Considering writing my own curriculum this year

[....]

Feel free to come in here and slap me or lead me back to safety.

 

I don't know if it's the pancakes talking or the fact that my husband took the last Coke to work with him...:glare:...but, I am REALLY considering revising my approach to homeschooling and not using everyone else's programs.

 

I am constantly "beefing" everything up. Everything seems to be missing something that we want to do (except for MCT LA, we're satisfied with that).

 

I can NOT combine more than the 8 yro/9 yro. Combining looks wonderful on paper, but I think the 9 yro could probably walk into a late middle school classroom and participate. I was told at our enrichment center to put her in middle school classes from now on.

 

The 6 yro is not (I repeat, NOT) ready for sit-down academics of any kind (she has SPD and really just needs to play and work on unschooling-type stuff). I've been working with her for about 3 weeks and she just can't do it. She's not behind academically (she can read at an early 1st grade level and can skip-count, etc), but she needs play-based instruction.

 

I have no idea what grade level the 9 yro is at. Literally.

 

Everytime we buy a program, I use the TM/IG for about 2 weeks and I tweak it.

 

I think I must be having some kind of virtual homeschool planning nervous breakdown. Is this what happens during the 3rd year of homeschooling? Do I just need to make some coffee and watch Spongebob for a while? Do I just need a break?

 

Does anyone else come up with their own curriculum?? Is it too time-consuming? Is it cheaper? :confused:

 

I need help or advice. Thanks for reading about my drama.

 

:svengo:

[usetoschool]

I guess it depends on what you mean by curriculum - do you mean something like Sonlight where it is all spelled out for you? If so, we have never used anything even remotely like that and all of my kids have done well, gone on to college and all that stuff. We have always picked and chosen methods and books based on the individual kids. That is the point of homeschool for me - to be able to create a custom education taylored to the child's strengths. It is totally doable, just takes more work on moms part as far as researching the best books and resources and organizing how best to present information and doing a lot of reading on how to teach and what and when. I think the longer you are in this game the more you understand your own and your kids styles and abilities and refine it to fit your family.

 

Now, if you mean something else by curriculum - like organizing from scratch your own math program based on a scope and sequence and not any kind of text book at all - then, yikes and you are ambitious and amazing and the queen of homeschool!!! :001_smile: and I have no advice but bow down to you.

[....]

Now, if you mean something else by curriculum - like organizing from scratch your own math program based on a scope and sequence and not any kind of text book at all

 

Yes, this is kind of what I'm thinking of doing, but not with math. We use Singapore as our spine for math and I'm really happy with it. We also use MCT LA starting in 4th grade and I'm pretty content with that also.

[Aurelia]

It's certainly possible, others have done it, and I've considered it myself, since I seem to tweak the snot out of everything I own anyway. I think my daughter would do very well that way, but I lack the time and confidence to do it, though I've been slowly moving in that direction. As it is we dropped structured science in favor of shorter, more topic-focused GEMS units, and if we don't love what I've picked up for history next year, I may just find a loose spine and add some historical fiction (focusing more on daily life than war, war, war - which was why we dropped SOTW. She started dreading it because "it has too many battles". I could see volume 4 being a spectacular fail.) and discussion to flesh it out.

[....]

As it is we dropped structured science in favor of shorter, more topic-focused GEMS units.

 

Yeah, our science looks almost like unschooling or unit studies and that is actually their strongest subject.

[ColoNative]

Funny....I've had this very thought so many times! I definitely think it's workable - however, I also think it's very time consuming (well, it would be for me anyway!). I would love to do but since we keep adding kids to our family, I'll have to put that on a shelf for a while longer....

[8filltheheart]

Feel free to come in here and slap me or lead me back to safety.

 

I don't know if it's the pancakes talking or the fact that my husband took the last Coke to work with him...:glare:...but, I am REALLY considering revising my approach to homeschooling and not using everyone else's programs.

