The following is a list of the curriculum we’ve used for each grade. Keep in mind we attend a weekly co-op, where each elementary grade is working through history or geography, science, art, music, and PE. These are our lax subjects at home… sometimes we do it, often we don’t. They have homework beginning in 2nd grade for history, and by 3rd or 4th grade they also have science homework. It’s been a lifesaver now that I’m homeschooling five children.
We’ve also changed how we start math. For my oldest two, we started with Saxon Math K in Kindergarten and worked through it each year in the correct grade level. Starting with my 3rd born, we skipped the Math K book and jumped into the 1st grade book in Kindergarten. The K book was great for my oldests when they hadn’t heard math being done in their environment… but now that the littles are hearing it all the time, I’ve found it easy to skip that book and jump them into something a bit more rigorous from the beginning.
Kindergarten
Saxon Math 1
Reading books by Nora Gaydos
I have gotten away from a set phonics curriculum for the last several children after not finding one I love and not willing to put money into searching until I find one I do. I work through the Gaydos books and teach concepts as we come across them. Once we’ve finished the four levels, I move to Dick and Jane, Mr. Putter books, and other easier readers. I have many A Beka readers that I offer as reading materials but so long as they are reading well, I don’t make requirements on any one book. Our shelves are full of books and my main goal is that they continue to practice their reading skills. A few times, with an eager four year old, I’ve begun with Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, but we don’t usually make it through more than 25-50 lessons before we go back to the Gaydos books and drop the 100 Easy Lessons book. It’s tedious and boring and I tire of it… usually my student does too.
Handwriting – I don’t have a curriculum. I teach them through the alphabet and have them routinely write all the letters and then focus on the ones they didn’t form properly. I start cursive this way once they’ve mastered the manuscript alphabet. This has happened in Kindergarten for some, and for some, not until 1st or 2nd grade. I have found a curriculum I love for cursive, but… I cannot justify the extra expense when it’s something I can teach with a $.99 notebook of dotted lined paper and a bit of my time. My favorite is listed in the comments below, well worth your money if your budget is bigger than mine.
1st Grade
Saxon Math 2
Rod and Staff Spelling 2
Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind (Both Grade 1 and 2 are in the one book. We typically get through the first 100 lessons in 1st grade, finishing the 1st grade level.)
Story of the World (I only own the read aloud books and CDs. I typically read these aloud at whatever pace we have time for. I do not test or do other activities with these.)
Christian Liberty Press Science Reader, merely because I have it, the kids love it, and they can typically read it on their own by Grade 1.
2nd Grade
Saxon Math 3
Rod and Staff Spelling 3
Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind, 2nd half
Story of the World – our kids all get history at our homeschool co-op, so this is one that gets set aside during busier times. We’ve yet to make it through all four books… but we try.
Apologia sciences – I own Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy and Physiology and Chemistry and Physics and love them both. I’d love to get their Zoology ones. We attempt to read through one or the other through the school year. The kids all get science at our homeschool co-op though, so science is, for better or worse, one that gets tossed aside quickly during busier times.
Handwriting as needed, no curriculum
Book reports… I require from 2nd grade on each of my kids to report on one book a week, one paragraph for the younger grades. The book must be, as they get older, especially, an older book or a non fiction book at least 50% of the time. I am determined they will learn to read and appreciate classics as well as current fiction.
3rd Grade
Saxon Math 5/4
Rod and Staff Spelling 4
Rod and Staff English 3
Story of the World
Apologia Sciences
Handwriting, as needed. No curriculum.
Book Reports weekly
4th Grade
Saxon Math 6/5
Rod and Staff Spelling 5
Rod and Staff English 4
Story of the World
Apologia Sciences
Handwriting as needed
Book Reports weekly
5th Grade
Saxon Math 7/6
Rod and Staff Spelling 6
Rod and Staff English 5
Story of the World
Apologia Sciences
Handwriting as needed
Book Reports Weekly
6th Grade
Saxon Math 8/7
Rod and Staff Spelling 7
Rod and Staff English 6
Story of the World
Apologia Sciences
Handwriting as needed
Book Reports weekly
7th Grade
Liberty is beginning 7th this fall. This is the first year at co-op that she can choose classes for middle school and she is taking the majority of her core classes at co-op. She is taking:
IEW Writing I
Apologia General Science
American History of the Revolutionary and Civil War
Math U See Pre-Algebra
At home, she’s been working through:
Spelling You See’s Modern Milestones Level G
We have a good collection of books from YWAM and plan to begin incorporating these into our school this fall. I’m hoping to use these to create unit studies for all my children. So far, these have been some of the books the kids report on, along with many Boxcar Children books, Anne of Green Gables, Oliver Twist, etc. I reviewed Institute for Excellence in Writing and am working on finishing the adult seminars. Once I’m confident in teaching that, I will jump in with all of my children with it. It’s great.
Through the Old Schoolhouse Magazine’s Review Crew, I’ve gotten to try an abundance of curriculum. We have almost always gone back to our routine after we finish the review, but a few things we’ve stuck with. A few I’d love to continue but cannot afford to do so. In no particular order, our list of favorites are:
Spelling You See
CursiveLogic
Veritas Press’ history (Renaissance and Reformation, their online course, was AMAZING.)
Fix-It Grammar from IEW