While I would not say that our family has a classical approach to homeschool, we do believe that part of our job is to allow our children to grow into well-rounded individuals and to expose them to the arts and culture.
Field Trips
During the course of the year, we will attend a symphony concert (Fall) and will visit the art museum (Spring). We will be active members in our community 4-H program and also have plans to visit Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom, SeaWorld, and Universal in February 2013.
Other field trips will include:
- Weekly trips to the library
- Beach (summer)
- U-Pick Farm (summer)
- Pumpkin Patch (fall)
- Greater Gulf State Fair 4-H exhibits (fall)
- Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center (winter)
- Infinity Science Center (spring)
Supplemental Curriculum
Our supplemental studies on a weekly basis will include music, art, and apologetics.
Art
Our children LOVE art. In order to encourage their creativity, we will be using See the Light’s Art Class biweekly. I also plan to create seasonal unit studies with hands-on art activities. I promise to post more about those projects as we complete them.
Music
Since Bill is a professional musician, music is an essential part of education in our home. This year, Lira will continue in piano lessons and we will study A Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers. This study is geared towards grades 4 through 8, but with Lira’s advanced understand, I am hoping it will work well for her.
In order to incorporate Franc into our study, we will also be using World’s Greatest Composers literature at Confessions of a Homeschooler as a supplement to the study. (Review coming soon!)
![427065: A Young Scholar"s Guide to Composers](https://ag.christianbook.com/g/tiny/4/427065.gif "427065: A Young Scholar"s Guide to Composers") |
A Young Scholar’s Guide to ComposersBy Melissa E. Craig & Maggie S. Hogan / Bright Ideas PressIntroduce your students to the music, life, and times of famous composers! With this user-friendly resource, reluctant and enthusiastic musicians alike will enjoy learning about Mozart, Beethoven, Joplin, and others. This creative curriculum features 32 weekly lessons; 26 biographies; easy-to-use maps; a comparative timeline; information cards; games; note-taking pages; quizzes; answer keys; listening suggestions; coloring pages; and suggested resources. Grades 4 to 8. 299 pages, softcover. |
Apologetics
Bill and I are passionate about raising our children to have a logical understanding of why we believe what we believe. If you are unfamiliar with the term, “apologetics” means “to give a defense.” As a family, we believe that we should be faithful to study and always be ready to give an account of what we believe as commanded in 1 Peter 3:15.
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
1 Peter 3:15 NIV
So, in the evenings, we will be using Apologia’s Who Is God and Can I Really Know Him? Biblical Worldview of God and Truth in our family devotion time. When activities arise within the study, I will take care of those during our school day.
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Who Is God and Can I Really Know Him? Biblical Worldview of God and TruthBy John Hay & David Webb / Apologia Educational MinistriesGive your children the Christian answers to the world around them with Who is God? The basic questions of the Christian faith, including “How can I know what’s true?”, “What’s God Really Like?”, “If God created the world, then why isn’t it perfect?”, “Is Jesus the only way to God?” and others are answered through multi-dimensional lessons. Each big picture is answered through smaller segments that feature biblical instruction as well as a story featuring a Christian child sharing the gospel. Bible memory boxes, “words you need to know,” and comprehension questions will help your children build a foundational Christian worldview. 253 full-color, indexed pages, hardcover. |
hi, I’ve been searching for the curriculum or books/materials you used with your special needs for preschool and kindergarten. Could you direct me to the relevant posts?
Hi Lydia! I did not start homeschooling Lira until she was halfway through her kindergarten year. However, you can see what I used with my son (ADHD) this last year for kindergarten HERE. Sorry that I am not be more of a help.
It’s so smart to schedule in your field trips, even if it’s just a general time of year. I’ve been thinking a lot the last few weeks about field trips — how we didn’t go on enough of them last year and how I want to be sure to incorporate more of them this year. I need to sit down and figure out some fun ones and plan them in our schedule.
I was soooo lazy about stuff last year. Other than the library, we really didn’t go anywhere. So, while I would love to say, “Yeah, I’m good like that,” I must admit that it was Mommy-guilt prompting me to get this tentative plan together. 😉
A really smart idea to plan field trips (at least a rough plan anyway) before the year starts. Can I ask what ages you think the Who Is God program works best for?
Sharla, that is a great question. As I have been doing our lesson plans, I noticed that it can get pretty deep. I personally think ages 8 and up would be appropriate for the content. However, we plan to add some hands-on activities and to use the coloring book with the younger children. Also, a lot of it, we will boil down and present to the children instead of just reading straight from the book. I hope this helps. 🙂
Very good idea! Last year was my firt year homeschooling and since we kind of fell into it, there was not much planning. This year I am planning a little more.
Adventures of a Homeschool Mom
I like planning, even though I try to remain flexible. It’s a balancing act that I am not always good at. 😉
Hi, I am planning to revamp my teaching at home to be more structured and routine for my daughter. She needs the structure. How was your typical homeschooling day with yours? How long did you take to finish everything for the day? Or did you stretch into a whole day affair? I tend to do that when I am on holiday from work, but find it hard to do all the things I wanted with them when I have to work, though I am usually back from work in the afternoon.
Hi Lydia. I plan to do a post of our updated routine soon, but to answer your question, we are typically done with school before lunch. After lunch, the children have rest time (because we are all tired of one another) where they nap, read, or play a handheld device. Then, we have snack, outside time (if it is not too hot), and play time with Daddy while I cook dinner. Hope this helps. 🙂