 

I am constantly "beefing" everything up. Everything seems to be missing something that we want to do (except for MCT LA, we're satisfied with that).

 

I can NOT combine more than the 8 yro/9 yro. Combining looks wonderful on paper, but I think the 9 yro could probably walk into a late middle school classroom and participate. I was told at our enrichment center to put her in middle school classes from now on.

 

The 6 yro is not (I repeat, NOT) ready for sit-down academics of any kind (she has SPD and really just needs to play and work on unschooling-type stuff). I've been working with her for about 3 weeks and she just can't do it. She's not behind academically (she can read at an early 1st grade level and can skip-count, etc), but she needs play-based instruction.

 

I have no idea what grade level the 9 yro is at. Literally.

 

Everytime we buy a program, I use the TM/IG for about 2 weeks and I tweak it.

 

I think I must be having some kind of virtual homeschool planning nervous breakdown. Is this what happens during the 3rd year of homeschooling? Do I just need to make some coffee and watch Spongebob for a while? Do I just need a break?

 

Does anyone else come up with their own curriculum?? Is it too time-consuming? Is it cheaper? :confused:

 

I need help or advice. Thanks for reading about my drama.

 

:svengo:

 

It's the best approach IMHO. I do it every yr even through high school. I spend my summer forming general plans for every subject for every student. (not detailed daily plans, just general flow/sequence/objective type planning.) I write daily plans in 6-7 week chunks during the yr.

[....]

It's the best approach IMHO. I do it every yr even through high school. I spend my summer forming general plans for every subject for every student. (not detailed daily plans, just general flow/sequence/objective type planning.) I write daily plans in 6-7 week chunks during the yr.

 

 

:D I've been reading a lot of your posts. How long have you been doing it that way?

[coralloyd]

Yes I make my own curr. for history and science.

[TracyP]

:bigear:

 

I have been dabbling in this approach. I would love to hear it fleshed out more by some btdt moms. The "tea time" thread was excellent (I'm sure you know that) and this post on 8's writing progression has been a HUGE help too.

[....]

:bigear:

 

I would love to hear it fleshed out more by some btdt moms.

 

Me, too. :iagree:

[Aubrey]

I *much* prefer it already written. Tweaking, for me, is easier & faster than reinventing the wheel.

 

That said...if there's NOT a wheel...LOL.

 

I told dh a couple of years ago that I could write curric OR teach. Not both, not at the same time. Lesson planning isn't the same as writing curric, & ea of those takes enough time that...well, I think it's a lot to do.

 

And...what if tweaking isn't a curric thing? What if it's a personality thing? I don't want to spend all of that time on my own curric only to sit down & realize I'm tweaking it, too. :lol:

[jenangelcat]

I'm writing our grade 1 curriculum and a FIAR style curriculum and it is time consuming. I've been working on it for a month or two and I fully expect to be working on it right up until fall.

 

For history, biology (human body) and geography I'm just writing out a list of books and activities to do based on a main spine as well as a huge list of related links to check out.

 

For science I'm writing out BFSU in an easier to follow format and beefing it up with links and books.

 

For art, language arts, and math I'm writing a proper curriculum with lessons.

 

It's fun but I'm constantly editing and reorganizing.

[8filltheheart]

How long have you been doing it that way?

 

Gosh, 13+ yrs. I did own SL K-5 for a couple of yrs when we were living overseas and did not have access to anything in English except what we imported (and back in the day when we paid for internet access by the minute!!) I really didn't like SL's plans (way too much stuff for me). I really modified them a lot and learned a lot in the process. ;)

[Wee Pip]

