Planning for next year...

I am starting to assemble a plan for next year... and while I do that I am looking sadly at the pile of books that we haven't even cracked... things picked up with good intentions that sat overlooked while we did other things.  Oh, well - we will bless someone at our upcoming book swap.  :o)

So what is in the works for our next school year?  We will have two kids "officially" homeschooling at that point, so I will need to lay out a plan for both of them, but thankfully I have been finding some neat resources that I can use with both at the same time.  We'll be doing grade three and either K or 1, depending how the board defines the first year.

I am planning to try out "Teaching with God's Heart for the World" as the core of this coming year, or two depending on how quickly we move through it.

Math -

• http://www.always-icecream.com - this site is well worth checking out, and you will see it repeated here several times
• Because we believe in the value of pencil-to-paper working, we will also continue working with the Horizons math workbooks.
• Goals for grade three are multiplication up to 12x12 (ie the table), basic fractions and decimals and how to convert them, and an introduction to the use of both imperial and metric measurements.  Whatever else comes along in the books is great, but I want to see those three things understood.

Science - 

• http://www.always-icecream.com
• Science Around the Year
• Handbook of Nature Study
• Our Wonderful World

Social Studies (Geography, History) -

• http://www.always-icecream.com
• A Child's History of the World
• Expedition Earth
• Window on the World

Reading/Language Arts - 

• http://www.always-icecream.com
• http://www.readingeggs.com
• http://www.starfall.com
• Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons
• Dick and Jane Storybook Collection
• A Reason for Handwriting - yes, cursive
• I may incorporate the Pearson Education Grammar and Writing Handbooks which I stumbled across one day and downloaded, but I haven't quite decided on that yet.  They are published online here for grades one through six: http://www.sfreading.com/resources/ghb.html
• I may also incorporate the reading lists from Ambleside Online as a way to broaden our reading and motivate us to move along.
• Cara is reading the Magic Tree House series and will start doing novel studies on each one, as well as with the Narnia series, from Terri's Teaching Treasures
• And of course the Bible.

Art - 

• Artists and Their Art as a guide for art appreciation
• Draw Write Now for lessons in drawing
• We will also continue taking part in group activities and/or community classes when they are offered

Music -

• I plan to start piano lessons with the girls again this year, or at least Cara.
• One or both will be enrolled in musical theatre classes

PE -

• They are enrolled in gymnastics and swim classes, which will continue
• We also visit the local animal shelter a few times a week to walk dogs when the weather is warm enough

Bible -

• Bible Road Trip
• We will also be working through the Kids of Integrity program - http://www.kidsofintegrity.com/,

I want to re-read "The Well-Trained Mind" over the summer and revisit some of their ideas - I like a lot about the classical method but I think it is beyond our scope in the elementary years.