What curriculum have we chosen? I'm super excited about it!
- Math - Singapore : this is the same math Collin used in preschool. He did the K math and was way ahead when he started Kindergarten. We are going to put both kids back on it. It's more advanced so while the kids are on grade level in public school, they are behind in virtual so we're going to work to get them to where they should be.
- Science - Press for Learning: Building Foundations of Scientific Learning Vol I and II. This one my husband absolutely LOVES!!! We are Christians and our children learn all about the Gospel and God and Jesus from us. So, we wanted a secular science. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a secular science? Well, we found one that we actually love. Why did we choose this one? Because of this, "Lessons are designed to have students make observations, pose questions, conduct tests, and exercise rational thought so that students gain knowledge through their own examination, manipulation, and thinking, not by memorizing answers." One of the biggest issues we had with the public school was that our son wasn't being challenged. He was completely bored. He spent about 6 weeks on the 3 states of matter. Then, they got to do an experiment on them! Yay! We were so excited because my son wanted his to be on the 4th state of matter -- plasma. However, when he asked about it, we learned he had two experiments to choose from. He could make a volcano (this is for the child who made and painted a volcano out of plaster years before so he can do the vinegar and baking soda volcano anytime he wanted to) or he could watch water evaporate. Seriously? They wouldn't let him create his own experiment on the fourth state of matter. LAME!!! Instead, he watched water evaporate. :/
- Literature - Build Your Own Library. I really like this one because it's common books and they will provide challenges for the kids. It's just a plan but it's fairly inexpensive. I just have to buy the books.
- History - The Story of the World. I really like this one. It is told like a story to keep students interested in the history. There are also some awesome activities that go with it. I'm really excited about these.
- Reading - http://allinonehomeschool.com/ We'll be supplementing with All In One Homeschooling. It's free so it'll be a perfect resource for supplementing for anything. YAY!
That's our plan. We used to love the virtual school. This is our 4th year with the school and we've watched them change throughout the years. It used to be catered to each child as the learning coaches personalized the lessons for them. However, through the years they've gradually gone from teaching to the student to teaching to the test. I am no longer happy with it. I am super excited to start our new journey! Only 17 days of school left before we are free! YAY!!
