Joyful Heart

As part of the NOT Back to School Blog Hop, here are our curriculum choices for this school year.  This year, as we looked at curriculum, we had to consider the needs of our 2nd grader, Kindergartner, 3 year old Preschooler, and our adorable, but fast moving toddler!

Bible and Devotions (with the oldest 3 kids)

1. Bible Notebook  – The older two girls read a section and then draw and write about it.  I read aloud to the younger two children and talk briefly about what was read.
2. Hymns for a Kids Heart: Volume 1 – We hope to learn and sing one new hymn a month.
3. Leading Little Ones to God

History / Geography

Adventures in My Father’s World from My Father’s World Curriculum is our choice for this school year.  It includes a Bible study of the names of Jesus, science (which we are modifying slightly since we did most of the experiments last year), history of the exploration and founding of the United States, a state by state study,  hands on projects, integrated narration and copywork, read alouds, and music which includes learning to sing patriotic songs as well as to appreciate the music of Tchaikovsky.

Science

1. Sonlight Discover and Do Level 1 Science (experiments with light, water, and magnets)
2. Nature Study – I finally have a copy of the Handbook of Nature Study by Ann Comstock and am going to TRY to incorporate a weekly nature walk.

Art

1. Art Appreciation – We are continuing to use the Come Look With Me series.  This year we plan to use Come Look With Me: Art in Early America and Come Look With Me: Exploring Landscape Art with Children.
2. How to Teach Art to Children (from Evan Moor)
3. Draw Write Now – I’ve coordinated some of the lessons in books 2, 3, and 5 with the MFW learnings.  Our K student will only be doing the drawing portions, but her older 2nd grade sister will be expected to do the writing portion as well.

Reading / Language Arts /Math

our 2nd grader…

1. Readers:  Abeka 2nd grade readers, Sonlight 2nd grade intermediate readers and then the 2A readers when she is ready, free choice reading on her own
2. Explode the Code books 5 and 6 for phonics
3. Building Spelling Skills -  I plan to just choose 10 of the words they have listed each week.  She also needs more practice with spelling sight words.
   (Update: We decided to just choose sight words, words from her Explode the Code lessons, and a couple words from her handwriting verse to make 12 spelling words each week instead of using the spelling book.)
4. A Reason for Handwriting Book T – We plan to use half of this book for 2nd grade and the second half for 3rd.  This series has the child practice writing a few letters and words each day that pertain to a certain Bible verse.  Then, on the last day, the child copies the full verse neatly.
   (Update: In addition, I dictate the Bible verse to her three days a week.  I say the verse once and she has to write the verse correctly without help (spelling, punctuation, etc.).  When finished, she then cheks her work against the original and makes any necessary corrections.)
5. Grammar: Daily Language Review and Grammar and Punctuation (both from Evan Moor)
6. Write On Target for Grades 1&2
   (Update:  We have used this sporadically and not each week.)
7. Horizons Math (completing Level 1 and heading into 2)
8. Flashcards
9. Hands on Math games from Right Start

our Kindergartner…

1. Readers: Abeka 1st grade readers, Sonlight readers (She is reading the first grade already and even the 2R and 2I levels on her own, so I will probably just let her pick each day what she wants to read to me.), free choice reading on own
2. Explode the Code books 1-3 for phonics
3. Hands on sight word spelling
4. A Reason for Handwriting Book A
   (Update: In addition, just as I do for our 2nd grader, I dictate the Bible verse to her three days a week.  I say the verse once and she has to write the verse correctly without help (spelling, punctuation, etc.).  When finished, she then cheks her work against the original and makes any necessary corrections.)
5. Can You Find Me? (k-1)
6. Horizons Math Level K (continuing from last year)
7. Hands on Math games from Right Start

our preschooler…

1. Bible and Rhyme for 3’s (not the full curriculum)
2. Playdough mats, learning puzzles, hands on games and manipulatives
3. Can You Find Me? (preschool)
4. potty training  =)

our toddler…

1. play, play, play =)
2. books with mommy and siblings

Lifeskills and Extracurricular Activities

1. The Quiet Art Series Lessons in Responsibility for Girls Level 1 for ages 6-8 (from Pearables)
   (Update:  We found this book to be just ‘okay’ during our use of it first semester.  Second semester, we plan to have a greater emphasis on sewing skills.  The plan is to work on beginner’s crosstitch, use out potholder looms, and then move into using the following two books…My First Sewing Book (Level 1) and My First Embroidery Book (Level 2) both by Winky Cherry.)
2. Playing the Recorder – Our 2nd grader is using My First Hymnal and is doing it at home with Daddy.
3. Gymnastics (oldest two girls)
   (Update: Second semester, we are switching to ballet!)
4. AWANA – We have two Sparks and a Cubbie now!
5. Some homeschool outings/ field trips with other families in our church.

