A Stable Beginning: plan of study

Showing posts with label plan of study. Show all posts

Monday, April 8, 2024

2024 ~ 2025 Plan of Study: 5th, 9th, & 12th grades

Morning friends! It’s that time of the year again. You know the one where I share all the grand plans we have for the upcoming school year. I don’t know about you, but I am super excited to share our plans with you. It’s very freeing getting the plans out of my head and onto paper and the blog. Once again, I have had all three kids enrolled in their upcoming online courses with Veritas Press Scholars since the beginning of February. Our initial plans went from Montana only taking two courses to her enrolling into five! More on that in a minute. Veritas Press has been a huge blessing in our schooling since we started utilizing their a la carte courses when Madison was in high school. I am grateful to be able to take advantage of a classical education model and come alongside the amazing teachers to give my children an amazing classical education.

I’ve been planning for next school year since last December when I had a consult with our fabulous VP Consultant, Jen. She really helped me see the big picture of things for the rest of McKenzie and Micah’s schooling. I was <this> close to enrolling McKenzie in the Veritas Press Diploma program. I didn’t for several reasons, but mainly because I don’t want to give up our way of doing history or math. What’s the saying? “If it’s not broke, then don’t fix it”.

I am excited to say that we are entering our 15th year of homeschooling! For you Mama’s in the trenches with littles or those in the middle, keep going! Bottom line… it is worth it! Every.single.minute. There will always be doubt that you’re not doing enough or doing something wrong that will mess up your child for life, but you’re not! “Do the work of homeschooling” and you will reap the benefits down the road. As always, I want to note that any links below are not affiliated links. I just put them in for my reference and yours if you want to check the curriculum out. Also, because we have been schooling for so long and I am coming up on my 5th time through high school, I already own most of the curriculum listed as I try to shop our shelves first before investing into something new.

Without further ado, here’s our 2024 ~ 2025 Plan of Study.

Micah, is rising to 5th grade! He started his online learning this school year for 4th grade, and it has been the best thing for him. He is finishing up Latin 3, Linguistics 4, and Saxon Math 3 (Saxon 5/4) online. I made a mistake and had him enrolled in Linguistics 4 instead of Linguistics 5 which would have been a better fit challenge wise. But the silver lining is that he now knows the spelling rules and his spelling is even better. For 5th grade we are going to go back to our beloved Rod & Staff Spelling because he now can read cursive which is the reason why we switched last year. For 5th grade Micah will take two courses online including Latin 4, Grammar & IEW Writing 4. We will continue using Sonlight for History for him, but I am going to tweak it to fit us as I have done with the girls for 5th grade. He will also use the self-paced history course from Veritas Press to round out our study. It's a biology year in science for us but I’m still up in the air about which curriculum we will use for Micah. I have narrowed it down to three programs, Elemental Science Logic Stage Biology, Real Science Odyssey Biology 2 (minus the evolution chapters), or BJU Homeschool Life Science. I have done both Elemental Science and RS Odyssey with his older sisters, but I am thinking he will need something different to fit his learning style. Plus, I would like something that is Christian based, so I am leaning towards BJU’s Life Science.

Micah's Plan of Study for 2024-2025 will be:

Bible

~ Veritas Press Genesis to Joshua Self-Paced Bible

Math

~ Saxon 6/5

Language Arts

~ Shirley Grammar 4 online with Veritas Press

~ IEW Structure & Style Writing, Year 1-Level 2A online with Veritas Press

~ Rod & Staff Spelling, Book 6

~ Script and Scribe Truth Traveler

~ Veritas Press Literature 4

He will read:

