2015/16 Curriculum Choices

2015/16 Curriculum Choices

I can now say that I am very happy

 with my Curriculum Choices

for this year. In fact

happier this year than past years.

Here's (*Some* not all) of what we're doing....

~

6th Grade with Lil Miss Diva

Math - Accelerated Christian Education

 - Math - Grade 6

English - Accelerated Christian Education 

- English - Grade 6

Spelling - Accelerated Christian Education

 - Word Building - Grade 7

Lit/Home Ec/Bible - 

The Prairie Primer 

Science - Christian Kids Explore Science

Earth and Space

History - Early American History

__________________________________________

4th Grade with BanaBana

Math - Accelerated Christian Education

 - Math - Grade 4

English - Accelerated Christian Education 

- English - Grade 4

Spelling - Accelerated Christian Education

 - Word Building - Grade 4

Lit/Home Ec/Bible/ and more - 

The Prairie Primer 

Science - Christian Kids Explore Science

Earth and Space

History - Early American History

Some of the other things we are doing...

Spanish, typing, art, music, reading, and more

A little more info on our curriculum, and why we chose it..

below is my own personal opinion

 (this is my own personal opinion and no one else's, and I am not getting paid for writing my opinions in any way)

I grew up using Accelerated Christian Education 

I feel that it gave me what I needed...

it has sort of a bad rep online, and I have no idea why?

I love the Christian based curriculum!

it's set up to be used on your own 

or be taught

I love the boxes at the top of the page that remind you

of things you have already learned to refresh the child,

or to teach new material...

It's been updated since I was in school, and that's really nice too.

Having one dyslexic child I think that the Word Building is wonderful for her also!

~

I ran across the Prairie Primer online, and I thought it looked really neat. We are now in week 2 of using it, and we are LOVING it!

It's better than I thought, and it can also be used for a ton of other subjects if you wanted.

~

We had stumbled upon our Science before last years school started, and I really liked how it had so many hands on activities. The multi age level approach was also great for us since we have 2 girls in 2 different grades!

~ 

Easy Peasy History wouldn't have been my 1st choice for history, but surprisingly my kids are learning a lot! I love how they have the ability to listen to the online books too! My 4th grader does so much better when she hooks up her earphones. I love that my youngest has the option to listen to the books. This is defiantly a plus for children with dyslexia!

Science - Learning About Earth

Last year we used Christian Kids Explore Science - Biology

 and 

we loved it so much that we are back this year using

CKE - Earth & Space

We started out the week coloring a structure of the earth coloring sheet..

Today we worked hard on making something special..

We used a hole punch so we could hang it from the ceiling 

Adventures with the Prairie Primer - Big Woods

Adventures with Prairie Primer - Big Woods

We are in week 2 of the Prairie Primer and loving every minute!

This week we made bread!

 

Adventures with Prairie Primer - Big Woods

Adventures with Prairie Primer - Big Woods

We've started reading the 1st book

Little House in the Big Woods 

and so far we love it!

This week we made butter!

All we did is pour heavy whipping cream in a glass jar 

and we shook it for about 15 or so minutes.

We ended up with butter & buttermilk 

Dry Erase Marker Hack

I dunno where I first seen this but I love it! 

We had a eraser but we kept loosing it so this is a lifesaver!

What you will need:

Dry Erase Markers (found mine at the dollar tree) $1

Pom Poms from the craft section (dollar tree) $1

Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks

White Board HomeSchool Hack

I've been wanting our white board more accessible for awhile now

I like to sit with the girls at the homeschool table and teach

so...

white board + paint easel 

=

When I first started homeschooling I wanted our classroom to look like a real school room

now after homeschooling for awhile I realize that the best thing about having a 

homeschool room is comfort! Seriously I want to be comfortable while I teach! 

I also want the girls to be comfortable while they learn!

I think this is going to work out wonderfully! 

HomeSchool Table Makeover

 Our HomeSchool table has a new look!

The girls wanted to give our table a new look

What we used:

1 roll of chevron duct tape 

1/2 roll of groovy duct tape

1/2 roll of owl duct tape

Cost: $6.00 

or if you get 3 rolls like us $9.00

and you will have some to spare to make some other

duct tape things

A closer look!

easy to wipe clean

makes a ugly table cute

easy

cheap 

First Day Back To HomeSchool

Back when my girls went to public school we always had special things we would do to prepare for back to school time and special 1st day of school traditions.

Last year back to school time was BanaBana's 1st full complete year of home-school and 

Lil Miss Diva was still going to public school so we had a mixture of things going on at our house.

I am happy to say that this will be our 1st
Full year with both of the girls at home!

I'm so excited!! I know this will be a great year!

If you are new to the blog I started homeschooling BanaBana half way through

 1st grade and Lil Miss Diva half way through 4th grade.

So how are we getting ready for 3rd & 5th grade you may ask?

1. Home-School Room Clean Up

Major changes with the school room this year.

 We moved the school room upstairs..

It was A LOT of work but we finally have it put back together.

Moving or Not this room needed to be organized

for the upcoming school year.

2. Shopping

The girls and I picked up a few new things for the school room.

The girls always enjoy decorating in there!

The girls also picked up some things like new notebooks

(the cute overpriced ones... they never want the 50 cent ones that are on sale)

Pencils, Dry Erase Markers etc

Cute Crayon Pouches

and cute new lunchboxes for Home-School Enrichment Days

Getting a few new things really get the girls excited for the new school year!

