Who else has next year planned?

Me – Sort of – Okay not really. How is that for confusing? We do not have all our books start in onemonth and finish in another. We also keep some things running year round with time off for babies being born (happened in January and will happen again in July). So, for example, my 6th grader has 16 lessons left in Math U See Epsilon and will begin Zeta around the beginning of April. The next2 children will move on in math around the beginning of May. Those two are using Queen’s Language Lessons for the Very Young, which we started not too long ago, so it won’t finish until June or July, then they will move up to the next level.

One big change we are doing is beginning to use Mystery of History Vol. 1 in January. We will add in livingbooks with a book basket, pull science activities from the topics in here, writing/notebooking assignments, etc. Something simple and streamlined.

Oldest is working through Analytical Grammar and will decide if she wants to take a break after the first season (10 weeks) or if she wants to head right into the next season.

Pretty much everything else is done in real life/without curriculum. For example this month we’re listening to christmas hymns and Handel’s Messiah. Art happens as children want it (one of my 7 is super artistic, so she requests it the most).

I’m pretty relaxed in it all. If we hit the 4 rs (reading, writing, arithmethic, and religion) daily I’m a happy girl.

We do January to December, too, so I think we have the plan:

History/Geo/Bible: SCM Module 5 with resources they suggest

Science: 106 Days of Creation Studies

Scripture Memory/Pict. Study/ Composer Study and Poetry: SCM Module 1 with living biographies added as I can track them down.

Handwriting: SCM copywork and dictation

Spelling: Spelling Wisdom and Rod and Staff

Math: Right Start for littles and Teaching Textbooks for older kids (we use 1 grade level ahead of their ‘grade’)

French: Rosetta stone and French in 10 minutes a day for older kids (also basic vocab, songs, and memory work in the morning with little kids)

Language Arts: Jr. Analytical Grammar and IEW for big kids, oral narrations, copywork and dictation for middles. Explode the Code and 100 Easy Lessons for my last little man learning to read :(. Oh, and lots and lots of good reading. We are adding the Lamplighter books to our list thanks to lots of recommendations here!

I am also looking forward to the kids learning a lot about carpentry and math as we outfit a barn on our property with a big apartment!

My Amazon list is truly scaring me now. I have got to ‘weed’ out some things, but each and every book is calling me :0). My best friend says I love planning the school year because, “When you are planning, it is all perfect!”. So true, so true…But perfect or not, I think it will be a fruitful and fun year!

I partly do….  AO is working pretty well this year…. but I have to Canadianize it, and do a few other changes….  So…

Echo (who will be 7.5 by then) will do the Year 2 that Delta is in the middle of – with any minor tweaks still needed.     RS Math (probably Level D – depending if she finishes level C this year)

Delta (who will be basically 10… wow!)  will do Year 3 – but this is where I am trying to work out what we are doing as this is where Canadian history gets going….   I have been working on this for a while – but still working on it!    Also RS Math (probably Level D – depending if she finishes level C this year)

Foxtrot (who will be 5 by then) – Practice Reading, probably start writing,  RS Math (probably Level B – she is over 1/2 way through Level A already)

Golf (who will be 3 by then) – Generally getting into stuff… lol.

Oh yes, next year and the next and the year after that.  I’m a planner.  There ought to be a 12-step program for that.

I just started looking at Science curriculums this past week to see if it is something I want to spend the money on.  This year we are covering whatever interests us along with a special segment on Leonardo da Vinci as we are going to a museum in two weeks that has a “machines in motion” hands on display of his inventions.  We are getting excited about that!  Or we may do 106 Days over again.  We did that a few years back and really enjoyed it.  Otherwise I was looking at AIG but that is pretty expensive for us.  Our second year of HS at the encouragement of my DH we spent money on a science program and then I didn’t like it and haven’t used it so I am extremely hesitant to spend a lot for science again until the later years.

Math: this year we started CLP and are liking it so we will continue with that next year.  My youngest will be in Kindergarten and I will do things with him as he is able.  I don’t want to rush or push him.

History we will do SCM Module 5. I have quite a few of the books needed already from PBS.

My oldest daughter will be starting her own Bible study/catechism. So I will be looking for something for that as well.

Spelling Wisdom for the older two, Jr. AG for the oldest.  EFTTC for my third child.  We are really trying to concentrate on more writing this year (to the dismay of my children). 

Then I add in Nature Study and Geography once a week but if I don’t get to it I am doing better about not stressing over it. 

And to round it off I bought calendars of artists and we cover one artist every term which works out great with 12 weeks in each term.  I do a little overview of whoever we are covering.  Then everyonce in a while we throw in some music/composer study and occasional poetry but I don’t stress about doing that either.

We learn at least one hymn every month and right now the kids are learning songs and narrations for their Sunday School Christmas performance and we continue wtih those every year.

Me!  I’m glad I’m not the only one.  I think I’m obsessed with planning out my dc’s education, but atleast there’s support here for that problem!  

I got MFW K for dd and plan to use it loosely.  Mainly I love the Bible, science, and book suggestions from MFW K.  I’m planning to use the MFW K Bible and Science for both dd (then 5) and ds (then 7).  Then I’ll plan to gently go at dd’s pace for reading, writing, and a living math as it comes up.  Lots of  read alouds planned for both dc.  

For ds (2nd grade next year), I plan to do US history (I have a CLP book as a spine), adding some living books and fun activities.  I plan to continue with copywork, narration, MEP math, reading (phonics if needed), and possibly add PLL.  He started taking group keyboard lessons and seems to do well with it, so I hope to either continue these lessons or work with him on my own since I have some past piano training.   Poetry, hymns, composer study, artist study, and Spanish has been laid back this year (present and consistent but light).  I hope to continue fitting these areas into our natural day to day life.  I’d like to do more handicrafts, hands on art instruction, and nature study.  For now he’s attending classes at a local nature center about once/month and I am trying to be more intentional about pointing out details of things we casually observe in nature since we are outside quite a bit.  Maybe soon, we’ll actually use the sketch books I purchased for focused nature study.  

Happy planning to everyone else.  I do have to keep my plans in perspective of God’s words to not brag about tomorrow, for we not what tomorrow will bring.  So instead of setting the above plan in stone, I keep in mind that tomorrow any situation could throw all these plans for a loop and I’d have to be okay with taking one day at a time.  Easier said than done I’m sure if such a situation arises.