• Mary Poppins

The Hobbit

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

Twenty-One Balloons

Faerie Gold

Leepike Ridge

Dangerous Journey

History/Geography

~ Sonlight Core G – Ancient History, we will spread this Core over two years

~ Veritas Press Self-Paced History – Old Testament/Ancient Egypt

Science

~ BJU Homeschool Life Science

Greek Myths

~ Memoria Press D'Aulaires' Greek Myths

Latin

~ Latin 4 w/ Latin for Children, B online with Veritas Press

Baseball – Sunday Select team, off season training

Weekly Co-Op

~ Magic School Bus Science

~ Around the World Geography

~ PE

~ Blood & Guts

McKenzie is officially heading to high school! I am excited and a little sad at the same time. Sad because it means she just has 4 short years at home. However, I am preparing her to soar when the time comes so we are going to make the most of each of the years we have left homeschooling. She has done an amazing job at handling her course load for 8th grade. As I said earlier, I was going to sign her up for the diploma program with Veritas Press, but decided against it and we will proceed with our course of study that I know will pass the NCAA Clearinghouse and keep her competitive for USAFA (Not that Veritas Press is not competitive for highly selective universities). McKenzie will earn 6 high school credits for her 8th grade year to count towards high school. A combination of three core classes and three electives.

McKenzie's Plan of Study looks like this for 2024-2025:

Bible {1 credit}

~ Sonlight Bible 210 with Westminster Catechism

Math {1 credit}

~ Saxon Algebra 1

Honors English 9 {1 credit}

~ Composition 1 online with Veritas Press

~ Rod & Staff Grammar, 9/10, Book 1

~ Rod & Staff Spelling 8

~ Wordly Wise, Book 9

Honors Science {1 credit}

~ Apologia Biology online with Veritas Press

Honors Literature {1 credit}

~ Sunlight Core 210 Classical Literature

Honors History {1 credit}

~ Tapestry of Grace, Year 1(Rhetoric level) – Ancient World History

Foreign Language {1 credit}

~ Latin II online with Veritas Press

Electives

~ Apologia Health {1 credit}

~ Drawing basics @ co-op {1/2 credit ?}

~Yearbook / Photography @ co-op {1 credit}

~ Theater @ co-op {1/2 credit ?}

PE {1 credit}

~ Level 9 Gymnastics, 28 hours a week

Extras

~ SAT/ACT Prep (30 minutes/day)

Total yearly credits: 11 credits

Montana will officially be a high school senior in August! Remember how I said time flies once they hit high school? She will continue to take dual enrollment courses to finish out her high school years. This year she will take four courses that will count for 5 dual enrollments. She is still undecided on what she wants to study at university in the fall of 2025, but these courses will give her a jump start on her general educational requirements. Montana is going to take the ACT one more time over the summer to try and raise her score a little more. She is on the bubble to going up one full point, which translates more merit money or full ride depending on which university she attends.

Montana's Plan of Study looks like this for 2024-2025:

Bible {1 credit}

~ Sonlight Bible 510 Worldview Studies

Math {1 credit}

~ Calculus 1: Early Transcendental Functions online with Veritas Press (AP exam)

Honors Science {1 credit}

~ Apologia Physics 1 online with Veritas Press

Honors English 4 {1 credit} (DE)

~ Sonlight Core 630 British Literature (AP exam)

Honors History {1 credit}

~ Sonlight Core 500 World History

Honors Foreign Language {1 credit} (DE)

~ Spanish 102 at local CC (DE)

PE {1 credit}

~ home workouts

Electives

~ Psychology 101 at local CC (DE) {1 credit}

~Art History at local CC (DE) {1 credit}

~ Principles of Advanced Drawing @ co-op {1/2 credit}

~ LEGO Creativity & Problem Solving @ co-op {1/2 credit}

Extras

~ Mother’s Helper 1/day a week for 4 hours

~ Student Teaching Spanish 6-12 @ co-op

Total yearly credits: 9.0 credits for High School / 15 credits for College

That’s it in a nutshell! Thanks for reading this far. If we happen to change anything over the course of the year I will update this post.

Until next time friends, have a blessed day!

http://astablebeginning.com

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Wordless Wednesday

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Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Wordless Wednesday

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Monday, June 21, 2021

2021 ~ 2022 Plan of Study

12 years of home education down

3 high school graduates

1 University graduate

1 University Junior

1 University Freshman

3 children left at home to educate in 9^th, 6^th, and 2^nd grades

Never in a million years did I think we would be in this position when we first started homeschooling back in 2009. We knew we were moving to VA in the fall of 2008 and that’s when God laid it on my heart to keep my then, three school age daughters home. It’s been quite an adventure as we have navigated through Tot School through High School. There have been years where we have been deep in the trenches of homeschooling where I felt as if I were barely hanging on. But you know what? I wouldn’t change it for the world! My children have excelled and been able to pursue the extracurricular activities that interest them whether it be sports, the arts, or Scouting and the fruits of their labor have paid off time and time again.

