2011-2012 Curriculum

So far, these are the choices I've made for curriculum: (obviously, I have no idea what will work and what won't or if we'll even get to use everything!)

Rocket Phonics (along with finishing up Get Ready, Get Set & Go for the Code Books)

Horizons math with manipulatives

Nature in a Nutshell for Kids and home spun experiments for science (to fill time when needed)

The Hand Book of Nature Study by Anna Comstock along with Handbook of Nature Study ebook

Continent Bags a la Counting Coconuts for geography

Five in a Row for everyday reading

Pink & Green Mama for art inspiration

Lesson Pathways for a free curriculum for just about anything (i.e. if I'm fumbling and need something to do)

Tot School for Eli, if he so chooses! 

History and all things between the lines of this list will be seasonal, eclectic (classical education to Waldorf!). We'll bake, prepare meals, play, build, pretend, dream...we'll pretty much continue life as we already know it. Just, maybe, a little more organized.

We're DOOOOING It!

After MUCH deliberation, we will be homeschooling! 

We finished the rest of preschool with some wonderful weather so I abandoned the blog and we went outside. Really, we worked on getting Turner ready for kindergarten in case the decision was made to send him to the local public school. 

In getting him ready, I found all the rest of my reasons to go ahead with homeschooling. Turner hates writing at the moment: he's not ready. He hates coloring. Um, hello, I know they color all the time in kindergarten classrooms. He's not ready for sitting, nor should he be forced to do so. He still takes naps and, really, the thought of him giving them up abruptly in September to go to school just saddened me. 

Then I thought: "Why be sad when I can educate him?" 

What I know Turner wants is to stay home. Whether it's to play, laugh, love or learn (let's hope all), or just be is fine by me. This moment, the boys love painting, getting dirty, baking, helping around the house, doing homemade science experiments, fighting, playing together and learning from me. 

And they love driving me nuts, too.