Year 1

And this is my plan for our third round of Year 1, with Kid Tres. I felt like Kid Dos’s Year 1 was just about perfect, and was going to do it the same way with Kid Tres…until I realized that I would also be reading aloud everything for her Year 2, supervising Kid Uno in Year 4, and wrangling the three other little kids. So I think for literature, geography, and part of history, he will combine with her readings. Then next year he’ll do the Year 1 readings on his own. My only concern was that there would be too much school for him, since Year 1 is pretty light compared to Year 2. But he loves listening to books, and since the narrations will be split between the two kids, I don’t think it will be too heavy. And it will save me at least five hours a week of reading aloud, which will benefit our whole family. We will see how it goes! (T) stands for stuff Kid Tres and Kid Dos will do together.

Bible/Spiritual Reading: I read aloud, he narrates orally

AO Scheduled Overview of the Bible

More Saints (T): We discuss vocabulary before readings

Memorize and Recite one Bible passage per term

History/Biographies: I read aloud, he narrates orally, we find places on the globe or maps, I help him enter people and events on his timeline every three weeks

50 Famous Stories: I schedule all of them

Viking Tales: I schedule the whole book, and we discuss vocabulary before readings

D’Aulaire’s Pocahontas, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Buffalo Bill

Little Duke (T)

Geography/Cultures: I read aloud, he narrates orally, we find places on the globe or maps

Tree in the Trail (T)

Seabird (T)

Nature Study/Science: This year, I am revamping how we use Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding. I used volume one to organize Kid Tres’s science readings. These are mostly books from the Let’s Read and Find Out series. I may also use some books from the All About… series or the First Book of …. series, which are a little more (or a lot, depending on the book) advanced. We will read, and discuss (rather than narrate), and I hope to incorporate projects, experiences, and some documentaries. We may do some of this with another family.

BFSU Topics for this year (T): Organizing Things into Categories; Solids, Liquids, Gases; Air is a Substance; Gravity; Distinguishing Between Living, Non-Living, Man-made; Plant and Animal Kingdoms; Materials; Concepts of Energy; Kinetic and Potential Energy; Matter’s Particulate Nature; Sound, Vibrations, and Energy; Concepts of Energy; Day and Night and the Earth’s Rotation, Reading and Drawing Maps; Magnets and Magnetic Fields; Air Pressure and Earth’s Atmosphere; Air; Evaporation and Condensation

Nature Journal: draw assigned topic every week. I’ll probably line up the topics with BFSU or outdoor explorations as much as possible

Among the … People (T): read aloud one third of the book this year, and narrate

One Small Square series (T): I’ll probably keep reading this the way we have been (4 per year aloud and narrate), but if there’s a time crunch I may roll them into our other science readings, or take a break for this year

Literature: read aloud and narrate orally or with drawings

Lamb’s Shakespeare (T)

Aesop’s Fables: I’m doing the Provensen version this year rather than the Milo Winter just for a change

Understood Betsy (T)

Wind in the Willows (T)

Robin Hood (T)

Poetry: read aloud together daily, one poet per term, memorize and recite one poem per term

A.A. Milne, Book of Poems, and I think instead of R.L. Stevenson, we’ll try Henry Lawson or Dennis Lee

Maths:

Ray’s Primary–daily: continue addition and subtraction verbally with me.

Miquon–2-3x per week; he can do this somewhat independently

I Love Math series–1x per week; he looks at/reads these books independently

Reading: we will start daily reading lessons. I may use 100 EZ Lessons again, or I may just start with Phonics Pathways and McGuffey’s Primer and Pictoral Primer.

Writing: about 10 minutes daily

He will finish Printing book, and then begin Rod&Staff Penmanship Grade 2

Art

Drawing Textbook: one lesson daily

Usborne Art Treasury: pick one project to complete weekly

Handicraft/Skill: work on a project or skill every week

Picture Study: one artist per term, one painting each week, Georgia O’Keefe, Caravaggio, Van Gogh

Music

Hymn (T): three hymns/worship songs each term, sung together 2-3x per week

Appreciation: Classical Kids CDs, about one every 4 weeks, listen 2x per week

Sport/Physical Activity: probably weekly, depending on his interests this year. I’m sure this will include baseball every day!

Foreign Language: Salsa Spanish (T) episodes, maybe weekly if he is interested. This is low priority at this age.

Outdoor Exploration: at least monthly. This is usually a family activity, like camping or playing in a stream or visiting a farm or zoo…

Cultural Event: at least monthly. This is usually a family activity like attending a ballet or concert, visiting a museum or art show…

Service:at least monthly. This is usually a family activity like community service with our church, doing something kind for a neighbor, visiting a nursing home…

That’s the plan for Kid Tres!