The Game Plan

School is underway!!!  Feelings erupt inside me of both anticipation and trepidation.  I love to ask other homeschooling moms what their game plan is for homeschooling their children for this year – so I thought I would share mine!   Glean from it what you like, and share your game plan in the comments!!

Fourth Grade

School is really amping up for my 4th grader this year.   We have eased him into things, following the classical model and focusing on memory work, reading, and math in his younger years.  Now I’m starting to flesh things out a bit more by adding a history component as well as the Classical Conversations Essentials Program.

His day will include:

*  Devotions – We use the Gotta Have God Devotional for Boys.  He does this one his own along with reading his Action Bible.

• Essentials – We use the Classical Conversations Essentials of the English Language Guide for grammar and the Institute for Excellence in Writing’s Teaching Writing, Structure, and Style Guide along with the Medieval History Lessons this year. This will take approx 40 minutes of our day, most of it hands on with me.
• Classical Conversations Memory Work Review – we will play games, sing songs, and utilize their app! He also has a set of memory work cards that tell him which weeks to review and keeps him on track.
• Spelling – We use IEW’s Phonetic Zoo. He can do his spelling on his own by listening to a cd, writing down the words, and then listening to their corrections.  He moves on to the next list when he has gotten 100% on the list, twice.
• History – We are using Veritas Press Self-Paced History Class. Several friends RAVE about it and so we decided to give it a go this year.  It’s video-based, and fully online.
• Reading – We are following the Veritas Press History Suggested Reading schedule that corresponds with the videos for his school reading. He reads for about an hour a day.   For “fun” reading outside of that time, he is currently enjoying the Wayside School stories and Imagination Station.
• Math – We are trying out Teaching Textbooks this year. I needed something a little less teacher intensive.  This is also computer based – he watches the lesson, does the workbook, and can even call a tutor line (FREE!!) if he needs help.
• Bible – We love VeritasBible Online and he watches those Bible lessons with his siblings. I have to tear them away from this program to get them to do other things!

Outside of this, he also has his daily/weekly chores, and he loves tae kwon do.  He’s focused on getting his black belt within the next year or so!

First Grade

My sweet little first grader has a much less intensive schedule than my bigger boy!

Reading/Phonics:  She will continue to use Funnix, an online program based on Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, completing one computer lesson a day.   We will also read a lot – Bob Books and Easy Readers, as well as read-aloud (mostly about ponies, since that’s her favorite subject.)

Math:  We are using the Alpha Program from Math U See.  I love how tactile it is and I think it builds a good foundation for upper level math skills.

Classical Conversations Memory Work Review – we will play games, sing songs, and utilize their app!

Preschool
My littlest man just turned 3, and I am hoping to put him in a local preschool for 2 days a week.  My older two had similar opportunities and I feel like it taught them proper classroom behavior and began to develop their social skills.  Plus it will help me have a little quiet for schooling for at least 2 days a week!

I hope seeing my game plan was helpful to you and gave you a few ideas!   Your turn!  Share yours in the comments!

Sarah Falk graduated from Baylor with a major in bioinformatics and is currently pursuing her Naturopathic Doctor’s degree from the Trinity School of Natural Medicine. She is a homeschooling mom to 3 and blogs at Renaissance Mama. She loves to escape to the barn for a few hours to recharge, or to sit near the lake with a chai tea latte and a good book.