Okay, that sure looks like a LOT all written out!  We began mid July and trying to fit everything in each week has been a challenge.   I think I’ve concluded that the curriculum we have chosen is appropriate, but the implementation of it needs to be adjusted (For example, how many days a week we try to do grammar or how the readers are scheduled may be changed a bit to make it more manageable.)  So, we may be tweaking here and there as our school year gets into full swing =)

Hop on over to see what other homeschoolers are planning for their children or share what you have decided!  I hope to participate in the other weeks of the Not Back to School Blog Hop.  Next week, it’s a school room hop!  Take a peek at where we ’school’.

Note to Self…

Homeschooling is NOT…
- all about the academics (although it is important and I was trained that way).
- a daily checklist of things we must do (although I am wired that way).

Homeschooling IS…
3) freedom and flexibility.
We have freedom and flexibility in our daily schedule, freedom to choose and/or create curriculum that fits the learning styles and needs of our children, freedom from assigned homework, flexibility to pace instruction to each child’s level, and freedom to work with the strengths and weaknesses of each child in order to develop their God given talents and calling.

2) family.
We have an increased opportunity to work on nurturing sibling relationships, encourage respect, show compassion to one another, model forgiveness, and learn to be others focused as we work together, day by day, as a family.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3-4

1) discipleship.
We get the privilege and high calling to lead our little ones to the One and Only Savior, Jesus Christ.  We are able to treasure Christ with our children through songs, Bible reading, Scripture memory, and heart training.

Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 11:18-19

… just because I need to be reminded from time to time as we press on during this journey.

Our two oldest girls are involved in the Book It program this year for the first time.  They kept their sticker charts up to date the first month, placing one sticker on the chart for each book read.  They were motivated and excited to get a pizza prize at the end of the month once they read their required number of books.  Well, I went to fill out their certificates and on the back of each one it said to write in the child’s name, homeschool educator’s name, and the name of the homeschool.  Name of the homeschool? 

Well, let me just say, we tried to come up with something quickly since the girls were waiting for their pizza prize, but it actually took us a week before we thought of the right name.  And the name is… Joyful Heart Academy!  The name, truly, should not have been that difficult to come up with.  I already had developed early childhood/preschool curriculum as my oldest child reached each stage.  The curriculum is also aptly named – Joyful Heart Learning (for 2’s), Joyful Heart Bible and Rhyme (for 3’s), and Joyful Heart Character (for 4’s).

Why ‘Joyful Heart’?  No, the name wasn’t chosen because our home is so full of joy each day (although it should be) =)  However, we do desire our children to know Christ and His Truth, to cherish His Word, to be salt and light in this generation, and to have their hope and anchor firmly planted in Christ.  The joy comes in knowing the Lord and following His commands.  Here are just two of many verses that reflect this in Scripture…

Psalm 19:7-8
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,  making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

Psalm 16:11
You have made known to me the path of life.
You will fill me with joy in Your presence,
with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

Here are also a few Scripture based prayers for our children, no matter where they are schooled…

Colossians 1:9b-14
…we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Philippians 1:9-11
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Over at the Heart of the Matter, last week’s meme was to ask your kids what they like and dislike about homeschooling.  I thought this might be fun to do (and I was a tad curious), so I asked my 6 1/2 year old, almost 5 year old, and my just turned 3 year old about their likes and dislikes.  Here are their responses – homeschooling through their eyes…

6 1/2 year old  (first grade)
LIKES:  “being with my mama, science experiments, and the Living Long Ago book” (The ‘mama’ part melted my heart.)
DISLIKES: “my math workbook – I like BJU better.”

almost 5 year old  (Pre K)
LIKES: “experiments and my math workbook!”  (She hasn’t even started her workbook yet =)  We just recently ordered it and she is anxious to begin.)
DISLIKES:  “calendar, because it is long”

our just turned 3 year old
LIKES:  “playing with trains… uh, there’s more about it… and doing a puzzle  (pause) playing with something in my bin… uh, there’s more… looking at that (points to the globe and I ask him what ‘that’ is) the world… (long pause as he looks up)  I like do everything!” 
DISLIKES:  He seemed to have a lot to say about his likes, so then I asked him, “What don’t you like to do?”  And, if you know him at all, his matter of fact response fits him well… “food I don’t try.”

our 11 month old
LIKES:  If she could, I think she might say that she most enjoys interacting with all her older siblings =)
DISLIKES:  The kids thought she might say that she doesn’t like taking a morning nap while everyone else is doing school.  =)

So, what have we been using this year for our homeschool journey?

