Anyone else VERY excited about next year?

[momto2Cs]

I'm really looking forward to the fall! My plans are all coming together nicely, and the kids are excited too, which is awesome!

 

We're going to be integrating an Afternoon [Morning] Basket, and I'm creating my own Narnia study. Lots of good literature to funnel into this study! Running everything loosely off this schedule.

 

Last point of contention is once-weekly history... down to three options, all vintage:

1. Builders of the Old World (world history up to Age of Exploration)

2. The Rainbow Book of American History (which dd loves the looks of)

3. Various Landmark and World Landmark books depending on child interest.

 

I know I'll figure this out before too long! Anyhow, I'm content with the rest, and looking forward to it.

 

Are you excited about your plans?

[FairyMom]

I'm very, very excited! We are doing a pre-history/evolution study right now, then in the fall will go directly into Oak Meadow 1 & 3. :)

[QTMom]

I am really excited too!!! I have received almost all of our new curriculum for the upcoming school year and I love the looks of everything I have chosen. I am wanting to start back so bad, but I know my kids need the summer for a break. My kids were so burned out by our old curriculum and it has been really neat to see them getting excited when the new boxes arrive with their new things for next year. I just hope everything meets or exceeds our expectations.

[Kfamily]

Your plans look great...I don't think you could go wrong with any of your history choices.:001_smile:

 

We're so excited to begin our new stuff too. With our big move (and other ones before it), we've been off-track long enough to want to finish the original plans and begin the new.

[Mélie]

I am! We're actually starting next week, so I don't have too long to wait. :)

[Ecclecticmum]

We started 4 weeks ago :tongue_smilie: Our year is all out of whack. I'm actually purchasing stuff for "next" year now as well :001_huh: We should be caught up by the next year, but its confused my head. Unfortunately I can only purchase the bulk of the curriculum once a year.

 

Both years should be fun though, so yes I'm excited too :D

[Hoot]

I am RIDICULOUSLY excited. This is our first year since way back in kindergarten and I can't wait. By the way, I LOVE that morning basket idea and will be incorporating it here too. I think it would be a great way to get in all of those little things that tend to fall by the wayside. DS and I are both very early risers so it would be perfect first thing in the morning.

 

So. Excited.

[lillehei]

So excited that we start today! Pus, I have been up since 4:30 am thinking about our agenda and hoping its enough/not enough. I hope I can fall back to sleep lol

[helena]

I am! :seeya:

I just printed and cut out all of next year's poetry stuff, and my year long study of the orchestra, ballet, and opera is falling in to place.

 

Today I switched out our history books (middle ages for early modern).

 

Tomorrow I order our planners and organize Gardening Wizardry for Kids (http://www.amazon.com/Gardening-Wizardry-Kids-Patricia-Kite/dp/0812013174) into a year long experience.

I've been wanting to do that gardening book since someone here turned me on to it a few years ago. I don't care if it's on the younger side for my kids. It looks like fun!!

 

 

Getting very excited!

[threedogfarm]

What a great post--a source of inspiration. I have something similar to a morning/afternoon basket but with the resources you listed I can certainly add and improve it. That schedule you listed works really well--we follow a very similar one except Friday is off for us and we intersperse the Friday activities throughout the week. Language arts doesn't take us quite as long. But I really like schooling that way--it works and everything gets done. If we have someplace we need to go Art/Music can be taken away and placed on Friday or history can be shortened (addn'l reading can take place another day and/or later in the day). So it works and my children (just a year off from your children's age) love the extra day off (Fridays). They think of it as their private day b/c Saturday and Sunday are more like family days since my husband is off.

 

We work through the summer just taking a week or two off in spots for a camp or a break but we do have an element of "unschooling" in our education plans in that we often take days off throughout the year to ski, field trips, a planned break that gets everyone through the week and of course some travel. So we're starting next week.

 

Narnia as a spine sounds wonderful. I will have to look into that in the future. I'll read your blog to see what you are doing with it. My son is going to do a big study on World War II this year and that may be a good jumping off point and touchstone. Hmmm. . .I will have to start reading some of the in depth analyses on the series and C.S. Lewis biographies. . .

[Kathryn]

Me! And we start today!

[DawnM]

Oh good grief, NO! I dread it, seriously dread it. I don't even want to do it. If I could farm out every class at this point, I would.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[Another Lynn]

I am also nervous. It seems our starts are always a bit bumpy.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

 

Tomorrow I order our planners and organize Gardening Wizardry for Kids (http://www.amazon.com/Gardening-Wizardry-Kids-Patricia-Kite/dp/0812013174) into a year long experience.

