Soft Wear

We ended our third week of homeschooling, and it's time to look at curriculum.  I'm loving it.  I may adjust Jimmy's work, but not until I give him a little longer to adapt to the Kindergarten work we're doing.  Everybody else seems to be on target.
The morning starts with Bible.  For a while I was in such a spin from all that had happened in my life I wasn't really sure what to teach the kids, but I'm settled in now.  The Big Picture Bible Time Line provides a coloring sheet while I read the kids a story out of the International Children's Bible.  We follow this up by learning prayers from the Catholic Prayer Book for Children.
Language A I divide and conquer.  My middles read books and write a summary of their reading in composition books.  Jimmy makes a stab at A Reason for Handwriting, while Peter and I work on his writing using Writing With Ease and First Language Lessons.  They are so simple and direct.  It makes our time together easy and fun.
Science alternates between Physics and Our Universe, a Teaching Company video, and experiments from Science in a Nutshell, Energy and Motion, from Delta Education  I have been shopping for the Science in a Nutshell kits since I was single, kindergarten teacher.  Kurt said this was the year, and he was so right!  When they say everything is in the kit, they mean everything including three great journals for the kids to record their observations in. Science has always been one of our favorites, but this year is a highlight.
Math A everyone is working on their own, except for Jimmy who will finish the sheet if I keep it moving.  He's also enjoying the manipulatives.  Peter is working through Horizons, but we put the girls on Switched On Schoolhouse for math.  They needed the immediate feedback and we needed the instant grading, so far it's a hit.
Lunch is my workout.  It leaves the treadmill free for Kurt in the evening and gives me an endorphin high to get through the afternoon.
History I have lost my Zuzu.  She is reading A History of the American People, which is one of my favorite general histories because the author is British and brings his British sense of humor to the task.  She is making a note at the end of each paragraph and seems to be understanding and enjoying the book.  The rest of us are plugging away at the third installment of Story of the World.  They are each writing a summary according to their ability, and I feel lucky if Jim will sit for the reading.  Thursday we all gather for our Early American History lecture from The Teaching Company.  Professor Linwood Thompson is terrific teaching the course in costume.  We can't wait for Thursday.  Teaching Company videos take some of the pressure off and I don't feel so alone.
Math B is more of Math A except for Jimmy who works on his Horizons Phonics with me.  Some of it he gets, some of it is way over his head, but every week he makes progress.
Language B is the middle's turn to be the center of attention.  We are using Write Source and enjoying the departure from the small publishers we usually purchase.  The curriculum is also used as a back up at Spring Lake Middle School which will hopefully ease their eventual transition.  Peter uses this time to read stories from vintage Open Court and to answer the questions in a comp book.
I end the day grading all the comp books and creating spelling lists.  I give individual feedback and keep track of who has homework, while they do their handwriting, from A Reason for Handwriting
I'm happy with this program.  It's something we can realistically expect to finish and to get good final results.