WARNING....

WARNING
This is long and probably extraordinarily boring to the average person....so proceed with caution!


This is one of my most favorite times of the year....because I get to plan and figure out what we are going to do next year.....So I am EXCITED!!!!

This is what I've decided so far:

THE BOY:
Will Continue to do:
Spanish, Writing, Science, and Art at Co-op....so we will use whatever curriculum they decided on...I'm pretty sure that will include: continuing on with his Spanish Now text, Doing the next level of Institute for Excellence in Writing: US History Based Writing Themes, Apologia Science (I've heard rumors of Physical Science....but I'm not sure)....and then Art.

AT HOME
He will do

Bible-
He is going to be becoming more independent in his Bible Time:
I'm thinking seriously about using the Sonlight Curriculum for his Bible which will include; Bible reading, Scripture memorization, and studying the following books:
Bible Study Sampler by John and Sarita Holzmann
God's Will, God's Best for Your Life by Josh McDowell
Why Pray from Word's to Relationship by John DeVries
Evidence for Jesus by Ralph O. Muncaster
The Bible Jesus Read by Philip Yancy

Math
Teaching Textbooks Algebra

Literature-
We will use Sonlights book list for Core 100 which corresponds with his history study in that it is American Literature.
Bonanza Girl
Elijah of Buxton
My Heart Lies South
They Loved to Laugh
Guests
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Keeping Score
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Rules of the Road
Ender's Game
Amos Fortune, Free Man
Peace Child
Round for Oregon
Call of the Wild
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Indian Captive
Maniac Mcgee
Out of the Dust
Rip Van Winkle
Stink Ally
To Kill a Mockingbird
A Treasury of Poetry for Young People
Year Down Yonder

US History-
This year The Boy will at last get to do US History (he's spent the last 4 years doing NC History and Ancient World History, Medieval World History, and Modern World History....he is ready for US HISTORY and very excited! 
Our History program will be based on Joy Hakim's award winning History of US series.  I'm really looking forward to this!

Music-
Continue Guitar Lessons and practice times.

PE
Swimming daily in the Summer
Basketball 3 times a week from October-March
Free Play the rest of the year

Geography
We are going to do a family Unit Study this year called Road Trip Across the US so Andrew will participate in this.  You can find out more at http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/

Keyboarding
He will continue to work on his typing speed and precision with Mavis Beacon Typing Program.

So that leaves Spelling and Grammar which are yet to be determined.....they are also his weakest areas.....so still praying and researching options for this!
For Extracurricular in addition to guitar and youth group we will most likely continue with basketball.  The big question in his mind is Can he do Odyssey of the Mind and/or Boy Scouts.....I just don't know is the answer.....we have a lot of life up in the air right now and I just don't know how much extra curricular we can commit to in the upcoming year.  This is another area of prayer.

THE GIRL
She will also continue at co-op but I am not as certain about which courses will be offered for her grade level.  I am fairly certain she will have Science (and I think it is going to be Apologia Astronomy....but not at all sure) and I think she will have Art.  Other then that I have no idea what she will be doing at co-op next year.....

AT HOME she will have

Bible
Not sure what we will do aside from Awana scripture memory.
I am hoping to do a Bible Study with her and 2 of the other moms in our co-op called
The Secret Keeper which is about the importance of modesty
and
The Secret Keeper Friendship which is 8 great dates for moms and their daughters.  This one focuses on true friendship and how to be a true friend in all your relationships.  I am really looking forward to this special time with my girl (but this will probably be night/weekend time and not school time....so we may do something else during school and we may not)

Math
We will do Horizons 2 (even though she will be going into 3rd grade).  She is a Math whiz but her dyslexia has caused a lot of issues with reading the word problems and with reversing numbers so we are having to slow down and work on "reading math" too....never a dull moment!