This 13^th year marks a milestone for us so to speak. You see, my last three children have been educated entirely at home. It’s a huge honor and one that I don’t take lightly. I am excited to see them continue to flourish and achieve their educational dreams over the next 11 years we have left homeschooling.

Once again we are navigating University move-in’s so we are starting later than normal. In 9 short weeks our school year will begin on August 23^rd with a 9^th grader, 6^th grader, and 2^nd grader. It has taken me so long to release this Plan of Study this year because I have had to rethink several curriculum choices for my children. With their input, I have researched and scoured websites, blogs, and reviews to see if the curriculum would be a fit for each child. The biggest change for this upcoming year is that Montana will dive into her first AP course with Human Geography (more about this below).

As in previous years, each of my children will have a specific area that we will focus on throughout the year. Pouring into their individual focus areas has led to good fruits down the road as they leave the nest for University. This year the bulk of our curriculum budget is going to online classes for Montana and McKenzie. Typically, we don’t start online classes until 10^th grade, but I recognized early last year that I needed a year to regroup after going hardcore for the previous 12 years. The bulk of Micah’s curriculum is material that we already have with a few exceptions.  

This year we will continue our 4-day, Sabbath schooling schedule of 6/1 (6 weeks schooling / 1 week off) with tweaks during meet season. After much consideration we will be keeping McKenzie in the homeschool morning training schedule for as long as the opportunity affords because it fits our evening needs as a family unit and her gymnastic goals. As a new middle schooler with a heavier course load, she knows it will mean she will be held accountable for her time in the mornings and on double day trainings that are dedicated for school. I am excited to see her rise to the challenge and excel during this time of transition.

We are also excited to fully return to our Wednesday Co-Op where the kids will take some pretty neat enrichment courses. I am looking forward to teaching two fun classes and having a Study Hall. Montana may choose to use Wednesday as a catch up day for school because her workload will increase with high school/college courses. As always, the standing rule is if you don't finish your assignments during the week, it must be done by Saturday afternoon.

With our August 23rd start date we will have 15 weeks completed by the start of our Christmas break on December 17th. Let’s dive into what we are planning to study.

This year Montana will continue building on her college prep studies. She has already earned 3 high school credits from 8^th grade year and is excited to officially be a high schooler! This year her focus studies will be in math.

Bible
~ Sonlight Bible 200 ~ Westminster Catechism

Math
~ Saxon Algebra 1 with lecture from Mom and Nicole the Math Lady

Honors Science
~ Apologia Biology online with Veritas Press

Honors English 9
~ Rod & Staff Grammar 9/10, Book 1

~ Wordly Wise 3000, Book 9

~ Composition 1 online with Veritas Press
~ Sonlight Literature Core 200

History
~ Human Geography with AP test

*Montana will be doing a self-study for this course as I am not submitting a syllabus to the College Board for approval. I have found another homeschooler who has created the course and will be following her scheduling to prepare for the May exam.

Foreign Language

~ Spanish: Avancemos 1 online with Veritas Press

Electives

~ Apologia Health
~ Artistic Pursuits, High School Book One

PE
~ Softball, fall & spring through rec league?

Extras

~ PSAT/ACT study 45 min/4 days *I am planning on having her take the PSAT in October to get a baseline score.

~ Girl Scout Cadette

Total credits: 8 credits  

Last year we changed up our history study for my youngest two. Bottom line…it didn’t work and I quickly went back to Sonlight but with a twist. McKenzie was not ready for complete independence of Core G and I really wanted to focus just on Ancients with the Story of the World as our spine with both her and Micah. So, she completed the first half of Core G and will finish Core G, Middle Ages this year. I still plan to add in hands-on learning for them both as we go the Middle Ages. My goal for her this year is to get her ready for Core H in 7^th grade. Also, you may notice that she is jumping into her high school science prep for 6^th grade instead of 7^th. She’s ready and she has a great teacher online to help increase her love for science that has been planted in the grammar level. Her focus this year is on spelling and vocabulary.

