Curriculum Choices - Part 2

Big changes are also in store for Thing 4 this year, and I am very excited! One thing I discovered last year is that an unconventional child doesn't really do that well with conventional teaching methods. Workbooks and other "school-y" activities just sucked the life out of her and frustrated me.

Oak Meadow, Grade 3 - This is going to be where we focus the bulk of our time this year. This Waldorf-inspired curriculum will be perfect for my little girl who loves art, crafts, cooking, nature and spending lots of time with Mom. The third grade curriculum covers Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science, Art, Music, Health and Crafts. There are many activities and crafts included in the curriculum. It's very teacher-intensive, which might not work for some families. It's also a very "gentle" curriculum where children explore topics through reading, re-telling stories, drawing, experimenting, observing and investigation. We cannot wait to get started with Oak Meadow!

Singapore Math - I talked a little about Singapore here. While it's perfect for Thing 3, it's really not perfect for Thing 4, but I haven't found anything I just love yet so we're going to plug along with Singapore. We won't do it every day. I'll likely use Oak Meadow math and math games most of the time, but we'll work on Singapore a couple of times a week.

Handwriting Without Tears - We started this last year and will continue using it until we finish the program. I love this program because it is not teacher intensive, and every homeschool mom needs something like that.

Primary Language Lessons - This is also something that we used last year. Although it was written in the early 20th century, this book is still relevant today. It has wonderful, gentle Language Arts lessons that we work on together. I will use it to supplement Oak Meadow Language Arts.

Thing 3 will also work on her journal and nature journal. She will work through a reading list of children's classics, take dance, piano and maybe start a blog to practice writing and keyboard skills. She's looking forward to field trips and live theater, too!

We are ready to go!

Curriculum Choices - Part 1

I've made a lot of changes for the upcoming school year. I'm excited about our new curriculum choices.

Here is what I'm using for Thing 3:

Singapore Math - This curriculum is different than the "drill and kill" math we are used to from our public school days. The goal of Singapore Math is to "teach our young to think creatively and apply knowledge innovatively" and to develop "creative independent learners". It moves quickly and may not have enough practice problems for children who need more time on a particular concept. We used it last year, and it was perfect for my kiddo who enjoys math.

Life of Fred Math Series - I love this humorous, creative math series. It's self-teaching and requires kids to use their critical thinking skills. We will alternate Life of Fred with Singapore.

Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts, Level 2 - I'm crazy about this Language Arts curriculum! I can't wait to start using it. It was written by an expert on gifted education with gifted children in mind. It covers grammar, vocabulary, poetry and writing. The text is both beautiful to look at and read. It's very engaging. I think we're really going to like it! (Hat tip to my neighbor, good friend and fellow OE mom, Mel, for turning me on to both MCT and Life of Fred.)

Lively Latin - We started Latin last year but used a different program. It was DVD based and just didn't work that well for us. I've had a chance to read through Lively Latin and I think it's going to be great! I like that it incorporates history, art study, and culture. It also has games and hands-on activities to make learning Latin more fun!

English From The Roots Up - This is just a fun, easy way to improve vocabulary. We work on four or five of these roots every day while the kids are eating breakfast.

Oak Meadow History and Science, Grade 5 - I have searched high and low for secular History and Science curricula. (While I am a Christian, I would rather teach History and Science from a secular view-point.) I finally found Oak Meadow and I really like it. It's a Waldorf-inspired curriculum, and it incorporates a lot of art, nature study, and projects.

Our Beautiful America Copywork Book - I use this for handwriting practice for Thing 3. We started it last year and he really enjoyed it. The family who wrote this book took a trip to visit all 50 states. Along the way, they recorded interesting facts about each state. This book has two to three information entries for each state.

Spelling Wisdom - We use this for spelling and dictation practice. The book is filled with inspirational writings from great authors, politicians, speakers, and some from the Bible.

Rosetta Stone Spanish - We started this last year, too. Thing 3 really enjoys it. I like that it's self-paced and he can do it independently. I'm not sure it's the best way to learn Spanish...in fact, I'm sure it's not. However, it works well for us right now. I anticipate having to find a real, live Spanish teacher one of these days. Until then, we'll continue with Rosetta Stone.

That's the formal "stuff" we will use. In addition to those things, both kiddos will journal, work on nature journals, work through a reading list of classics, and take music lessons. We will go on lots of fun field trips, and will continue to see lots of live theater through the Young At Art program. Both children want to start blogs, too. We'll see how that goes.

It's going to be a good year!

Doing The Happy Dance!

Our new curriculum came today!

I haven't had time to sit down and look over it thoroughly. I plan to do that later tonight. Just a quick glance through it all makes me think I'm going to love it. I think it's exactly what I've been looking for. There's a lot more to it than is shown in these photos, but this gives you an idea.

The craft supplies are really high quality, too. In addition to what's pictured here, we also received a book binding kit, mexican clay, beeswax crayons, quills and India ink, acrylic paints, paint brushes and much more. I love that I'm not going to have to make trips to Hobby Lobby every time we do an enrichment project.

Can we scrap 2nd and 4th grade and just start on 3rd and 5th right now?

Planning Ahead

The end of this year is approaching quickly. I've liked a lot about our first year of Otherwise Educating. I have to be truthful, though, and tell you that there has been more than a little about our first year that has frustrated me and made me feel like a totally lame homeschooling mom.

It was about a year ago that I started thinking seriously about Otherwise Educating my children. I had big, big plans. I shunned the all-in-one curriculum. I wanted to "roll my own"...choose the best of everything. I did just that. Some things I chose I love, some things I don't love.

One thing I don't love is the fact that I often feel so disjointed. I feel like I never have enough time to plan properly, to coordinate subjects, etc. I often feel so overwhelmed by everything I want to teach my children that I end up paralyzed, not ever settling on one thing. There are days on end when I feel like all we really accomplished was trudging through Math and Grammar. Where is the creativity in that? Something has to change for next year.

I've done a complete 180 and decided to go with a pre-planned curriculum next year. Shocking, I know. I feel like I need something that will lend structure to our days and weeks. I want something that will provide a "jumping off place" for our learning.

My criteria for a curriculum are pretty tough.

• I want something that allows flexibility in timing...something that doesn't have a daily schedule, but has a more general schedule. I'm a little OCD, and I have trouble letting go of things on a list. (That's precisely why the Fly Lady routines never worked for me. I couldn't keep up yet I couldn't let go. I always felt like a failure.)
• I want something that is heavy on good literature. I can't stand the idea of my children reading paragraphs and answering comprehension questions.
• I want something that is integrated across subjects.
• I want something that will easily allow me to expand on topics of interest.
• I want something that is "holisitic". Something that educates the whole child, not just one side of the brain. Something that will inspire and nurture creativity and imagination.

I thought I'd never find a curriculum that is a good fit for us, but after much searching, I came across Oak Meadow School. It was love at first sight! It is Waldorf-inspired curriculum that encompasses everything I love about homeschooling. There is too much to go into here, but please check out their site if you are looking for a great curriculum for next year.

It can be a little pricey, but I had many of the required books, and the ones I don't have, I know I can find at the Goodwill or used on Amazon. I also found some of the teaching materials for about half-price on Ebay.

I can't wait until it arrives! Once I get it and have a chance to look over it, I'll post my thoughts about it.