Homeschool Curriculum selections for this year
We are starting our 2nd year of homeschooling Jude. As you may remember last year we abruptly made the decision to pull Jude out of the private school he was attending to homeschool him the remainder of the year. It was by far the best decision we made and he thrived and grew tremendously the remainder of the school year. So this year it was a no brainer for us to continue with our homeschool plan since he has been doing so well.
We homeschool Jude because it’s what is best for him.
Since we first jumped into the homeschool world I’ve done a lot of research and I think we have a pretty good plan for this upcoming year. Jude flies through school work so it might seem like a lot but I have to keep him engaged and learning. After looking through the curriculum I have selected for him I realized that he’s mostly doing 3rd grade level work even though he’s in 2nd grade. He masters his work very quickly and we just keep moving. We will continue to use our weekly homeschool schedule although I might adjust it a little this year to fit his curriculum.
Math: Math-U-See Gamma
We used Math-U-See Beta last year and I really liked the simplicity of the lessons and the use of manipulatives. They have a ton of worksheets for each lesson but Jude never uses that many. He also rarely uses the manipulatives but I do like having them for reference if needed. I might explore Singapore Math for next year because I’ve heard it’s more challenging.
Grammar: First Language Lessons – Level 2
I borrowed Level 1 from a friend last year and we really liked the discussions it brought about. Again, Jude would have the memory work memorized rather quickly which made some of the lessons redundant and boring. But overall I really like how the lessons are designed… we just fly through them.
Spelling: All About Spelling – Level 2
Again, we used Level 1 last year and I saw so many improvements in Jude’s reading and spelling. I like the hands-on magnets that help him understand spelling without the struggle of handwriting. I think we probably could have jumped into Level 2 last year but he really struggled with reading and I wanted to give him a good foundation.
Phonics: Explode the Code – Books 5,6,7, and 8
Jude loves Explode the Code. Again this program has really helped him understand reading. I think once we finish book 8 we probably won’t move to Beyond the Code but I want him to at least finish out the series, especially since he loves doing them.
Handwriting: Star Wars 2nd Grade Handwriting Workbook and A Reason for Handwriting C – Cursive
The Star Wars book is a fun way we can continue to work on his penmanship while we try out cursive. He doesn’t have great handwriting so this is something we will work on in all subjects.
Reading: Library Card
I looked into a few reading programs but ultimately Jude likes to read what he likes to read. We already go the library very frequently so we’ll just continue to explore new books for him to read. I will set aside time during his homeschool day that he can read to me so I can observe his progress and aid him in any areas he struggles. He also reads every night right before bed.
Bible: Gotta Have God Ages 6-9
I want to encourage Jude to start a daily devotional now that he loves reading so much. I’ve heard good things about this book so hopefully he’ll enjoy it.
Classical Conversations
We are part of a Classical Conversations community that meets once a week. This program will cover our history, science, geography, art, Latin, math, English and more. I have printed out some supplemental worksheet for Jude to use during the week since he is a very hands-on learner. This will also act as a way for him to practice his hand writing. I know a lot of people say Classical Conversations doesn’t require a lot of additional curriculum but I know Jude craves learning so that’s why we’ve added so much.
I should also note that he won’t do all of this every day. I’ve set up a schedule so he works on different subjects on different days. I also let him pick which subjects he wants to work on first. This gives him control over his learning and helps keep him excited and engaged.
If you homeschool what curriculum do you use for your kids?