Morning Time Recitations *more to come on our plan

Bible
~ Wise Up from Positive Action for Christ

Math
~ Saxon 7/6 with Nicole the Math Lady

Science
~ Apologia General Science online with Veritas Press

Language Arts
~ Rod & Staff Grammar 6
~ Rod & Staff Spelling 6

~ Writing with Skill 1
~ Get to the Root of It Vocabulary

~ Reading List *coming soon

History/Geography/Literature

~ Sonlight Core G, 2^nd half Middle Ages

~ Sonlgiht Core G literature list

Foreign Language
~ Latin Transition online with Veritas Press (Latin Alive 1)

Logic

~ Critical Thinking Skills 2

~ Inference Jones 1

PE
~ Level 8 gymnastics Team, 25+ hours a week

*we are hopeful she moves up to compete Level 8 this season after coming off of injury and repeating Lv7.

Time is flying by and my baby boy is in 2^nd grade! This year we are going to continue plugging along and laying the foundation in the basics for him. I am switching a few subjects this year to BJU Press because he enjoys the colorful workbooks this curriculum provides. Like his sisters, Micah is strong in math and loves to read. Our focus this year is completing our work without complaining.

Morning Time Recitations

Bible
~ BJU Press Bible Truths: A Servants Heart

Math
~ Saxon Math 2
~ Math Made Fun, Grade 2

Language Arts / Phonics
~ Rod & Staff Grammar 2

~ Writing with Ease 1

~ Explode the Code, Books 4,5, & 6

~ BJU Press Spelling 2

~ Wordly Wise 3000, book 2

~ Sonlight Readers 2
~ A Reason for Handwriting, Transition

~ Reading list * coming soon. I would love to know what some of your favorite reading books are for this age?

Science
~ Sonlight Core C: Geology, Meteorology, Mechanical Technology

History/Geography/Literature
~ Sonlight Core C

Foreign Language
~ Song School Latin 1 with Classical Academic Press

Art

~ Artistic Pursuits, Book 3 Middle Ages

PE
~ Fall & Spring Baseball

Extras
~ Boy Scout Wolf

~ AWANA ?
 

Thanks for making it through this long post! This week I am going to finalize our Morning Time Recitation plans and booklists. We are in the process of a major house declutter and room swap (yes, again) so I’ll be painting and doing that in the next few weeks as well. I’m excited for year 13, our first day will be here before we know it!

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Friday, July 10, 2020

2020 ~ 2021 Plan of Study ~ 12th, 8th, 5th, and 1st grades

Happy Friday friends!

I am excited to finally be posting our 2020 ~ 2021 Plan of Study. It's amazing to me that we are entering our 12th year of homeschooling...12 years! Mikayla was in 1st grade when we officially started our homeschooling journey (she did spend her first half of Kindergarten home because of an undiagnosed gallstone) after moving from WA State and now she is entering her Senior year. It's been an amazing journey so far and I am excited to continue for 12 more years to complete Micah's education.  

Our school year begins again in just 6 short weeks and we have some changes happening once again. For 2020 ~ 2021 we will have a Senior, and a 8th, 5th, and 1st graders. I have planned and re-planned the courses with the input from all of the children for weeks now and finally figured out what I hope will better suit my son's learning as well. It’s quite a span of learning but I am excited for the challenge. As in previous years, each of my children will have a specific area that we will focus on throughout the year. Pouring into their individual focus areas has lead to good fruits down the road as they leave the nest. Once again I am excited to be at a place where we can reuse most of our curriculum we own already. The bulk of our curriculum budget this year is going to my Senior and 8th grader as we have the majority of our Grammar stage curriculum.  

This year we are all looking forward to going back to our Sabbath schooling schedule of 9/1 and 6/1 (X weeks schooling / 1 week off). Mikayla will continue to follow her typical schedule that includes working over the weekend because of her gymnastics training schedule. This has proven successful for her especially as she is transitioning to University life next year where she will have to complete her studies on the weekend. Montana, McKenzie, and Micah will continue to study 4 days a week, taking off on Wednesdays when we attend our co-op. As always, if you don't finish your assignments during the week, it must be done by Saturday afternoon.

