Homeschool Plans! I think that I’m in denial that school is about to start again! I just realized I needed to finish ordering curriculum, but first I needed to figure out what we were using this year.
We have had a marvelous summer and stayed extremely busy – busier than I would have liked, but we have had a ton of fun.
It’s time to start buckling down and making plans for homeschool again. Last year we did have to switch up math for my oldest. She just wasn’t understanding pre-algebra with Horizons. We switched to Math-U-See thanks to a review and she has been thriving! You can see what we used in the 2015-2016 year here.
This year, I will have an 8th grader, a 4th grader, a 1st grader, a Kindergartener, and a toddler. Below I will show you what we plan to use for the kids throughout the year.
Math:
Math, we are once again using Horizons Math, but only for my middle 3 children. We use the math books plus we supplement with the extra worksheets for more practice. For my oldest, we will continue with Math-U-See. We are also continuing with XtraMath.org. I can’t say enough great things about this website! It’s a completely free way to make sure your kids understand all of their math facts. As a mom, I can login and see how they are doing as well and what needs improvement.
Language Arts:
We are once again using Wordly Wise 3000 for my older 2 kids. This starts in 2nd grade and helps with vocabulary, reading comprehension, and sentence writing. We started Easy Grammar last year and have had great success, so will continue with it this year. It only takes a couple minutes a day.
All of the middle 3 kids are also using A Reason For Handwriting, again. My oldest has completed all of the books now so we will be working on other copywork for her. We are also adding Building Spelling Skills for the older 3 to work on spelling.
My kindergartener and 1st grader will also be working on Explode the Code. This is a very simple program, but can help with the fundamentals for the little kids. Takes just a couple minutes each day and they are fun!
Big 2 will also continue working on Writer’s in Residence that we started a couple months ago.
Little 2 girls are going to continue with ReadingEggs and have just started with ABCMouse. I’ve seen great improvement in their reading since beginning last year.
I know this sounds like a lot, but most of the workbooks mentioned only take a couple minutes.
Bible:
For Bible we are continuing to use Catechism for Kids. We didn’t get as far along as I hoped last year, but with a new baby, things just don’t quite work out as planned. We will finish questions 11-20 and then move along to the next set. I’m also continuing to read through the History Lives set to the bigger kids when the littles are occupied. Some of the stories can be fairly intense so it’s taking longer to go through them so we can digest and discuss.
All the kids will also continue with VeritasBible.com.
Social Studies:
History we will continue to pull from Allinonehomeschool.com and of course the vast variety of books at the library for my younger 2 students. We also plan to start using Notgrass Uncle Sam and You for my older 2.
Science:
My littles will be continuing through Allinonehomeschool.com and the bigs will start on Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Astronomy.
That’s it, I think! Going to be busy! Always feels great to have a written plan! Now I just have to write up a schedule and stick to it! What are your homeschool plans?
John NotgraSS says
Hope you enjoy Uncle Sam and You!
Rhonda says
Thanks for sharing your plans. I am thinking of using Wordly Wise with my son. Do you use the teacher’s manual?
MommyOctopus says
Yes, I do. It’s great for quickly grading papers and such. I have 4 kids to grade, but you may be able to do it on your own if you have time.