What Curriculum Are You Using This Year? {2012-2013}

Carlie Kercheval

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As many of you know, we are entering into our 9th year of homeschooling and that means our 9th year of choosing curriculum! I can hardly believe that I purchased my first preschool curriculum for our oldest a little over 9 years ago. WOW. Time flies.

Over the years our methods of homeschooling have changed. I went from purchasing an all-in-one boxed curriculum for preschool to becoming eclectic by the time our daughter reached first grade. We have consistently fallen into the self made category of “extremely relaxed eclectic homeschoolers” for the last 5 years and are so happy we have found our way in this amazing homeschooling journey.

Okay – now onto what we are starting off with for each child this year!

 

Character Training

    • We Choose Virtues – Phenomenal curriculum that will change the atmosphere of your home! You can read two reviews I did on We Choose Virtues products here (this one is currently a giveaway as well) and here.
    • GrapeVine Bible Studies – Phenomenal Bible studies for the entire family. My daughter and I just recently finished the Esther Bible study.
    • What’s In The Bible? – Amazing DVD series taking your entire family on a journey through the Bible. My husband and I are learning just as much as the children!

 

  • The Holy Bible

Language Arts

Mathematics

History/Geography

Passport United KingdomPassport FrancePassport Italy    Passport Germany

 

Foreign Language

  • Rosetta Stone Deutsch (German) 1 – Since we are blessed to live in beautiful Germany, we are excited to do a more formal study of the beautiful German language this year!

Science

  • Homeschool Astronomy – Created by a Christian, this is a great curriculum that will allow your children to explore the solar system. You can read my review of it here.

Physical Education

  • Family Time Fitness Homeschool PE program – This has been a wonderful addition to our homeschool. We added this new curriculum in the spring and it has been an amazing way to keep the children motivated to have fun with getting fit. If you are looking for a homeschool PE curriculum, I highly recommend giving this one a try. You can read my recent review about this here.
  • Weekly co-op PE class.

Music

Art

Home Economics

  • Mastering the French “roux”
  • Canning
  • Jam making
  • Cooking and meal preparation (freezer meals)
  • Bread making
  • and LOTS more

Extra-curricular Activities

  • Advanced Gymnastics – all events with private coach.
  • Advanced Power Tumbling – 3x a week.
  • Swimming lessons – 1x a week.
  • Traveling around Europe – field trips GALORE!

 

Character Training

  • We Choose Virtues – phenomenal curriculum that will change the atmosphere of your home! You can read two reviews I did on We Choose Virtues products here (this one is currently a giveaway as well) and here.
  • GrapeVine Bible Studies – phenomenal Bible studies for the family. My daughter and I just recently finished the Esther Bible study.
  • What’s In The Bible? – Amazing DVD series taking your entire family on a journey through the Bible. My husband and I are learning just as much as the children!

 

  • The Holy Bible

Reading

Writing

  • Notebooking Pages – Prince Charming will begin to journal using these wonderful notebooking pages we are able to customize at the Notebooking Pages website.
  • We will also continue with handwriting practice using worksheets I created.

Mathematics

  • The Path To Math Success K (Silver Burdett Ginn)
  • I have  also created my own worksheets this year to reinforce what he’ll be learning with the text above.

Foreign Language

Science

  • Elemental Science {Biology} – this is a wonderful program that will allow our sons to use lap booking to learn about science. My boys already completed Elemental Science’s Lapbooking through Animals – you can read the review here.
  • Various experiments led by Prince Charming’s current science interests. Right now he seems to really enjoy blowing things up!

Physical Education

  • Family Time Fitness Homeschool PE program – This has been a wonderful addition to our homeschool. We added this new curriculum in the spring and it has been an amazing way to keep the children motivated to have fun with getting fit. If you are looking for a homeschool PE curriculum, I highly recommend giving this one a try. You can read my recent review about this here.
  • Weekly co-op PE class.

