Planning for the Year

While I am still in denial that September is around the corner, I cant stop thinking about curriculum, new workbooks, and organizing agendas.  So, I thought I would do a short post on our plans for the year, just to share my finds and also clear my head of all the dancing lists and books that have been scrambling around in there for the past week or so.

It seems I no sooner start a year, and I begin to plan for the next.  I am a planner, and that is a blessing and a curse.  I am trying very hard to let go and let God more than I do, but in the meantime, here are our plans.  Buddy will be entering first grade and Cowgirl is going into fourth grade.

Buddy:

Language Arts- IEW's PAL Reading which we started last year. We completed the first 24 lessons, but I think we will make it through the rest this year.  It is a K-2 program.

Math: Abeka Arithmetic 1 and supplemental workbooks from Smart Alec series in computation and word problems.

Handwriting:  Draw Write Now book 1

Science- The Kids Book of Weather Forecasting and various small science readers.

Geography- Maps and Charts C 

Spelling- All About Spelling level 1

U.S. History- A study of American saints using the Saints and Me, Holy Friends Thirty Saints and Blesseds of the Americas , and a couple of Fr Lovasik books as supplements

Religion: Faith and Life Grade 1, Baltimore Catechism 1, and begin working on First Communion Preparation Notebook (the blog post I used as a outline for this is no longer available).

Cowgirl:

Language Arts:  Josefina Unit Study

Math: Abeka Arithmetic 4, and some on-line drill practice found here, here, and here.

Handwriting: A Reason for Handwriting C and copy work

Science: DK Science Rocks and personal nature study

Geography: Maps and Charts E

Spelling: All About Spelling Level 3

U.S. History: Josefina and Kaya Unit studies

Religion: Totally Catholic, Baltimore Catechism, and Faith and Life 4

As a Family:

Latin: Song School Latin and memorization from Songs to Mary book

World History: Age of Exploration through the American Revolution using various books.  We are using Bearers of Freedom, A History of the United States and Its People, and Our American Catholic Heritage as anchor texts

Morning Time:  Inspired by Teaching from Rest and Ordo Amoris blog, I have restructured our day.  Here is my outline for Morning Time that will happen each morning for 1.5-2 hours. {Update: Ordo Amoris has recently shut down, but you can find more information on Morning Time here.}

1. Morning Offering and hymn
2. Poetry study and memorization 
3. Baltimore Catechism
4. Short Biography of a saint from one of these books.
5. Music Appreciation/Composer Study
6. Review the week's Latin vocabulary
7. Read Aloud 15-20 minutes
8. Morning "loop": Leading Little Ones to Mary, Life of Fred, Catholic Tales for Boys and Girls, and liturgical study. (one each day)
9. St Micheal's prayer and Psalm

Finances:  I have really wanted to do a little study on finances and money with the kids.  I purchased some books last year but never got to it.  I'm determined to do it this year, might squeeze it into Morning Time once a week.  We are using Money Matters for Kids, Common Sense Business for Kids, and I just purchased MoneyBright Kids.

Whew!  I'm tired just looking at this.  It looks like a lot, but I have pared down and simplified.  My main focus for the year is to take our time and not just check off boxes.  If we only get to study two composers and memorize three poems, well at least they learned that much!  We are focusing on the basics and doing as much as we can of the rest.  It's not a race, so I am trying hard to breathe deep and plod on in joy.

How are your plans going?