Storytime
I will read to her from Sonlights read aloud list

Cornstalks: A Bushel of Poems
The Twenty-One Balloons
The Door in the Wall
A Poke in the I
Strawberry Girl
Ginger Pye
The Little Riders
The Apprentice
The Aesop for Children
Red Sails to Capri
White Stallion to Lipizza
And the Word Came with Power
The Cricket in Time Square
Castle Diary
Tales of Robin Hood
The School Story
The Minstrel in the Tower


Penmanship
Want to start cursive but unsure of which program I will use.  Probably Handwriting without tears.  They are known to be a very effective program for children with dyslexia who commonly have letter reversal issues.

Reading and Spelling
She will continue with her Barton Reading and Spelling Tutoring System.  I hope she can do level 3 this summer and levels 4-6 next school year.  However....we will take it one day at a time and we will get there when we get there.  I am not going to rush her or pressure her.  I care more that she understands it and learns the material properly then that we check it off as done.....so that is the goal....but it may not be what happens.

Geography
http://confessionsofahomeschooler.blogspot.com/2011/03/road-trip-usa-geography-and-history.html
We will be using the above curriculum written by a fellow homeschool mom called Road Trip Across the USA.  She describes it this way:

"Come along with us on an exciting journey learning about the U.S.A! From the signing of the Declaration of Independence, to the wild west, you’ll uncover all the secrets this Nation has to offer! Within this curriculum you’ll discover the sights and sounds of all 50 states, including state symbols, U.S. Presidents, famous people, landmarks, historical events, and much more!"

I am very excited about using this curriculum and I think by the end of year you will all see why.  It is chocked full of regional recipes, craft ideas, information......very hands on!  It will work well for big kids and little kids so it is something we can all learn from and work on together!

Home Economics
One thing I am kind of old fashioned about is teaching my girls Home Ec.  Yes I make THE BOYS do chores.  Yes they also have "LIFE SKILLS" courses and assignments from time to time.  HOWEVER.....let's face it often the girls are the ones most often charged with caring for the home.  I want my girls to be prepared and I also want them to relish their very important role.  So....I will move THE GIRL onto Book 2 Home Economics:  This year she will learn about:
Cooking
Nutrition, Baking, The purpose of sifting, grains, dry and wet ingredients, how bread rises, the stove, cooking with meat, cooking with cheese, making soups, making casseroles, beginning candy making.
Sewing
Items needed to sew, making a simple sewing kit, hand stitching, making a pin cushion, the sewing machine (I'm scared of this lesson), real sewing.
Cleaning/Organizing
Why it is important to clean, Cleaning your own room, What you can't find, The closet and under the bed, and organizing school stuff.
Hospitality
What is hospitality, Three is NOT a crowd, and Hosting a Party

PE
She will swim daily this summer for our pool's swimteam
We will definitely allow her to continue with basketball this winter
She REALLY wants to do gymnastics (she did 1 session this fall and REALLY enjoyed it however it got very expensive with all 3 girls doing it....even with the sibling discount.....so we will have to wait and see)

Reading
I really think Sophie should be finished with her level 3 tutoring by the time school starts next year which means she will be able to do some simple independent reading!!!!  So.....if she does finish and if she can....she will also have simple, level appropriate reading books to read each day.....but not sure waiting and praying!

Other Stuff
I think The Girl needs to start her foreign language study this year.  However due to her extreme language difficulty the thought of foreign language study has seemed daunting.  A few months ago I was flipping through The Old Schoolhouse magazine subscription my mom got me for Christmas (BEST GIFT....LOVE IT) and realized that American Sign Language counts as a foreign language!!!!!  I CRIED!  What an answer to prayer!  So I am searching for resources or perhaps even a tutor to start her in her foreign language study and I believe she will thrive with this foreign language....ahhh...God is soooooo good.

Anyway....if you are still reading this....you are a trooper.
This has probably been exceedingly boring....I am such a nerd and ABSOLUTELY adore this stuff!  I will post on THE TWINKIES and THE BABY's school plans tomorrow.  My man wants me to come and watch a movie.....so I know you will all be waiting with baited breath ;)

Thanks for indulging me!
Kim