Anyone else here making changes for next year?

[Kfamily]

I've learned so much this year (especially how much I still need to learn)!

 

Is anyone else making some adjustments to their whole approach to teaching? I still have a long way to go, but I do feel as if I'm making some changes for the better. And while I'm not necessarily making a lot of changes with curricula, I would say I'm changing how I use curricula and how I use books.

 

 

My younger dd is really excited about some new things we will be starting this fall (or sometime in the fall).

 

I've created some studies which begin with one particular book and then use other books to expand on it.

 

My younger dd really loves trees!:001_smile:

 

Our American Trees by Ruth Dudley (botany study of trees)

 

with these additional stories which are all about trees:

Selections from The Storybook of Science, The Science of Everyday Things and The Story of the Bible, a folktale, poetry, a few articles/essays and a couple of selections from The Children's Hour

 

We'll also be reading "Tree and Leaf" with "On Fairy Stories" and "Leaf and Niggle" by J. R. R. Tolkien (with some excerpts from LOTR and a discussion of Tolkien's love of trees...and she has already read LOTR)

 

We'll also be reading Parables of Nature because the stories have some depth for discussion (and some are about trees).

 

 

ETA: Adding Tree in the Trail to our study too...

 

My goal with my younger dd is to continue our approach of choosing literature carefully and paying close attention to what we read. In order to better challenge her, I've added more weight to our discussions. This is has been the solution I've been looking for with her. We'll read a mixture of delightful children's pieces but with deep messages and a sample of bigger pieces with which we can take our time. Then, most importantly, we will really talk about their ideas....and draw them and sometimes write about them.

 

She really wants to read Anne of Green Gables next (we are reading The Little White Horse right now...which is lovely).

 

I'm still working on this book, but so far I have this planned:

 

Anne of Green Gables

Poetry (including Tennyson)

(we'll do some recitation work with this too)

Evangeline by Longfellow (she has been asking to read this with me)

Evangeline and the Acadians by Robert Tallant (Landmark book)

In the Days of Queen Victoria by Eva March Tappan

 

I'll probably add some nature study to this too.

 

She'll continue her math, handwriting, writing/grammar using Grammarland, Imitations in Writing Greek Myths and Medieval Legends, (ILL independently), narrations and dictation, Latin, French and other things we are still working on that we won't be finished with yet.

 

I'm making changes with my older dd too, but I'm still working hard on her books.

 

If anyone has any other ideas to share about trees or Anne of Green Gables, I love the suggestions.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Kfamily

[kalanamak]

I'm weak in the knees with dread, because I kept dreaming 5th grade would be much easier on me ... more assigning and checking. I think it is going to be a LOT more work because we are definitely shifting gears into a pack of new skills.

 

I think it is the nature of our homeschool. Once kiddo gets comfy with something, I tighten up a notch, and we start the cycle again. The stakes seem higher, though.

[Kfamily]

Yes, this is what I've been noticing...

I kept thinking that as my girls both got older, my work would get a little easier (although I was worried about high school) but this has proven to be completely the opposite.:001_smile:

[Closeacademy]

I had my oldest do the online public school last year and this year we are back to homeschooling but she may do up to 1/2 of her stuff through the local co-op.

 

I'm actually looking forward to this year, the last couple have been rather bumpy.:001_smile:

[....]

I'm going to try a couple of new scheduling ideas this fall. My biggest problem in homeschooling is getting into a comfortable schedule and fitting ALL of the kids in there. No curriculum changes...but I build our curriculum, so it's tailored to each kid, anyway.

 

I'm teaching K, 2nd, 4th and 5th...so I worked out time slots for the K-er. the 2nd grader and the 4th grader-5th grader are combined. I'm working with the K-er and 2nd grader first thing in the morning, because that's when they're at their best. The older kids need downtime in the morning, so they won't start working until about 11:00.

 

Also (and I'm not sure if this is going to work), I set up the older kids' schedule into quarters. We seem to need alot of time for experiments, projects, etc. So, I divided the school year into 3 quarters (each lasting 3 months). The first quarter is Science. For 3 months, after we finish our 3 Rs, we're going to work thru science topics. The second quarter is History and Geography. The third quarter is Art and Art History.