Music

Art

  • World’s Greatest Artists Volume 1
  • Various art projects led by Prince Charming’s interests at the time. Currently he is really into interpreting art. His latest obsession is drawing his take on Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

Home Economics/Health

  • Basic cooking skills.
  • Kitchen safety.
  • Basic baking skills.
  • Cleanliness of body and home.

Extra-curricular Activites

  • Soccer
  • Beginner Tumbling – 3x weekly
  • Swim Lessons – 1x a week
  • Traveling around Europe – field trips GALORE!

Character Training

  • We Choose Virtues – phenomenal curriculum that will change the atmosphere of your home! You can read two reviews I did on We Choose Virtues products here (this one is currently a giveaway as well) and here.
  • GrapeVine Bible Studies – phenomenal Bible studies for the family. My daughter and I just recently finished the Esther Bible study.
  • What’s In The Bible? – Amazing DVD series taking your entire family on a journey through the Bible. My husband and I are learning just as much as the children!

 

  • The Holy Bible

Reading

Writing

  • K4 – Works on alphabet and numbers for handwriting.
  • Notebooking Pages – Little Caveman will begin to journal using these wonderful notebooking pages we are able to customize at the Notebooking Pages website.

Foreign Language

Mathematics

  • I am working with him on the basics of conceptual numbers, simple addition, simple subtraction, shapes, introducing measurements, introducing skip counting, etc.
  • We will be using real life (ie: his toy cars, uncooked beans, baking, etc) to reinforce any seat work we do.
  • I have created some simple worksheets to go along with our learning this year.

Science

  • Various experiments led by Little Caveman’s current science interests. He is currently enjoying making play-doh and homemade finger paint!

Physical Education

  • Family Time Fitness Homeschool PE program – This has been a wonderful addition to our homeschool. We added this new curriculum in the spring and it has been an amazing way to keep the children motivated to have fun with getting fit. If you are looking for a homeschool PE curriculum, I highly recommend giving this one a try. You can read my recent review about this here.
  • Weekly co-op PE class.

Music

Art

Home Economics/Health

  • Basic cooking skills.
  • Kitchen safety.
  • Basic baking skills.
  • Cleanliness of body and home.

Extra-curricular Activities

  • Swimming Lessons – 1x weekly
  • Traveling around Europe – field trips GALORE!

 

This post is linked up over at the iHomeschool Network – click below to link up your family’s 2012-2013 curriculum!

So You Call Yourself A Homeschooler?

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41 Comments

  2. There are several things on your list that I’ve never heard of before, so I will be off to check out some of the links. It sounds like a busy year ahead for you. Hope it’s a great one!

    1. Hey Sharla!
      Thanks for stopping by! I headed to your blog and LOVE your selections too 🙂 Have a fabulous year ahead!

    1. Hi Jenny!
      Thank you so much – I enjoyed taking the photos of my babies 🙂 Yes, definitely check out We Choose Virtues, it is a fabulous character training resource! Headed over to check out your post now 🙂

  4. Looks like great stuff! We used Elemental Science Biology for 1st grade – it was so fun! We’ll be using Rosetta Stone this year too – for Russian. Have a great year~!

    1. Mary,
      Thanks for stopping by! Wow, Russian sounds awesome! Have wonderful new school year 🙂

  5. What a fun year ahead for your children! We love Notebooking Pages and use it liberally for history, science, and even scripture study sometimes.

    1. Hi Tristan!
      Thanks for stopping by 🙂 Notebooking is wonderful, isn’t it? Have a fabulous year with your seven blessings!

    1. Thanks for stopping by, Dawn 🙂 We are so blessed to be living in Europe and have loved it thus far (we’ve been here for a year and a half now). Have a wonderful and blessed year!

    1. Thank you so much for stopping by! I am happy to connect with you 🙂 Headed over to check out your blog 🙂 Kindergarten is so much fun! Enjoy your year!

    1. Thanks, Jen, I am a true photographer at heart and always have a special joy photographing my babies 🙂 We are excited for our year! Off to check out your year!

