Knee Deep in Curriculum

As the title of this blog entry states I am knee deep in curriculum.

Joshua will be starting Sonlight Core 3: below is a brief explanation of the topics covered in Core 3 (from the Sonlight website).

Sonlight® Core 3 introduces you and your children to the diverse peoples of the United States — those who lived in the Americas before Europeans came, as well as those who came after. It covers the time period from before Christ to about 1850. You will marvel at the way in which all of these peoples shaped our nation's history, and how the land itself shaped the people.

You'll accompany Columbus on his famous voyage across the Atlantic. You'll be present as the Spanish conquistadors subdue and ultimately rule and oppress the peoples they find in the land. You'll also watch as English connivers twist the Spaniards' record for their (the Englishmen's) own ends.

You'll be there during the American Revolution, watch as the Constitution is written, meet George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and others. You'll accompany Adoniram Judson on his trip to Burma (Myanmar) in the early 1800s, and watch, amazed, as the incomparable Nathaniel Bowditch, a self-taught man, revolutionizes the international sea transportation industry! You'll come to know and appreciate statesmen like Ben Franklin; the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark; inventors like Robert Fulton and Eli Whitney; plus dozens of other unforgettable characters — each one brought to life through a compelling biography or historical novel.

Asher will be starting Sonlight Core K- below is a brief explanation of the topics covered in Core K (from the Sonlight website).

The Sonlight® Core K program is a "wonder" year. It is meant to introduce your children to a wide range of topics that, we hope, will whet their appetites to find out more. The beautifully illustrated Usborne Living Long Ago, Wild Places, and Children's Encyclopedia lead you on your adventures.

In history, you will spend a week studying the biblical account of creation, then touch on the evolutionary view. Then you're off on a hop-skip-and-jump survey of those portions of history where biblical and secular scholars generally agree: one-day stops in Ancient Egypt, Rome, Medieval Europe, England at the time of the Industrial Revolution, and more. You will study world geography and climates, and how people have learned to grow food in the midst of deserts. Interspersed among these tantalizing glimpses of other times and other places, you and your children will meet 15 (Protestant) heroes of the faith including people like:
-William and Catherine Booth, the founders of the Salvation Army
-David Livingstone, one of the early European explorers of southern Africa
-Menno Simons, the founder of the pacifistic group of Christians we now know as Mennonites
-and a dozen more.

Both boys will also be starting Rosetta Stone Spanish and ARTistic Pursuits.

Elliana will be using the curriculum that I wrote for Joshua when he was 2 years old. Each week she will study a different topic (Jonah, Bears...). Each day we will be reading books and doing crafts relating to our topic of the week. She will also be learning her numbers, letters, shapes, and colors this year. She is going to LOVE doing school!

As you can see I am going to have a very busy year. I am already starting to organize our school area and order everything we will need for another successful year :)