Curriculum Roundup

If you like these types of posts then the credit needs to go to FiddleDeeDee.   Sadly, if you don’t like this particular post the blame will have to fall on me. . .

Okay, let me review a few things first.

• I homeschool 4 boys (ages 17, 14, 7, and 6).
  • While we have been homeschooling a great number of years, we did not start out homeschooling.
• We are a military family (this will hold true for the next 36 days).
  • We move a lot.
• I may look like I’m terribly organized here on this blog, but this would be akin to observing 1/10th a percent of my real life.  (In other words, life is not as it appears here.)
• I constantly worry I’m not doing enough, or giving the kiddoes a good enough education.  I have learned to go to bed, and BRIEFLY list what went wrong that day, and then spend some good time reviewing what went right.
  • I do this in my head, and it’s known as a parent-teacher conference.
• Oh, and this absolutely, positively just has to be said, I’m ALWAYS behind in housework (if I choose to do it).

We school year-round.  This is almost a necessity for us due to the military thing.  Moving overseas in Feb. does nothing for your school year!  I used to try to plan how many days / weeks on or off, but that just kept getting messed with, so I stopped.  (Best laid plans and all that.)  We average 40 weeks of school.  Technically, our school year starts July 1 and goes through June 30.

I do not do a book-a-year.  Lots of people do this, but I found it not good for us (this came about due to math).  I finish one book and move directly into another.  This will make sense, if it doesn’t already, in a bit, so bear with me.

We start on lesson 1 and work all the way through the book.  I don’t skip lessons, nor do I end a book early.  You could tell me the first 20 lessons are all review till you are blue in the face and it won’t phase me.  I figure review is a good thing.  (And my kids have discovered it’s “easy” which makes them feel like they’re getting off easy.)  It also helps build some self-confidence, that I’ve discovered is priceless in at least one of my children.

I do not set blocked times for things.  I tried that for a period of time too.  It worked well when I just had one home, and it worked okay when I had two. . . but now it just doesn’t work well.  Part of that is due to the fact that my two oldest are more independent and they have very definate ideas of when they want to work on what.

I do schedule out all of our work. 

I used to have a “6-week” rule.  I would try a curriculum for 6 weeks before I chucked it (if it wasn’t working).  I’ve gotten to where I can do it in two weeks now.  I do truly attempt to make something work for at least two weeks, as some things just have a learning curve that needs to be adjusted to.  (I’ve tried a few that never even made it to the kids.  This goes back to the whole scheduling thing.  If I can’t make enough sense of the program to schedule it, it never gets to a child.)

I have tried a great number of programs, and I’m a curriculum junkie.  (Has nothing to do with anything on this post, I suppose, but I felt I should declare it nonetheless.)

Things I’ve learned:

• If it can’t be scheduled, it won’t be used.
• As often as everyone will tell you that a great thing about homeschooling your children is that you can get what works for them. . .you need to keep in mind it needs to work for you too!  (Unless they are completely independent of you.)
• “Time intensive” is NOT my friend.
• I do not necessarily agree with all the views presented in some of the texts we use, but they are fantastic for discussions!
• There are more, but I think I just sidetracked myself from the point of this post. . .

So, what will the kids be doing “this year”?  (That’s a good question!  I’m starting to fret that I may not know. . .)

Drew (17 yo)

• finish his Adv. Math book (ala Saxon). (currently finishing test 12) 
  • I hate this book, just FYI.  Oh, and the Saxon Teacher CD is worthless.
• finish his Physics book (currently mod. eight)
• finish his World History survey (currently in Rome)
• finish his World Literature survey
• will take a college course in Comp. Sci.
• will finish his current English grammar text and move to the next one.  I’m attempting to encourage him to take a college English class but he’s not biting. . .yet.
• Will start and finish:  Am. Gov’t and Econ. and
• WILL GRADUATE!

Tyler (14 yo)

• Currently working on Runkle’s Geography and Modern history.  When he’s done with those books he will move directly into Am. History.  (Actually, he’ll still be working on Runkle’s when he moves into Am. History — History of US with add-ons; including Am. Lit.)
• Almost done with Al. 1 then will move into Al. 2 (Teaching Textbooks)
• Almost done with Gen. Sci. and will move into Physical Science (Apologia)
• Rod and Staff English. (he’s almost done with one book and will go directly into the next)
• guitar

Garrett (7 yo) and Mikhail (6 yo)  (Right now I’m able to keep them together.)

• RightStart Mathematics B
• Pathway Readers
• Later this year we will add in Writing with Ease and possibly Rod and Staff 2
• We will finish off our Astronomy study in Nov or Dec. and then start on Botony probaby in Jan. (Apologia elementary)
• We are working on the How to Teach Art to Children book. . .I’m not sure where I’ll go after we finish that.
• World History Survey using A Little History of the World.  Then, we’ll move into Am. History (ala, ME – if I ever finish writing it)
• Piano — Alfred’s Piano Prep (A & B) 

hmmm, I feel like I’m missing something. . .

Ah, I suppose I could discuss organization.  Ummm, that’s actually a little scary at this point. . . I need to clean this room!  (school room)

Each of the older two boys get a 3″ binder (it’s used till it falls apart) and get their schedules printed off and placed in there.  All worksheets and test are placed in the binder directly behind the weekly schedule they are assigned to.Then, they just do their work, tuck it in my “in” box where I check it, and then put it in their binder under it’s subject. 

For the little guys, they have binders of their completed work.  They are still young enough that I’m always right there with them so we check the papers immediately and put it away.  I have a binder that contains their daily plan, and I work directly from that.

The “big” topic of late on homeschooling forums  seems to be independence.  I tell ya, schedules work fantastic for that!  I start moving the kids towards working at independence around 4th grade.  But, it still involves a lot of me.  (In fact, Tyler is still struggling with making good time choices.)  I actually don’t know if I  want to go on this right now, as this could be a big topic. . .

Okay, I realize that this isn’t written “well”, but it is written, which is more than I thought I might have time for.

Oh, one last thing:

DeeDee likes to say, “. . . you only have to stay one day smarter than they are.”   

Do that well enough and there comes a point in time where the “teacher” becomes the “student”.

It’s an instant of pride that is. . .humbling.