 

My younger kids usually work off a schedule that looks like a Charlotte Mason schedule.

 

Most people have curriculum woes...I have scheduling woes. :tongue_smilie:

[Kfamily]

I think your new schedule ideas sound really interesting...

I did something similar for this year too. We rotate art, music, Shakespeare, Plutarch and nature study. We still struggle with fitting these into our week.

 

 

Christy, I know what you mean about bumpy years...

I hope this year goes well for you and your family.

[Kelly1730]

Big changes for us as we head into the logic stage this year (5th grade). Up until now we've been fairly Charlotte Mason focused now we are shifting gears to a more classical focus. We are adding Latin, Logic and a new writing program as well as beginning the outlining skills that WTM recommends.

 

I'm excited about it; I don't think the boys have a clue;)

[Mommee & Baba]

Def. some changes going on this upcoming year and already actually!

 

I'm adjusting to my dc's needs more so than my own. I know how I like to teach and I know how each of my dc need to be taught. I've finally got somethings figured out.

 

The biggest adjustment this year and for next year is to realize that no matter the subject for dd9, she needs me there by her side 99% of the time. It's not because she can't do it, it's because she NEEDS me there! I've come to accept this and it's been an eye opener for the both of us. :001_smile:

 

My middler is a very independant worker! She does like me to be with her doing reading, but could be left alone for the rest of her school work if I let her. Now that I've got this much figured out I can relax and give her extra work to do while she waits for me if I'm busy with her older sister and she's the child that WON'T fuss about it! She'll bounce up and down for more work!:lol:

 

DS is getting my "I learned my lesson" schooling approach. I started him with reading lessons at the beginning of this week. He's also started a few days a week getting to know the C-rods to be prepared for Miquon. It's been a FUN approach and really makes me spend that extra TIME that's needed on allowing him to go at HIS pace! Something I really didn't allow with both dd's when they were younger. I threw my hands up in the air with teaching reading and math because they weren't going at MY pace. It's had them struggling reading. I wanted to start ds off on a different note.

 

Now I'm slowing WAY down for ALL of my kids! Finally going into our 6th year of homeschooling I can OFFICIALLY say this is a pleasant journey. And I wouldn't change this ONE in a lifetime chance for ANYTHING!

[swellmomma]

The biggest change is that roughly 1/2 of the big kids classwork will be online studies through our school board. I am preparing them for high school (not sure yet if they will do online, b&m or coorespondence for high school yet so doing online due to the steeper learning curve). I am not particularily thrilled about it, but they are. With the way diplomas and subsequently college admissions in my province are handled it is vital that these next 2 years are spent transitioning to online and meeting outside demands, as well as catching up in weak areas.

 

There is no significant changes for the little kids, and nothing else changing for the bigs. The subjects not being done online will be with what we have found works and simply doing the next thing.

[Cinder]

I'm changing some things for next year. I only had dd at home this year; thought first grade would be a breeeze. Well, it wasn't. We used Abeka for phonics and math and while she learned fine with it we found the books too colorful and distracting. Random pictures on the pages. Half the answers were to be written in a picture with a blank in it. My sons did fine with Abeka so I didn't think about it, but dd is a very creative type and she has to talk about those extra pictures or they might inspire her to draw something or . . .

 

So, I'm switching to Singapore math. We'll do Phonics Pathways mostly for review as she reads fairly well already. I'm considering adding FLL and a spelling program too. We will start SOTW and will add lapbooks (which I didn't do with my sons as none of us cared for them so I will have to make myself do this for dd as I think it would work with her style of learning). I haven't decided on science. We've been reading books about animals for the last few years so I'm ready to move on, at least school-wise. I hope this new plan works. I still have a suspicion that she'd like workbooks because she can see which books need to be done. She seems to need that concrete visual.

[momto2Cs]

Yes, we're changing up a few things.

 

1. We're no longer history centered, but rather literature centered. I used the Great Books Academy sample schedule as a jumping off point, meshed with Charlotte Mason, to develop this plan. We will still be covering chronological history, but it will be once a week unless the kids latch onto something and want to explore rabbit trails.

