2014-2015 Homeschool Curriculum

By George I think I got it...well, most of it!  Finally sat down to plan out the boy's curriculum for this upcoming year.  As all homeschool moms know, this is just our initial plans that are bound to change throughout the year.  We'll delete things along the way.  We'll add things along the way. In the end, though, it all works out to our kids learning exactly what they 'need' to learn.

I will eventually make this post all pretty with pictures and clickable links, but for now, plain text will have to do.  Just want to jot it all down here for safe keeping.

KINDERGARTEN PLANS FOR SCOTT

Math =  Spectrum K Math

Science = Astronomy at Co-op

History = Florida History at Co-op

Art = Character w/ Crafts at Co-op

Handwriting = Handwriting without Tears

Keyboarding = Keyboarding without Tears

Phonics = All About Reading, Bob Books, Phonics Boosters, Animal Antics, Phonics System, Phonics Boxed Set

Finance/Economics = Dave Ramsey's Financial Junior's Adventures

Religion = The Jesus Storybook Bible and Sunday School

Language Processing Practice = Earobics Home

Social Studies/Current Events = Scholastic News

And here's a list of a bunch of other misc. things we will be using and doing:  Calendar work, All About Me poster, Letterbooks, Bingo Sight Words, What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know, Do-A-Dot Painting, Go Fish, Memory, Fun w/ Phonics, Patternables, Mazes, High Five Magazine, Can You Find Me?, ABC Dot-to-Dot, and field trips around Florida.  

4th GRADE PLANS FOR SAGE

Math = Teaching Textbooks 4, Life of Fred (G-J), and 'Today's # is...'

Language Arts = Essentials in Writing Level 4,  Homophones by All About Spelling

Spelling = Sequential Spelling (I think)

Handwriting = Handwriting without Tears

Keyboarding = Keyboarding without Tears

Science = Astronomy class at Co-op

History = Florida History at Co-op

Geography = Geography class at co-op

Social Studies / Current Events = Scholastic News

Religion = Sunday School

Other misc things we will be using and doing:  Ted Talks, Youtube videos, Netflix videos, and 'What Your 4th Grader Needs to Know'.  Still deciding on art and PE.  

Chuck E Cheese

July 30th

I did something that I didn't think I would ever do.

I took my boys to Chuck E Cheese's.

I have resisted for 9 years!!

Really though, my boys never really cared about it.

Until recently.

Scott kept seeing commercials about it

and advertisements on the computer for it.

And then one of his best buddies went there 

and told Scott all about it.

And then I was desperate to find something 

for us to do inside away from the outside Florida heat.  

So we went.

And had such a good time!!!

Sage, who is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, 

had cheese pizza.  

Scott had french fries.  

He seriously would eat french fries for 

breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

And snack. 

Neither boy was crazy about the weird, 

robotic Chuck E. Cheese.

This was as close as Scott would get to him.

So, the human Chuck E Cheese in costume

walked around with a sign that said, 

"Follow me to win free tickets!"

Most of the kids followed Chuck E Cheese. 

(Scott did.  Sage did not).

The kids had to do the 'Hokey Pokey' with

Chuck E Cheese.  Scott is all the way in the back.

He was soooo pumped!

Then they had all the kids sit down.  

I wondered how they were going to give tickets

to all the kids.  

They threw them up in the air and let the kids

fight over them as they flew to the ground!!

I was shocked that Scott made it out of the pile 

of kids with about 10 tickets! 

What an evil look Sage is giving me!

He didn't want to stop playing games

for a picture.

He just loved everything!!

This was their favorite game.

Mine too.

It was addicting.

Look at this sweet smile. 

Most of you know this little ride.

You get in, buckle your seat belt,

and it rocks back and forth ever so slowly.

Now look at this terrified face.

This truck was crazy.

You get in, there is No seat belt, and 

it goes up and sideways pretty high.

It scared Scott too death.

He is holding on for dear life saying, 

"I don't like this!  There's no seat belt!
There's no seat belt!  I don't like this!"

And I.was.cracking.up.

Bad mom!

I seriously was laughing so hard that I 

had tears coming down my cheeks.  

Gotta love air hockey.

So we stayed for 3 hours!  I love how there is only one entrance and exit.

I also love how they stamp everyone in your party with the same numbers, and they

check your numbers when you leave to make sure you all match.

We will definitely make it back one day!

Cousin's Birthday

July 29th continued:

July 29th was my cousin's birthday.

Her 32nd birthday.

Not her 31st.

Ha!

My mistake...I knew it was a mistake

right after we paid for the candles and 

walked out of Publix.  

And lookie there...the 1 candle 

is even turned the wrong way on the cake.  

So yeah...I made her a cake

with her wrong age on it.  

Oh well.  

At least there was cake!!

I offered to watch her girls so that she and her 

hubby could go out to dinner.

The kids had fun building a tent.

Okay...who am I kidding?

I had fun building them a tent.  

The kids had fun playing in the tent.

And Pete the dog had fun tearing down the tent.

Attempted Party Hat Selfie

The Birthday Girl!

So glad we could be there to celebrate her birthday!

Our temporary library

JULY 29th:

The library that we would visit in Melbourne was right on the water.

As in...right on the water.  

Behind the library, there was a pier.

We walked out onto the pier.

See...we walked out onto the pier, 

and that building right there is the library.

