lessons, review previous lesson & any problem lesson, do 2 pages of Explode the Code

Thursday:  Corresponding "blends" in Hooked on Phonics workbook, do 2 pages of Explode the Code.

Friday:  Storytime

I know this sounds like "a lot" but I had to have variety for him to keep him from buring out on one program.  This works for us.

I'm not sure if I will use Hooked on Phonics again with my younger boys, I am very interested in the Veritas Press Phonics Museum.  I love the rich pictures they use!

Tiff

The third tab in the Teacher's Manual portion of my Control Journal is "BOOKS."  You will now discover another small obsession I have -- collecting books!  I have several book lists & I try once a year to do an inventory of what I have.  I get my book lists from numerous sources . . . I use "Drawn Into the Heart of Reading"  by Heart of Dakota & they offer a sample book ideas listed by genre & by level.  http://www.heartofdakota.com/drawn-into-packages.php   Heart of Dakota also offers book packages by boy/girl/classics categories.  This has been very helpful to me in selecting books for independent reading.  This is at the front of my books section.  Next, I have a list of books I am currently searching for (I always search high & low for used books before I buy them used).  

Here are the book lists I have:

Five in a Row   ---   http://www.fiveinarow.com/FIAR/FIARBL.html

Several of the Beautiful Feet Books  ---  www.bfbooks.com

Book list in the back of "Educating the Wholehearted Child"   -- Contemporary Children's Fiction, Classic Literature For Children, Picture Books & Illustrated Story Books

Timeless Classics:  Books for Young Readers   ---   http://bms.westport.k12.ct.us/lmc/classics.htm

The Ultimate Reading List  Classics that Endure   ---   http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/1997/june97/list.html

Reading Your Way Through History  ---   http://www.readingyourwaythroughhistory.com/

Baldwin Online  ----  http://www.mainlesson.com/displaybooksbygenre.php

Classic Christian Homeschooling  ---  http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/v2/index.php?page=1218

Simply Charlotte Mason (browse by subject) --- http://apps.simplycharlottemason.com/

A Charlotte Mason Education (Literature by Grade) ---  http://sites.silaspartners.com/CC_Content_Page/0,,PTID61309%7CCHID605214%7CCIID,00.html

There are also several other books that are available such as, Honey for A Childs Heart, Let's Hear it for the Girls, Let the Authors Speak, Books Children Love, The Boy's Guide to the Historical Adventures of G.A. Henty, Books that Build Character, How to Grow a Young Reader & Truthquest History offers a wonderful list of books, as well as beautiful chronological commentary.  A lot of the typical homeschooling books will offer small book lists.  For example, Educating the Whole Hearted Child, & many of the Charlotte Mason books.  In addition to these I have found wonderful book lists throughout my favorite curriculums (see sidebar).  I know a lot of homeschoolers use Sonlight Curriculum suggested reading. 

Well, there are my book list secrets.  Now if you are trying to build your own family library, I would encourage you to spend the week creating/organizing your personal "Book Tab." 

So this year I will have a 5th grader, 2nd grader, PK & Pre-PK . . . I am a little nervous about having both lower & upper elementary children & starting Tucker in PK & having a 2 year old!  WOW!  I know PK is not a "HUGE" deal, but it is for us b/c Tucker is in need of a plan -- which I have!  In fact, I think I have the wrest of their lives planned out.  lol . . . well, at least their homeschool lives! 

Now that Tucker has started school & Taylor is becoming more independent I really had to have a plan for the group.  I have been asked, "how do you teach them together?"  First of all, I don't teach EVERYTHING together; however, I do teach as much as possible together.  I have several reasons for this -- most importantly, there is only so many hours in a day -- we can get more done (I can cover more subjects) as a group & there is more free time for the children.  Second, I have been surprised at how much the little ones can learn from the bigger kids & even the two older children from each other.  Also, our children love being together, they love learning together.  Having said this, the topic is the same -- the work load is not (always). 

Penny Gardner, a mother of seven, author of A Charlotte Mason Study Guide and Italics: Beautiful Handwriting for Children offers this advice regarding how to combine subjects with a range of children:
“Subjects such as history, art appreciation, science, literature, nature study, and anything else that mom is reading aloud can be combined with two or more students. They may take turns narrating those topics. I have done this with three students who were between first and sixth grade. Older students (5-6th grades) may write some of their narrations independently, while mom listens to the younger ones.”

Subjects such as math, beginning reading instruction for the first grader (while the older child reads independently), and perhaps handwriting, including copywork and dictation, may need to be worked on with each child individually.

What subjects do I teach as a group?

• Bible/Character
• History -- using living books, non-fictions read aloud, historical fiction *using literature guides
• Science/Nature Study
• Art/Music Appreciation
• Geography
• Latin
• Vocabulary -- this is mainly from books we are reading or from literature guides to a history book.  If the definition is short & there aren't several I will have both children copy them.  Otherwise, I only have my younger child copy the important ones with shorter definitions.  OR I will have my older child look up & copy  the definition & explain it to my younger child & he has to copy the word & draw a picture to fit the definition.

What do my children do individually? (*Independently as well)

• Reading(UG*)/Phonics
• Language(UG*)
• Grammar*
• Writing
• Handwriting/Copywork*
• Art (Drawing)*
• Spelling*

To see what I use for all of these subjects please see my post on our curriculum.

Here is the History Plan for our house:

I know that "life" happens, new curriculum is developed, homeschooling views/goals change, ect., but this chart gives me an idea of where we are going with our history studies & which children I will be teaching together vs. independently.

Year

08-09

09-10

10-11

11-12

12-13

13-14

14-15

15-16

16-17

17-18

18-19

19-20

20-21

21-22

22-23

Taylor

5 AH (Expl. -1800)

6 AH (Westward)

7 AH  (Civil War)

8 AH (1865-Current)

9 Ancient

10 Middle Ages-1800

11 1800-1900's

12 1900's-Current

Tyler

2 AH Expl.-1800

3 AH (Westward)

4 AH  (Civil War)

5 AH(1600-1800's)

6 AH (Westward)

7 AH (Civil War)

8 1800's

9 Ancient

10 Middle Ages-1800

11 1800-1900's

12 1900's-Current

Tucker

PK Little Hands

K Little Hearts

1 Countries & Cultures

2 AH (Expl-1800)

3 AH (Westward)

4 AH(Civil War)

5 AH (1865-Current)

6 Ancient

7 Middle Ages/Renn.

8 Early American & World History

9 Ancient

10 Middle Ages-1800's

11 1800-1900

12 1900's-Current

Trevor

P-PK Little Hands

PK Little Hearts

K Countries & Cultures

1 AH (Expl.-1800)

2 AH (Westward)

3 AH (Civil War)

4 AH (1865-Current)

5 Ancient

6 Middle Ages/Renn.

7 Early American & World History

8 History of Science

9 Ancient

10 Middle Ages-1800's

11 1800-1900

12 1900's- Current