New to homeschooling, curriculum jitters

[Cecropia]

Really long first post, sorry!

 

We've decided to start homeschooling our sons, who will be 4th and 7th graders (hereafter known as Mr. 4th, Mr. 7th) next year.  To "sweeten the deal", I have asked them to help choose the curriculums that they find to be most interesting/fun, and right now they are both excited about the upcoming year.  I hope everyone's enthusiasm lasts!  Being new to all of this, I am nervous that I'm leaving something out, not going to meet some kind of nebulous standard, or will overload them with work and kill all the excitement. Looking for advice, please help... 

 

They are both bright kids and their favorite pastime is getting a zillion books from the library to read.  Mr. 7th missed the bar of "gifted" by only a few IQ points when he was tested a few years ago (passed all other evaluations).  Mr. 4th also failed at that time (in almost exactly the same fashion), but he was finally assessed as "gifted" late this year.  Although Mr. 7th does not have access to gifted services, he was placed in honors math for 6th grade and is an A student (this school did not offer other honors classes for 6th grade. He was offered to join a special spanish class in 7th grade which would count as a high school credit, but I opted out, knowing that we were going to homeschool).  Mr. 7th has a lot of self-doubt about math, though, and he doesn't particularly enjoy it. 

 

I have read Cathy Duffy's book and Mr. 4th is more of a Sociable Sue, whereas Mr. 7th is a more of a Competent Carl, if that helps any.  They both do pretty well with independent/busy work so long as it doesn't bore them to death, and did I mention they love to read fiction?  They have a real weakness for comics, any comics.

 

I want to put a special focus on geography and grammar, abysmally lacking from public school... Also their work ethic... The A's are earned at school without a whole lot of effort, and it doesn't take long for challenging work to reduce them to anger/tears/giving up.

 

The last complication is that I will have a 2 1/2 year old and a newborn to take care of when the school year starts, so there is pressure for my older boys to do more independent work in the beginning.

 

The things listed below are not necessarily meant to last all year, I really have no idea how to gauge how long it takes to get through each one.

 

Language Arts/Reading

Total Language Plus (Mr. 4th & Mr. 7th: comprehension questions and project ideas, some writing; Mr. 7th adds in spelling from here)

IEW Fix-It Grammar starting with book 1 on an accelerated schedule (done together)

IEW Student Writing Intensive, starting with A (mainly for Mr. 4th, but I will bet that Mr. 7th will watch and learn something)

Wordly Wise 3000 online (Mr. 4th and Mr. 7th, appropriate grade levels not done together)

Spellwell CC or D (Mr. 4th)

 

Math

Life of Fred (Mr. 4th quickly reviews from Apples on up, Mr. 7th reviews from Fractions)

Possibly Beast Academy level 4ish as a supplement for Mr. 4th, but I wish there were something *interesting* like this at Mr. 7th's level.  He will be so jealous of his brother, getting to work with comics!  AoPS is way too dry for him.

 

History/Social Studies

Mapping the World with Art - McHenry (done together), springboard off this into some research at the library.

Somehow coordinated with relevant sections of SOTW and Human Odyssey?  Would it be bad to skip around?  I don't know a whole lot about them.

 

Science

The Elements - McHenry (done together), lead into other McHenry science books?

ACS Middle School Chemistry? (Mr. 7th, maybe also Mr. 4th for the simpler ones?)

I have 2 different Thames & Kosmos Wind Power science kits that I would like to make into a unit this year (done together)

 

Extras

Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide for more geography ideas to tie in where I can

Artistic Pursuits, Middle School (Mr. 7th, special interest in drawing & showing talent. Mr. 4th is happy with "arts and crafts" type art projects with mom)

The Fallacy Detective (done together)

1x weekly classes with well-established local homeschool co-op, topics unknown at this time, they also offer educational field trips regularly (both)

Piano lessons (both)

Cub Scouts/Boy Scouts (both)

Edited May 19, 2016 by Cecropia

[...................]

Ok first I will say congratulations! I think your boys sound like they already love learning and this is a huge plus. The summer will give them time to rest grow and get a tan and adjust to the idea of homeschooling.

 

I do think you've picked some great programs but, overall it's just way, way, way too much. Too much in each subject individually and even too many subjects. Especially with a new baby and your boys adjusting to the lifestyle and learning To self-teach and stay on task, the less the better!