3. Back To School Clothes? Oh yes!

Even though the girls aren't going to a public school that doesn't mean

I should miss out on some really good sales on clothes and shoes.

They love shopping !

4. First Day Outfit

The girls have always had a back to school special outfit...

taking time to pick their favorite outfit from our shopping trip

I wasn't about to leave this tradition!

We have decided to dress up for the 1st day of enrichment.

Last year I just let BanaBana dress up for the fun of it and that was ok too!

5. Picture Time!

I love those back to school snapshots !

Here are some from last year...

 This tradition will defiantly carry on!

Tradition Re-Mix

6. Hot Breakfast will become special breakfast

Those public school years .. It was so hard to get them fed and packed up 

ready to get to school I was lucky to make them a hot breakfast on the 1st day.

This year I plan on making them their favorite breakfast dishes on the 1st day since we have time to spare!

7. Special Packed Lunch will become special lunch together 

with their favorite lunch

dishes 

& best of all we get to eat together!

New Traditions...

8 .Growth Chart

I plan on marking their height for the 1st day of school and the last day of school

9. Journal Time

Last year BanaBana did this but Lil Miss Diva didn't get to

It will go a little something like this...

On the first day of school...

My Fav part of the day was...

10. Special Craft or Activity 

Bana Bana really enjoyed this last year and I know Lil Miss Diva will too

11. Ice Cream & Library

Not sure if this will be on the first day but defiantly the first week of school

12. Count Down

This was something new we have decided to do this year.

The girls enjoyed our countdown to beach week so much we 

decided to do a count down to back to school too! 

Looking forward to getting this school year started!

President George Washington

Lets learn about 

President George Washington  

photo from https://www.crayola.com

Videos

History.com video

scholastic cartoon about George Washinton

Liberty Kids Episode about G.W part 1
Liberty Kids Episode about G.W part 2


Online Resources

George Washington Fact Card

Crayola Coloring Sheet

add some fun into homeschool PE

\

Let me just say that I hated PE when I was younger but I have to say that my children have much more fun in PE than I did!

Ways to spice up PE ....

1. As I've mentioned in another post Yoga

there are a lot of yoga videos free on youtube

2. Bike Riding

3. Going for a walk around your neighborhood

or walking the dog!

4.  Just Dance (Great for winter)

5. sports

(Bana Bana being Catcher )

6. go for a hike

7. Go for a swim

8. Run

There are so many possiblies to spice up boring PE!

How to keep calm and stay on task during the homeschool day!

I haven't blogged in awhile.
 Life has been busy



Some days aren't easy. I suppose if homeschooling was super easy everyone would do it. Most days are great. We have fun. We explore. We try new things. Some days are stressful. Some days with my girls they just don't want to do their work or they are too hyper to do their work.

I have read some articles about "What to do during a hard school day" when nothing is soaking in and you want to call it quits

. Most things I've read say stop for the day and start fresh tomorrow ... but what if you have two hard days in a row? We can't just drop everything and not do school work.

So what to do if you are having a hard day... or a hard couple of days?

Things that have worked for us...

Yoga

I googled and found this great youtube channel for kids. Here is the link .
The girls love the videos and they are fun to watch.
Afterwards they feel much calmer and ready to do some work.

Prayer is also a good way to *keep calm* during and the school day. I have found that days we have forgotten to start the day with a prayer are more stressful than days when we have prayed.

I pray...

 Dear Heavenly Father.. 

Let us have a peaceful home-school day..

Let us absorb the knowledge that we hear, read, or see...

Let us not fight or bicker ....

Let us do well ...

Let us remember what we have learned...

Let us stay on task and finish in a timely manor..

Let us not stress and keep calm...

Help us be positive...

Protect us in our home and watch over us

and our family and friends.

In Christs name we pray.

Amen

Music ...

one thing I have found that works with my lil Diva as well as Bana Bana is
listening to music. We find a quiet place and turn on some native american music
or some Celtic music and just take a moment to relax.


Read your 
Bible ... it seema like the right verse can just center you and enlighten you

Children's History Videos

I found this great channel on YouTube!

Liberty Kids - You Tube Channel

Links and Videos - Virginia History

Virginia History Links & Videos

Videos

History of Va

JamesTown

Native Americans of Va

Colonial Chesapeake and The Powhatan Indians

Powhatan Village

http://youtu.be/-SljpqQhOHU

Powhatan & James Town

JamesTown

More to be added during the 2013-2014 school year

Links

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/virginia/

http://www.virginia.edu/uvakids/history/

https://sites.google.com/a/solteacher.com/olteacher-com/home/4th-grade/social-studies-4th-grade

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/Search:free+virginia+history/Price-Range/Free
http://www.history.com/topics/virginia

I found this book for 3.99! At a used homeschool book store!
We love it and it goes over everything about Virginia
We use it with a notebook

More to be added during the 13/14 school year

No longer have a public schooler

After putting up with thing after thing from the local school my daughter attended I am happy to say I took her out. Both of my children are now homeschooled and I think its going to be really good! Its going to take some time to get use to our new schedule and teaching 2 kids instead of 1. I think we will like it. It was a big step for us but I have prayed about it and I think its the best thing for our family and our daughters.

Free Coal kit for homeschool kids and PS kids

http://teachcoal.org/energy-and-you/coal-kit-order-form/

Free Coal Kit for your kids to learn about coal

leaf printing