We are starting a bit later than usual this year as we need to get Madison back to University and Mikayla has been invited to visit a few Universities, so with our August 24th start date, we will have 15 weeks completed by the start of our Christmas break on December 18th. Remember, any links below are only for reference and are not affiliate links. Let's dive in...

Mikayla ~ 12th grade

Bible
~ Sonlight Bible 510
Math
~ Saxon Advanced Math ~ Trigonometry with Pre-Calculus and Calculus through Derivatives with lecture instruction from Art Reed DVD’s and mom
Honors Science
~ Apologia Advanced Biology (A&P) at coop ~ I'm teaching
Honors English 12
~ IEW Fix-It Grammar 5 and 6
~ Vocabulary Instruction that Works, Vol. 3 and 4
~ Writing with Veritas Press
~ selected Sonlight Literature
History
~ Sonlight Core 500
Electives:
~ Sonlight AP Psychology
~ Home Economics - Kitchen, Household and Personal Management Skills
~ Forensic Science
~ Photography/Yearbook at coop
PE
~ Level 10 gymnastics, 28 + hours a week

Extras ~ ACT/SAT study 1 hr/day

Total credits: 8.5 credits  

Montana is wrapping up her last year as a Dialectic student. She still is not a huge fan of math but it's not taking all day like it has in past years. She still enjoys reading along with with her newfound artist abilities that she has been showcasing. This year she is we begin her college prep studies by adding in a few high school classes that she is ready for.

Montana ~ 8th grade

Morning Time Recitations  
Bible
~ Sonlight Bible 100
Math
~ Saxon Algebra 1/2 with Mastering Algebra John Saxon's Way Lectures 
Science
~ Honors Apologia Physical Science with Red Wagon Tutorials Lectures - 1 credit
~ Entomology *at coop because Mama doesn't do bugs 
Language Arts
~ Rod & Staff Grammar, book 8
~ Vocabulary Instruction that Works, Vol. 1
~ Essentials in Writing, grade 8 *only the writing portion
~ Sonlight Literature Core 100 
History/Geography
~ Sonlight Core 100 - 1 credit
 Foreign Language
~ Classical Academic Press Latin Alive, Level 1 - 1 credit
PE
~ softball in the spring...the private school is not letting homeschoolers play next year so we will look for another option 
Extras
~ PSAT study/ 20 minutes a day
 ~ ~~Girl Scout Cadette~~

At our weekly Co-Op:
~ Entomology
~ Physical Science
~ Art
~ Animal Behavior
~ Survival Skills

Total credits: 3 credits

Our biggest change this year is to our History studies. We are going back to Tapestry of Grace for my two youngest. We will stick it out for at least the complete 4-year cycle and then reevaulate where McKenzie is. One of the reasons for the change is because while McKenzie's reading has improved she is not ready for the independence of Core G for 6th grade next year. So, I opted to take a slower approach through the four year history cycle while getting the option to combine her and Micah with a more hands-on approach. 1st and 5th grades are the time to study Ancients so it made sense to switch now. Change is good, especially when it helps me help my children be the best students they can be!  

McKenzie ~ 5th Grade

Morning Time Recitations  
Bible
~ You're God's Girl Devotional
~ Bible Journaling 
Math
~ Saxon 6/5 with DIVE lectures
 Science
~ Real Science Odyssey: Biology 2  
Language Arts
~ Rod & Staff Grammar 5
~ Rod & Staff Spelling 6
~ IEW SSS Level A
~ A Reason for Handwriting, Cursive F
~ Greek & Latin Roots Vocabulary
History/Geography/Literature
~ Tapestry of Grace, Year 1 at the Upper Grammar Level
~ Story of the World {Vol.1} Audio / activity guide
~ Monthly TOGether co-op meeting for show n' tell
Foreign Language
~ Classical Academic Press Latin for Children A
Health
~ Health for the Glory of God
~ Celebrate Your Body (and Its Changes, Too!): The Ultimate Puberty Book for Girls 
PE
~ Level 8 gymnastics Team, 25+ hours a week *we are hopeful she moves up to Level 8 this season, with the COVID shut down we will see how training goes through the summer. 
Extras

