Election 2012

Well, it's finally voting day and I must admit that I will be happy when all the campaign stuff is gone! Let us move on to the holidays (*big cheers* *spirit hands*)! Ahem, back to the present.

Today the plan was to let my mom watch the kids, but I thought what a great learning opportunity they would miss out on. So I hauled the Three Musketeers with me to cast their ballot at the kids booth. We talked about the electoral votes for each state and the different political parties. Tonight they will be busy coloring in their maps and symbols. What a fun hands-on lesson!

2nd Grade Curriculum

Math-U-See

5th Grade Curriculum for 2011-2012

So far we have the following on our list for the coming school year.

Math-U-See
Bree is currently finishing up her year in Delta (Division) and will soon be moving on to Epsilon (Fractions). This will be our fifth year with MUS and I have loved it from day one!

First Language Lessons
We will be finishing up level four this fall and from here not sure where we are headed. I have loved this approach to grammar that uses classical techniques of memorization, dictation, and narration. The text covers a full range of grammar topics, including parts of speech, punctuation, sentence diagrams, and skills in beginning writing and storytelling. And best of all each lesson is scripted, which keeps things easy to understand and prepare for.


Writing Strands
This is new to our curriculum list this year. We are starting with level 3, which is an independent study to help the beginning writer organize their thoughts. We will have to see where this takes us.


Reading
I have used several comprehension workbooks in the past and will probably continue to do so. We also try to keep a running book list for Bree to read on her own and have a family reading time as often as possible. In the past we have read The Chronicles of Narnia and The Little House books.


Exploring Creation with Botany
We do science as a family study. This year we will be starting botany from the Apologia Elementary Science curriculum. We finished the astronomy last year and the kids really enjoyed it.


The Mystery of History
This will be another new addition this Fall and it is also a family study. I'm really excited to jump into this book and see how world history and bible history blend. 


Additional History
I have decided to add some great character building videos by Nest Entertainment. Our first videos will be on famous inventors. Along with the videos are workbooks for further study and activities. My plan is one a week, but we will see how it goes.