Getting very excited!

 

Thanks for this link! We just started a garden, and I would love to get the kids more involved.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Also, I am very excited. This year is my first "real" year, with a young first grader (technically he's K, but he missed the cutoff by a month, and he enjoys learning, so...) and a Pre-K. (and a baby)

 

I finally decided to go with SOTW for history, so I'm waiting for that in the mail, otherwise, all is ready! We'll probably get going in mid-August.

[Nestof3]

I am excited to start a new science -- Middle School Chemistry by ACS and the two Ellen McHenry resources for chemistry.

 

I am also excited for Nathan to branch out on his own in history using Joy Hakim's books and resources for the next two years. I think he will do great going solo. It will be nice to keep trying to introduce Ben to an overall history -- he is much less academic and needs more one-on-one attention.

 

We are also using the Holling C. Holling books with the mapping/study guide from Beautiful Feet, so I think that will be enjoyable.

 

Nathan starts pre-algebra (Algebra 1/2), so I can see high school on the horizon. ;)

 

The rest is pretty much do the next thing, but I enjoy it all. I wish my kids were as enthusiastic as I. I also wish I just had more time in a day or wore fewer hats. :tongue_smilie:

[Desert Strawberry]

Me! This will be our first year fully.classical. I'm;really looking forward to starting with my first grader.

[Lily_Grace]

I can't wait! I watched the lightbulb click a few weeks ago with The Teen and it's going to make all the difference. We had a hard year this past year - with a lot of subjects, but especially logic across the board. History was feeling rote. Science was pushed. He just didn't make the connections underneath and understand nuances. And then it hit him like a ton of bricks and he's been on the ball ever since.

 

We've scrapped much of the curriculum we've used in the past, switching to Learning Adventures as a jumping point next year and adding in Classic Science and tons of history supplements, all of which I think he'll really enjoy. :001_smile: He's more happy about getting two maths (algebra and geometry) and Alice programming. :D It's going to be hard to wait until September!

[ThelmaLou]

I'm cautiously optimistic. This coming year holds lots of potential. My oldest 2 boys (almost 17 and 15) will be attending a University Model School for the first time. That leaves me with just 3 boys at home during the day. DS#3 will be adding 2 more co-op classes, which means he'll be largely independent. Have some training issues I really need to focus on with DS#4, and DS#5 will be starting "real" school at home in kindergarten. So...back to square one in homeschooling for the little guy. Having two boys out of the house and off my plate academically will be nice, though the school schedule, sports schedule, and social activities might just do me in. I don't think I'll be any less busy, but I'm hopeful about the variety.

[Deniseibase]

I'm excited! And so is my first grader! He LOVES to learn and is a real joy to teach - he keeps telling me that he can't wait until August, and can we please do some homeschool now? (So of course we do!! :) ) He is a very hands-on little guy, so we get to do all the fun stuff in SOTW 1 Activity Book - archaeology digs and mummified chickens, here we come! :)

 

Now my 7th grader is another story!! :lol: She's not looking forward to this year because she knows she's going to have to tackle a few of her least favorite things, like writing, and develop some better work habits. But, I think she also knows that she is mature enough for more and I think she is looking forward to some of things we'll be doing, even if she's not as enthused as the six year old :D

[2_girls_mommy]

I am very excited, but very nervous. I was mostly nervous just because my oldest is starting logic stage, and we are adding several things to the schedule :Spanish, Bible, Logic, and of course she is progressing into First Form Latin, and I have to keep up with that to teach it. But I was very excited about the materials I chose this year, especially science.

 

Now I am nervous because I have agreed to keep a 3.5 yr old for most of the week during the year (if the job comes through for the mom that she expects.) I am really excited to have the income. I am excited because I love the girl, and I get to do 3 yr old things.

 

But I am also tired during the year from all that I already do: scouts, church, co-op, homeschool. Now I am adding on entertaining and teaching a 3 yr old who highly distracts my ydd when ydd needs to be working.

 

It will be a challenge. I hope I am up for it. There was a thread on here a while back encouraging others to NOT take on extra preschoolers that aren't yours, and that has stuck with me. But it is something I feel called to do. Partly because she is family, and I don't want her in daycare, and I want this time to spend with her while she is little like I did her older sisters a long time ago.

