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Sunday, February 16, 2014

Home School Workboxes

Mya starts Grade 1 this year!! Hard to believe. She's growing so fast! I am considering using a workbox system so that her schooling will be a little less teacher intensive during the school day. It will require a little more planning from me before school, but that is a good thing!
So, while we are on holiday, I am researching and planning. Don't let me fool you - I love to research!
I thought I would "gather my thoughts" on my blog, and maybe it would help someone else, too.

Right now I am looking for ideas for in the workboxes. We have our basics....

Word of Life Quiet Time
Math U See
Handwriting Without Tears
Teach Your Child to Read in Just 10 Minutes a Day
ABC Memory Verses
Little Footprints
Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day


Here are some other ideas I would like to include (when not already planned for me in Little Footprints):
Calendar/Day of the Week/Weather
Fine Motor Exercises
Gross Motor Exercises
???

I have a long list of fine & gross motor exercises like painting, drawing, cutting, folding, crawling, marching, jumping, etc. I am looking for specific ideas to implement, like what to do with lego blocks, what to make out of playdough - something that she can do with simple or no instruction from me. So, stay tuned! I am going to post those ideas in separate blogs. When I finish them, I will link them up here.

And if you have ideas you'd like to share, I'm all ears! Just leave a comment!

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Weather Calendar

I am creating a simple calendar for Mya to have a daily review of the month, day of the week, and the weather. Like I said, it's simple! I am using this in conjunction with TBB's My Weather Journal available for free from Teacher Book Bag.

Here is a photo and a link to the pdf files...




I printed the weather pictures from TBB's My Weather Journal and the calendar months and cut them apart. Then I printed the calendar. Finally, I laminated them all of the items. The calendar has no dates printed on it, so that it is versatile. I will write the dates on the calendar each month in permanent marker so they don't smear, and this can be cleaned off at the end of the month with nail polish remover, a cotton ball and a little elbow grease.

Home School Curriculum 2014

Here is what we're using for homeschool this year...

Brandon, age 14
Tapestry of Grace Year 3 - Rhetoric Level, which covers:
  • World History
  • World Classics of Literature
  • Fine Arts
  • Church History
  • Government 
  • Philosophy

Apologia Physical Science
Easy Grammar 
Math U See Geometry and Stewardship
Mavis Beacon Typing
Afrikaans 
Institute for Excellence in Writing
He is also using the recommended Vocabulary list for the SAT's, doing 15 words a week. We will slow down to 10 words a week, if necessary.

Marissa, age 11
Tapestry of Grace Year 3 - Upper Grammar/Dialectic:
  • History, Arts, Geography

Apologia Science Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day 
Easy Grammar 
Math U See Zeta (will probably start PreAlgebra mid-year)
Mavis Beacon Typing 
Afrikaans 
Handwriting Without Tears 
Spelling Power, Fourth Edition 
Institute for Excellence in Writing

Mya, Age 6
Little Footprints 
Teach Your Child to Read in Just Ten Minutes a Day
Math U See Alpha 
Handwriting Without Tears 
Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day