At our weekly Co-Op:
~ 50 States
~ Lego's
~ STEM
~ Human Body Lab
~ Art or Financial Peace Jr

 Micah ~ 1st Grade

Morning Time Recitations
Hands-On Morning Tubs
Bible
~ Leading Little Ones to God
Math
~ Apologia Exploring Creation with Mathematics, Grade 1
~ Math Made Fun, Grade 1/2
Science
~ Real Science Odyssey: Life 1
Language Arts / Phonics
~ Monthly NO PREP Packets
~ The Moffatt Girls Ready2Read Sight words *finish Level 2
~ Fluency Strips™
~ Sonlight Readers 1
~ A Reason for Handwriting, Manuscript A
History/Geography/Literature
~ Tapestry of Grace, Year 1 at the Lower Grammar Level
~ Story of the World {Vol.1} Audio / activity guide
~ Monthly TOGether co-op meeting for show n' tell
Foreign Language
~ Classical Academic Press Song School Latin 1
PE
~ Fall & Spring Baseball, maybe wrestling
Extras
~ Boy Scout Tiger
 
At our weekly Co-Op:
~ Geography
~ Lego's
~ Hands-On Math
~ Art
~ Choir

I know I enjoy seeing what others have planned for their own homeschoolers, but I worry about what image I am unknowingly projecting. Please know that I plan big and have high expectations of myself and my children, yet we fail in one fashion or another every single day. I know what they are individually capable of and the push and pull is a grace filled one. I may seem to have it all together but know I struggle just like you with insecurities in educating my children to the best of my God-given ability. There are many days that I wonder if I am able, but He equips me each and every day with confidence! The one thing I have learned over the last eleven years is to do what works for our family and my children.

Yes, it’s easier said than done at times, especially when there is some new shiny curriculum that comes out…but like they say the grass is not always greener on the other side. Granted it has taken me several years to get this much-needed concept, but it is so freeing when you do! Thanks for making it through this long post! I am busy writing lesson plans and prepping the hands-on work and student notebooks for our year. The first day will be here before we know it!

Have a great day!

http://astablebeginning.com

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

5 Days Back to School

Have you started back to school yet? We are plugging along in our second week here, however, we are not at full schedule just yet with all our courses.

Back to Homeschool Annual Blog Hop - 2017

Join me next week as I participate in the Back to Homeschool Annual Blog Hop with my CrewMates from the Homeschool Review Crew! I am excited to share with you how I keep my students engaged and learning in our Classically ~ Charlotte Mason homeschool. See you next week!

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Friday, July 14, 2017

2017 ~ 2018 Plan of Study

I am excited to be penning this post! I have planned and re-planned the courses with the input of my older girls for weeks now and its great being able to finally say they are finalized. I know I enjoy seeing what others have planned for their own homeschoolers, but I worry about what image I am unknowingly projecting. Please know that I plan big and have high expectations of myself and my children, yet we fail in one fashion or another every single day. I know what they are individually capable of and the push and pull is a grace filled one.

I may seem to have it all together but know I struggle just like you with insecurities in educating my children to the best of my God-given ability. There are many days that I wonder if I am able, but He equips me each and every day with confidence! The one thing I have learned over the last nine years is to do what works for our family and my children. Yes, it’s easier said than done at times…but like they say the grass is not always greener on the other side. Granted it has taken me several years to get this much-needed concept, but it is so freeing when you do!

This year we will have a Junior, Freshman, 5th grader, 2nd grader, and a PK3er. It’s quite a span of learning but I am excited for the challenge. Each child has a specific area that we will focus on throughout the year with them. I hope my pouring into their focus area will lead to good fruits down the road, it is after all a marathon and not a sprint. This year I am so excited to be at a place where we can reuse most of our curriculum. The bulk of our curriculum budget went to my highschooler's as we have on hand the majority of our Dialectic and Grammar stage curriculum. My older girls asked to switch up our normal Sabbath schooling schedule of 6 weeks on, 1 week off. So, we are going to try 9 weeks on, with a 1 week break in between. We will school 6 days a week for Mikayla because of her gymnastics training schedule and for anyone who does not finish their weekly assignments. With this schedule, we will have 18 weeks done by the start of our Christmas break on December 15th.