I'm thinking about creating my own curric this year, too. I've had this feeling that we're really missing what matters most in our homeschool, and I'm starting to see so much repetition in diff curric. For instance, why does most Grammar teach 1. what is a sentence, 2. nouns, 3. verbs...etc. and THEN REPEATS all the same info in the next grade level (except with a few new terms thrown in). Why do we teach-forget-reteach every single year? Multiply that by other subjects, as well (Math, Science, Spelling, Writing...) and I just become downright fed up with curric. At some point, I would want to teach something and have my children retain it (not reteach, reteach, reteach every single year). So, I've been thinking about just teaching them what they need to know ONCE and then review it regularly over the next few years. I also read a book that inspired me to try more self-discovery, project based methods. So I may assign a topic to my kids and then tell them to learn about it and create a project to teach others about it. (Not sure how that will fly, but the kids are excited about the idea). I also want to design my own booklist for literature/history, but still use a history spine - and then assign the kids to explore/write about a certain era, manage a timeline, memorize the geography. In other words, I'm hoping to create a balance of ME structuring things (i.e., memory work: grammar definitions, spelling rules, history dates; and reading assignments) with them being in charge of their own learning (projects, managing their own timeline). I hope to incorporate a lot more writing, and then work one-on-one with them to improve their writing. I'm not sure how much time this will take for planning. I really just want to jot down each week the info that they need to learn, with a brief list of concepts to master, page numbers to read (not real word-for-word lesson plans).

[happypamama]

I write my own science and history curricula/lesson plans. There might or might not be a good spine for starters, but while it's time-consuming to do the research and put it all together myself, I've been really pleased with it for the past few years. This has worked really well for me with combining multiple grades; my older two are three years apart and very, very different in ability. So using a spine that was just a bit above the 5-6 yo, but on the 8-9 yo's level, and then supplemental books that were more geared toward the 5-6 yo (but fun and reinforcing for the 8-9 yo) worked very well last year.

 

(And sometimes I end up tweaking my own plans too. :) )

[jenn&charles]

 

Does anyone else come up with their own curriculum?? Is it too time-consuming? Is it cheaper? :confused:

 

I need help or advice. Thanks for reading about my drama.

 

:svengo:

 

I've been coming up with my own stuff for awhile now. I started out with history, branched off into science and now I can't keep my planning hands off of most everything except language arts (I'm happy with what I have in that realm). I also make kind of a master plan that gives me an idea of EVERYTHING we are using, including language arts.

 

I got tired of paying for expensive programs and then tweaking them until no longer resembled the original plan. I also got highly annoyed at buying EXPENSIVE packaged programs and then getting upset because the books and materials weren't appropriate, or they were boring, or they didn't flesh things out enough, etc.

When I create my own curriculum I'm able to tailor for my son and my own goals/interests/etc. We end up enjoying whatever I come up with so much more. Because I create my programs for US, I don't have to worry about it being "too much" or about a book being too hard to get (because it's on my shelf, lol) or maybe I shouldn't schedule that because you have to skip a scene in the video or whatever. I also can take into account my son's weaknesses, strengths and preferences when choosing materials.

We also end up learning a lot more because 1. since it's tailored to our learning styles it's a better fit and 2. I tend to pack my schedules much more full than a curriculum (for sale) writer would. I don't care if it takes me a year and a half to get through instead of the typical 36 weeks. ;) I also know what will help my son retain the material better than any other curriculum writer out there.

 

Making my own curriculum is very time consuming. I'm only homeschooling one kid now though, so I have more time to do so. I also don't watch t.v. during the day, etc. so when I'm not actively teaching, I have time to work on planning.

I like planning /creating things like that though, so...:D

And yes, for me it's MUCH cheaper. It doesn't take into account my time, but it makes it so I can spend $ on other things I wouldn't be able to otherwise. For me it's very worth it to save hundreds of dollars since I'm not paying for pre-made curriculum and since I can take into account what I have access to when planning out my own programs.

 

As for advice: what works for me is to create a basic framework to work from first. I used to work on a daily schedule type of format, but now I like to work off of topic formats as they are much more flexible and easier to edit (and my all time new favorite that I created for myself - the timeline schedule). It's very easy to take whatever format/style you like the best from any other curriculum and use that for your own format. (IE do you like a daily schedule similar to SL, WP, MFW - which is a grid style with notes, or do you like a schedule like Beautiful Feet where it's laid out by lessons where one follows another: lesson 1, lesson 2, etc.?)

