Curriculum Choice for 3rd Grade/Pre-K

I'm so excited! We have chosen and gotten our curriculum for next year! YAY! We spent about $1,500 for our curriculum for the entire year! This is all relative because some people homeschool for nearly free and others spend a lot.

After reading books, googling, asking friends, and praying I have come to a choice about curriculum for our school year 2014-2015.

Caleb will be in 3rd grade and Cohen will be doing Pre-K and I guess June will be tot-school! :-) I say that because she is such a girl. She just wants to sit and color and draw. Way more than Cohen. It is so fun to watch the differences between boys and girls.

First we will be doing Classical Conversations!
http://www.classicalconversations.com/
Caleb and Cohen will both be in a class and June will be in the nursery. We will be apart of a community that meets once a week. I will be involved in their classrooms. Their teachers are actually called tutors. They will be learning grammar, history, latin, math, science, art, music. Check out the website to learn all about classical education.
This is separate from the curriculum we will be doing at home. The main reason we are doing this is to be apart of a community of homeschoolers. I need this for my first year to be with fellow moms for support and so my children can have a group of friends.
We have been doing it for a few weeks and we love it!

We choose My Father's World for our main curriculum.
https://www.mfwbooks.com/
I chose this because it is Christian, it fit with my teaching style and Caleb's learning style, it is completely mapped out for the whole year, affordable, great reviews, and I know friends who have used it.

Preschool: The preschool curriculum is perfect for what I wanted to do with Cohen (and for June to tag along). It has mainly all manipulatives for hands on learning, bible stories, bible songs, intro of the alphabet, numbers, and colors. I do NOT agree with 4 year olds sitting and writing. It is NOT developmentally appropriate. Cohen will have tons of books read to him, hands on fun, and lots of PLAY! Children learn best through play. My focus is to read to Cohen and June as much as possible.

3rd Grade: The focus of the year will be US History. The curriculum includes: bible, history&geography, science, art and music. I had to add in math and language arts to make it complete. I added in Singapore math and 3rd grade language arts.

The kit came with tons of books for reading alone and read alouds. Also included for each week is a list of books to check out from the library as extras for reading time. I hope to make it apart of our schedule to visit the library every 2 weeks. I will check out some suggested books for our book basket that go along with what we are learning and I will also let the children pick some books. I'm hoping my children will love to read and have fun!

I wanted something completely mapped out for our first year. I know things will change and I will grow. Everyone I have talked to has changed curriculums many times through the years. Who knows what the year after will bring. I've already gone through all the stuff for next year numerous times and I can't wait to start!

Also, a quick note to those who may be like I used to be. This is just in case someone is reading this and secretly wants to homeschool like I was before. It is NOT scary. There are so many resources, groups, support, and curriculum's that fit everyone! Do not be afraid. If God is telling you to do it, than do it!

Price breakdown for those who are interested!
Classical Conversations: I don't have a total yet, but it will be about $1,000 for the entire year for all the kids.
My Father's World: $408
Amazon (so far) HA!: $89

Thoughts on the Past Few Weeks

I thought today how life is ever changing and I used to think that I feared change. It is amazing how much I have grown and changed over the years. I'm so surprised where God has brought me. I would have NEVER pictured my life like this when I was in high school or even when Joey and I first got married.

Joey and I prayed and believed that this is what God wanted for our life and we stepped out in faith. Yes, we were frightened and unsure, but it felt right. The changes we have seen in Caleb are profound. He is just happy, plain and simple, he seems at peace. We are not rushed anymore and he is just so much more calm. He is happy to do what I assign him and he has not given me any trouble yet. I'm sure we will experience times when he pushes back, but it hasn't happened yet.

We have really been trying to get used to this new freedom. I've had a hard time getting on a schedule with simple things, like when do I grocery shop? We've gotten behind on groceries, laundry, housework, and showers, LOL...basically because we have been so focused to learning and school that the other is just not important.

Each day we have really tried to do a bible devotion/story first and prayer! I feel like our day just goes better if we take that time to set our eyes and thoughts on God. To be completely honest we haven't always had bible time as a family. We have always prayed together, but never a set devotion time. Now I feel that it is crucial and what we should have been doing all along. It is just amazing to see where God is leading our family.

I just hope people see that I am honest about our struggles. We are going through a transition, but we feel this is what God wants for our family. I see my children growing and learning together and being best friends.