  9. Carlie, what a great year! My daughter, Sarah, is 12 and also a seventh-grader this year… I loved seeing what ideas you had, especially about living history, which is definitely a passion of ours. If you ever really do a “top 100” list on that topic, I would definitely read them 🙂

    1. Hi Joan!
      I am certainly planning to do a Top 100 list in the near future – we have more than 100 faves 🙂 Living history is life changing, isn’t it? Have a wonderful year with your precious homeschool!

  10. Can you believe I STILL haven’t decided yet?? This is the first time I decided not to use boxed curriculum that I have used in the past 3 years. I probably will do 1st grade MFW with my youngest daughter, but she is behind so will need to do some Kindergarten work. My son will be doing online school due to his learning differences and was recommended by his tutor he has been seeing since mid-March. We found out that his has mild dyslexia along with auditory processing disorder and attention deficit disorder (ADD – non hyperactive). I am thinking about choosing Grapevine Studies for our Bible as it was recommended on several homeschool blogs, including yours.

    1. Laura,
      LOL, I have quite a few friends that have not yet decided – that is the beauty of homeschool 🙂 GrapeVine is a wonderful choice for Bible study!! Enjoy your upcoming year 🙂

  11. Looks like a fun and full year. I’m definitely going to check into that We choose virtues you linked to. This is the 2nd blog this morning I’ve seen that mentioned on.

    1. Hey Samantha, thanks for stopping by! I think you will really enjoy We Choose Virtues. Headed over now to see what you’ll be using this year 😉

    1. Hey Jennifer 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! I am off to check out your newest post about moving to Nova Scotia 🙂

  13. Wow! You will be having some awesome field trips! Also, learning to make roux is fabulous. She will be able to make so many things if she can make roux!

    1. Hi Laura 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! Yes, we have already been on countless adventures around Germany – the history and culture are so rich! Yes, I agree, teaching her to perfect her roux will open up many possibilities, I look forward seeing her grow as a cook 😉 Have a wonderful year!

  14. Looks like a wonderful year you have planned! I am going to check out reading eggs website right now! Stopping by from the Not Back to School Blog Hop 🙂

    1. Hey Stef,
      Thanks for stopping by and linking my post! Yes, Advanced Power Tumbling is AWESOME. Headed over now to check out your year! Blessings 🙂

  16. So you have a “Princess” a “Prince Charming” and a “Little Caveman”? That is hilarious! I love it. One of the things I want to do this year is more regular Bible reading.

  17. Looks like an awesome year with all of the field trips around Europe. Thanks for the middle school math and ASL suggestions.

  19. Oh- I’m so glad I clicked over here! Love your blog! We are relaxed, eclectic hs as well. That works best for our personalities and my “fly by the seat of my pants-ness”! Can’t wait to dig around more on your blog. Your family is precious!

  20. I also started out with boxed curriculum and am now definitely eclectic. 🙂 I love the pictures of your kids, and I’m sure you have lots of opportunities for field trips and out of the box learning in Germany!

    1. Hi Leah! Thanks for stopping by 🙂 Being eclectic is a ton of fun, isn’t it? Thank you, I enjoy taking photos of my babies 🙂 Have a BLESSED year!!

  21. Your school year looks fantastic! We are also relaxed and eclectic…and we’re gadget/computer addicts, lol. Our core doesn’t change, but our supplements do, and quite often. On the computer, they use Time4Learning for their core, and like you, we use SpellingCity. They also play educational games on a site called LearningGamesforKids.

    As far as additional supplements go, Drive Thru History and WonderMaps have both been recommended to us, so we need to check those out. My youngest wants to start on Apologia’s Exploring Creation through Zoology series, while my oldest is looking forward to their Marine Biology set.

    I really, REALLY want to start them on Rosetta Stone, but we are trying to settle on a language. I can’t get them to decide on one. The oldest wants Italian and the youngest wants Swedish (I think it’s the Olympic influence, lol).

    Thanks for sharing, and I hope you have wonderful school year! 🙂
    Katie

  24. I’m really excited to see how your kindergarten science goes. I’m looking for something to use next year. I look forward to reading about everything you do!

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