So anyway, you choose what format you want to use first.

 

I like to work from a spine (or spines) and then add in activities around the spine lessons. So choosing a spine is my next step.

 

I'm a very visual person, so it helps me to see pictures of book covers and materials that I copy into Microsoft Word. I guess it gives me a better feel for if I need to add in things or not. First I list into a table the spine lessons and then paste/type in the extras into additional columns.

 

The Internet is a great resource for finding all of the extras. Amazon has lists that have helped me discover lots of books based on what I'm currently browsing and Google book previews (or previews from other sources like Rainbow Resource or Christianbook.com) are valuable in helping to determine if I want to schedule something in or not.

I also use my library's online catalog to search for books, to see if they are available to me for free, or if I have to buy them. That helps me decide whether to use a book or not sometimes too. Generally I try to get most of the secular books free from the library and usually have to purchase most of the Christian books.

 

Another thing I do is DOWNLOAD any of the printables I schedule in (if it's legal to do so) and keep them in a homeschool folder. The Internet changes daily. There is nothing more frustrating than finding the perfect lapbook element or worksheet page or something and then when you click on the link later on in the year after finally getting to that particular topic it's gone.

 

For finding movies/videos to go along with whatever we are studying I comb Netflix and Amazon, Google/YouTube videos and online lists.

 

That's all I can think of right now. Sorry if my answer is disjointed. I was writing it in between eating lunch, etc. ;)

I love writing my own stuff out. If you are interested, I'd say give it a try.

[ChrissySC]

Well, you know that I make my own too. I always feel that there is never enough interaction or exposure with the material at hand. So, go for it.

 

I am sorry, but I cannot slap you. I can help you though. LOL I shared the beginnings of my ancient history on the board.:lol:

[kandty]

I wish I could, but don't have the time to even try. I was going to do this with science, but was overwhelmed just thinking about it. :001_huh: If you can do it, go for it! Right now I am sticking to using others and tweaking. I am happy with that. My favorites stuff to use is those written by homeschooling moms that either sell or giveaway the curriculm that they write. I may one day go back and finish writing that science one! Best of luck to you!

[Year Round Mom]

It's prolly the pancakes talkin'!

 

Just kidding, I have nothing to add. I just liked reading your post!

 

:D

[Entropymama]

:D I've been reading a lot of your posts. How long have you been doing it that way?

 

It's the best approach IMHO. I do it every yr even through high school. I spend my summer forming general plans for every subject for every student. (not detailed daily plans, just general flow/sequence/objective type planning.) I write daily plans in 6-7 week chunks during the yr.

 

I do this too (am in the middle of it right now, actually) and so far it's worked well. Sometimes I wish I could go with an 'open and go' curriculum like Sonlight, but I'm never satisfied with it, and like you I always end up changing it.

[Joyoflearning]

I've been coming up with my own stuff for awhile now. I started out with history, branched off into science and now I can't keep my planning hands off of most everything except language arts (I'm happy with what I have in that realm). I also make kind of a master plan that gives me an idea of EVERYTHING we are using, including language arts.

 

I just wanted to say thanks Jenn&charles. I have been to your site frequently and it is super helpful! We plan on doing Little Otters Science in the fall. :001_smile:

[happypamama]

I like to work from a spine (or spines) and then add in activities around the spine lessons. So choosing a spine is my next step.

I love writing my own stuff out. If you are interested, I'd say give it a try.

 

Can I just say thank you for the Guest Hollow website? It's really fantastic! I greatly appreciated all of the time you put into collecting and organizing materials for each time period of US history. It really made my own task of putting together our curriculum much faster. :)

[....]

