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I cannot believe I’m already making plans for a new school year!!
I shared a few weeks ago about our likes/dislikes for the 2012-2013 year.
So, we are making some pretty big changes this year! For the first time EVER I am going with a full “boxed set” of curriculum. 🙂 Woo-hoo!! I looked pretty intently at 3 major companies, and finally ended up deciding to go with Winter Promise.
As you know, we finished up our 2 years of American history, so it’s time to try some World History and Ancients, so this is the particular program I looked at with Sonlight, My Father’s World and Winter Promise. I looked (and looked and looked) at the samples and ended up really liking what WP offered. All 3 of those programs are wonderful and each has their own set of distinctions. The Winter Promise pages and guide books are so much more updated than others I looked at, they include lots of “other” fun stuff that will be helpful as well. For instance, there are projects listed throughout the entire year that I can just hand to Hannah and let her choose from and complete all on her own! She will LOVE this. The notebooking pages are all right there, done for me! And they are excellent. There is lots of opportunity for independent work and having my girls take some responsibility in their learning, which fits perfectly with what I heard from Debra Bell at the Teach Them Diligently conference a few weeks ago!! Needless to say, I’m excited!
I shared much more about Winter Promise here, what I love about it and why I think it is going to be a great fit for our family!
In addition to our World History program, (which includes history, Bible, literature, geography and more,) here are the other things we’re doing…
Math ~ you may remember we reviewed Math-U-See this year! What a HUGE blessing! So, all 3 of the kids have finished the Gamma level and I have the Delta level on my desk ready to start in the next few weeks!
Language Arts ~ the girls will be trying out the language arts that goes along with Winter Promise and coordinates with their history! I’m excited about this!
Memory Work ~ this is something else we will be continuing. I was so inspired by Pam Tebow’s talk at TTD to KEEP GOING with all the Scripture memory! We also memorize poems and this year may add in some history, not sure yet.
Writing ~ we are currently reviewing IEW and will go ahead and finish the Student Intensive level A.
Science ~ I’m VERY excited because our new co-op in our tiny town is offering several STEM Lego classes! I enrolled each of my 3 kids in these classes and this will be their science for the year! They will be studying simple machines, pulleys, gears, inventions and more!
Art ~ They will also be taking art classes through our new co-op!
Piano Lessons ~ all 3 kids have continued piano lessons through the summer and will continue into the fall as well! We could not love our piano teacher any more!
So, stay tuned for a more in-depth post about Winter Promise!
What about you? Do you have your plans all ready to go? We generally school year round and this year took just a few weeks in May off because I personally needed a break. 🙂 We are going to be starting back up in July. Getting my last minute things prepared!!
**This post and many more are part of the Teach Them Diligently Summer of Homeschool Encouragement Link Up Series. you can read more about other Homeschool Curriculum choices here.
I hope WP works out for you and I am glad to hear you already have everything you ordered from them. Just FYI – they have been saying what Karen told you, for at least the lat 4 years. I received a phone call from Don several years ago after leaving multiple messages about items not received. I hope they truly have their issues worked out, if not, it is time for a new reason why things don’t go smooth.
I used two of their programs and they were fun, but I also rearranged things a lot.
I look forward to reading about your experiences. No doubt about one thing, they have one of the prettiest catalogs out there!!
Mary, thanks for your comments! 🙂 You know, I’ve never seen the catalog!! Maybe I should get on the mailing list!! 🙂
I’ve never seen their catalog! I should request one just to look at it. 🙂
We are gong more Charlotte mason this year with history and using beautiful feet books for early American history….I’ll have to,take a closer look at WP for the future as well :).
Hi Jennifer! Thanks for stopping by and commenting! 🙂
Love your plans for next year. I’ve consider winter promise in the past but because of bad reviews have shyed away from it. I’m looking forward to hear your review!
On a side note, I was wondering if you could add a FIAR tab under your homeschool title. I will be using FIAR this year with my littles and I really enjoyed reading your post when you were using FIAR, however it’s hard to find them now. 😉
Blessings!
