Update to our Curriculum Choices

 
I really hate posting our curriculum choices because they will always change once we start working them. I guess we just need to try it out first. Of course I will still post them because us homeschoolers want to know what everyone else is using. You just never know where you will find inspiration.

Here is an updated list of what is working for us this year!

Dropped: Evan Moor Daily Math Word Problems, WordSmith (Caleb), and Little Latin Readers. 

The Math-U-See program has plenty of word problems and review so the EM workbook wasn't needed. WordSmith was fine . . . . but I've been thinking about IEW Student Writing Intensive for a long time and unexpectedly the funds became available to buy it so I did. We are just starting this now. I think this will be a great program and exactly what Caleb needs, but he isn't sure. 

After reading The Three Methods of Teaching Latin in the The Classical Teacher (late summer 2013) I decided against Little Latin Readers. We hadn't even started it yet so switching wasn't a big deal. We went with Latina Christiana I, of course (they did write the article). We started it last week and it's going well. It is easy to teach and the boys are liking it. Thank God for the CD!

Tweaked: Lighted Lanterns (Caleb), Math and history 

The Lighted Lanterns program is too easy for Caleb except for the dictation. So, we are just using the dictation for now and Tyler will use this book next year. I thought the grammar stuff would be good review for him but it's just too childish for him. No big deal and it saves us time (we needed to cut something out any way) and it turns out he doesn't need the review.

Tyler just wasn't as far along as I thought in his multiplication, so I ordered the Gamma level from MUS and we are working in that level for now. Just a little delay. Truly my fault for not allowing enough time for him to learn his facts. I should have known because it's not like he's my first.

History had some big changes. We are still doing the Middle Ages and many of the books I listed in the original post. We did drop the Dorothy Mills book. I don't have history lovers and Caleb still isn't ready for extreme detailed information. Instead we switched to The Middle Ages Project Pack from Home School in the Woods. We started this also last week. It's going well! Tyler is also doing this with Caleb now. I have officially given up on trying to teach history twice in a day. We should be ready for the Renaissance period in January. I plan to do what I had planned to do with Tyler with both boys next year (state study/continue American history). I guess you can say I have a head start on our books for next year! I will do a more detail post of history in the future.