Have you picked out your homeschool curriculum yet?
Since I know I am always interested in what curriculum everyone is using, here is our 1st and 3rd grade curriculum for the upcoming year. I will share our Toddler/Preschool activities along the way as well, but no “school” for my 3-year-old yet!
Do you get excited picking out and planning your homeschool curriculum?
I do. I really do.
I love picking out what is going to fit my child at the developmental stage their at with the interests they have and with what I’ve learned from the previous year teaching them. This year I am keeping track of everything on a monthly schedule so it is easier to see at a glance [see free homeschool forms]. The kids will “check off” their work on our school punchcards.
In the morning we will do Bible together as a family. Then we will do Social Studies, Science, Art or Music. Each week of the month we will focus on a different one of those 4 subjects so we can really dive in and explore several topics in depth. In the afternoon (when my preschooler still naps) the older kids will work through Math, Language Arts, and Spanish.
1st Grade & 3rd Grade Homeschool Curriculum
Math
We have really loved the low cost, easy to use, creative teaching methods, and accelerated pace of Singapore Math. So…..if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
- 1st Grade - Singapore Math 1A & 1B plus daily math drills: 1st Grade Mad Minutes & other free printable games for reinforcement
- 3rd Grade - Singapore Math 3a & 3B plus daily math drills: 3rd Grade Mad Minutes & other free printable games for reinforcement
Note: We buy our Singapore Math through My Father’s World to get a great deal [entire year of math for $47 which includes lesson plan/answer key]
Language Arts
1st Grade – Sing Spell Read & Write Level 1 My kids have responded really well to this fun, multi sensory approach of this outstanding complete language arts curriculum. [read why we use Sing Spell Read & Write] We supplement it with Reading the Easy Way 1st Grade [sight word worksheets, games, readers, and more]
3rd Grade – Unfortunately our favorite Sing Spell Read & Write does not go beyond 2nd grade! So… we have had to look for other options. After looking through and reading reviews of countless programs I decided to piece together one from the best of what I saw:
- Grammar – Bob Jones English 3 Writing & Grammar
- Spelling – A Reason for Spelling Level C
- Writing – Daily 6 Trait Writing Grade 3 [I really feel the need to help my kids write better. Writing is a skill they will use their entire life and their future livelihood may very well depend on it. So I am using a separate writing curriculum this year in addition to the free monthly writing prompts we’ve been using.]
- Handwriting – A Reason for Handwritting Level C [we love writing scripture!]
We are also using a variety of my free language arts games & activities!
Bible
We started using Bob Jones Bible last year with my 2nd grader and I really liked it. The worksheets are fun and engaging while covering a lot of Bible stories. For kids that grow up in a Bible believeing home it is great to really cement in these stories and learn a little more. We center our morning family devotion time out of the passage the kids are doing their reading from that day. The kids do 1 sheet (front & back) each day. Note: We get the Student Worktext only.
- 1st Grade – Bob Jones Bible Truths 1
- 3rd Grade – Bob Jones Bible Truths 3
Spanish
- 1st Grade – Rosetta Stone Level 1 [read why we use Rosetta Stone in our homeschool]
- 3rd Grade – Rosetta Stone Level 2 [read why we use Rosetta Stone in our homeschool] + The complete book of spanish for Grades 2-4
Social Studies
I love big units that allow us to really immerse in a period of history. We like to make arts & crafts, read lots of great books, write reports, take fieldtrips, etc. [see our completed history units] I feel like I have the gift of time and flexibility in these early elementary years to follow their interests and love of creative play. Plus the kids remember these large units [like our Viking Early Explorer Unit] so much better than textbooks!!
This year’s themes [which will be shared on the blogged & linked here as we finish with them] are:
- Ancient Egypt
- Native Americans
- US States
- Ancient Greece
- Ancient Rome
Science
We really loved Christian Kids Explore Biology we used last year together as a family [see our edible animal cells], but the other titles in the series are for 3rd-8th grade. I love the convenience and family learning experience of all studying together. So… we are going to do several Science Units this year instead: [units will be linked here as we finish]
- Earth Science Unit
- Astronomy
- 5 Senses
- Simple Machines
- Human Anatomy
- CSI Unit
- Bees
- Magnets
Art
We have loved the famous artist studies we’ve completed so far! To make it easier for the kids to look back at who we’ve studied in the past we are using these free artist report pages in a notebook along with a picture of our art project. This year we will be studying: [our study & project will be linked as they are completed]
- Ghiberti
- Van Eyck
- Michelangelo
- El Greco
- Blake
- Degas
- Mary Cassatt
- Mondrian
- Calder
We will also be doing seasonal art projects, Child Size Masterpieces [hands on review] and Draw Write Now [to learn how to draw]
Music
We have really loved using the Color the Classics series we’ve been working through. This simple program designed for elementary age kids allows kids to hear the music, learn about the musician, and color a picture of the composer. It allows kids to really retain the information as they hear, see, and color it. This year we are doing:
