discovering joy in the journey

Joy to the Heart

Planning, Printing, Organizing…and Preparing to Make Memories During a New School Year!

As unbelievable as it is, another school year is quickly approaching!  This coming year, our homeschool consists of a 7th grader, 5th grader, 3rd grader, 1st grader, and a PreK child.  Ready or not, here is a peek at what we have planned for the new year…

Our “Together” Subjects

History
– Heart Of Dakota Resurrection to Reformation (3rd, 5th, 7th)

    We are looking forward to progressing in our history study!  The HOD website explains this year’s history portion as providing…

a deeper look at the time period from the Resurrection of Christ to the Reformation. This year of study is meant to provide students with a Christ-centered overview of the growth of the early church, the Dark Ages, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the exploration of the new world, and the advancement of science. Within the readings, students will learn about each time period through the lives of the people who lived then. This biographical approach to history shows the strengths and gifts that people were given, along with the mistakes and errors that they made. Yet, the resources chosen for this study will show how God in His loving care watched over His people amidst persecution and trials. Church history is woven in and out of the narratives at the proper places in history, leading students to see that all of history belongs to God and is actually “His” story.

Independent History Reading and Read Alouds
Extension Readers

– God’s World News current events (3rd, 5th, 7th)
– Mystery of History Vol 2 audio (7th)
Our oldest child LOVED Mystery of History volume 1 and begged us to let her listen to volume 2 as well!

Science
– Apologia Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day (1st, 3rd, 5th)
After having the opportunity to visit the beach and ocean this past year, our children are excited to be able to learn more about sea life and ocean creatures!

Free ‘My Ocean Creatures Notebook’

Bible and Apologetics –
– Hidden Treasures in Philippians study and Philippians 1 Scripture Memorization (3rd, 5th, 7th)

Free Philippians Copywork Sheets

– Apologia Who AM I? (3rd, 5th, 7th)

– YWAM Missionary Biographies
Our oldest kids continue to enjoy listening to these true stories!

Intro to Greek
– Greek Alphabet Code Cracker (3rd, 5th, 7th)
– Greek Alphabet Coloring Pages from Classical Academic Press (1st grader)

Free Greek Alphabet Coloring Pages

Art
– Art Appreciation Looking at Pictures (3rd, 5th, 7th)

– Creating a Masterpiece Level 1
 

Grade Specific Reading / Language Arts /Math

our 7th grader…

• Literature-  Memoria Press (The Wind in the Willows, Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island, King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table)
• Reading – HOD extension reading and free choice reading
• Spelling – Phonetic Zoo
• Writing and Grammar:  BJU English and Writing 7
• Horizons Math
• Xtra Math
• Handwriting – Philippians 1 Cursive Copywork
• Science – Apologia General Science
• AWANA – 1st year Trek, serving as a Leader in Training with a preschool Gopher Buddies class
• Music – Violin, Pianimals piano practice
• Devotions with Mom – Beautiful Girlhood, The Virtuous Woman: A Short Study on Proverbs 31 for Mothers and Daughters
• Extra Bible – middle school Bible study, continuing to memorize Ephesians

our 5th grader…

• Literature-  Memoria Press (King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table, Robin Hood, Adam of the Road, Door in the Wall)
• Reading – related history reading, Abeka readers, free choice reading
• Spelling – Rod and Staff
• Writing and Grammar:  BJU English and Writing 5
• Horizons Math 5
• Xtra Math
• Handwriting – Philippians 1 Cursive Copywork
• AWANA – 3rd year T&T
• Music – Violin, Pianimals piano practice, Choir
• Devotions with Mom – Beautiful Girlhood, The Virtuous Woman: A Short Study on Proverbs 31 for Mothers and Daughters

our 3rd grader…

• Literature –  Memoria Press (Farmer Boy, Charlotte’s Web, The Moffats, Homer Price)
• Reading – related history reading, Abeka readers, free choice reading
• Spelling – Joyful Heart Spelling Skills
• Writing and Grammar:  BJU English and Writing 3
• Horizons Math 3 (continuation from last year) and moving into 4
• Xtra Math
• Handwriting – Philippians 1 Manuscript Copywork, A Reason For Handwriting Transition book (cursive)
• Extra Science – Astronomy focus from HOD
  
• AWANA – 1st year T&T
• Music – Choir
• Devotions with Dad – Boyhood and Beyond

our 1st grader…

• Reading – ABeka readers, free choice reading (and starting a Book List)
• Phonics – Explode the Code 3-4
• Spelling / Handwriting – Joyful Heart Spelling Skills
• Writing – Write a Super Sentence
• Horizons Math 1/2
• Xtra Math
• Social Studies – History for Little Pilgrims, History Stories for Children, Selections from Draw Write Now (books 2,3,& 5)
  
• AWANA – 2nd year Sparks
• Music – Pianimals piano practice (with her big sister overseeing her), Choir

our 4 year old PreK child…

• Joyful Heart Bible and Rhyme
• Preschool one morning a week
• Gopher Buddies Bible Club
• lots of play!

