Curriculum 2011-2012

Princess is going into 6th grade and Buddy is going into 2nd.  Taz and Peanut are only 2 and 3, and I am hoping that coloring books will suffice for the year.  I know Taz wants so badly to do school , but  I am tihnking I might be able to improve some behavior by telling him that he has to behave like a big boy (and that includes using the potty) before he gets big kid school.  If he really gets antsy, my plan is to read Just So Stories and jungle Book and have him color pictures from the stories, and have him do some basic counting teddy bears activities and sit with the bigs during Latin and phonogram recitation....  My #1 wish for school right now - an iPad.  there are some awesome apps for little ones' to work on gross and fine motor skills while tracing cursive letters with their fingers.  


Geography
Evan Moor's North America and South America workbooks.  As well as looking at the globe and finding Greece and Rome and discussing places mentioned in our history reading....

Religion
St Joseph's Baltimore Catechism , Faith and Life Series and Memoria Press' Christian Studies Book 1.

Nature Study
I have a few books with ideas.  The main idea here is to get them to NOTICE nature.  We are going to be going out a lot to parks and I am going to give them each their own sketch book.  I am also going to be using the book "Hands-On Nature: Information and Activities for Exploring the Environment With Children and "I Love Dirt!" I am looking forward to a messy year :)

History
Ancient Greece for the first half of the year and Ancient Rome for the second half.  My plan is to join a Junior Classical League Chapter next year - or start one for local homeschoolers as a "Latin Club". But, I am getting ahead of myself.
The books I plan to use for history are:
The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy
Aesops Fables (not history per se, but we will read a Fable every day, and Aesop was Greek...)
Children's Plutarch
The Story of the Greeks
The Greenleaf Guide to Famous Men of Greeceand the Famous Men of Greece by John Haaren (this will be our primary history text for the first half of the year)
Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of 'The Iliad' (optional choice for independent reading)
The Wanderings of Odysseus
The Golden Fleece
Herodotus and the Road to History (optional choice for independent reading)Archimedes and the Door of Science (optional choice for independent reading)D'Aulaire's Greek Myths (again, not exactly history, but we will read this each dya and draw a family tree of the Greek gods and goddesses)
The Tale of Troy
The Tales of the Greek Heroes
Classic Myths to Read Aloud
Galen and the Gateway to Medicine (optional choice for independent reading)Famous Men of Rome (this will be our primary history text for the second half of the year)
In Search of A Homeland
Orchard Book of Roman Myths

The Aeneid: A RetellingFor Young People (optional choice for independent reading)Classical Kids (because there should be some sort of fun activities, and I am not very good at thinking of them myself...)

Art and Music will be taken online through LPH Resource Center.  In fact, we are taking Logic and Church Latin through them as well.  We are also doing Latina Christiana Book 1 and I am hoping to pick up Lingua Latina as well. I will also be using "How To introduce Your child to Classical Music in 52 Easy Lessons" at the rate of one lesson per week for the next year.

Math
We are using Singapore Math, Standards Edition for math at their grade levels

Phonics
Spell to Write and Read and The WISE Guide to Spelling

Literature
I am hosting Socratic Seminars (aka Book discussion groups) for the kids.  A boys group to discuss Thornton Burgess's Animal Stories and a girls group to discuss the Anne of Green Gables Series.  Princess will be in 2 groups discussing the same series this year...  A little social, that one....

Composition
I am planning on using Classical Writing: Aesop and Homer for Older Beginners for Princess and Primer:Autumn for Buddy. 

A schedule that I can stick to is the next hurdle I need to jump - and soon.  School beings in less than 2 weeks.....  And my plan (do I hear laughing?) is to school year round with 1-2 week breaks as needed for holidays and vacations.  If learning is fun and interesting, why should it stop in the summer?  My over-arching educational goal is to inculcate a love of learning in my children and motivate them to be lifelong students, not people who turn off their brins because "It's Summer." or "I'm not in school."  Prayers for success in this endeavor would be greatly appreciated.

Proverbs 6:20-21:
20 My son, observe the commandment of your father
and do not forsake the teaching of your mother;
21 Bind them continually on your heart;
Tie them around your neck.
Dearest Father in Heaven, please let me teach as you would have me teach, and be an example of your wisdom and love and light for my children.