I really want to thank everybody for taking the time to post. :001_smile: It's been very encouraging and I spent several hours yesterday going thru my school plans for the year, organizing my schedule, etc. I think this is totally doable, so I'm going to try it.

 

Hopefully this works out!! :tongue_smilie:

 

Thanks again. Everybody is always so knowledgeable on this forum.

[TheCoffeeChick]

I really want to thank everybody for taking the time to post. :001_smile: It's been very encouraging and I spent several hours yesterday going thru my school plans for the year, organizing my schedule, etc. I think this is totally doable, so I'm going to try it.

 

Hopefully this works out!! :tongue_smilie:

 

Thanks again. Everybody is always so knowledgeable on this forum.

 

 

You know it's a board rule to share what you come up with, right? ;)

[mama25angels]

You know it's a board rule to share what you come up with, right? ;)

 

:iagree:

[RahRah]

After frustrating the heck out of myself trying to find a science curriculum, I'm doing my own this year since nothing seems to fit quite right with DS's style of learning, nor where he is with his knowledge - what's out there is either too advanced at this point, or too little/easy for him....can't quite find that "just right" program, so I'm cobbling together things myself, and it's time-consuming, but worth it!

 

For other subjects I'm pretty happy with what we're using, so for me, it's just one subject - I can't imagine having to do them all!

[kristinannie]

I am really leaning towards educating this way myself. It is so refreshing to see that it is possible. I am going to go with a Math program (or two) because I don't feel the need to reinvent that wheel (I can tweak our programs enough to get what I need out of them). This year is my first year homeschooling so I bought a curriculum for everything. I have found that it is truly frustrating to use these programs. I feel confident teaching most subjects and more than happy to make up my own plans. I am not well versed in grammar (thank you PS!!!) so I am going to teach myself grammar and then teach it to my kids (not using a formal curriculum). I tend more towards CM and unit studies anyway (the 4 year history cycle and science cycles are definitely not for me).

 

I was finding myself getting so frustrated about not finding what I wanted out there (which I didn't understand because there are so many choices). I finally decided just do my own history this year and it quickly turned into a unit study covering almost all subjects. The kids are learning a lot and having a lot of fun. The main thing is that they are retaining what they are learning. When we do a page out a workbook, they can't tell me about it 5 minutes later. They certainly can't tell Daddy about it when he gets home.

 

I have found that it is best for me to just have a basic idea of the main topics I want to cover (we are doing a continent every 1-2 months). I got the spines I am going to use. Then I just start planning each unit. I try to stay about 2 weeks ahead of where I am, but allow myself plenty of flexibility. I found that the kids were really interested in Native Americans when we were doing the Southwest US so we spent two weeks on that.

 

Best of luck to you! I would love to hear how it goes.

[....]

You know it's a board rule to share what you come up with, right? ;)

 

Sure. :001_smile: I can give you an idea of what I'm planning for the 4th grader. I don't want to bore the internet world with my plans for all the kids.

 

I'm leaving LA, Latin and Math alone. I also don't want to reinvent the wheel on that one. Also, we read thru the CK books on the side, for fun.

 

Science: We're going to do a year of General Biology. She's about a third of the way thru both Apologia Botany and Apologia Land Animals. We'll continue with those and add in 1. Cow Eye Dissection Kit 2. Intermediate Dissection Kit 3. book on Dog Anatomy 4. DNA experiment kit. Also, independent science reading on biology topics. I want to teach the Scientific Method starting in January. I'm also going to require a science fair-type project, with full set-up/presentation in the spring.

 

US History: We will probably read thru the Joy Hakim US History series. Also, we're going to do unit studies based on Pedro's Journal and Johnny Tremain. We're going to work thru a bunch of history read-alouds (we're reading Sign of the Beaver right now) and history-themed chapter books. I want to do a big unit on the American Revolution, the Constitution and the Founding Fathers.