***Like always, none of the links below are affiliate links. They are just for reference for me***

Madison is going to be a Junior this year and thus the process for applying to her dream school of the U.S. Air Force Academy (and U.S. Naval Academy) will begin in the spring. Her and I both have already put in countless hours of research and studying on her part. It’s an exciting time as she pursues her dream of being a Cadet and future Astrophysicist. She is a smart girl and we have concluded that it is time for her to learn the majority of her work from outside teachers so she will get the challenge that she craves and needs. Most of her classes will be online this year and she will also continue her trend of two full course science classes. However, this year she has chosen Meteorology to study in addition to physics and there is not a whole lot out there for homeschoolers so with her help we are designing a semester long course for her. Her course load will be as follows:

Bible ~ Bible Road Trip, Year 1: Books of the Law and History, Rhetoric level
Math ~ Saxon Advanced Mathematics (Pre-Calculus) with lecture instruction from Art Reed DVD’s and mom
Honors Science ~ Apologia Physics with Dr. Wile (online)
English 3 ~ AP English Language (online) PA Homeschoolers with Mrs. Inspecktor
History ~ AP US Government (online) PA Homeschoolers with Mrs. Reed
Foreign Language ~ Spanish 3 with Homeschool Spanish Academy (online)
PE ~ Varsity softball with SCA (Spring 4 days/week)
~ preparing for academy application Physical Readiness Test (PRT)
Electives:
~ Honors Meteorology (one semester course)
~ Economics (one semester) *most likely online with Alpha Omega’s Monarch program.
~ Digital Savvy Computer course (she has completed first semester just needs to finish 2nd semester) ~ Driver’s Ed (never completed in 10th grade)
~ Essentials of Communication (one semester)
Extras
~ PSAT/ACT 1 hr/day
~ Girl Scout Ambassador
~ Complete Girl Scout Gold Award {equivalent to Boy Scout Eagle Scout}
~ Community Service with the National Exchange Club

Total credits: 9 credits

* Madison will sit for the AP English Language and AP US Government exams in the Spring of 2018.

Mikayla is jumping into the Rhetoric level of learning this year too! This summer we have started navigating the NCAA Clearinghouse waters as she would like to compete Division I gymnastics in college. It’s a whole world of muddy water that is getting clearer each and every day with research and communicating with other homeschooling families who have “been there, done that”. I am confident that her high school level course load will live up to NCAA standards and pass review when the time comes. Mikayla is eager to start 9th grade year because she knows she is getting closer to meeting her goal of being a collegiate gymnast. She doesn’t know which Division 1 school she would like to compete with just yet, but being on the campus of Michigan State University for Lv9 Eastern’s this past April really made an impression on her.

Morning Time Recitations
Bible ~ Bible Road Trip, Year 1: Books of the Law and History, Dialectic level
Math ~ Saxon Algebra 1 with Geometry using lecture instruction from Art Reed DVD’s and mom Honors Science ~ Apologia Biology with Red Wagon Tutorials lectures along with Fascinating Biology video lectures
Honors English 1
~ Rod &Staff Grammar, book 8
~ Vocabulary from Classical Roots, books B & C
~ Bell Ringer Journal / Current events
~ Literature: Selected short stories – A White Heron, The Diamond Necklace, The Ransom Red Chief, The Purloined Letter, A Worn Path, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Mara, Daughter of the Nile with study guide
Memoria Press The Iliad and The Odyssey Set
To Kill a Mockingbird with study guide
The Aeneid with study guide
Jane Eyre with study guide
The Eagle of the Ninth with study guide
The Miserables with study guide
~ Composition: selections from both Excellence in Literature and Writing With Skill 2
~ Read-Alouds from MTR
Honors History of the Ancient World ~ Tapestry of Grace, Year 1 at Rhetoric level with online co-op. She will complete Accountability and Thinking questions, geography map work, charts, and a timeline
Foreign Language ~ Spanish 1 with Alpha Omega LifePac with Homeschool Spanish Academy for conversation/immersion speaking (online)
PE ~ Level 10 gymnastics, 30 hours a week
Electives:
~ Latin: Memoria Press Second Form Latin
~ History of Fine Arts 1
~ Keyboarding: Typing for Christian Service
Extras
~ PSAT prep 30 minutes/day