Stacy, thank you so much for commenting and telling me what you’re looking for! I’m actually in the middle of re-working some of that RIGHT now! LOL! I’ve ended up deleting a few of my FIAR posts because there were so many old links that weren’t working. And then half my pictures started disappearing on blogger. 🙁 So, I’m at a loss at the moment for what to do. But, I can add a FIAR tab up there under homeschooling. I’m hoping to fix some of the links as I go, but it’s going to be a long tedious process! THANK YOU for visiting. 😉
Stacy, thank you so much for commenting and telling me what you’re looking for! I’m actually in the middle of re-working some of that RIGHT now! LOL! I’ve ended up deleting a few of my FIAR posts because there were so many old links that weren’t working. And then half my pictures started disappearing on blogger. 🙁 So, I’m at a loss at the moment for what to do. But, I can add a FIAR tab up there under homeschooling. I’m hoping to fix some of the links as I go, but it’s going to be a long tedious process! THANK YOU for visiting. 😉
UPDATE: I added the FIAR tab for you. 🙂
Thank you so much! That is so helpful. 🙂 I’m sorry you lost so many pictures. 🙁 I’m looking forward to using FIAR with my 5 and 3 year old this year. You have so many wonderful ideas from your fiar days that I’m sure we will have a great year. Thanks again! Stacy
Looks fun! I’ve heard good things about Winter Promise so I’ll be eager to hear your thoughts for when we cycle around to ancients again and my little girls are closer to the age of yours.
Stephanie, thanks for your sweet words!!
Stephanie, thanks for your sweet words!!
I’m in the midst of finding the right mix for the year to come. It will be our 5th year and I have to say – I’m probably more excited than I Have been in a long time. Like you, I was truly inspired at Teach Them Diligently.
Rebecca, I’m SO thankful for the encouragement from TTD…God knew just what I needed. I know I would not be excited and hopeful about the coming year if I hadn’t gone. God is good!
Rebecca, I’m SO thankful for the encouragement from TTD…God knew just what I needed. I know I would not be excited and hopeful about the coming year if I hadn’t gone. God is good!
Thanks for sharing. I am really excited about what you will say about Winter Promise. I have looked at it many times. Please share more details about the Language Arts Portion. I am curious how it fits with the theme sets.
Also, could you comment on why you dropped Teaching Textbooks for Math. I thought you really liked that program. Curious what happened….
Thanks for all your input. It really helps.
Lynn
Lynn, we were blessed to review MUS and I felt like it was a better fit. I never knew that MUS was DVD driven, which I love, like TT it allows me not to be the main teacher. 🙂 it’s also cheaper. I feel like my kids weren’t having to think and retain much for the TT and I can have a better grasp of what they still need help with.
Lynn, we were blessed to review MUS and I felt like it was a better fit. I never knew that MUS was DVD driven, which I love, like TT it allows me not to be the main teacher. 🙂 it’s also cheaper. I feel like my kids weren’t having to think and retain much for the TT and I can have a better grasp of what they still need help with.
Hi Candace – why are you using Story of the World and Mystery of History? Most I know would use one or the other!
Jennifer – this is one thing I’m really excited about!! Winter Promise has readings from both, some is independent reading for the girls, some is reading together. I love that I don’t have to choose one or the other because there are good qualities about each. 🙂
Jennifer – this is one thing I’m really excited about!! Winter Promise has readings from both, some is independent reading for the girls, some is reading together. I love that I don’t have to choose one or the other because there are good qualities about each. 🙂
We are year round schoolers too, and I’m getting ready to gear back up. Can’t wait!
Year round homeschoolers here, too! We start back next week and I’m excited! I have never heard of those Lego science classes before, my son would LOVE that. Thanks!
Hi Candace! It’s been almost a year since you posted your curriculum plans, and I wondered how your year with WP LA was. I’m using AS 1 next year and considering adding LA too. Thanks!