Curriculum choices

I get asked all the time what curriculum I use. Don't you? If not, you will! We started out with a Charlotte Mason approach, especially since I was starting at middle school with my eldest. I knew he was missing big gaps of time at school, but I wasn't sure what that equated to. So off to the library we went. But after a few years of catching up, we buckled down to real curricula. I like textbooks. I loved learning and being in school. Nothing like that feeling of success when you have completed a chapter and done well on the test!

My 14 year old is finishing his Apologia Biology this year. It is supposed to be completed in one year, but I slowed down the pace, let him roll around in it, enjoy it over two years. I can't imagine doing a chapter every two weeks. The material is intense! Not to mention the next level is Chemistry, and he needs to get further in math before we get to that point. A sample chapter is available for you to look at here.

My daughter's also use the same series, but for elementary school. This year it is Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy.

That brings me back to math. We used Math Mammoth to fill in the spaces and get him caught up to middle school level. If you have a child you are pulling from public school to homeschool and you have lots of material to make up, don't worry. I really thought it would take us years to get to grade level. I made plans on how he could possibly complete high school in time, I agonized about how much to do without burning him out while still moving at a faster-than-school pace. It took us 18 months to go from fourth grade level math to pre-algebra. Don't sweat too much, momma!

Math Mammoth only takes you up to sixth grade, I think, so I had to find another publisher. I loved learning Saxon when I was in school, so it seemed the obvious fit. Saxon has a great placement test here to help you figure out where to place your student. :hiding my face: I actually use those tests to formulate teaching math to my younger two, we don't use a book. Maybe by 3rd grade we will, but right now they are just five and six, so we just sit down and practice things together. My 14 year old is using pre-algebra.

For history, we use The Story of the World. I like that all three of my kids can study this together. We start our morning that way, with history, all together, around the table in our jammies. The companion activity book has activities and books to read broken down by age, so a younger child gets coloring, map work, a game maybe, the older one has a list of other books to supplement and projects they can use to go deeper.

Literature we do on our own, from a selection of age appropriate classic books, poems and plays. I'll make another post on that when it's done. This year we are reading some Shakespeare, Alcott, Grey, Stevens, and Doyle.

For bible study, I love Bob Jones University's Bible Truths. For the younger ones, there are lots of hands on activities, and for the older ones, they really dig deep into scripture. Not that they don't already do that at AWANA's.....

Grammar we do together as well, using an old Charlotte Mason book, Simply Grammar. Apologetics and worldview we do together using the What We Believe series. Art is done together using Feed My Sheep.

Why do I care? Learn more about us at my bio page.