2014-2015 Homeschool Classroom and Curriculum

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We will start our 2014-2015 homeschool year tomorrow, August 11!  I'm embarking on another new adventure as our oldest will be in her first year of high school, then I will be teaching one in middle school, two elementary school aged, and then our youngest just turned a year old.  

Am I a little anxious/nervous/excited/scared/doubtful/hopeful about the year ahead with so many different age levels?  You bet!  But, I continue to trust and ask for guidance and patience (lots!) from our Lord for the fun and challenges ahead!  

Before I list our 2014-2015 curriculum, I thought I would share some pictures of our classroom space.  This is how our learning area looks after many, many, many hours of me trashing out papers and reorganizing books and curriculum over the summer.  I did not take "Before" pictures, but be assured our neat classroom rarely stays this neat during the summer and/or school year!  I think when learning starts happening during our school year and my 1 year old starts tearing up the place and things get hectic, I'll have to post the "keeping it real" photo to prove that things can get out of hand and to prove to myself that it once looked inviting and neat!

We are blessed with a room in our home that is the designated classroom and not much has changed through the years with the looks of the room, including many of the same art projects/decorations are still displayed from several years ago :) So for those readers who have followed my blog for some time now, these pictures may look familiar. :)

This is our classroom as you walk into the door.

 

Behind the door in the corner are the history/science/miscellaneous picture books
 

Along this wall is another bookshelf where we keep our library books and you can read HERE about the system I set up to never have to pay a library fine again! (Although, I have paid library fines since I set up the system since a system is only good if you actually use it!  But, when I have noted the due date of our library books on the library book shelf, books get back into the library on time with no fines.)  To the right of the brown bookshelf is our calendar.
 

This is where we try to keep most of our religious books
 

In the top left corner is the basket system I use for each of my Cupcake's textbooks and workbooks.

Each child has their own basket.  The baskets sit on top of a white shelf and cubbies that my husband designed and made for the space. 

As shown in the top right corner, I have their books separated by subjects using white foam board and then I listed each subject on each board.  So my Cupcakes always know where to find their textbooks and workbooks and they also use the white foam boards to keep their baskets organized.
When I first started homeschooling in 2005, I tried using bookshelves, but things didn't stay organized then I moved into a basket system, but our books were thrown into the baskets.  That's when I decided to organize the baskets with the subject foam boards to make books easier to find and this system was quick to set up and has been used efficiently for several years now.  

In the bottom left corner is a photo of the red basket where I keep all my teacher manuals for my Cupcake's subjects. 

Then in the bottom right corner is the photo of how I organize my "Teacher Manual" red basket.  All my teacher manuals are divided by my Cupcakes' names using the white foam boards and blue post it notes to label each child's manuals.  So this will help me find answer keys I need quickly and my cupcakes can also go quickly to the foam board divider with their name on it to find any manuals if I ask them to get them for me vs. looking all over for a teacher manual that may be hidden in a shelf somewhere.

We use our desks, table, and dry erase board daily in or out of school :) The tall bookshelf on the left side of photo is where I keep alot of my resource books/idea books/catalogs/books and curriculum  I've used in the past.

In this corner of our classroom is our art area with a closet full of craft supplies, games, and math manipulatives.  The art table is used daily in or out of school time and I won this table several years ago!

So what have I filled my Cupcakes' baskets with behind their foam board subject dividers?  Our 2014-2015 curriculum looks like this:

Cupcake #1 (daughter, age 14, 9th grade)

Religion:

Couch Catechism and continuing Confirmation preparation program with other homeschoolers using various resources including Understanding The Scriptures: A Complete Course on Bible Study by Scott Hahn with My Catholic Faith Delivered, T3: The Teen Timeline (Catholic Teen Bible Study), and Decision Point 

Math:

Teaching Textbooks, continuing with Algebra I

American Literature:

Christ in the Americas for both Literature selections and American History

 

History: 

Christ in the Americas with the Christ in the Americas workbook

Writing: 

IEW Level C Online Course 

 Science:

 Apologia  Exploring Creation with Biology with labs with a homeschool co-op group

  

Latin:

First Form Latin with Memoria Press Online Academy  

Electives/Extra-Curricular Activities 

Piano lessons once a week

American Heritage Girls Troop 

Running Cross-Country with Homeschool Team
Girl's Soccer with Homeschool Team 

Teens for Life member

Cupcake #2 (son, age 12, 7th grade)

Religion:
Couch Catechism, and Christian Studies II from Memoria Press with his younger sister.  With his older sister, he will also continue T3: The Teen Timeline (Catholic Teen Bible Study. 

Grammar:
Grammar in Cover Story Middle School Writing Curriculum 

Math:
 Teaching Textbooks, Math 7  

Writing:

Cover Story Middle School Writing Curriculum
 

Literature:
Memoria Press Literature and Study Guides for 7th Grade
 

Science: 
Apologia Chemistry and Physics with younger sister.  I also bought the materials for the experiments from Creation Sensation.  The kits aren't cheap, but they save me so much time by not having to look for all the materials myself for each experiment.
 

History:
Simply Charlotte Mason: Modern Times, Epistles, and Revelation History Family Handbook and History Through the Ages Timeline Trio (will do this together with all my children)

Geography:
Memoria Press with younger sister

Extra-Curricular Activities 

Piano Lessons once a week

Recreation Soccer Leagues, Homeschool Soccer League, and Travel Soccer Team

Teens for Life member

Cupcake #3 (daughter, age 10, 5th grade)

Religion:
Couch Catechism, and Christian Studies II from Memoria Press with her older brother.

Math:
Rod & Staff Grade 5 Math

Spelling:
Rod & Staff Grade 5 Spelling

Literature:
Literature Guides with Memoria Press

Writing:
Writing Tales I

Geography:
Memoria Press with older brother

Science: 

Apologia Chemistry and Physics with older brother.  I also bought the materials for the experiments from Creation Sensation.  The kits aren't cheap, but they save me so much time by not having to look for all the materials myself for each experiment.
  

History:
Simply Charlotte Mason: Modern Times, Epistles, and Revelation History Family Handbook and History Through the Ages Timeline Trio (will do this together with all my children)

Electives/Extra-Curricular Activities 
American Heritage Girls Troop

Recreation Soccer League and Travel Soccer Team

Cupcake #4 (daughter, age 6, Grade 1)

Religion:
Couch Catechism,  First Confession and Communion preparation using Faith and Life, Treasure Box Set Books 1-10 and Books 11-20 and making First Communion Scrapbook and Banner 

Memoria Press First Grade Lesson Plans

Extra-Curricular Activities 
American Heritage Girls Troop
Gymnastics 

Cupcake #5 (daughter, age 1)
Learning how to walk, how not to tear up books and pull them off shelves, and how to take long naps when her Mommy needs her to take long naps. :) 

Be sure to come back to my blog here sometime this week where I will do a post of some of our new homeschool year traditions that includes new school year photos,  a cross cake, T-riffic summer t-shirt printables and All About Me Sheets!  

To take a peek at other homeschool learning classrooms/spaces/centers/corners/tables/shelves be sure to visit the 6th Annual "Not" Back-to-School Blog Hop: School Room Week HERE.

 

I've also linked this post to Homeschool Blog and Tell Linkup #HSBAT

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Have a blessed school year!