Our First Nine Weeks of School (2019-2020)

Last Friday we completed our first nine weeks of school. Here is a glimpse of some of the things we have been doing.

Here is my sweet little Ben doing a reading lesson on a recent school day. 

One of the reading curriculums I use for him is Sonlight.  His first reader this school year is The Beginner's Bible.  He reads a story a day.  We also use Sing Spell Read and Write for reading.  In that program he begins a trip around the United States reading about a different State each week.  We are starting off going along the Southern border.  So far he has read about California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.  There are some fun songs that go along with this reading curriculum too.

Cruz also does Sonlight reading.  Here are the chapter books he has read already.  He is currently about half way through Henry and  Ribsy.  His favorite so far has been Marco Polo. 

He also takes a literature class at co-op.  They will read three books this year and discuss them in class.  He has several worksheets each week that he also has to fill out after he reads.  The first book they are doing is Because of Winn-Dixie.

Sonlight assigns me read alouds to do too.  Here are the books we have read so far.  We are currently still reading through The Door in the Wall.  My favorite has been Sticks Across the Chimney.  It tied in perfectly with our history lessons on the Vikings.

Speaking of History, this is one of the books we are using.  We are on year 2 of World History.  We started out the school year learning all about the Vikings (which the boys loved!!)  We are currently studying knights and castles.  This is a really fun, interesting book.

One of my favorites from Sonlight this year is this book- Window on the World.    Each week we read about different countries and people groups around the world.  It uses stories, information, maps, flags, and photos to help paint the picture of what life is like in those places.  It gives us information about the gospel presence there and some ways to pray.  We then spend some time praying for that area and people that the good news will become more widely known there.  What a joy to get to regularly pray for lostness with my boys in school. 

The boys have always loved maps.  This year we are doing geography through Sonlight.  We have fun songs that are helping us learn the names of the countries in the different regions.  We started off learning the continents and oceans.  We have since learned the countries in the Middle East, the British Isles, Scandinavia, Western Europe, Southern Europe, and we are currently learning Eastern Europe.  We all love geography.

Something else they love is art.  This year we are using Take Time for Art.  It is an art history curriculum.  It uses on-line streaming videos to teach the history lessons and then step by step videos to show us how to do the art projects that go along with it.  They have different history periods.  I chose the Middle Ages because it was the one that best went along with our Sonlight history this year.  Here they are with their Anglo-Saxon Fibulas.  This was our first project.

They also made a Byzantine Mosaic.

One of their favorite projects (for obvious reasons) was making catapults. 

It has been a few weeks now and they are still playing with them.

Ben doing a language lesson.

They have been going to karate for a month now and are loving it.  They go two afternoons a week for an hour each.  It has been a lot of fun for them.  The best part is that they come home really tired.

Our first day of co-op.  We have been four weeks now total and love it.  We meet every Thursday.  The boys are having fun, making friends, and learning.  I am enjoying the science classes that I help teach.  We do our daily lessons at home and then review together at co-op.  We also do several experiments together each week in class.  So far the favorites have been lava lamps and frozen sorbet.  There are 19 kids between the two classes (eleven K- 2nd graders and eight 4th-6th graders).

A musical instrument Ben made one week at his co-op music class.

Ben's co-op art project

The boys doing a science experiment at home.  It was called Overflow Beans.  It was an activity on water displacement. 

We each had to guess how many beans we could add to the cup before it made the water overflow.  Once we made a guess we then tested it out. 

Look at that water bulging! 

So much fun!

We also do grammar, math, handwriting, Bible, keyboarding, spelling, and writing.  My days are FULL but they are spent doing something I truly love.

Our Homeschool Curriculum Choices for 2nd and 4th Grade (2019-20)

Choosing the right curriculum can be one of the hardest decisions to make when it comes to homeschool.  There are so many great options out there!  I have spent many hours since we began this journey researching curriculum, reading reviews, asking questions, and listening to advice from others.  Homeschool is not easy.  It requires a lot of time, energy, patience, and organization on my part to make it work.  Having the right curriculum can make or break you.  I am thankful that many of my original choices we have stuck with every year.  I have added and changed a few along the way but overall I have been very pleased with what I use.  Here is a look at what we are using this year for 4th and 2nd grade.

This is our third year using Sonlight.  I absolutely love it! This year we are doing Core C which is year 2 of our Intro to World History.  I combine both boys together and it covers Bible, History, and Literature.  There is a lot of reading (both by me and the boys) but we enjoy it so much.  These are the books we will be reading this year in the above mentioned subjects as well as Cruz's 4th grade readers. 

Cruz's 4th grade Sonlight readers.  Sonlight provides such great literature that really makes him enjoy reading. (most days)

Ben's 2nd grade Sonlight readers.

I have the boys do two reading programs for extra practice.  This year for Cruz I added the BJU Press 4th grade reading curriculum.

Ben is working his way through the Sing Spell Read and Write curriculum.  He began it in Kindergarten and now is starting Level 2.  Level 2 is a complete language arts curriculum for 2nd grade. 

I am excited that he is starting the Sing Spell Read and Write Level 2 reading program.  Cruz enjoyed it so much.  In Level 2 he begins a grand tour around the United States learning about a different State each week.  In 2nd grade he will cover the Southern and Eastern border States.  Next year, in 3rd grade, he will cover all of the rest.  It is a fun program and we all learned a lot.

This year Cruz will begin a writing curriculum by IEW (Institute for Excellence in Writing).  I have heard so many great things about this program and am excited to get it started.

IEW also has a grammar program that we are doing.  We began this first book after Christmas last year and will continue working through it this first semester. 

For spelling we use All About Spelling.  

At our recent homeschool conference I won as a door prize this Grade 4 grammar review book by Easy Grammar.  It is called Daily Grams and it has short daily lessons that review grammar concepts.  I have him do a lesson a day for extra practice.

I started using these 180 Days of.... books last year and love them.  I started with the language but this year added in the reading one also.  I have these for both boys and they do a short lesson each day for extra practice and review.  They sell these for other subjects too and I would recommend them.

We have been using Math U See from the start.  This year Ben will be doing the Beta level.

Cruz is in the Delta level of Math U See.

Because both of my boys love art, this year we will be starting a new curriculum called Take Time for Art. The writer was at our homeschool conference and did a workshop on it.  I chose the Middle Ages theme and it will teach them about art and history of The Middle Ages as well as provide great hands-on art projects.  We are all excited to begin it!

We use A Reason for Handwriting and have every year.  It is short daily practice lessons.  Cruz will be in level D this year continuing cursive.

Ben is starting Level T.  He will transition into cursive the second semester.

This year we will be joining a homeschool co-op that meets in a neighboring town. I am excited and nervous about it all at the same time.  We will meet every Thursday starting in September.  Both boys will do Science through the co-op.  They will be doing Apologia Exploring Creation Through Chemistry and Physics.  Me and another mom will be teaching the lower and upper elementary Science classes.  In addition to Science Ben will be doing art, music, and P.E with the other K-2nd graders.  Cruz's other classes for 3rd - 6th will be art, literature, and P.E. 

Ben will also continue daily lessons on ABC Mouse.  Both of my boys have learned so much from using this program over the years.

We are starting our second year of keyboarding.  I love this program called Keyboarding Without Tears.  Both boys are doing their grade level.

 

We also use the online version of Explode the Code for phonics review.

So that is a glimpse of what we are doing.  Our days are full but I want to make sure I am covering everything well.  So far our year is off to a great start.  I am praying it continues.