Fall plans for Ponytails

This is going to be an unusual year in more ways than one.

For one thing, since we climbed aboard with the Review Crew, we've made a commitment to at least try out whatever comes our way during the year--and that's not all known in advance. Whatever adventure is sent. (Lapbooks, workboxes and all.) Actually I'm very excited about many of the things that I already know we'll be using.

Also, Ponytails has decided to squirrel at home this year along with Crayons. (The Apprentice's homesquirreling days are now officially over--she returns to a full courseload public high school and what sounds like it's going to be a fairly tough semester, heavy on math and science.)

And Mr. Fixit is planning on doing a lot of Ponytails' math and science teaching, so some of our scheduling's going to be a bit unusual (and we'll be looking for good Dad-Girl Squirrel materials). At this point we haven't settled on a couple of the Big Curriculum Questions, and they'll have to wait until the end of the month when we can make a trip to Lake Huron and go to the homeschool store there. (It's on the way to the beach.)

So as things stand now, this is what we're looking at for Grade 7. The history and literature are drawn mostly from AO's Year 5.

Grade 7 Outline for 2009-2010

Bible and Christian Studies: We're going to do readings together (Mama Squirrel and girls) from Theodora Wilson-Wilson's Through the Bible, which is a Bible story book and may seem a bit young for grade 7, but we're reading the "rest" of the Old Testament this year--kings, prophets, Job, and so on--and this is one way to cover that much ground quickly. I also like the way the author includes information about the "between times"--what happened between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New?

We'll also be reading Mr. Pipes Comes to America and some chapters from Ambleside-recommended books such as Trial and Triumph.

Mathematics: We're deciding between some programs we already own, and a couple that we don't. We've been sent a copy of Quarter Mile Math which we can use for practice along with Calculadder. I'm also planning on having Ponytails work through practice exams for the University of Waterloo's grade 7-8 Gauss Competition.

Logic: Starting with Marilyn Burns' Book of Think, possibly using some review materials from Critical Thinking, and maybe moving on to The Fallacy Detective towards the end of the year.

Economics and Citizenship: This is something we may or may not spend a lot of time on this year. We will probably use Year 7's Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? for Economics. I also printed out the "Economics for Boys and Girls" essay recently mentioned at The Common Room.

History: Abraham Lincoln's World (world history), Story of the World Volume 4 (integrated with the other book), some Canadian studies material especially for the post-1860 period. We'll probably watch the DVD Sisters in the Wilderness again, about Catherine Parr Traill and her sister Susanna Moodie. We saw it a few years ago and the Squirrelings still remember the part where Catherine, determined to make the best of backwoods life, goes skating in her moccasins.
Supplements: timelines, Timetables of History.

Geography: Halliburton's Book of Marvels
Supplements: maps, globe

Science: Castle Heights Press Pathways in Science or Apologia Exploring Creation with General Science. Biographies of Newton, Faraday, etc. Supplements as they come up, including issues of YES Mag (a Canadian kids' science magazine) from the library.
Supplements: science kits, microscope, magnifying glass, etc.

Health/Anatomy/Cooking: Growing Healthy Homes: Nutrition 101. (Also probably taking a babysitting course.) For more cooking ideas: Taste of Home's Fun Food magazine.
Supplements: Plastic anatomy models (bought from the dollar store), Color Atlas of Human Anatomy

Natural History: Handbook of Nature Study Outdoor Challenges. (You can buy challenges 1-10 as an e-book.) And a couple of natural history books as extra reading.

Technology and Computer Applications: Dad's department. We have some books to use such as The New Way Things Work and How to Build a Better Mousetrap Car.

English: Write with the Best Volume 1 (composition and some grammar). Roots and Fruits vocabulary program. Both of these are from Educational Diagnostic Prescription Services, which sounds like a pharmacy but is actually Jill Dixon's homeschool curriculum company.

Literature: A lot of the literature will be readalouds this year. The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle; Oliver Twist or something else by Charles Dickens; Kim or something else by Rudyard Kipling (all AO Year 5 literature choices) . Poetry for AO Year 5 includes Rudyard Kipling, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Greenleaf Whittier and Paul Lawrence Dunbar; but we might also read some of the Oxford Book of English Verse. Oral reading practice, including Shakespeare.

French: The Easy French.

Art: Artistic Pursuits.

Music: Somewhat undecided. We'll probably follow AO's composer lineup.

Physical Education: We are going to experiment with Frank Belgau's Space Walk, which has become popular with some local homeschoolers as part of their morning wake-up routine. You don't need such a big or permanent track as that shown in the video there; Breakthroughs in Learning (in Canada) has recently produced a DVD about their way of using Space Walk.

And other sports activities at home or with others.