Curriculum: Choices, Choices, Choices

At the end of June, I wrote about our planned curriculum choices for the new year.  While most things are staying the same, it looks like we may be changing our math curriculum.  We’re going to be trying out Life of Fred for math.  While we both like Teaching Textbooks, some changes needed to be made.  We may end up going to back to Teaching Textbooks.  Right now, I’m just in a wait and see mode.

Our art program using the Picturing America program is working great for us.  Munchkin looks forward to that part of the day.  We work on art Monday, Wednesday, Friday.  Generally, on Monday, we look at the new art piece for the week, and I read the information from the teacher’s guide.  We talk about the piece a little.  Wednesday, Munchkin works on a handout that I created based upon the end of unit questions.  On Friday, we try to do a hands on activity that goes along with what we learned for the week.

On Tuesday and Thursday, we are working on finishing up our composer study.  I’m not sure what we will be doing once we complete the curriculum.  I believe that Munchkin will be starting back up with her guitar as that is what D wants.  We took a bit of a break from the guitar due to life, so we need to get back into that program.  She needs to really work on notes and reading music, so I’ll probably come up with something to do on T and Th to help her with that task.

Munchkin is enjoying her Grapevine Studies New Testament Overview.  She is now doing this pretty much on her own.  She’ll ask me questions now and then, but she has chosen to take on the learning by herself.

We have about 2 months left in Apologia Marine Biology.  As a reward for completing the course, we’ll be heading to Sea World in September/October.  (We have to see when that works out with D’s work schedule.)  I think it will be a fun close to the course.  We’ll probably stop by the ocean while we’re over there.

I still need to put something together for Munchkin for her computer skills.  I want her to learn to use all of the programs in the Windows Office suite.  I’m still deciding how to handle that.  I haven’t started her back up on typing yet, but that will be starting back up soon.  For typing, I’ll just be having her type out passages from things she is studying.

At least one day per week, we spend time working on homemaking skills (home economics) such as sewing, baking, cooking, cake decorating…  We both enjoy these times.  Last week, we had her friend join us which made for quite the exciting day.  We may start having little “classes” together more in the future.  I guess it all depends on if I can get things together more in advance.

Our choices for schooling are constantly changing as the school year goes on.  While we have the base curriculum in place, I’ve learned to be flexible.  Sometimes, things need to be tweaked.  Other times, they need to be set aside for now.  I’m doing my best to listen to the Lord’s leading in our homeschool.