Year 2 Approaches

And wow is it ever a big decision as to what to use.

As ya know, we followed AmbleSide for Year 1 and while I really enjoyed the stories, I think my son would have preferred something simpler. We have one week left in term 3. We did not use An Island Story, Just so Stories, Trial and Triumph, Viking Tales because of false god references, and as much as I enjoyed Parables from Nature, they were just too long. I plan to have DS read these sometime before Year 7 to himself or we can take turns reading aloud, because again they are too long and they are not at librivoxx audio recordings.

I'm all about pulling a child up to a new level but at the same time I don't want to stifle his love for our home education time. I want it to be one of the things he looks forward to every day. Notice, I said one of not the only thing.

Just reading and narrating doesn't seem to have anything to spark a boys interest.

For math:
We will be using the blue series from Math Mammoth because Ray's was all oral, except for the quizzes which I typed up because I want my son to recognize +/- signs. I got clocks for free from currclick during their mother's day 20 item give-away and just bought addition 1 as well. What I like about this, is that it's just the review of the first grade level facts, without doing a whole grade level workbook and I can purchase as we move along, not all at once. After we finish the first blue series, I may continue with them or purchase the second grade complete workbook....how my son progresses will be the deciding factor.

For History:
This was the hard part. Ya see, I have several things that peeked my interest...but then again that's my interest, not what my son may enjoy.
WinterPromise's American Story I
Sonlight's Core 2
OurLosBanos's American History -- free plans
An Old Fashioned Education's 2nd grade -- also free
MFW's Adventure for 2nd/3rd graders
Simply Charlotte Mason's History Modules
Living Books Curriculum
and of course AmbleSide Year 2

all peaked my interest but even though OLB and WP have crafts and such included, they really are for a 3rd grade level, lots of writing pages and such and writing is not my son's favorite thing.

And again, this is a choice for my son, not myself. So I also found HeartofDakota and took a look at the placement chart and math wise my son could handle Bigger, but phonics/writing wise he would do better in Beyond.

You can view the first week's worth of lessons at the HOD site and someone at hsreview board was selling Beyond lesson manual and I was first to inquire and so I got it. I've had a few weeks here to browse the book and I really like the activities.

One thing I am not sure of is the choice of history texts. I know that with my doing the reading out loud I can edit because according to true records the pilgrims/puritans did not celebrate 12/25 ((the Pilgrims and the Puritans of New England refused to celebrate Christmas as a “Popish ritual” shrouded in pagan trappings and drunken excess. It was actually illegal to observe Christmas in Massachusetts until about 1680 and it was seldom celebrated in that area until the 1830’s. Christmas did not become a national Holiday until the 1860’s)) also here

Although they did err in thinking the sundae is a special day ... it's the first day of the week, get to work!

These are things that I want to edit for my son. Even in the HOD Beyond manual for the story of the xmess candle, she just calls is a special party. I can do that, editing is a good tool.

Also not specifically say November as the month of the first thanksgiving but rather autumn and tie that in with the true Feast they were trying to observe as a harvest feast that they would have found in Scripture - Sukkot or the Feast of Tabernacles

Then again, I thought I could just use everything from Beyond but the history texts and also continue on with AmbleSide Year 2. I was also not too sure about the hide 'em in your heart cd to help memorize the verses because we'll be memorizing KJV ((then again maybe not ... since KJV may have king james' twist on things ... need to do more research)) and the cd uses all sorts of versions, wouldn't that confuse a child?

((The Bible and Books.The Pilgrims primarily used the Geneva edition of the Bible, which contained a number of Puritan-tending footnotes and interpretation. In response, King James had his own edition of the Bible translated and published in 1611 for use by the Church of England. The Pilgrims used the psalm-book written by Henry Ainsworth, which was a more true and literal translation of the Psalms, whereas the Church of England tended to use the Sternhold and Hopkins psalter which was more poetic but less true to Scripture. The Church of England used the "Book of Common Prayer," whereas the Pilgrims strongly opposed scripted reciting of other men's prayers. The most commonly-owned book in early Plymouth Colony (outside of the Bible and psalm book) was John Dod's Exposition on the Ten Commandments, followed by pastor John Robinson's Observations Divine and Moral.)) taken from last paragraph here

and we know king james change Yeshua's brother's name from Jacob to james so his name could be in the Bible....tsk, tsk, tsk ... wonder what else he may have changed ....

And even though HOD recommends Singapore, I noticed that the fun math learning activities also line up with the table of contents in the Math Mammoth books...so win, win there.

decisions, decisions ....