 

I am excited about dd9's (will be dd10's) science still. And I am excited that dd7 (will be 8 ) may be able to do science in co-op, so that I don't have to plan much for her at home. That will help my load a little. Now to dig up all of my old preschool stuff. Good thing I am a pack rat and mostly just packed it up, and didn't sell much of it!

[Pamela H in Texas]

We are starting over! preK, Kindy and 1st graders (and 12th grader should be done by end of year!). To be honest, I'm a little nervous! How silly is that, a woman who has graduated one, is graduating another, is nervous about homeschooling?

 

I am excited about what we're doing also. We have fun materials. With Elemental Intro to Science, we are starting at the end. We got two Bettas on our kitchen table now, watching them, learning more about their gills. Now the kids have me looking up all sorts of fish things I didn't know. LOL Hopefully, we can find some caterpillars for the next week :)

 

I"m looking forward to the history also. And reading. Art should be fun too.

[Hoot]

That Morning Basket idea so inspired me that I put one together this morning with a schedule for each of our 4 terms. I've attached the print-out of each term's items if anyone else is interested. :001_smile:

Attachments_2012_07_2.zip

Attachments_2012_07_2.zip

[Dmmetler]

I'm extremely excited. DD wants to do a National Mythology Exam study group, and it looks like it's coming together. DD SO wants friends who have some intellectual interests in common with her, and I hope this will help provide that.

 

However, before I get to fall, I have a week of piano camp (as faculty), a homeschool group getting started meeting, and two weeks of visiting relatives to survive. July is pretty busy!

[edeemarie]

I am very excited and ready to go! We will start next week. I am hoping for great things! My kids actually don't seem to mind school work anymore since I am much more relaxed about the "extras"- meaning if they don't get done, they don't get done. We concentrate on the basics, read a lot, and let the rest fall into place. This will be our first year with MFW (the last 4 years we had used HOD) and it is always exciting to find something new! I just need to quit adding more things to what I want to do!:tongue_smilie:

[sunnylady303]

If I don't have to work full time I will be so excited! :) We are starting TOG this year and Latin. So fun! If I have to work, I will be less excited.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I'm cautiously optimistic.

 

I like this. It is probably the most accurate way of describing how I feel as well.

 

I'm excited about all of our material...looking forward to implementing it and learning some new things myself. I have a new 9th grader that I'm nervous about. Worried that what I've planned is enough but not too much. My 7th grader has made some big leaps in behavior this past year, and we've overcome some learning issues so I'm hopeful that we will be able to have a really great year as far as stretching her and getting her into a better academic position for starting highschool in 2 years. I'm most excited about my 4th grader. Her year is going to revolve around the literary theme of fairytales, myths and legends...I think it is going to be incredibly fun. My 1st grader should be interesting. I'm excited to be starting PAL with him, however, I'm not sure he is as excited. It's hard to teach a dc enthusiastically when he just wants to get done. Then of coarse there's the 3yo. She will be turning 4 in December. I'm hoping, praying, wishing that she will be a little less disruptive this year. She is the proverbial thorn in our homeschool day. We will also be doing a co-op on Mon.(enrichment only) and be out of the house until almost noon on Fri. so I'm nervous about only having 3 full days at home.

 

Yes, I would say that cautiously optimistic is accurate.

[helena]

Thanks for this link! We just started a garden, and I would love to get the kids more involved.

 

If you all don't mind me going OT for a sec. :001_smile:

 

Monica, you might want to check these other fun gardening books.

Last year we did a book called Sow and Grow. It's also for the younger set. We had a great time with it, and I appreciated that it was broken down by months (less pressure to rush).

http://www.amazon.com/Sow-Grow-Gardening-Book-Children/dp/1584796731/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341251016&sr=1-1&keywords=sow+and+grow

 

Next year, (or this year if Gardening Wizardry goes quicker than I thought) we're doing Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots.

http://www.amazon.com/Roots-Shoots-Buckets-Boots-Gardening/dp/0761110569/ref=pd_sim_b_3

hth

[Joani]

I'm very, very excited, and a tiny, tiny bit nervous. :)

 

I'll have six at home this year instead of two, so it could be a major trainwreck, but I'm excited anyway!

[mom24cuties]

I am super excited. We start August 6th!!!! I am also super nervous. We are currently doing summer school, but we only do math, reading, sotw, and child led unit studies, so we will just have to fold in the rest of the subjects.

[lindblomnest]

I'm cautiously optimistic. This coming year holds lots of potential.

:iagree:

We are starting 1st grade for our 6 year old, and a little pre-k for our 4 year old. I'm excited about all the great curriculum and activities I have planned, but am nervous about how all this is going to function in the midst of the tornado that our almost 2 year old is.