Bible and Devotions (with the oldest 3 kids)

1. Listening to the Bible on CD using the Word and Song Bible
2. Worship songs – from Chris Tomlin CD’s to Cedermont Kids to breaking out in our own songs periodically
3. AWANA Bible Memory – We currently have a Puggle, Cubbie, and a Spark!
4. ABC Bible Memory Verses: Hiding God’s Word in Little Hearts by Susan Hunt – one a week, in ABC order
5. Learning the Ten Commandments using the Bible and Hand Commands
6. Learning the catechism and how to apply it using Susan and Richie Hunt’s book Big Truths for Little Kids: Teaching Your Children to Live for God

Reading and Language Arts

our first grader…

1. Readers:  Sonlight Readers 1  (with additional leveled readers from Abeka which we are borrowing from a friend, Pathway readers which use a lot of sight words and have very sweet stories that my daughter enjoys, and any other readers we find that are appropriate for her =) )
2. Explode the Code books 3 and 4 for phonics
3. Spelling from Sonlight Language Arts 1
4. Reading and spelling words from a high frequency word list
5. Copywork – the ABC Bible memory verse for each week
6. Draw Write Now book 1
7. Handwriting Skills Simplified for Grade 1
8. Grammar – Daily Language Review
9. Writing Folder

our Pre Kindergartner…
I’m using parts of my 4’s curriculum with my 4 year old for LA.   She already knows all of her letters and sounds and has started reading some of the BOB books, predictable readers, and decodable words.  She is learning her sight words, word families, rhyme, letter formations, etc.  She can also work on activities in the literacy tubs. She also loves to write in her writing notebook and comes up with some cute 1-2 sentence stories!  (We will be staritng Explode the Code 1 and Horizons Math K with her in January.)

our toddler…
For my 2 1/2 year old, I am trying to set time aside to read aloud just to
him. I have Before Five in a Row for him, but so far I am just reading the
stories to him as he chooses them.   I also have a special  ’school bin’
with hands on activities just for him during school time.  This poor little guy is missing out on most of the 2’s curriculum that his sisters used, but he is still getting some one on one with mommy and is learning God’s Word through his Joyful Heart Memory Verses!

Math

1. Horizons 1 Math (We used BJU last year and she did well with it.  However, it didn’t focus as much on math facts and skip counting by 3’s. 4’s. etc. at the K level, so when we switched to Horizons, we were a little behind in those areas.  She is on par with everything else so far =) )
2. Math flashcards and hands on activities for practicing addition facts.  Here is a link to several easy ideas we have been implementing.  (Counting and Simple Addition)
3. BJU math workbook 1 (on her own for fun and to coordinate with the math homeschool class that she is taking)
4. Calendar Binders (We’ve added tally marks and money for our first grader.)
5. Mind Benders
6. Math tubs
    

Science

Sonlight K Science (The kids LOVE the Discover and Do DVD!)

History and Read Alouds

1. Sonlight Core K (ages 5-7)  We have been using the Core K history selections and read alouds.  The girls have loved the read aloud choices so far.  They have especially enjoyed The Boxcar Children and My Father’s Dragon.  We did a lapbook to coordinate with My Father’s Dragon and it went really well.  They liked it so much that we are going to try to do another one with our Johnny Appleseed book this week. www.homeschoolshare.com .has tons of free printable lapbooks which makes this so much easier to attempt!
2. YWAM publications – The girls also enjoy listening to us read aloud the YWAM Christian Heroes Then and Now books and often listen on their own to the YWAM Heroes for Young Readers CD.

Art

1. From time to time, painting just for fun!
2. Crafts related to the seasons or holidays
3. Art Appreciation – Come Look With Me series

Extracurricular Activities

1. AWANA (oldest 3 kids)
2. Gymnastics (oldest two girls)
3. Homeschool group (one day a week for our first grader)  She has a full day of classes!  She is taking ballet, math, physical education, art, music, science, and storybook cooking!