Curriculum 2016-2017

Our first week is almost over, and I think the dust has settled - or at least I hope it has.  I had to make a couple of adjustments.  After all these years of homeschooling Emily, we finally decided to hold her back in 6th grade.  She had a late birthday for her grade, and she always was trailing behind on her work.  We are hoping this will give her a chance to catch up and not feel so overwhelmed with school work, which is not the idea when you homeschool.  Both of the girls took a science class with our local coop teacher to supplement the Apologia curriculum.  It meets once a week for experiments, demonstrations, and group projects.  They love their science classes! :)

Emily (6th grade)

Bible - Journey Through the Bible 1  (Pentateuch)            Christian Liberty Press
           Three year reading through the Bible program

English - Fix It! 3  (Grammar)                                           IEW
                Following Narnia 1   (Writing)                           IEW
                Wordly Wise 7   (Vocabulary & Reading Comprehension)  
                McGruffey Reader 3                    

Math 7   BJU

History & Geography
                           New World History & Geography            ABeka      (Spine)
                           Literature, art, etc. added
                            to support this fact filled textbook
                            Geography Study Guide                         Beautiful Feet Books


Science   General Science                                                   Apologia
                Homeschool Co-op class                                     Connie Gerbasi

A nice guide for Exploring Creation With General Science2 

Michelle (9-10th grade)

Last year, we thought we would start 9th grade classes with Michelle, so she took Algebra, Biology, and Art History for high school credit. Some of her classes for this year might be considered 10th grade classes, but this is all in preparation for her to dual enroll at the local community college on her Junior year.

Bible - The Westminster Shorter Cathechism                        Christian Liberty Press
English - American Literature                                               Excellence in Literature
                The Elegant Essay                                                  IEW
                 Fix it! - Book 3  (Grammar)                                  IEW
                Wordly Wise 10
Math -     Algebra 2                                                               Bob Jones
History   Early American History                                         Beautiful Feet
Art          Early American History                                         Beautiful Feet
                Artists                                                                     Homeschool in the Woods
Science -  Advanced Biology - Anatomy & Physiology        Apologia
                 Anatomy Coloring Book (Kaplan Anatomy Coloring Book)
               
                 Anatomy Homeschool Co-op class                       Connie Gerbasi
                 Body by Design: An Anatomy of the Human Body
                 Anatomy Coloring Workbook, 3rd Edition 

Computer Applications
                Miscellaneous library books about Microsoft Word, Excell, Power Point, and typing                             software.
P.E.  -   Volleyball - YMCA


Check out what I do with Fix it!

Update on Pens & Highlighters!

The old secretary desk

Growing up, I had a grandfather who was a college professor, and in his study, he had an antique Victorian secretary desk, which he kept closed most of the time. One of my favorite things to do at his house was to sit with him, look inside it, and play with his collection of pens and all sorts of fun office supplies - nifty gadgets, pencil sharpers with toys attached to them...  I think this sparked my interest in nice pens.  

I have always owned a couple of fountain pens and love to play with inks of different colors, but for everyday use, I like to have an assortment of affordable pens for school and note taking.  Using different colors while making notes on schoolwork helps me draw attention to different points I'm trying to make, and colors are fun!

A couple of years ago, I tested a bunch of pens and wrote a review, so I thought I should make a quick update since I discovered these pens on Amazon - Pentel Energel Deluxe pens.  I used them all year, and they are fantastic.  I now own every color with boxes of refills, so I never run out.  I really like both the bold and fine tip pens, though I have been favoring the fine tips (0.5mm) more lately.  These pens are smooth and comfortable. They write well without the need to apply much pressure at all.  I love the variety of bright, well saturated colors available.  Pentel liquid gel dries quickly, which is a nice thing, but it does not write well on glossy paper, and it is not waterproof.  There is a good sized window on the pen to see if the ink is running low.

I also switched my highlighters last Fall and now use these Stabilo highlighters.  I love them!  I bought this set last Fall, use them every day, and they are still as good as new.  Since buying these, I have found new uses for my highlighters.  They have been especially helpful with IEW's Fix It!  I use them every day, and the girls love seeing their pages light up with color.  They almost don't mind that they have some things to correct and more work to do because their papers are so colorful when I am done with them. :)