 

2. I'm not using a science program, but instead am allowing science to be interest-led, with a caveat: they must each week do some reading (or listen to me read aloud); watch a science documentary and narrate something about it (verbally or in writing/pictures); they must complete an experiment from one of our multitude of experiment books, and write up a brief lab report (ds11), or give a decent narration (dd9). I do plan to use Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding for background information and to foster connections.

 

3. Our only "formal" studies will be the basics: reading, writing, math. I wrote this blog post a couple of years ago, and am finally comfortable enough now to try it!

Edited June 7, 2012 by momto2Cs

[Karen in CO]

I'm weak in the knees with dread, because I kept dreaming 5th grade would be much easier on me ... more assigning and checking. I think it is going to be a LOT more work because we are definitely shifting gears into a pack of new skills.

 

I think it is the nature of our homeschool. Once kiddo gets comfy with something, I tighten up a notch, and we start the cycle again. The stakes seem higher, though.

Yes. I've found that once you get comfortable and figure out what to do for this stage, the kid outgrows it and is ready for more.

 

Fifth grade was a big change around here. New skills. New abilities. New needs.

[nellecv]

We're focusing more on math. This year we did very little because dd is only 6 and she's ahead of grade level. But she loves it, so next year we'll use a real curriculum and accelerate. I'm also going to try for some SLIGHTLY independent work from my little clinger.

[misidawnrn]

We are switching from the plug and chug workbook style to more of a cross between Charlotte Mason and classical. My desire is to do more reading, discussion, narration, dictation and such. The only workbook style we are still doing for next year is ABeka math. I have ABeka language as well but we are doing MCT grammar Island series and WWE-2 so I don't think we will need the ABeka Language with it.

 

For little DD I have really ramped up our hands on preschool manipulatives in a Waldorf style. I redid our school room and book shelves to incorporate them and she loves it.

 

I am also eliminating all tests except spelling! DD should be happy about that. I am hoping that through the narration, dictation, story writing, etc that I will see what she knows (CM style) rather than test on what she doesn't.

 

I am excited about the coming up year. This will be our 3rd+ year of HSing since we started in April of her K year and she is going into 3rd. When I first started out, I felt like I needed a curriculum to follow to tell me what to do. Now I want away from that and to follow our own (albeit structured) interests.

 

For science, I planned out our weeks on what we are going to read about, ie: volcanoes, tornados, etc.

[PollyOR]

Co-op was new for us last year. Though my girls (14 and 16) enjoyed the experience none of us want to lose an entire day every week. Most likely we will not continue this year.

 

I will be pushing my 10yo harder. She is a late bloomer who had me fooled. She is capable of so much more than I had imagined. She is busted! :D

[TheAutumnOak]

We are making a big change in a way I never thought I would before...I have been struggling for the past couple of years trying to figure out what will work best for us...We did TOG this year and it went fine, but everything else lacked...I found myself needing to "get TOG done" at the expense of everything else...My son's reading has improved very much and while it was not a bad experience, I want to try something different...I don't feel comfortable paying so much money and putting such an emphasis on History right now...I had looked at Memoria Press a lot, and although I am not 100% certain it will work out great for us, we are giving the packages a try...I have worked out a plan for my oldest because his skills doesn't fit nicely into one of their packages...He will use mostly MP stuff but with Elemental Science added on...My middle son needs a small adjustment (still trying to figure that one out), and my youngest will do their K as written...

 

I feel torn because I love The Well Trained Mind...I love Susan's way of explaining things, I just need more help with planning and goals...If this year goes well with Memoria, then we will stick with it...So far, I love the look of it and the staff has been very helpful...

 

I am realizing that I can't have everything...Every choice means that I must give up something...I just hope I am choosing the right things and letting go of the right things...

 

[vontinney]

I am realizing that I can't have everything...Every choice means that I must give up something...I just hope I am choosing the right things and letting go of the right things...

 

 

This is me in a nutshell...I'm learning that while I may love a curriculum that doesn't mean my kids will or it will be right for them. I know for some of you that sounds like a Duuuhh thing...lol but unfortunately I insist on going through the school of hard knocks. Maybe that's a lesson that has to be learned the hard way, I don't know but it kinda leaves me a bit at a loss for one of my children for her curriculum this year. We're going to the conference this weekend to look at some of the other things out there...we tried Sonlight with her and I was surprised it wasn't a good fit because for DS it was...go figure, right...they are individuals, after all. I love reading what everyone else has learned and what everyone else has tried here on the forums...I'm a bit of a lurker but I really have gotten so much from all of you, so thank you for sharing!