Total credits: 8.5 credits

Montana is jumping into the world of logic learning this year for 5th grade. She is my first student to be homeschooled from the beginning and it has been challenging and rewarding seeing what works for her as a learner. She is now a voracious reader but not a huge fan of math. Hopefully as the years go on she will start to like math a little more, especially since she plans to be a zoologist or a veterinarian.

Morning Time Recitations
Bible ~ Bible Road Trip, Year 1: Books of the Law and History, Upper Grammar level
Math ~ Saxon 6/5 with DIVE
~ Times Alive!
~ The Moffatt Girls Multiplication: The Bundle
Science ~ Real Science Odyssey: Biology 2
Language Arts ~ Rod & Staff, book 5
~ Writing With Ease 4
~ Rod & Staff Spelling 6
~ Vocabulary from Classical Roots, book A
~ Tapestry of Grace Literature
~ The Good & Beautiful Handwriting, Level 6
History/Geography/Fine Arts ~ Tapestry of Grace, Year 1 at the Dialectic Level (online co-op)
Health ~ Health for the Glory of God
Logic ~ BrainBogglers
~ Detective Club Mysteries
Foreign Language ~ Memoria Press Latina Christiana
PE ~ Pop Warner Cheerleading in the fall, Softball in the Spring
Extras
~ Girl Scout Junior
~ Complete Girl Scout Bronze Award
~ Awana TNT

McKenzie is heading into 2nd grade full steam ahead! She is an eager learner who loves math and science. She still is struggling a bit with reading, but from past experience I know this will pass and she will catch on when ready. To do my part we will have a phonics intensive review year. Sounds daunting but I found some great curriculum options to make it a fun hands-on learning experience which is right up her alley. McKenzie is a gymnast, like Mikayla, so we will be scheduling her schooling around gym time. But she loves to do school so I never have any issues with her wanting to complete her lessons after a long day in the gym.

Morning Time Recitations
Bible ~ Bible Road Trip, Year 1: Books of the Law and History, Lower Grammar level
Math ~ Saxon 2/3 *She will finish her Saxon 2 by Christmas break
~ Addition and Subtraction (Mastering Math Facts)
Science ~ Real Science Odyssey: Life 1
Language Arts / Phonics ~ Monthly NO PREP Packets
~ Rod & Staff , book 2 with The Moffatt Girls 2nd Grade LA and Grammar
~ Writing With Ease 1
~ Fluency Strips™
~ Veritas Press Phonics Museum App
~ Hands-On Phonics
~ Hands-On Sight Words for spelling
~ Sonlight Readers 2
~ The Good & Beautiful Handwriting, Level 4
~ Hands-On Morning Tubs
History/Geography ~ Tapestry of Grace, Year 1 at the Lower Grammar Level
~ Story of the World {Vol.1} Audio / activity guide
Foreign Language ~ Memoria Press Prima Latina
PE ~ Level 3/4 gymnastics Team, TOPs Training, 18.5 hours a week
Extras
~ Girl Scout Brownie
~ Awana Sparky

How is it that my sweet baby boy is old enough for Preschool? Time flies guys! Before we know it, he will be ready for Kindergarten…but I am just going to stay in the preschool years and enjoy our time! I am not planning too much for Micah other than hands-on tubs, some online learning, and lots of reading. We will follow a curriculum plan loosely, picking activities from a few here and there, however, the main focus will be fun, hands-on learning in bite sized chunks.

~ The ABC’s of Preschool / Joyful Hearts Bible

~ Veritas Press Phonics Museum App

~ ABC Mouse

~ Hands-On Morning Tubs {activities culled from curricula above}

~ Awana Cubbies

Plus any curriculum blessing we receive as we sail with the TOS Homeschool Crew. Have you picked your upcoming curriculum? If so, I would love to see what you are planning! Come back next week and check out our updated school room!