Welcome back to school, Kingdom-Seekers! :) {Our "curriculum" for SY 2012-2013}

We started having a regular homeschool routine again last Monday, June 4. Yes, folks, it's back to school time here at the Kingdom-seekers Academy! :)

Actually, ever since God "overturned" our initial decision to enroll Tim in a non-traditional progressive preschool and literally put His call for us to continue homeschooling "in our face," I have been thinking and praying about what curriculum to use and whether we should go with a DepEd-accredited homeschool provider.

Well, we've decided to continue being independent for this year and after a super-loooooong "break" from our previous homeschool routine (which I pathetically tried to document on a daily basis here, haha!), we're finally at it again! :)

Source.

Though we've been "off" the "schooling" part of homeschooling since December (gasp!), when I decided to just focus on reading lots of good books about Advent and Christmas, I don't think learning has stopped for the kids, as I'd like to believe we try to be as vigilant and aware as possible about making everyday experiences learning experiences for the children. :) (OK, so maybe I am being a bit defensive here, haha!)

Our Advent/Christmas books

In fact, I was affirmed recently that the kids, particularly Tim, are learning well — even without much input from me and their Papa. When we had Tim assessed at different progressive preschools in March during our long discernment period, all of the teachers who assessed him said that his skills are just right for his age, and one teacher even said that he has above average IQ and comprehension skills! :) Praise the LORD! :)

This is why I have decided to be more relaxed about following a curriculum, or even seeking DepEd accreditation, though that is something we will have to consider soon, especially with the K-12 curriculum already in place.

Despite many people (including family members on both sides) asking us why we are STILL not enrolling Tim in school, hubby and I are confident that what we are doing now is where God is leading us. (Sorry if that doesn't make much sense! Haha!)

Look at our little learners! :) Hello, my dear Kingdom-seekers!

Anyhow, I am posting what we'll be doing this school year (or at least, for the next few months! Haha!). This is mostly for Tim, I'll just let Rysse tag along and also use Catholic ABC's with her from time to time. It looks like a lot (it took me a long time to write this post, haha!) but don't be deceived! Haha! I am actually writing this for my own sake, so I have something to refer to.

Just so you know, I report to the office Thursdays and Fridays, but there are changes in schedule sometimes, so we need to adjust our routine occasionally. We count Saturdays at Kindermusik as "school days," too. :)

Core:

- Catholic Heritage Curricula's (CHC) Kinder Core Curriculum — Pick up where we left off from last year. When we received this last year from a fellow homeschool mom, I realized that Tim is actually advanced in a lot of the lessons included, so I will just do the other lessons as a review and then focus on the ones that still need working on!)

- Five in a Row Volume 1 — We got this as a gift from a fellow homeschool/Kindermusik mom. :) We don't have all the books on the book list yet though. We've been using this off and on ever since fellow homeschooler Mariel encouraged me to. LOVE it! :)

Religion

- Attend Mass as often as possible; pray one decade of the Rosary each day; morning and evening and in-between prayers. We hope our kids will grow in their relationship with the Lord this way, and not just see prayer as something obligatory! :)

- Use the Religion books from CHC and the St. Joseph picture books sent by a fellow homeschool mom and dear friend in the US (Love you, Ate Josette!)

- Read Bible stories from the children's Bibles we already have and buy a better version (or two) to supplement them.

- "Row" our faith-based children's books whenever we can.

- Supplement with activities from Catholic Icing, Catholic Toolbox and other cool Catholic websites.

- Have discussions on cartoons like The Flying Schoolhouse, Veggie Tales, Hermie, Punchinello (by Max Lucado) and other Christian cartoons and movies.

- Read aloud The Chronicles of Narnia series — MUST get our own copies soonest! :)

- Attend more CFC Kids for Christ activities and other faith-based kids groups' activities. :)

Phonics, Reading, Spelling and Writing:
- Sing, Spell, Read, Write Level 1 Kit — Review Off We Go quickly, then proceed to Raceway. (We got this secondhand from a fellow homeschool mom. This is available locally from C & E Publishing.)

- Starfall — Tim learned most of his letter sounds just by playing around on the site before he turned 4. :) I love this site!

Math
- Use Math books from CHC

- Use additional Math books from local bookstores

- Math U See — Still praying for the resources for this! :) I think Tim is more than ready for the Alpha kit. Or maybe I should buy the Beta kit instead to save money and just focus on building up his present Math skills! Haha!

- For Teachermama to do — Explore Singapore Math!

Filipino Language and Culture

- Read aloud more books by Adarna, Tahanan and other local publishers. (The Filipino parts, not the English ones, LOL!)

- Use textbooks from local bookstores — I have a few already, given by Tim's lola (grandmother), the original "Teachermama." " :)

- Use the articles I wrote here, here, here as a reference for other resources/activities. I really must practice what I preach! Haha! :)

- Go on field trips! :)

Science. Geography, History

- Use the Science textbooks and non-textbooks that we already have.

- Use our atlas and maps and read children's books about different countries and places.

-  Read aloud books that have Science, Geography and History "themes."

- Do simple home experiments — Google is my best friend! :) And so are the secondhand Science books we have!

- Go on field trips! :) The Mind Museum is our first target! :)


Music
- Kindermusik with Teacher Suzette and Friends — Love, love, love their programs! :)

- Making Music, Praying Twice — Again, a gift from a fellow homeschool mom. I hope to be able to do this on a more regular basis! :)

- Guitar lessons with Papa

Art
- Attend monthly creative arts sessions by My Masterpiece Movement as often as possible.

- Use A Child's Book of Prayer in Art — Another gift for the kids! (Thank you, Kat!) :)

- For Teachermama to do — Be more intentional with planning art activities :)


Sports/PE


- Xavix sessions with Teacherpapa — Praise God, hubby was able to buy a whole bunch of Xavix items at a steal two years ago! :) Tim loves bowling, dancing, aero-stepping and fishing with his dad!

- Basketball with Teacherpapa :)


----
Whew! :) Just looking at this post makes me feel tired! Teehee! Please do pray we'll be able to stick to our routine! :) + AMDG +

How about you, dear friends? :) What does YOUR curriculum look like this year? :) Feel free to comment below! :)