 

With DS' math I think we'll try something with a Mastery Approach (like maybe BJU). CLE wasn't a good fit and I found I had a hard time discerning whether or not he was learning anything from Fred (am I alone in this?). I posted elsewhere about the math, but we're staying with Horizons' for DD...she is excelling...and "if it ain't broke.." LOL!

[thefragile7393]

Big time.....all new curriculums. Logic and art/music study will be brand new things added in....trying to find a cheap Spanish curriculum that would be fun for the kids too. New phonics program since the last 3 bombed horribly....new math. New everything basically, except we're still going to use Ambleside Online and Queen's Language Lessons and Printing with Pictures....everything else has changed.

[birchbark]

1. We're no longer history centered, but rather literature centered. I used the Great Books Academy sample schedule as a jumping off point, meshed with Charlotte Mason, to develop this plan. We will still be covering chronological history, but it will be once a week unless the kids latch onto something and want to explore rabbit trails.

 

 

I am probably going to be doing something similar. I've been going back and forth the last few months on whether to leave HoD after using it three years. The Circe thread started me re-thinking my philosophy in March, and now it looks like I may be short on money and time this year, both of which you need to do HoD in full! :D

 

I want to focus on math (continuing with Singapore), LA (new choices for us), and classic lit (going off on our own; I wish I could afford TTC right now). I'm thinking of block scheduling history and science. We will probably get the spines from HoD's Rev2Rev, so we'll still be on the cycle, but no schedule and no notebooking.

 

It's not set in stone yet, but that's the way I'm leaning.

 

Also adding in a K-er! That will be a new dynamic.

[Cinder]

1. We're no longer history centered, but rather literature centered. I used the Great Books Academy sample schedule as a jumping off point, meshed with Charlotte Mason, to develop this plan. We will still be covering chronological history, but it will be once a week unless the kids latch onto something and want to explore rabbit trails.

 

 

Thanks for this link. It's giving me something more to think about.

[Hedgehogs4]

Yes, we're changing up a few things.

 

1. We're no longer history centered, but rather literature centered.

 

I have come to a similar conclusion for this year. I read the Read Aloud Handbook and am currently reading Deconstructing Penguins and I really feel that while a history spine for our studies is great, literature is the soul of the people who experience the history. I am going to emphasize the books we are reading for literature in TOG and let history just be the background information for the things we will be reading.

 

We are making a big change in a way I never thought I would before...I have been struggling for the past couple of years trying to figure out what will work best for us...We did TOG this year and it went fine, but everything else lacked...I found myself needing to "get TOG done" at the expense of everything else...

 

I can understand this. I am making some changes within how we do TOG (above) but will still use it because they are so complete. I think will not try to eat the whole elephant this year...I know this is a common mistake with people who do TOG--that they can't pare it down--and the funny thing is I thought I was! Even so, I am going to pare down even more.

[sewingmama]

We school Jan-Dec so we are halfway through our year. I'm about to revamp EVERYTHING :glare: My DD is just not the learner I thought she was -she needs different methods of instruction and more social interaction. She is also way behind in gross and fine motor skills meaning I need to back off on writing and do more things orally. She is really bored because the work she is doing is too easy and she can't advance as she wants to because she is struggling with the writing which is holding her back. She could fly through 6 pages of ETC a day but because of the writing is only doing 1 page - which makes it tedious and fraught with many tantrums of frustration. :glare:

 

I also need to quit looking at where other 6yo's are and quit trying to compare her to children at school and trying to make sure she is up with everyone else. I need to teach "her" where she is at and not where I "think" she should be. :chillpill:

[didadeewiththree]

I've learned so much this year (especially how much I still need to learn)!

 

Is anyone else making some adjustments to their whole approach to teaching? I still have a long way to go, but I do feel as if I'm making some changes for the better. And while I'm not necessarily making a lot of changes with curricula, I would say I'm changing how I use curricula and how I use books.

 

 

My younger dd is really excited about some new things we will be starting this fall (or sometime in the fall).

 

I've created some studies which begin with one particular book and then use other books to expand on it.