 

Even IF you didn't have a new baby I would still recommend much less becAuse just like so many things in life, less is more. Kwim?

 

I have a headache and other will chime in here but for now, try to go through your list and pick only two books for LA and ONE book for each of the rest....pare down what you think THEY as individuals really need.

 

You're already above the curve having done your research. I hope you'll have a great first year

[desertflower]

Welcome aboard. I don't have any advice since my children are still young, except perhaps to recommend reading the well-trained mind book. This will give you an idea of what your children should be studying. It also has schedules and curriculum suggestions.

 

From what I can see, it looks good. But be prepared that you may not get around to the extras. At least in my household we don't. Lol

 

Eta: you may need a math program for your oldest. From my reading, I'm not sure if LoF is a stand alone curriculum.

[Sherry in OH]

Math – do you already have the LOF books?  A bright 4^th grader is going to go through the elementary series very quickly.  You may find it a better supplement than core curriculum.  My children prefer the BA guidebooks to LOF for fun reading.   Many people use the LOF Fractions book as a math text, but are you sure it is the correct placement for your 7^th grader?

 

History – I don’t think it is bad to skip around, but you will have to do some coordinating of resources.  Consider listening to SOTW audio on car trips. 

 

Science – The Elements will take less than a semester to complete.  Are you thinking of using ACS as a supplement to make a complete chemistry semester?   The wind kits could form the core of a physical sciences semester.  As an alternate, you could follow the Elements with Carbon Chemistry and still have time to do a wind-power unit at the end of the year.

 

I suggest making daily and weekly masterplans, plugging in your resources.  Does everything fit, if not what will you rotate or drop?  Did you allow for breaks?  Plan your academic subjects for four-days a week (fewer on field trip weeks).  If the co-op is just a few hours, you might fit in art, P.E. or another extra that day but don’t plan on academic work at home. 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I agree it's a bit too much.  Are you looking for reviews/comments regarding the various things you listed?

 

 

[Upennmama]

Yeah, I don't think LOF is enough for 7th, especially not fractions. Maybe Prealgebra.

[Cecropia]

Thank you for the replies!  I am grateful for any feedback, on my overall post or just a small section, please tell me what you think.  I am going to pick up a copy of the Well-Trained Mind book, too!

 

Ok, it is good to know that I have too many things picked out.  Since my kids read every day for their free time anyway, could I drop Total Language Plus altogether?  Maybe make a list of books they have read this year to "prove" they were reading?  Put the focus on grammar and writing skills, where they need the most help?  They are pretty strong in spelling and vocab for their ages.

 

We do have the LOF books, I jumped on a sale at Educents that was cheaper than anything else I'd seen.  From Apples up to the first algebra book.  These are the first books I've bought for homeschooling.  With two more kids upcoming, we figured it was worth the investment -- and from what the older 2 have read of Fred, they are really excited to get into these books.  On the LOF website it says to start a 7th grader with Fractions to review.  I wasn't going to go through the younger books formally with either of them... planning on letting them do the easy ones at their own pace over the summer.  Once they get to math that challenges them, we will slow down.  "Real school" begins with the appropriate-level books in the fall... If there is any struggling/lack of understanding with a Fred problem, I plan to find a worksheet somewhere online or come up with some similar problems myself (this would be hard for me at the algebra+ level because I am not strong in math, but I can handle it at Mr. 7th's current level, or "Math-Man" dad can come to the rescue).  But otherwise I am wary of supplementing too much, at least not until we hit some real challenges.

 

I would have offered both of them BA for math if it was available at both their levels, instead of LOF.  I just know that Mr. 7th would be upset that his brother gets to do "fun" math books while he is stuck with something "boring."  Everything has to be equal in this house, or there will be no peace!  If anyone knows of a "fun" math program for 7th grade on up, I am all ears.

 

Is there too much for history/social studies?  I was worried that there wasn't enough...

 

Science, I wanted to start with just The Elements with both kids.  After that book is finished, feel them out about where to go next.  I will take a look at Carbon Chemistry.  Do I need to stretch/break/schedule everything into semester-blocks, or can I just go with the natural flow of things?  Is it a bad idea to finish a book/unit/subject mid-semester and move onto something completely different?

[desertflower]

As for your science idea, no.  You can do one thing for one semester and then something else for the next semester. 

