Our 2016-2017 Curriculum
By nature, my nine year old daughter (Smarty Pants) and I tend to be a bit eclectic, so why not have an eclectic curriculum. Besides, I am all about tailoring her curriculum to her interests, while still meeting requirements set by the state.
Math I decided to stick with an old edition of Saxon 5/4 for a number of reasons, but mostly because it really clicked with Smarty Pants and she loves Math. Some kids find Saxon to be too repetitive or boring, but she likes the spiral format and the way new material is presented. Update: We transitioned to Saxon Math 6/5 Homeschool Edition. Language Arts A friend of mine suggested I take on the whole Abeka curriculum, but I just don’t feel it’s ALL right for my oldest. After looking further into Abeka though, I did find their Language A text to be prefect. It’s Bible-based, thorough and includes some writing assignments I was looking for in a curriculum. Creative Writing This year, Smarty Pants started her own blog. She tends to focus on the culinary arts while providing recipes, but also adds a dash of personal experience, and a pinch of book reviews. Reading What a blessing it is to have a child who enjoys reading. I really don’t have to pressure her to read for pleasure. She enjoys reading the Chronicles of Narnia series and anything Star Wars related. She has been enthralled with The Green Ember too. Science Abeka is really working for us this year with Science. Although Smarty Pants would love to have skipped over the entire section on insects, she would be first to admit she has learned more about them than she ever thought she would. History We decided to continue Story of the World Volume 1. I know what you are thinking... SOTW Volume 1? Well, I decided to take it slow and do activities, watch movies, and create art projects that relate to the material. Making it more meaningful, rather than race through it, ya know? We even decided to read The Bronze Bow together, which turned out to be quite good! Art The visual and performing arts play huge roles in our family. I don’t need to set a time for anyone to do anything creative. In fact, my oldest is pretty quiet around other people and finds art the easiest way to express herself. She always has a project going, whether it be jewelry, crocheting, drawing, or learning Blender. Music I can’t say enough good things about the online piano courses from Hoffman Academy. Smarty Pants finds Mr. Hoffman to be hilarious and I am learning things I should have learned in high school concert choir. Extracurricular Duolingo Spanish- A Free Online Spanish language program. American Heritage Girls is an awesome Christian Scouting troop for girls. We attend once a week. Code Academy -A Free online coding class for kids. Dance Mat Typing - A free typing program for kids. Hockey practice two days a week. |