This is what we're using for the 2011-2012 school year. All the kids have a couple subjects that we are finishing up or continuing from last year. As with most years, it is likely this will change, at least a little bit. If you have any questions about a particular curriculum or would like more info, leave a comment!
Big Boy, 7th grade
Teaching Textbooks 7, Apologia's Exploring Creation with General Science, IEW's Medieval History-Based Writing Lessons, Mystery of History Vol 3 and the accompanying Companion Guide, Apologia's Who Am I? and accompanying notebooking journal, Balancing the Sword Vol 1, IEW's Fix It, Handwriting Without Tears 4th grade book
About literature ~ I choose mostly historical fiction to go along with the time period we're studying, along with the occasional more random classic. He already finished Catherine, Called Birdy, then it was A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver, right now it’s A Door in the Wall, and next is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (to go along with Fix It!). I try to make it all chronological, but sometimes I can't get hold of a book until we're well past that particular topic. It makes for a good review. We’ll also be tackling our first Shakespeare this year. Probably “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
About handwriting ~ He wasn’t taught cursive in public school, and I didn't have a chance to teach him when we first started homeschooling. Actually, It didn't matter to me, except we quickly discovered he couldn't read my lesson plans! So last year we started with HWT's 3rd grade book and this year it's 4th grade. Big Boy is professionally diagnosed dysgraphic and he loves this series, so I highly recommend it.
Princess, 3rd grade
Horizons Math, Answers in Genesis' God's Design for Life (we are starting with The World of Plants), Leading Little Ones to God, CLP's Studying God's Word book A (1st semester) and Book B (2nd semester), Handwriting Without Tears’ 2nd grade book, CLP's History for Little Pilgrims (this will lead up to second semester, where we'll go more in-depth into American history, probably using a unit study).
Princess is dyslexic and receives private tutoring from another homeschool mom using Barton Reading System. It is all-inclusive and I don’t need to supplement, but…
I do. We also use Explode the Code Online because I paid for it, and she enjoys it; and Raz-Kids Reading, which she doesn’t enjoy as much as she used to (because it’s gotten harder), but still likes spending coins to decorate her Reading Rocket.
J, Kindergarten
Handwriting Without Tears’ Kindergarten book, his fave subject but also his most frustrating.
Keepers of the Faith’s Succeeding at Reading (we did Reading Readiness before that)
Horizons Math I like this, but I’m taking a leap out of my comfort zone: We’re about to switch to Dr. Ruth Beechick’s method, which she outlines in An Easy Start in Arithmetic. She is a proponent of a more natural method that is determined by the child’s readiness and brain development. I’ve been reading the books for years but have been too chicken to move away from the workbook in math—my weak area.
The plan was to have J join Princess in Bible/devotion, history, and science. Based on the grade-levels of the curricula it should have worked fine. But J is just not interested. He sneakily made his way over to the Legos. And that’s fine with me.
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