 

Reading: Independent reading and there are 5 specific books that I want her to work thru and write a literary essay at the end of each book. Trumpet of the Swan, The Search for Delicious, The Whipping Boy, Indian Legends and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

 

Art History: I'm going to have to put something together for this.

 

Geography: Maps and Globes (with her brother) and Geography from A to Z (with brother). Also, mapwork to go along with our US History.

 

As always, notebooking per TWTM in all subjects. She just started learning to outline and she can write her own narrative summaries. She's written a few literary essays also. I'm going to require writing assignments from her every week based on her reading per TWTM.

 

That's off the top of my head. I'll probably be a little more organized with this later.

[momto2Cs]

I school very lightly during the summer so that I can work on lesson ideas, plans, etc. for the upcoming year. I tried following a curriculum as written, or even tweaked, and it didn't work for us. So we're doing our own thing for science, history, world studies, and I am in the process of coming up with my own mishmash for dd8's phonics/reading. We love books, and video, so I try to mesh the two, along with hands-on projects, for the kids. This year too, I am following their interests in anything outside the basic 3 R's, so dd8 wants a world cultures study and ds10 wants to start off the year with classical mythology. In science, we do nature studies, read a lot of living books, and dabble in all the project/experiment books I have around the house.

 

I also plan to read aloud once a week from A Little History of the World, and then we can follow rabbit trails from there.

 

My whole thing is that I don't like feeling tied down to a particular curriculum, because if we deviate, wander off, or get behind, I get frustrated that we're not "on schedule". Writing my own curriculum gives us a lot more flexibility. I come up with a general flow/goal for each area, and then plan in 3-4 week chunks.

[....]

My whole thing is that I don't like feeling tied down to a particular curriculum, because if we deviate, wander off, or get behind, I get frustrated that we're not "on schedule". Writing my own curriculum gives us a lot more flexibility. I come up with a general flow/goal for each area, and then plan in 3-4 week chunks.

 

I think this started when I was talking with my friend (she homeschools - she's on this forum occassionally) and we were reminiscing about our first year of homeschooling... :thumbup: I was thinking...rabbit trails, projects, going to the store and buying a science kit to work thru that week... Now, it seems like we just became worksheets/workbooks/someone else's schedule.

 

Also, my husband said that I'm not challenging the 9 yro. We took her out of ps so she could be challenged and then I don't challenge her. :glare:

 

Ah, sigh. What can you do...(besides crawl in bed and hide under the covers)

[lmrich]

I love to plan my own curriculum. I used to be a curriculum director for a private school. Next year I am planning my own science for my 4th grader using: BFSU 2, The Usborne Enclycopedia, tons of library books, tons of experiment books, lots of experiment kits. I told some friends about it and now I have 6 girls coming over for science twice a week. They have asked me to add more to the day. I love it. We are going to use SOTW for our history, and at my house we will write plays to coordinate with it or cook or do a craft. I love planning.

[....]

I love to plan my own curriculum. I used to be a curriculum director for a private school. Next year I am planning my own science for my 4th grader using: BFSU 2, The Usborne Enclycopedia, tons of library books, tons of experiment books, lots of experiment kits. I told some friends about it and now I have 6 girls coming over for science twice a week. They have asked me to add more to the day. I love it. We are going to use SOTW for our history, and at my house we will write plays to coordinate with it or cook or do a craft. I love planning.

 

That sounds awesome! Now I have to google BFSU...

[TheCoffeeChick]

Sure. :001_smile: I can give you an idea of what I'm planning for the 4th grader. I don't want to bore the internet world with my plans for all the kids.

 

I'm leaving LA, Latin and Math alone. I also don't want to reinvent the wheel on that one. Also, we read thru the CK books on the side, for fun.

 

Science: We're going to do a year of General Biology. She's about a third of the way thru both Apologia Botany and Apologia Land Animals. We'll continue with those and add in 1. Cow Eye Dissection Kit 2. Intermediate Dissection Kit 3. book on Dog Anatomy 4. DNA experiment kit. Also, independent science reading on biology topics. I want to teach the Scientific Method starting in January. I'm also going to require a science fair-type project, with full set-up/presentation in the spring.