 

My younger dd reallly loves trees!:001_smile:

 

Our American Trees by Ruth Dudley (botany study of trees)

 

with these additional stories:

Selections from The Storybook of Science, The Science of Everyday Things and The Story of the Bible, a folktale, poetry, a few articles/essays and a couple of selections from The Children's Hour

 

We'll also be reading "Tree and Leaf" with "On Fairy Stories" and "Leaf and Niggle" by J. R. R. Tolkien (with some excerpts from LOTR and a discussion of Tolkien's love of trees...and she has already read LOTR)

 

We'll also be reading Parables of Nature because the stories have some depth for discussion (and some are about trees).

 

My goal with my younger dd is to continue our approach of choosing literature carefully and paying close attention to what we read. In order to better challenge her, I've added more weight to our discussions. This is has been the solution I've been looking for with her. We'll read a mixture of delightful children's pieces but with deep messages and a sample of bigger pieces with which we can take our time. Then, most importantly, we will really talk about their ideas....and draw them and sometimes write about them.

 

She really wants to read Anne of Green Gables next (we are reading The Little White Horse right now...which is lovely).

 

I'm still working on this book, but so far I have this planned:

 

Anne of Green Gables

Poetry (including Tennyson)

(we'll do some recitation work with this too)

Evangeline by Longfellow (she has been asking to read this with me)

Evangeline and the Acadians by Robert Tallant (Landmark book)

In the Days of Queen Victoria by Eva March Tappan

 

I'll probably add some nature study to this too.

 

She'll continue her math, handwriting, writing/grammar using Grammarland, Imitations in Writing Greek Myths and Medieval Legends, (ILL independently), narrations and dictation, Latin, French and other things we are still working on that we won't be finished with yet.

 

I'm making changes with my older dd too, but I'm still working hard on her books.

 

If anyone has any other ideas to share about trees or Anne of Green Gables, I love the suggestions.

 

This might be a good book for you guys to read...

 

 

"The history of the Great Plains and the Santa Fe Trail is told in text and pictures by focusing on a cottonwood tree and the events that happen around it. Illustrated.

 

I havnt read it yet, but this book is on my want list.

[Mississippi Mama]

I'm going to try a couple of new scheduling ideas this fall. My biggest problem in homeschooling is getting into a comfortable schedule and fitting ALL of the kids in there. No curriculum changes...but I build our curriculum, so it's tailored to each kid, anyway.

 

 

Most people have curriculum woes...I have scheduling woes. :tongue_smilie:

 

Me too! I'm always tweaking the schedule/routine.

 

This year I'm going to try to put my toddler first to get him happy for the next few hours:tongue_smilie:

[Kfamily]

Wow, so many things to which I can relate....

 

I was also very influenced by the thread about Circe...love the lectures and ideas...so we are becoming more focused on literature and on depth...

 

 

I have a late bloomer here too....I told her I was on to her too..I still have to do this...

 

I definitely feel stongly about the idea of teaching where the child is....

 

Thanks for reminding me about Tree in the Trail!!!!:001_smile: I have that book and was going to do Paddle to the Sea next, but you're right it will tie with our study of Trees!

[happycc]

Well I think I would be automatically be revamping things this year as :

1) my son won;t have five hours of ABA therapy a day

2) I will be giving birth during Thanksgiving

3)We might be in the middle of a move during this time

4)my kids are not as enamoured with homeschooling anymore (last year was our first year)

5)I have to start including some kind of learning for my preschooler so he doesn't feel so left out

 

I am thinking of doing a unit study like Prairie Primer after having the baby and putting Story of the World, Latin, Logic, Art, Music, WWE and Elemental Science on hold. I would have them do some narrations based on the books and copywork and dictations.

 

What says you experienced mamas out there?

 

That way I can stay in bed with baby and nurse and just read out loud. HA!

How long can I get away with this before our charter school will freak out?

[Element]

This upcoming year will be my first of hs'ing both kids (dd will not be returning to ps in the fall.) Ds likes to work hard and learn nonstop. Dd likes to ride her bike and live in happy, fairy, bubble rainbow world where no schoolwork exists. I have no idea how this is going to work out. Also, Dh just began training for a management position which will put him.... somewhere in the Midwest. Where? Right here where we already live? 15+ Hours away? We have no idea and we won't find out until September, when it's time to move (or not move! Who knows?) So that's a fun bunch of upcoming uncertainty. Because of this mess of newness, I'm going to just try to "keep calm and carry on."