I guess trying to figure out what our "schedule" is going to look like is the only thing making me nervous at this point.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I am so excited! This will be the first year that all three kids are officially on board full-time, as DS6 will be doing 1st grade. I have learned over the course of the past few years that I have to have my schedules and plans ready to go, so I've worked extra hard on that this year.

 

We are going to be doing a unit study on physical and cultural geography starting July 5, then adding in the Olympics when it begins. After that, we'll take a short break and dive into our regularly planned year. Since we moved into a bigger house, I now have a "homeschool suite" (aka the formal living and dining room) to work in, giving us lots of physical and mental space. We also have a super long hallway that DH is going to put the book rails in but this time we're going to use them for an art gallery for the kids. DD is beside herself over this. :tongue_smilie:

 

Tomorrow I order our planners and organize Gardening Wizardry for Kids (http://www.amazon.com/Gardening-Wizardry-Kids-Patricia-Kite/dp/0812013174) into a year long experience.

I've been wanting to do that gardening book since someone here turned me on to it a few years ago. I don't care if it's on the younger side for my kids. It looks like fun!!

 

You're going to love it! It's a great book! :)

[kesmom]

I am super excited for this year! We start in 3 weeks and our orders are coming this week. :D

 

:iagree:

We are starting 1st grade for our 6 year old, and a little pre-k for our 4 year old. I'm excited about all the great curriculum and activities I have planned, but am nervous about how all this is going to function in the midst of the tornado that our almost 2 year old is.

I guess trying to figure out what our "schedule" is going to look like is the only thing making me nervous at this point.

 

My kids are the exact same ages and I'm a little :eek: about the little guy. I've made a list of some rotating activities for him but it's going to be tough. My 4 year old was a dream last year. I could probably count on 1 hand the number of times he interrupted school time. He spoiled me!

[MinivanMom]

I'm so excited!

 

I was pregnant and burnt out when we finished up our year in April. I've had my baby and we've had tons of time off to bond and relax. Now the baby is sleeping well and I'm excited to get back into things. We'll be studying American history this year along with earth and space science. I just finished all of my ordering and I can't wait for boxes to start arriving.

[AngelaNYC]

I'm very excited for the new school year! Ds pretty much had all of June off, so we've decided to get a slow head start on the new stuff. A lot is changing and I want him to be fully prepared by September. We going to actually be following a schedule, lol!!

[ByGrace3]

I am so excited! Finished my purchases last week, and can't wait to receive the rest of the boxes! We have had a crazy summer and not gotten anywhere near what I thought we would done. I wanted to start last week of July but have to wait an extra week so I am kind of bummed about that. I am mostly excited about doing a SL core. :D the rest of this month will be filled with printing, spiral bounding, filing, and other preparations. So much to do! :tongue_smilie:

[Mommy22alyns]

I'm pretty excited too!

[duckens]

I'm ridiculously excited about this fall. I'm so excited, that even dd is excited about things we will do this fall!

 

Besides math and phonics, I am hoping that we will be doing a state by state study for geography, learn Spanish, and read as many Caldecott winners (or Geisel winners, or Iowa Goldfinch winners) as we can!

 

For unit studies, we will do an old Usborne system called "10 Terrific Weeks" for Apple Tree Farm, then for Ocean studies.

 

I'm wiggling like a 5yo just thinking about it all!!!!

[acablue]

I don't usually get too excited about school, but Molly is so enthusiastic that I'm actually really excited for our year. The boys are in camps on and off until mid-August, so they won't start on their new stuff until then, but Molly is already flying through what I have so far of hers. :)

[Mom22ns]

I'm in the ridiculously excited category! My kids will be in 10th and 8th grade next year. We're trying a few new things with our schedule and I'm very confident in our curriculum choices and I just can't wait!

[sewingmama]

Oh good grief, NO! I dread it, seriously dread it. I don't even want to do it. If I could farm out every class at this point, I would.

:grouphug:

 

I wanted to post something similar but didn't want to put a damper on the thread.

 

I might be excited if my DD was but she hates ANYTHING I try to do with her -it's such a stuggle. I'm a bit excited to teach my 4yo - he is always keen and co-operative but he doesn't start K till Jan next year so it will be a while to wait.

 

I'm thinking of leaning towards something similar to unschooling with my DD - except a little more teacher directed.

 

She has a lot of special needs - I'm getting worn down from dealing with them :glare: but school is just not an option for her so I trudge on. I'm stuggling to get to that place where she is happy learning -we are still looking for it.

