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Over the years, I've shared our choices of courses and spines and subjects as the kids have grown, and it's time again to do it this year!
Here's our full family curriculum for homeschool list (and how to choose!) from 2021.
Since we only have a 9th and 10th grader left, you may need a broader list than we need now! So here's the homeschool curriculum choices for multiple ages, elementary, middle school, and high school! The year they were 4th through 9th grade was a DOOZY! But still fun! If you haven't read that one lately, go check it out. We added links!
Ok! Next year I have a 10th grader and an 11th grader!
*MATH*
(I always start planning every year with math - it has fewer moving parts, and typically no agenda, plus we haven't changed this choice since sixth grade!) Math U See is the choice again! We like it because it's a video based curriculum with a live teacher and students in the classroom, but we don't see them, just Mr. Demme, nice and clear and simple, and it's truly self-paced. It has a physical textbook, and lots of practice available in the textbook, with answers and explanations written in the instruction manual for each level. - I actually was confident in the creation and method of SpanishGeniuses.com as a video course because I saw the progress each year from "just" videos and textbooks from Mr. Demme!
*HISTORY*
We've used Notgrass here and there as a spine for Literature during years when the kids were a little further apart in their studies. I liked using A Gentle Feast and Guest Hollow for three or four of them, and then Notgrass's World History for the eldest one, two, or three of the five. And I can't believe it, but my two youngest are now ready for it! It has a LOT of literature and writing included, so I supplement here and there from the Book Lists from a A Gentle Feast, and I still LOVE their morning time book as well. But alas. Only one history is needed, so we'll get a DEEP dive and do ALL the projects this year! I have the books from their geography lessons in the past and can reference as needed, or the kids may choose them for their free reading. How exciting!
*SCIENCE*
This year, I'm excited to outsource our science at co-op - so I get to teach cute little middle schoolers some Spanish, and my kiddos get to enjoy the dissections and such of Apologia Biology with a passionate homeschooling momma who LOVES that stuff. I'm not ever too worried about their science, since gardening, hatching, animal husbandry, etc is all covered in real life on the farm, but I do find a lot of value in being AMAZED by all the different sciences in the scholar level.
*ELECTIVES - SPANISH*
Of course they're both in my in person classes for Spanish - I have a Spanish 4 student and a Spanish Geniuses Level 2 student this year. For Spanish 4, he'll continue to read novels and watch movies, write papers, and discuss poetry, and he'll teach little kids (ages 4 to 10) using Flip Flop Spanish - See it and Say it - in the weekly class time with two of his Spanish 4 classmates. I'll be adding those Spanish 4 assignments and videos to the SpanishGeniuses Video Library this summer under the label 3/4 - since they will be very adaptable for year 3 or 4 of studying Spanish at the scholar level.
My daughter will also be taking ballet and teaching a World Geography Class to elementary kiddos at the Community Homeschool Center - she's named it Snacks and Facts Around the World, and I TOTALLY want to attend that class! We'll be working through stewardship and personal finance - I haven't chosen that one yet - there are so many good options. In addition to all this, my son is in the 4H Shooting Club (he won 1st place in his first tournament!) and has dual enrollment classes for a Cyber Security Degree at Texas State Technical College. He'll have more than half of his associates degree completed upon high school graduation in 2025!
*LITERATURE*
My kiddos are all mostly fans of reading. They've grown up reading and being read to by me and their three older siblings. I make use of the literature lists from A Gentle Feast and this phenomenal book All Through the Ages, then we do oral and written narration and journals. They also are required to choose an anthology, novel, or "fun" book every couple of weeks from this list, or this one at our local library.
*GRAMMAR*
Back in the day, I used the workbook method from Easy Grammar for each kiddo from 4th grade up, and they LOVED just moving forward. Now, we use Rod and Staff Grammar together every morning. Since I'm a lover of diagramming sentences, this has been a great fit. They learn a TON of grammar because of their Spanish studies, so this is just sort of icing on the cake. I keep the assignments very small, and we move through each lesson rather quickly and mostly orally. It's really a GREAT book, and I love the teacher's manual. Once we finish our current textbook, I'll likely grab the last level of Easy Grammar again for them to use in their last bit of schooling.
Questions? Comments? Wondering if something might work for you? I love this stuff! Comment below! Or wondering how I keep track of it all? It's easier now, but back when there were 5, and they were littler, this is how!