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Would you like to see our previous year’s curriculum choices?
2013-2014 (6th, 4th, 2nd, K, preschool)
2012-2013 (5th, 3rd, 1st, PreK, 2 year old)
2011-2012 (4th, 2nd, K, 3’s preschool, toddler)
2010-2011 (3rd, 1st, PreK, 2 year old, 4 mo old baby)
2009-2010 (2nd, K, 3’s preschool, toddler, baby arrived end of year)
2008-2009 (1st, PreK, 2 year old, 6 mo old baby)
2007-2008 (K, 3’s preschool, toddler, baby arrived mid year)
2006-2007 (PreK, 2 year old, 7 mo old baby) – Joyful Heart Character
2005-2006 (3’s preschool, toddler, baby arrived mid year) – Joyful Heart Bible and Rhyme
2004-2005 (2 year old, 6 mo old baby) – Joyful Heart Learning

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This post is part of the 6th annual “Not” Back-To-School Blog Hop over at the iHomeschool Network.  This week, homeschoolers around the nation are sharing their curriculum choices for this coming school year!

How many are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
Psalm 104:24-25

Our family has had the privilege to visit and explore the coastline during the past two summers. May we never cease to be amazed at the vastness of the ocean and the creative nature of our loving God!  So, it is with great anticipation as we embark on a new school year and begin our study of ocean creatures using Apologia’s Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day!  After studying Apologia’s Zoology 1 for our main science text last year, we knew that once again we would desire to spend time learning about science and nature using this God centered, creationist curriculum with multiple ages.

As I read through the text and looked at the regular and junior notebooking journals, as excellent as they are, I realized that I wanted a slightly different design for our upcoming first grader.  So, of course, I created one – ‘My Ocean Creatures Notebook’!  This was a fun project to work on, especially since my oldest daughter teamed up to help me for the first time!

The ‘My Ocean Creatures Notebook’ does contain some writing spaces and true notebooking type sheets. However, there are mostly cutting, gluing, sorting, labeling, and coloring activities designed with lower elementary students in mind (advanced K-2nd grade) allowing them to learn alongside their older siblings. The topics and vocabulary correspond with the same ones as found in the Apologia Swimming Creatures textbook.

In this FREE resource you will find…

Coloring sheets with Scripture
Pages for Labeling anatomy of different ocean creatures
Experiment Sheets
Vocabulary Match Ups
Comparing and Contrasting Activities
Spaces to write facts to remember
Word Searches (with answer key in the back)
My Ocean Creatures Drawing pages
Ocean Creatures Report Sheets
Aquarium Field Trip Scavenger Hunt
Picture Cards (Photos)
Sorting/Matching Cards (ocean creatures and their names)

Download the ‘My Ocean Creatures Notebook’ for FREE
at the Joyful Heart Learning Teacher’s Notebook Shop!

My husband posted on Facebook the other day that I was ‘sniffing the school books’.  LOL!  I didn’t comment, but, yes, it was true!  Our new (and used) school books have been arriving gradually over the last few weeks.   I’ve been finalizing curriculum choices, pouring over the books we’ve received, creating corresponding materials as needed, and hammering out tentative yearly schedules. 

More importantly, I’ve been  praying about our upcoming school year as our children enter 6th, 4th, 2nd, Kindergarten, and preschool.  In all honesty, I am nervous as we start this school year. We recently moved to another state with different homeschool regulations.  Most of our belongings are still in storage (including some school items I was hoping to use this year).  Our family is living in an apartment, and we are anticipating one more move later this fall to a neighboring state.  I am trying to release my fears and expectations to the One who is completely in control.  Please pray that He would calm my anxious heart. It is only through His strength that I can love my family and nurture them in the areas God wants them to develop this year.

So, amidst the frenzy of organizing and preparing, I hold my plans a little more loosely this year, predicting that God will once again be growing me in the area of flexibility.  With prayer, eyes to my Savior, and perhaps some dark chocolate in hand, we venture into another year of learning…

Subjects our oldest three can do together!

