2012–2013 Curriculum Choices

So here it is, the end of July and every good homeschooling mother’s thoughts turn to the new school year.  Ok, truthfully we all started doing that months ago.  But now, most of us have our choices made, many have the items on hand, and yet others are stalking the mailman daily!
So what will we be doing this year?  Weeeeell (in my best “I Love Lucy” voice), there are some changes, but not a lot.  I’m switching back to a lot of Abeka.  We’ll be using 2nd grade math and language arts for Lindsey.   Olivia will be working on 4th grade math and language arts.   I find that Olivia really does thrive on worksheets and repetition.  Lindsey needs the structure of having things to check off her list (um, yeah, I wonder where she gets THAT from?). 
After having to go back to work for 8 months this last year, (and my husband being the substitute) I don’t have a firm idea of how well each one really did during the year.  They scored well on their year end assessments, but I need to know for my own peace of mind, especially since Olivia will be moving into middle school work soon.  Since Abeka does a lot of spiraling and repetition, it will help me to see areas that need work and make sure they get focused on.
We’ll also be redoing Prima Latina this year, for the same reasons.  I’m also adding the Copybook to reinforce what we’re doing.
History and science are going to be done through read aloud books, lapbooks and science projects.  Some of the topics we plan to cover are: ~The Renaissance Period (already in progress)
~Knights and Castles  (completed)
~Robin Hood
~Vikings (already in progress)
~Ballet/Nutcracker
~Dinosaurs
~Ladybugs
~Flowers
Before you get all freaked out and think that’s not much science, I’d like to add that each girl will be taking a science class at co-op this year.  One of my biggest goals of the year is to make homeschooling fun again.  We lost that element of homeschooling last year when I had to return to work and we just got through the basics.  This year I want to go on field trips, make neat things and spend time together learning. We will continue to do Awana, but I’m going to use a different approach for our Bible this year.  We’ll be working through the Superkid Academy Home Bible Study For Kids by Kenneth Copeland Ministries.

In art we’ll be finishing up the Home Art Studio program we were reviewing, and then moving into  Drawing Basics with Thomas Kinkade.  I had planned to buy the next level of Home Art Studio (and still may)…but I found the Drawing Basics complete set for $1, and well that price works for me!
Be sure to visit this weeks Weekly Wrap Up – The Curriculum Edition and see what everyone else is doing this year.