Busy Learning Brood

This school year has been a very busy one, and I guess that is a big reason I've neglected my blog!  But I wanted to fill you in on what we have been using this year for our curriculum.  I changed it up this year and actually went back to a selection that I said I would never go back to.  Below is a breakdown of what the brood is studying this year with a brief "review" of sorts to explain why I like it.  I hope it helps those of you who may be starting to plan for next years homeschool curriculum.

All brood:
My Father's World-Exploring Countries & Cultures (Geography/Science Unit Study)

B1 (14 year old, 8th grd)
Learning Language Arts Through Literature ~B2 is also using this and I love it!  It give a dose of all concepts of Language Arts in one lesson.  Each lesson can be done in 5 days or less and the teacher guide is very user friendly.  I love how it uses classical selections of literature to study grammar.~
Apologia-Exploring Creation with Physical Science ~This is a great science textbook! So far I am pleased with it because my 14 yo picks it up when she is bored because it is "good reading"!!  Mr. Wile has written these books to the student and makes it fun and enjoyable to read.  If you want a lesson plan for it, go to Donna Young where she has put in countless hours to create a easy plan to follow...and it's free (bless her heart)!~
Saxon-Algrebra 1/5 w/Saxon tutorial CDs ~This is a great Maths textbook!!  The best thing about Saxon is its tutorial CDs. Oh how I would have loved to have these when I was in school. :)~
Spanish (through our homeschool group)

B2 (9 year old, 4th grd)
Learning Language Arts Through Literature ~This is also the curriculum that I decided to go back to. There are many personal reasons that I abandoned this years ago when B1 was using it.  One day I'll tell you about it.  This time though, when I reviewed it, I found it to not be as daunting as I thought it to be! I'm actually ordering the Blue edition (1st grd) for B3 & B4 because they are ready to move on!~
Alpha Omega-Horizons Math ~B2 loves Math and she never complains when it is time to get this book out.  The Teacher Guide is a handy tool and has extra worksheets that can be copied for additional practice.  I am also ordering the 1st grd books for B3 & B4 because they are ready for more math~
Spanish (through our homeschool group)

B3 (6 year old, K grd) & B4 (5 year old, K5)
Learn at Home Grade K ~This is pretty neat because it has the entire week laid out for you on a two page grid.  The overview of the subjects at the beginning is helpful as well. However, it has a very Montessori flavor to it and some of the hands on activities are, in my view, not necessary and can be done with less mess. LOL  I do like the worksheets though and the kids have really enjoyed the work.~
Scholastic Success with Kindergarten ~This is a really good workbook for extra work and review.  I actually ripped this book apart and turned it into smaller sections, i.e., ABCs/Writing/Numbers/Basic Concepts, and so on.  I did this because it is a very thick book and it seemed to overwhelm my kids because they thought they had to do the whole book at once!~

Planning for B3 & B4 was a little tricky this year because I didn't think that B4 would be able to keep up with B3, but he has done an awesome job!  I'll admit that at the beginning of the school year, he didn't want to cooperate and his motor skills were lacking for writing.  Now, he gets his work done faster than B3 sometimes and is a little more motivated than her too!  Even though he is not really 1st grade age, I think he will be able to keep up, and if he doesn't, he can always slow down and review. I just love how each child is different and how I've been able to help them all find their own way of learning things!

I'm really glad I've posted this for you, because it has also helped me to do a little review and map out in my mind the rest of the year and plan for the next school semester!  I'm sure I'm missing some books that I really like and want to tell you about, but for now thit is the core of what we are using.

Thanks for stopping by to hear the buzz!