[LittleIzumi]

I also need to quit looking at where other 6yo's are and quit trying to compare her to children at school and trying to make sure she is up with everyone else. I need to teach "her" where she is at and not where I "think" she should be.

 

:iagree: Me too.

 

Well I think I would be automatically be revamping things this year as :

1) my son won;t have five hours of ABA therapy a day

2) I will be giving birth during Thanksgiving

3)We might be in the middle of a move during this time

4)my kids are not as enamoured with homeschooling anymore (last year was our first year)

5)I have to start including some kind of learning for my preschooler so he doesn't feel so left out

 

I am thinking of doing a unit study like Prairie Primer after having the baby and putting Story of the World, Latin, Logic, Art, Music, WWE and Elemental Science on hold. I would have them do some narrations based on the books and copywork and dictations.

 

What says you experienced mamas out there?

 

That way I can stay in bed with baby and nurse and just read out loud. HA!

How long can I get away with this before our charter school will freak out?

 

:grouphug: I think that's a great idea. Personally, we're "in attendance" at homeschool every day. We live here & we learn something every day. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

 

For us, one huge difference is that my oldest is now on ADD medication, after trying natural stuff and other modifications for the last year or two. We will actually to be able to get work done!! And she can do something things while I go change a diaper and still be doing them when I get back!!! (Before it was a huge battle to do anything even when I was sitting next to her the whole time & redirecting her back to the page constantly.) And she can do multi-step problems now! :party: So that will be AWESOME.

 

Also, she will not be going to an all-day charter school program one day a week that is 40 min away. :glare: She might be taking one or two classes at a much closer charter school (they have dance & ASL!), but I don't like losing a whole day.

 

Also, they are both done with preschool (older was a teacher's helper), so that will free up a lot of time.

 

On the downside, The Love will be 2. That should be self-explanatory. :lol:

 

I plan to stick with the same basic flow we had at the end of the last school year... but who am I kidding? I change things constantly. :lol::lol: I will be adding in writing for my oldest--before it was a huge battle & wasn't worth it.

[Abbeygurl4]

I am probably going to be doing something similar. I've been going back and forth the last few months on whether to leave HoD after using it three years. The Circe thread started me re-thinking my philosophy in March, and now it looks like I may be short on money and time this year, both of which you need to do HoD in full! :D

 

I want to focus on math (continuing with Singapore), LA (new choices for us), and classic lit (going off on our own; I wish I could afford TTC right now). I'm thinking of block scheduling history and science. We will probably get the spines from HoD's Rev2Rev, so we'll still be on the cycle, but no schedule and no notebooking.

 

It's not set in stone yet, but that's the way I'm leaning.

 

Also adding in a K-er! That will be a new dynamic.

 

After reading LCC, I decided HOD is not the direction I want to go. I sold CTC for the second and FINAL time and I bought MP's 4th grade package. I'm loving what I see!

[FairProspects]

We are changing a lot. For my older, I have to make school less verbal. The classical idea of a language-based education just does not work for a kid with a language-based processing disorder who thinks in pictures. We have to go more STEM-based or I will lose his love of learning altogether. I don't want to drop classical completely, but writing will have to be completely out of the box and narration is out. We will also go to a major part of our time being spent in integrated project-based learning - with writing, science, and history.

 

I'm hoping I can pick up the classical style again more with my younger. :D

[fourcatmom]

I am going to be switching things up as well.

1. A schedule for the day - we did it at the end of this year and both kids liked it

2. Monthly nature studies

3. More literature

4. Leaning more towards CM style with notebooking, narration, copywork - realized this year that this works better for my kids

5. planned days off - purpose driven field trips or days out

6. More outside time / social opportunities

7. Monthly lessons in what they are interested in learning

8. Better organized and hopefully healthy Mom :001_smile:

 

 

[LAS in LA]

OP,

I haven't read all the replies yet, but thought I'd mention my favorite tree book. It's a beautiful coffee-table book called "Remarkable Trees of Virginia", but you don't have to be a Virginian to enjoy it! The photographs are fantastic and there are many stories about the trees and what makes them remarkable. Perhaps your dd would like it, too?