History / Geography

For history this year, we plan to use Mystery of History: Creation to Resurrection!  We have the CD audio and the challenge cards.  I decided to forgo the notebooking sheets, but I did schedule additional historical read alouds and readers to correspond with the spine as well as portions of Evan Moor’s History Pockets (Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome).

History Read Alouds (above) and Readers (below) 

We are also looking forward to delving into learning about current events through on grade level reading and discussion of God’s World News.

Science

Our new home state is filled with trees and has more birds and insects than I ever remember seeing in our former state.  So, what a perfect time to use Apologia’s Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day (with the coordinating notebook)!  We will also be beginning bird watchers with our field guides in hand!  Additionally, we plan to incorporate some fun reading with The Burgess Bird Book and use our Companion Notebook to draw and write about the birds.

Bible and Devotions

• Our choice for devotionals this year are related to our history text/time periods – Jashub’s Journal and The Ten Commandments.
• For apologetics, we plan to use Apologia’s Who Is God?

Additional Read Alouds
   YWAM missionary stories of our choice (We LOVE these!)

Grade Specific Reading / Language Arts /Math

our 6th grader…

• Literature-  Memoria Press (Anne of Green Gables, Treasure Island, The Bronze Bow, The Hobbit)
• Reading – related history reading and free choice reading
• Joyful Heart Spelling Skills  and heading into the study of prefixes, suffixes, and Greek/Latin roots
• Writing and Grammar:  BJU English and Writing 6
• Scripture Memorization – Ephesians
• Horizons Math (completing 5 and part 1 of 6th)
• Xtra Math
• AWANA – 4th year T&T and being a Leader in Training with the preschool Gopher Buddies class
• Violin

our 4th grader…

• Literature-  Memoria Press (Heidi; The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe; Lassie Come Home)
• Reading – related history reading, Abeka readers, free choice reading
• Joyful Heart Spelling Skills  and then Rod and Staff (5th grade)
• Writing and Grammar:  BJU English and Writing 4
• Scripture Memorization and Cursive Handwriting – Exodus 20:1-17 (10 Commandments)
• Horizons Math 4
• Xtra Math
• AWANA – 2nd year T&T
• Violin

our 2nd grader…

• Reading-  ABeka readers(3rd/4th), related history reading, as well as free choice reading on his own
• Phonics – Explode the Code (completing books 7-8)
• Joyful Heart Spelling Skills 
• Writing and Grammar:  BJU English and Writing 2
• Horizons Math 2 (continuation from last year) and moving into 3
• Xtra Math
• Scripture Memorization and Manuscript Handwriting – Exodus 20:1-17 (10 Commandments)
• Handwriting – beginning cursive second semester
• AWANA – 3rd year Sparks

our Kindergartener…

• Reading – ABeka readers (k/1), MFW Bible Reader + notebook
• Phonics – Explode the Code 1/2, MFW Phonics WB
• Scripture Based Handwriting, Sight Words, and Copywork (to correspond with her Exodus memory work)
• Horizons Math K/1
• Science – The World God Made, Our Father’s World, Cut and Paste Science (grades 1-3), Science Learning Journal
• Social Studies – theme/unit studies
• Scripture Memorization (Exodus 20:1-17)
• AWANA – 1st year Sparks
• Questions With Answers Vol 1: God and Creation from Songs for Saplings (to listen to at ‘rest’ time)
• Pianimals piano practice (with her big sister overseeing her ;-) )

our 3 year old preschooler…

• Preschool 2 mornings a week
• Gopher Buddies Bible Club
• lots of play!

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Would you like to see our previous year’s curriculum choices?
2012-2013 (5th, 3rd, 1st, PreK, 2 year old)
2011-2012 (4th, 2nd, K, 3’s preschool, toddler)
2010-2011 (3rd, 1st, PreK, 2 year old, 4 mo old baby)
2009-2010 (2nd, K, 3’s preschool, toddler, baby arrived end of year)
2008-2009 (1st, PreK, 2 year old, 6 mo old baby)
2007-2008 (K, 3’s preschool, toddler, baby arrived mid year)
2006-2007 (PreK, 2 year old, 7 mo old baby) – Joyful Heart Character
2005-2006 (3’s preschool, toddler, baby arrived mid year) – Joyful Heart Bible and Rhyme
2004-2005 (2 year old, 6 mo old baby) – Joyful Heart Learning

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Need a boost of confidence to get started?  Come get a glimpse of my journey…
Homeschooling ~ Embarking on a Journey

This post is part of the 5th annual “Not” Back-To-School Blog Hop over at the iHomeschool Network.  This week, homeschoolers near and far are sharing their curriculum choices for this coming school year!