Now we are standing inside the children's area

 in the library, and you can see the water

and pier out the window.  

This is a horrible picture because I was trying to be 

all stealth like and have no one notice that I 

was taking a picture.  I love how the whole back wall

is windows so it literally looks like you are floating 

on the water while inside the library.  

Yeah...horrible picture.

I swear it really looks like that in person, though.

Bowling with Cousins!

On July 28th, the boys and I met our cousins at a bowling alley.

Scott had been BEGGING to go bowling since we arrived in Florida.

Not sure why because we don't bowl.  

He got it stuck in his head that he REALLY wanted to go!

You would have thought we pulled up to Legoland the day we went bowling!

I signed the boys up for Kids Bowl Free program

so they bowled for free...

kinda....still had to pay $6 for shoe rental.

The kids were fascinated with the ball return!

It's hard to believe, but these little girls are even more cute in person!

First United Methodist Church of Melbourne

Henry had to work in Dallas July 26-31st.  

The boys and I rocked the whole RV-living thing.

It was so nice when Henry returned, though!

On Sunday, July 27th, I took the boys to a church that 

I found online the night before....

to find out that the church was no longer

located at the address online. 

Scott was so upset because he really wanted to 'go to class'.  

I started to drive back to our RV, 

and we saw this church.

The sign outside said that a service was starting at 11:00...

in 15 minutes!

Perfect!

So...I parked, and we went inside.

I was handed a bulletin, then

some teens took us to the kid's area.  

This was a huge church (to us).

Lots of hallways...inside and outside areas.

When we got to the kid's area, 

I was informed that there was no

Sunday School that day.  

Just as I was thinking, "Man, 

we just weren't meant to go to church today"...

she said, "There's class for him"...pointing to Scott...

"just not for the older kids today."

Perfect!

They had little playgrounds in courtyards inside the church.

Pretty neat.  

Scott made this pirate hat in class.  

Scott got to go to class, and Sage sat with me in worship.

The message that day was presented by the youth pastor.

It was all about following your passion for the Glory of God.  

So it all worked out.

We got to go to church, and

Scott got to go to class.

(Sidenote:  It has been really difficult to find a Methodist church that has an 11:00 contemporary service here in Florida.  The contemporary services are earlier like at 8:00 or 9:30 and traditional is at 11:00.  Different than our church at home in Ohio).  

Oh...and gotta add this picture of me that Scott took.

Scott who is 5-years-old picked this dress 

out for me for my birthday back in May (he was still 4 then).  

He told Henry that he wanted to pick out a 

beautiful dress for me for my birthday.  

So deliciously sweet!

(Henry actually requested a picture be taken since he was out of town when I wore it finally...oh...and I didn't wear those flip flops to church  :-).

Robin Hoods

My boys are BOYS.  

They love to shoot arrows.

(Not that girls don't like to shoot arrows...

'cause I'm a girl...and I like to shoot arrows too!)

This bow and arrow set is a perfect first set for them.

Scott is totally posing for the camera here.

He said, "Mommy, take my picture!"

Look at him making his tough man face.

The day we walked outside to shoot some arrows, 

a black snake was right in front of our front door.  

It quickly slithered away.  

It was startled just as much as we were.

Then, we look over and there was a raccoon 

stealing it's lunch out of the dumpster.  

I would never shoot an animal, 

but Scott might!

Sage decided to come outside too.

(He hates being outside in the heat just like his momma!)

Switching things up a bit.

Shooting from the top of the picnic table.  

Earth to Echo Movie

On July 23rd, I took the boys to see the movie,

 'Earth to Echo'.

When it feels like it's 105 degrees outside, 

you have to find things to do inside.

Due to Sage's food allergies and to the crazy 

high cost of snacks at movie theaters, 

we take our own goodies!

I splurged and got myself a Coke.

SMALL Coke. 

This SMALL Coke was $4.75.

$4.75!!!

They wanted to take a picture with the 

Ninja Turtles sign to show daddy.  

They knew he would love it!

Waiting for the movie to start.

Both boys wear their 

noise cancelling headphones

when we go to the movie theater.  

It's always so loud in there!

What did we think of the movie?

We all liked it.  

It was like a modern-day ET.

I LOVE ET.

I like Earth to Echo.

It is PG-13.

The pre-teen kids in the movie did 

quite a bit of illegal things.  

Sage kept leaning over to me to say, 

"That's illegal!"  

Sage is my rule follower.

Scott is my rule breaker. 

The kids in the movie lied to their parents, 

snuck out at night, were gone all night long,

went to a high schooler's party where alcohol was,

snuck into a bar, stole a car, and drove the car.

So...I would have been fine if my boys

 had not seen the movie just yet.  

The humidity fogged up my camera lens!

(Movie theater is behind the boys).

Best Friend Visit

You know what's really fabulous?!

When your best friend vacations in the same city 

that you have your RV parked! 

How cool is that?!

It was refreshing to see familiar faces when we are so far away from home!

They didn't vacation here just because we are here...

this is just where they normally come.  

Awesome coincidence!

They came over on July 21st while they were in town and had dinner with us.

We had lasagna, spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, and ice cream sundaes.  

Then the men and kids played games, while she and I watched the silly

'The Men Tell All' Bachelorette episode.  Oh the drama!

Until next time...