[Kfamily]

Thanks! I found this at Amazon and it does look like something she would like. :001_smile:

[LAS in LA]

Thanks! I found this at Amazon and it does look like something she would like. :001_smile:

 

Great! I hope she does.

[Mom-2-7]

Our curriculum will stay the same for the most part. Our schedule will change.

 

This past year we seemed to spend the whole year in the house with our noses stuck in books. I don't feel like we experienced much of life. That's not what I want for our school.

 

This year our schedule will be:

Monday - very rigorous school day

Tuesday - Moderate - hoping to include "Tuesday tea and poetry" where we have a tea party and each read a poem.

Wednesday - individual projects. Each child researches a subject of interest and puts together some sort of presentation. The research can be over several weeks. This will also be our "good works Wednesday". We will do something good for someone outside our family. Maybe random acts of kindness or volunteer work.

Thursday- very rigorous school

Friday - Moderate or off

 

I'm hoping this will allow for lots of field trips and spiritual and emotional growth.

[fourcatmom]

This sounds like a great idea! Thanks for sharing.

 

 

Our curriculum will stay the same for the most part. Our schedule will change.

 

This past year we seemed to spend the whole year in the house with our noses stuck in books. I don't feel like we experienced much of life. That's not what I want for our school.

 

This year our schedule will be:

Monday - very rigorous school day

Tuesday - Moderate - hoping to include "Tuesday tea and poetry" where we have a tea party and each read a poem.

Wednesday - individual projects. Each child researches a subject of interest and puts together some sort of presentation. The research can be over several weeks. This will also be our "good works Wednesday". We will do something good for someone outside our family. Maybe random acts of kindness or volunteer work.

Thursday- very rigorous school

Friday - Moderate or off

 

I'm hoping this will allow for lots of field trips and spiritual and emotional growth.

[Hunter]

I think if something were working too well, I'd change it because I'd be bored. There is just no end to my fickle changes :-0 There just always seems to be a reason to change something. Sigh!

[Pen]

Yes, probably. But I don't know what yet.

[kalanamak]

Big changes for us as we head into the logic stage this year (5th grade). Up until now we've been fairly Charlotte Mason focused now we are shifting gears to a more classical focus. We are adding Latin, Logic and a new writing program as well as beginning the outlining skills that WTM recommends.

 

 

This sounds very much like what I'm doing.

Would you list your curriculum choices, please??

[Medieval Mom]

Yes, we're changing up a few things.

 

1. We're no longer history centered, but rather literature centered. I used the Great Books Academy sample schedule as a jumping off point, meshed with Charlotte Mason, to develop this plan. We will still be covering chronological history, but it will be once a week unless the kids latch onto something and want to explore rabbit trails.

 

2. I'm not using a science program, but instead am allowing science to be interest-led, with a caveat: they must each week do some reading (or listen to me read aloud); watch a science documentary and narrate something about it (verbally or in writing/pictures); they must complete an experiment from one of our multitude of experiment books, and write up a brief lab report (ds11), or give a decent narration (dd9). I do plan to use Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding for background information and to foster connections.

 

3. Our only "formal" studies will be the basics: reading, writing, math. I wrote this blog post a couple of years ago, and am finally comfortable enough now to try it!

 

I'm seriously considering doing something similar. We're not history-centered, but I miss all the reading we did in second grade. I think I need to trim... :)

[SorrelZG]

I've decided to let go of some "ideals" and surrender myself to curricula and methods more natural to my own bent and/or more suitable to my children or circumstances. I've been terrible about collecting curricula that is awesome in theory but in practice just complicates my life and weighs me down with guilt and for some reason it kept creeping into my plans.

 

Last night I pulled out my favored (2nd) edition of WTM and the writing plan in there gave me much more peace than the plan I've had. I need to be able to educate from a state of rest and peace. I'm going to stop forgetting that.

[moonlight]

She could fly through 6 pages of ETC a day but because of the writing is only doing 1 page - which makes it tedious and fraught with many tantrums of frustration. :glare:

 

have you looked at explode the code online? it would take away the writing aspect of the program, i would think. i'm going to look at it for my 5 year old too who has the same problem..