 

With regard to your math dilemma, I understand.  My kids can be the same way.  Hopefully, someone can chime in for a fun math program for 7th grade.  Perhaps inquire about BA 5.  I think the first book is out.  Perhaps he can read that for fun.  BA is such a different program from other math programs. 

 

As for LA, I don't know much about Total language Plus, but it looks like you could do without since you have all the other stuff.  If you do, you could always do some sort of literature study (Narnia) for your 7th grader. 

 

I see that you have a lot of McHenry stuff.  Have you seen the build a bundle sale?  There are a lot of her stuff there.  I don't know if it'll have all the components that is available.  For example, this sale is for print only ( I think), but on her site you may get other stuff like audio files.  I'm not sure.  I was going to look into this today.  Perhaps someone else can chime in who have used her stuff. 

 

Disclaimer:  I don't get any points or benefits for mentioning build your bundle sale or McHenry. 

[rutheart]

Maybe your 7th grader could use a fun supplement like a consumer math book, or something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Math-Projects-Hands--Correlate-Specific/dp/1580375758/ref=la_B00IWBSVNC_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463762595&sr=1-1

 

Ruth

[rebcoola]

Have you looked at Jousting Armadillo's for your older sons math?  Its not as colorful comic book as BA but is more fun than most books that level.

[kaxy]

The co-op might be overkill, or it might be a really good thing. Make sure it will fill a need that you wouldn't be able to get any other way. Not sure if there will be homework or preparation for it each week? Once you find out the course offerings, perhaps you could eliminate something from their home workload (if you choose).

 

I see your older 2 are also in scouts and piano. If you'd rather not add a weekly co-op commitment, there are usually informal homeschool groups they can join to still see and make new friends, do field trips and such.

 

 

[laughing lioness]

 

 

 

Language Arts/Reading

Total Language Plus (Mr. 4th & Mr. 7th: comprehension questions and project ideas, some writing; Mr. 7th adds in spelling from here)

IEW Fix-It Grammar starting with book 1 on an accelerated schedule (done together)

IEW Student Writing Intensive, starting with A (mainly for Mr. 4th, but I will bet that Mr. 7th will watch and learn something)

Wordly Wise 3000 online (Mr. 4th and Mr. 7th, appropriate grade levels not done together)

Spellwell CC or D (Mr. 4th)

 

Math

Life of Fred (Mr. 4th quickly reviews from Apples on up, Mr. 7th reviews from Fractions)

Possibly Beast Academy level 4ish as a supplement for Mr. 4th, but I wish there were something *interesting* like this at Mr. 7th's level.  He will be so jealous of his brother, getting to work with comics!  AoPS is way too dry for him.

 

History/Social Studies

Mapping the World with Art - McHenry (done together), springboard off this into some research at the library.

Somehow coordinated with relevant sections of SOTW and Human Odyssey?  Would it be bad to skip around?  I don't know a whole lot about them.

 

Science

The Elements - McHenry (done together), lead into other McHenry science books?

ACS Middle School Chemistry? (Mr. 7th, maybe also Mr. 4th for the simpler ones?)

I have 2 different Thames & Kosmos Wind Power science kits that I would like to make into a unit this year (done together)

 

Extras

Ultimate Geography & Timeline Guide for more geography ideas to tie in where I can

Artistic Pursuits, Middle School (Mr. 7th, special interest in drawing & showing talent. Mr. 4th is happy with "arts and crafts" type art projects with mom)

The Fallacy Detective (done together)

1x weekly classes with well-established local homeschool co-op, topics unknown at this time, they also offer educational field trips regularly (both)

Piano lessons (both)

Cub Scouts/Boy Scouts (both)

 

I would pare down English right off. Do they NEED spelling? if not, skip it.  If you already have IEW, do A for both. (you could do B for both, too). fix it is good. 

 

Pick one Math- the beauty of choosing one author is you get to know thier style without having to learn a new way of doing things for every kid. 

Mapping the World with Art is fun! I'd add in SOTW cd's to play while they are mapping.

Will YOU do the science with them or are they on their own. There's a real difference between how good something looks and doing it- esp. with littles. 

Skip the extra geo- if you want more, put maps and globes around, use Google Earth, get on the NOAA or NASA sites. 

Fallacy Detective is fun to read. 