 

US History: We will probably read thru the Joy Hakim US History series. Also, we're going to do unit studies based on Pedro's Journal and Johnny Tremain. We're going to work thru a bunch of history read-alouds (we're reading Sign of the Beaver right now) and history-themed chapter books. I want to do a big unit on the American Revolution, the Constitution and the Founding Fathers.

 

Reading: Independent reading and there are 5 specific books that I want her to work thru and write a literary essay at the end of each book. Trumpet of the Swan, The Search for Delicious, The Whipping Boy, Indian Legends and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

 

Art History: I'm going to have to put something together for this.

 

Geography: Maps and Globes (with her brother) and Geography from A to Z (with brother). Also, mapwork to go along with our US History.

 

As always, notebooking per TWTM in all subjects. She just started learning to outline and she can write her own narrative summaries. She's written a few literary essays also. I'm going to require writing assignments from her every week based on her reading per TWTM.

 

That's off the top of my head. I'll probably be a little more organized with this later.

 

Nice! Are you planning on creating your own religion curriculum too? :bigear:

[SnegurochkaL]

I am planning to write my own for Geography ( never found anything really good beyond " A child's Geography", which was a very good beginner book) and Russian History/Art. In Europe students study geography for 5-6 years( general geography, geography of continents, physical geography of the world, economical geography of the world, physical geography of your country/region, economical geography of your country/region).

[LittleIzumi]

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!

 

I use several programs but I am so eclectic I can barely find my shoes... wait, that's the ADD. :tongue_smilie:

 

I use what's in my siggy, but I also have at least two other supplements for each subject, and I use them on my schedule. I sort of have a spine for each subject but then rabbit trail all over the place and come back. I simply schedule the subjects for the day. What I use for each subject & how long is up to me (us, really).

 

"Math" for the day might be Singapore (workbook, IP, CWP, or any combo of the three), MEP, I will pick up the new LoF elementary books to use, pattern blocks, UNO, plus cooking math. Singapore is our spine, so to speak. I have math every day but it changes so much that it doesn't feel like that.

 

"Science" entails a spine of BFSU twice a week, and additions whenever we want (preferably all the other days of the week) of Observing God's World, two Janice VanCleave experiment books, one large experiment kit, our own experiments, dissection, microscope use, nature study, bug observation, Youtube videos (dd loves surgery), Snap Circuits, and 4th grade LifePacs.

 

"LA" includes a semi-spine of ETC Online, plus AAS, Happy Phonics games, soon-to-be English for the Thoughtful Child, an assortment of phonics workbooks, more.starfall.com, and reading.

 

"Logic" on the calendar could mean Prufrock Press logic books, analogies by Critical Thinking Co, a big logical thinking book by the same Co, questions/games from my Reasoning Activities book, Verbal Deduction, or simply making up logic questions. This morning The Drama climbed into my bed to wake me up & gave me an analogy to solve. :D

 

"ASL" on the menu may include Signing Time, books in ASL, flash cards, scripture stories/songs viewed in ASL, or signing time with me.

 

"Spanish" can be various curricula from the library, Spanish books, Spanish CDs/music, or even a familiar movie we watch in Spanish.

 

You get the idea. :D

[....]

Nice! Are you planning on creating your own religion curriculum too? :bigear:

 

I think we are going to continue reading thru the Catechism for Kids and I'm going to have them read thru John or Matthew.

[....]

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!

 

 

:lol: I can do it!

[mama25angels]

:lol: I can do it!

 

:iagree:

[Tarreymere]

Yeah, I ended up doing that for my son for preschool and we have started using it. Maybe some year when I have time I will polish it up some and post it out there in the internet. As for time consuming, well, mom needs a hobby anyway, right?