[LittleIzumi]

 

I wanted to post something similar but didn't want to put a damper on the thread.

 

I might be excited if my DD was but she hates ANYTHING I try to do with her -it's such a stuggle. I'm a bit excited to teach my 4yo - he is always keen and co-operative but he doesn't start K till Jan next year so it will be a while to wait.

 

I'm thinking of leaning towards something similar to unschooling with my DD - except a little more teacher directed.

 

She has a lot of special needs - I'm getting worn down from dealing with them :glare: but school is just not an option for her so I trudge on. I'm stuggling to get to that place where she is happy learning -we are still looking for it.

 

:grouphug::grouphug:

 

 

 

I'm VERY excited for next year!!!!! We need to get the boring catch-up out of the way this summer, though. Arithmetic. Blah. But then I'm trying workboxes, and dd is super excited about that, and I streamlined our schedule with some help here :D, and it looks great!!! Writing (using EftTC and BraveWriter), spelling (AAS), phonics (AAR for one, Dancing Bears for the other), math (MEP for one, Beast Academy for the other), hardcore science with my science girl (RSO Chem plus McHenry's Elements, Brain, and Cells), fun science with my other girl, ASL, logic (Prufrock Press) and art (Discovering Great Artists) on a loop, world countries/cultures, and an outside class or two. Yay! :D:D:D:D

Edited July 3, 2012 by LittleIzumi

[MathNut]

We're excited too.

 

Going to officially start High School with my oldest.

 

Time is flying by.

[PeacefulChaos]

YES!

I actually JUST told DH (like 10 minutes ago lol) that I'm so excited to start school I can hardly wait. :D (We start in 3 weeks, so I don't have to wait long!)

I'm particularly excited about the boys each starting their new math programs. We did Saxon last year, and this year I have one moving to Singapore and the other to MUS! I think it will be awesome.

I also bought a geography curriculum that I'm looking forward to.

I'm pretty much excited about everything lol. :) But those two stand out to me at the moment...

 

ETA: OH! And I forgot, I'm totally stoked about starting Latin. :D

[Heidi]

I'm excited! This will be the first year we will not be moving or having a baby! Woo hoo!!!

 

I'm vamping up the workload for my 3rd grader, trying out new curriculum, and getting the schedule ready for August 20th, our official first day of the new year.

[ChandlerMom]

Well, we school year-round and pretty much every day (quick cure for Monday morning angst, LOL) but we just started a new "term" this weekend. Summer will be a transitional term and its full of things we had tabled last year while my middle dd really nailed down her reading in 1st grade this year and then we had tons of distractions this spring, but I gotta say it was nice that today when I would have LIKED to just take the day off the kids where the ones clamoring to do their lessons. The big favorites at the moment:

 

Grammar Island

Sing Song Latin

Oak Meadow 1 Fairy Tales (my 3yo considers this HIS book)

Beast Academy 3A (dd7)

Anything crafts

[Adrienne_in_TX]

I'm soooooo excited! I used a virtual public school for my ds12 last year because I just needed someone else to do all the planning due to various circumstances. Well, we're going back to the kind of homeschooling I love--combining subjects, read-alounds, hands-on science, freedom in scheduling.

 

I'm going to use SL 5 as a base. Adding in:

 

Exploration Education

Foundations Bible Curriculum

Rod and Staff English and Spelling

TT for math

 

Looking forward to a great year!

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

If you all don't mind me going OT for a sec. :001_smile:

 

Monica, you might want to check these other fun gardening books.

Last year we did a book called Sow and Grow. It's also for the younger set. We had a great time with it, and I appreciated that it was broken down by months (less pressure to rush).

http://www.amazon.com/Sow-Grow-Gardening-Book-Children/dp/1584796731/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341251016&sr=1-1&keywords=sow+and+grow

 

Next year, (or this year if Gardening Wizardry goes quicker than I thought) we're doing Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots.

http://www.amazon.com/Roots-Shoots-Buckets-Boots-Gardening/dp/0761110569/ref=pd_sim_b_3

hth

 

*Running off to add these to my Amazon basket... which is overflowing now...* Thank you!

[ScoutTN]

We are doing the middle ages for history and it is SO fun! How cana you not like knights, castles, princesses, monsters, vikings etc. ?!!

Looking forward to doing space/weather in science too.

 

Still need to pick literature list for DD.

Field trip sign up list isn't up yet, but looking forward to lots of fun things especially theater.