I'd carefully consdier the co-op- they have music and Scouts alreay - if the classes aren't a great fit, skip it for now. 

 

I'd add in some memory work- poetry or grammar (MP's Grammar Recitation), or even CC Cd's. 

[Jackie]

Ok, it is good to know that I have too many things picked out. Since my kids read every day for their free time anyway, could I drop Total Language Plus altogether? Maybe make a list of books they have read this year to "prove" they were reading? Put the focus on grammar and writing skills, where they need the most help? They are pretty strong in spelling and vocab for their ages.

 

Science, I wanted to start with just The Elements with both kids. After that book is finished, feel them out about where to go next. I will take a look at Carbon Chemistry. Do I need to stretch/break/schedule everything into semester-blocks, or can I just go with the natural flow of things? Is it a bad idea to finish a book/unit/subject mid-semester and move onto something completely different?

Grammar, writing, and a stack of good books sounds like a brilliant plan for LA.

 

Interest-based science, with whatever topics your kids are interested in, is completely viable for K-8. I would start with The Elements and see how your kids like Ellen McHenry's approach, then see where they want to go from there. Don't worry about having a plan for the entire year up front on this. It's an area where it could be easy to keep their attention and excitement up by letting them call the shots.

[desertflower]

Here's the thread I was thinking about when I mentioned build your own bundle.  http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/606599-build-your-bundle-sale/page-2 

 

It seems that Ellen McHenry's materials may be a good deal to buy. 

[Ellie]

Thank you for the replies!  I am grateful for any feedback, on my overall post or just a small section, please tell me what you think.  I am going to pick up a copy of the Well-Trained Mind book, too!

 

Ok, it is good to know that I have too many things picked out.  Since my kids read every day for their free time anyway, could I drop Total Language Plus altogether?  Maybe make a list of books they have read this year to "prove" they were reading?  Put the focus on grammar and writing skills, where they need the most help?  They are pretty strong in spelling and vocab for their ages.

 

We do have the LOF books, I jumped on a sale at Educents that was cheaper than anything else I'd seen.  From Apples up to the first algebra book.  These are the first books I've bought for homeschooling.  With two more kids upcoming, we figured it was worth the investment -- and from what the older 2 have read of Fred, they are really excited to get into these books.  On the LOF website it says to start a 7th grader with Fractions to review.  I wasn't going to go through the younger books formally with either of them... planning on letting them do the easy ones at their own pace over the summer.  Once they get to math that challenges them, we will slow down.  "Real school" begins with the appropriate-level books in the fall... If there is any struggling/lack of understanding with a Fred problem, I plan to find a worksheet somewhere online or come up with some similar problems myself (this would be hard for me at the algebra+ level because I am not strong in math, but I can handle it at Mr. 7th's current level, or "Math-Man" dad can come to the rescue).  But otherwise I am wary of supplementing too much, at least not until we hit some real challenges.

 

I would have offered both of them BA for math if it was available at both their levels, instead of LOF.  I just know that Mr. 7th would be upset that his brother gets to do "fun" math books while he is stuck with something "boring."  Everything has to be equal in this house, or there will be no peace!  If anyone knows of a "fun" math program for 7th grade on up, I am all ears.

 

Is there too much for history/social studies?  I was worried that there wasn't enough...

 

Science, I wanted to start with just The Elements with both kids.  After that book is finished, feel them out about where to go next.  I will take a look at Carbon Chemistry.  Do I need to stretch/break/schedule everything into semester-blocks, or can I just go with the natural flow of things?  Is it a bad idea to finish a book/unit/subject mid-semester and move onto something completely different?

 

I would have them do Total Language Plus and drop all the other stuff. That would be one book per quarter, and all your English-related things are done in one fell swoop.

 

So you NEED to prove your dc were reading? If not, then just let them read.

 

[Cecropia]

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions!  I don't feel quite so lost, now  :hurray: 

[LindaOz]

In regards to Life of Fred, I think Fractions would be a great start for your 7th grader - especially if he isn't a massive fan of math already ;) . I did it with my last-year's 7th grader (who is not a lover of math) and she enjoyed it while learning a lot. Fred looks at concepts from a different angle (pun intended ;)) and helps the kids really think about their math. If he does happen to find it easy then he can move through it quickly and move on - guaranteed he would still learn something.