Organize this!

I love to organize and plan. I seriously do. It's almost a little weird. I love to have something to research, and then dream about it's perfect execution. *sigh* Alas, that doesn't much happen in the real world.

My homeschool planning begins with thinking. Yes! Thinking! Who knew. I mull over the past year and think about our goals for the next year (and sometimes farther ahead that that, even). For example, I knew that this year Scrappy would have to take a standardized test, so his instruction must involve some test-taking strategies and some extra grammar work. Funny wants art. Goofy wants to learn to read (he has started already, but wants more--yay!). Silly thinks she is going to do school, so I have to figure out what that will mean.

Then, like Christmas, the Rainbow Resource catalog arrives. It's every homeschoolers dream. I jest not. I order nearly everything from this catalog, and supplement with library books. This year I also purchased a few items at the local homeschool conference, so I have those as well.

Here's a partial list of what we're using this year:

SCRAPPY (3rd)

Math-U-See (finishing Beta and moving into Gamma)

assorted workbooks on Context Clues, Fact/Opinion and Cause/Effect, Main Idea, Parts of Speech, Punctuation and Capitalization--all with multiple choice bubble tests at the end

Primary Language Lessons

Sequential Spelling

Lessons in Manners for Copywork from Queen Homeschooling

Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day

Story of the World and its activity book

Lamb's Book of Art

Geography Practice Workbook

We'll also cover music and health, but we'll use library books and the computer for those subjects.

FUNNY (2nd)

as above for all subjects except Math and Grammar (she will use Primary Lang. Lessons)

Saxon Math 2 (continue from last year)

BrainQuest Grade 2 workbook

Second Grade Skills Review

GOOFY (1st)

as above for all subjects except Math and Grammar

Math-U-See Primer, moving into Alpha

variety of old worksheets/workbooks I've been collecting for K/1st

reading, reading, reading

writing practice

SILLY (age 4)

Alphabet Theme-A-Saurus

She already knows her numbers, letters and their sounds, as well as colors, shapes, etc. that kids learn in preK. But I also don't need to push her into Kindergarten either. So she'll just do the letter activities with me and whatever else she cares to sit still and listen to that the other kids are doing.

My kids seriously love workbooks. I don't get that, but if it works for them, so be it. The nice things about the Science and Social Studies books is that there are a number of hands-on ideas included. I really do want to post weekly (if I can) about what we are doing in the up-coming year. So start looking for those posts in mid-August, dear reader(s).