Home School

For those of you who are wondering what we're going this year I thought I would post a little about our curriculum.

Our base curriculum is Rod and Staff. (http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com/)I love this curriculum because it is full of morals and godly virtue and based on scripture. It will be a lot more book work than I thought I wanted, but we'll see how that goes.. maybe I'll let you know in a month.

For science we are using Jennie Fulbright's (http://www.jeanniefulbright.com/) Exploring creation through astronomy. These books look amazing and I'll be able to use them all through the primary-elementary age. The thing that I love about them is that they are constantly pointing out God's amazing design. All the projects and experiments are simple and use things that most people would have around their homes.

We are going to be starting our second languages. We're going to be doing sign language and french. There has been a lot of research that supports the theory that the younger the child the easier it is for them to learn a language as their brain is still developing. Alot of other languages use sounds that we do not use, that's why it's so hard for us to speak them. Over time our brains cancel out those sounds in our hearing capabilities, so the younger we are when we start, the more able our brains are to recognize the sounds and use them. We won't be starting french until later on due to finances, we're going to be using Le Français Facile! (http://www.theeasyfrench.com/) for our french and for sign we're going to be buying The Signing Time (http://www.signingtime.com/) movies. We also use this webpage, (http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm) it's an online sign dictionary.

For Music we are doing Rod and Staff for theory, as much theory as you need in grade one. And we're also going to start our own little (very little) handbell choir! I'm really excited about this. I can remember seeing a handbell choir when I was in primary school and it was so beautiful. So we're getting a little handbell curriculum along with a book of music for all the different holidays and special occasions. The kids always want something to do for specials at Christmas Concerts and stuff so this will be really great, and as I told Christy, we may one day become a travelling handbell act, can't you just see Dalen now with the white gloves, ringing bells?! HA!

Well we have a few other things that we'll be doing.. well a lot, of little things. MindBenders, Evan Moor Art, lots of fun science projects and we've been reading the little house on the prarie series so we'll probably be learning a little more about pioneers. I would like to try to make some of the recipes that they made.... like watermelon rind preserves... who knows it may be good?