I know most families are just now finishing up their 2021-2022 school year and looking forward to a few months off but we aren’t like most families. We’ve decided to adopt more of a year-round school schedule which allows us more flexibility to take time off whenever we need a break or have something important or unexpected come up… which has happened a lot lately!

We have it planned so that we can take a one-week break every three weeks or so with a two-week break around Christmas and at the end of our school year. We can adjust this as needed, for example, we could complete six weeks of school and take a two-week break if needed. Or we could have two weeks of school with a break and then have four weeks… we have a little bit of flexibility for whatever we need to do without feeling ‘rushed’ to get finished.

We finished our 2021-2022 school year back in March and I was tempted to take a few months off and not start back until August/September but I know from past experiences that this doesn’t go well and that it takes FOREVER to get a couple of the kids back into the school routine. You can read more about last year’s curriculum and routines HERE. Last year was pretty crazy but we adapted and we survived!

Last year I switched to some Living Education Books from Master Books for our Language Arts and Math and we absolutely loved them so we went with them again for this year. We used some materials that we already had on hand and I ordered a few new things to go along with our studies. So far, everything has been working out well and many of the studies have been overlapping/going right along with each other which has been really nice as it helps to reinforce what we are learning and gives a little bit of review as well.

I also have another post with activities that we use for little miss (20 months old right now.)

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Here is a rough schedule of the books/materials that we have chosen for this year:

Days are listed for items that aren’t used on a daily basis.

Girls are in 7th Grade. Boys are 3rd/5th/ESE.

8:30 Morning Circle: Time to put on my ‘teacher hat’ and get started

• Pledge of Allegiance, Morning Prayer, Memory Work, Character Development:
  • Treeschoolers (Mondays)
  • Where Faith Grows
  • ASL: Learn to Sign on Youtube, Signing Time DVDs, Time to Sign, Sign Language for kids, and Barron’s Flash Cards
  • Biographies of Faith – these have been so interesting and we all enjoy them!
  • Tuttle Twins (T/Th)
  • Audio Books (T/Th) we use various books we have and also like this site HERE.
  • Mystery Science
  • Mr. Wizard DVDs
  • These were part of a Morning Basket package from Master Books and come with a reading schedule that is pretty easy to follow:
    • Marvels of Creation books
    • Nine Fruits of the Spirit Study Set – not really geared towards younger students but I have made it work
    • One Blood for Kids
    • How the Bible Works
    • G.I. Joe & Lillie 
    • Quick Answers to Tough Questions 

9:00/9:30 Independent Studies:

• Language Arts:
  • Girls: We are reading various books and using Unit Studies to go along with them for reading, comprehension, and grammar. I did buy Christian Reading Companion for 50 Classics as I thought it was a full curriculum but it is more of a guide with some discussion questions.
    • Here are some of the books we have read or plan to read this year and use a unit study to go with them: many of these we already had or we purchased them used. Some of these go along with our History so we use them as read-alouds during our Morning Circle.
    • The Secret Garden
    • The Golden Goblet – such a good book!
    • Tom Sawyer
    • The Fables of Aesop (I may use this one as a unit study for the boys?)
    • Around the World in 180 days
    • The Bronze Bow
    • The Hound of the Baskervilles
    • A Single Shard
    • Otto of the Silver Hand
    • The Story of the Treasure Seekers
    • Black Beauty
    • The King’s Fifth
    • Robinhood
    • Madeleine Takes Command
    • The Switherby Pilgrims
    • The Pearl – one of my favorites!
    • The Chestry Oak
    • Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh
    • Children of the Storm
    • Oliver Twist
    • A Christmas Carol – we have read this before but I want to read it again.
    • The Hiding Place
    • The Red Badge of Courage
  • Boys:
    • Language Lessons for a Living Education
    • The Ten Minute Bible Journey
    • They will also be reading various books and completing unit studies to go with them. You can find some ideas HERE. You will also find a printable reading log in that post!
  • Group:
    • Everyone is required to turn in at least one book report a month.
    • Writing Strands – we are currently using Level 3
• Math:
  • Girls:
    • Principles of Mathematics
    • Revealing Arithmetic – not totally necessary but it does provide further explanations when we need it
  • Boys:
    • Math Lessons for a Living Education
  • Shyanne: Spielgaben – well worth the initial investment that I put into it!

