Our schedule this year

 I just wanted to share the exciting things we will be learning this year and give insight on the schedule we will use.

Morning:

Bible (using the book series Ten Boys Who Changed the World, Ten Boys Who Used Their Talents, Ten Boys Who Didn't Give In, etc. - series also has Ten Girls Who...)

Math (both boys are using Horizons this year)

15 minute break

Science (Apologia's Zoology 1 - the study of Flying Creatures - birds and insects.  There are lots of opportunities for experiments.  Last week we discussed lift and drag as it pertains to flying objects and made 2 cardboard airplanes with different lengths of wings to see which one travelled further.  This week we will be making a bird feeder to invite different species of birds into the yard to enjoy and nature journal.)

Language Arts (Nicolas is using Horizon's Phonics along with A Beka Readers and library books for his reading.  Alex is using Bob Jones English 4 which we are alternating with his spelling book.  I have listed books I would like him to read this year that either relate to our Unit Studies or are from the Ableside Online book list.  Last week and this week, he is reading a book from Hank the Cowdog series.  Nicolas is reading an Usborne title, Cowboys.)

History (Moving West History Pockets from Evan-Moor.  Alex only.  Many of our Unit Studies are westerns this year, so we are using the history pockets to go a little deeper.  Alex really enjoys doing these pockets and he is mostly independent in his work while I listen to Nicolas read aloud to me.)

Afternoon:
Lunch break (1 hour)

Unit Study (This will vary depending on whether or not we had our co-op meeting that week.  When we have co-op we are using some Five in a Row Volume 4 titles and some homeschoolshare.com titles.  Beyond co-op, I have chosen some animal studies that relate to our co-op titles to fill in, we will do an election study right before election time, I have chosen a Detectives study that will be super fun for the boys, and I will allow the boys to pick something they would like to study on some blank weeks.  These are the titles that we will make into lapbooks.)

Read Aloud (I have chosen books from Ambleside Online that I want the boys to be familiar with, and also some books that go along with our Unit Studies.  Last week we read Buffalo Bill to go along with Lightning Larry, and keeping with the western theme, this week we are reading B is for Buckaroo: A Cowboy Alphabet.  This week's Unit Study is not of a western theme, but our next 2 are, so I decided to just stick with cowboys and westerns rather than take a break this week.  The boys seem to be enjoying them.)

Break (15 min)

Electives (This will include many things throughout the year.  At this point we have not started this section of school, since we are getting into the school routine slowly.  We will begin in September.  Subjects that will be rotated here are Poetry Study, Artist Study, Musician Study, and Typing for sure.  Hopefully I will begin piano lessons for the boys, or possibly they will take music lessons on their favorite instruments - Alex on guitar and Nicolas on drums.  I would at least like to teach them to read music, if not playing the piano.  I may or may not throw a foreign language in here.)

Our goal would be to start school at 9:30 and finish by 2:30 or 3:00.

Although we don't use a year-round school calendar, we do start earlier than the public school and take more breaks.  We started on August 4 this year and will still be done by Memorial Day.  We are taking the following breaks:

Labor day week
Last week of Oct for fall break
3 weeks for Christmas
Last week of March for spring break
Last week of April
Plus some 3 or 4 day weekends throughout the year.