 

seema

[Cinder]

She could fly through 6 pages of ETC a day but because of the writing is only doing 1 page - which makes it tedious and fraught with many tantrums of frustration. :glare:

 

 

I had used Abeka with ds1; handwriting was easy for him. But for ds2 handwriting was such hard work. So I switched to Phonics Pathways and FLL. He did great with it since we did a lot of it orally. It also helped him to have more handwriting energy to get his math done.

[happypamama]

I'm making a few changes, using several new items, and tweaking a few things to reflect my children's changing skills and interests, but adding things like WWE to beef up their writing skills. However, the biggest change is to our daily schedule. Instead of trying to schedule music and science into our regular days, and feeling like I've failed because we didn't get to it, I'm scheduling those for Fridays. So Friday will have none of the usual work, but we'll have more time (and, more importantly, energy on my part) for science projects, music, and educational games, as well as a built-in catch-up for anything not finished during the week. I hope that will also be an incentive to my children, not to dawdle during the week so that they have Friday free for fun stuff.

[melmichigan]

We are making some big changes here, mostly in mathematics and writing. Everyone will be doing some CW next year.

 

My oldest DD did very well with AoPS, so now we know she is more than capable and she likes the discovery method.

 

My DD twin whom we were told to give a calculator to last summer is now doing 2 digit mental +/- and we have found the miquon/mortensen methods to be making multiplication and division much easier. It feels like a breakthrough. Her twin is getting lazy with mental math so she will be doing more of it.

 

My oldest DS lives math and I have to just let him go.

 

I almost forgot, I will now be teaching all five...

Edited June 9, 2012 by melmichigan

[missmoe]

.

 

If anyone has any other ideas to share about trees or Anne of Green Gables, I love the suggestions.

 

Once Upon a Tree: Life from Treetop to Root Tips by James B. Nardi. This book is out of print, but is worth looking for used.

[Kfamily]

I checked and can get this from Amazon...thanks....this sounds good and I love the ecology aspect since I wanted to cover that too.

[Embassy]

I'm making a few changes. I moved my oldest child out of the school room to his own private study space in his bedroom. He does all his independent work there now and has some homework that is is responsible to complete before school the next day.

 

I am changing my approach with my second child. I combined my two older children for most of the content subjects, but their learning styles are opposite. I will be having him do project-based work and am choosing curricula suitable for his creative mind.

 

I'm adding a 3rd child to the mix. She started mid-year 2011-2012 and it has been a struggle finding time for all 3. Because of this I am going to be having my older two children use more independent curricula for some subjects.

[NatashainDFW]

We are changing a lot lol. We had a laid back first year but will be hitting school hard this coming year. I will be printing out worksheets, color sheets and the like over the next few months plus binding each level of MM together so that school is open and go. With a laid out plan, paperwork already together so all I have to do is go pick up some books from the library each week will insure school work gets done each day. We are also adding in foreign language and more hands on science. This year DS read a ton of books on dinosaurs for science and we called it good. I am also purchasing ALL of MM so that there is no holding him back in his math. He can only move so far forward when I don't have supplies available for him and he is ready to be turned loose.

[ChicoryChick]

I too will be leaving HOD after a 4 year run. I love HOD but feel the need for change as we come to a different season in out life. I feel it has given me the confidence I need to put together my own choices in curriculumi will also be opening up a new chapter in my life with my oldest going into High School. She will be using MFW AHL. My next two will be using MOH for history (supplemented with library books that coordinate with the topic) and Christian Kids Explore (supplemented with Elementary Apologia). We are definitely more a workbook type family and the Bright Ideas Press books give us that feel while be more toward the Living, Charlotte Mason fee. My 4th child will be doing Story of the World and Apologia. It will be the first time that all my kids (except my Kindergartner who will be doing FIAR) will be doing the same time period. We will be focusing on areas that I am weak in teaching such as writing using IEW (it has been the only writing curriculum that my oldest dd did not complain about). I am feeling confident about our new choices, just need to figure out how I am going to organize my time between teaching 5 children this year. I have been rereading the WTM to help fill in areas where I feel like there has been holes (not HODs fault, but my putting off stuff) . So lots of changes here, but I am very excited about them.