10:00 Snack/Quick Break

• Life Skills/Thinking:
  • Girls:
    • Christian Light Home Ec
  • Boys:
    • Handwriting Practice
    • Lessons in Responsibility
  • William/Shyanne:
    • Speech: We love using Yak Back Pack on YouTube plus I had previously purchased Super Star Speech
    • PT/OT: I love following Pediatric Physical Therapy on YouTube and use these books as well:
      • Integrating Primitive Reflexes Through Play and Exercise: An Interactive Guide to the Moro Reflex for Parents, Teachers, and Service Providers
      • Ten Fingers and Ten Toes
      • Gross Motor Skills for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals 
      • Fine Motor Skills for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals
  • Group:
    • Mavis Beacon Typing
    • OSMO
    • Skill Trek

12:00 Lunch/Quick Clean Up

On Mondays, we finish school at Lunch Time and then use the remainder of the day for our ‘Home Blessing’ and Free Time.

12:45 Group Studies

• Science:
  • Science in the Ancient World (T, W,F)
  • Dr. Bonyfide (Th)
  • STEM Projects (Th) – We have a slew of games/projects that they get to choose from
• History:
  • From Adam to Us
  • Adam’s Synchronological Chart or Map of History – We bought the book as we don’t have the wall space for the chart.
  • We also like to use YouTube for some educational videos and we especially like the Liberty Kids which go along with our Biographies of Faith lessons.
• Geography:
  • Mapping the World by Heart – I have found this a little confusing but we have been making it work. We are currently working on the United States and I have pulled out our old books to use with it. We may just get through the states this year and finish up next… I’m not decided yet.
  • Which Way USA books
  • We also use the U.S. States videos from Homeschool Pop on YouTube to learn more about each state.
  • We have been filling in a map to go along with our lessons. You can find some maps HERE and a game HERE.
  • We use this sheet with the Homeschool Pop to review our facts:

Update Version:

2:00 Snack/Quick Break

• Art/Music:
  • Instrument Practice – we have a variety of instruments for them to use/practice
  • Color the Classics (T, Th) – Check out these Color the Classics Tests that we made to go along with these studies
  • God & The History of Art (W, F)
  • We started using the Discovering Music Set but it was a little too much for the kiddos.
• PE/Health & Safety:
  • Square Dancing (M)
  • Exploring Creation with Health and Nutrition (T, W, Th) – geared more towards the older kids but we have been using it as a group
  • Trim Healthy You (F)
  • Fit Kids (T, W, Th, F) – This is something I probably shouldn’t have bought but the kids have had fun with it. Just beware that they keep wanting to add things on before you finally get to the checkout!

3:00 Finish School – YAY! I get to take off my ‘teacher hat’ for the day and just be Momma!

Free Time when schoolwork and chores are completed.

We also have a ‘Study Hall’ time, from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm, when the kids can use the computers for school assignments. My kiddos don’t have FREE ACCESS to electronics and they must ‘earn’ electronic privileges through good behavior/chores. They do not have INTERNET ACCESS unless supervised… there are too many predators out there looking to steal away the innocence of our children and I try my best to protect them.

We have a wonderful all-in-one printer that we use to make copies of the work so that we can use/reuse the books/materials multiple times which helps to cut down on the cost of books every year. Our old one lasted for several years so we just bought an updated one to replace it. We also try to stock up on school supplies when they go on sale and/or on school tax holidays to help save money.

Remember that there are numerous FREE Homeschool Resources available and we have some listed under the Homeschool Tab at the top of this blog! If you need a way to keep track of your homeschool schedules and grades check out this post HERE for the app that we use and love! We hope you all have a wonderful summer and that maybe you find this list helpful when selecting your new curriculum.