I couldn’t help myself. I started looking through our curriculum catalog and ordering school books already.
I usually make myself wait until July to open the catalogs, because I KNOW that once I start looking at all the great books, I’ll want to order about 600 of them (and take a bath in them) and start school within the week. But I just couldn’t help it. I just threw my self imposed rule out the proverbial window and started looking through the beautiful catalogs, making lists, checking prices on Amazon…
I do have excuses for beginning so early. (Yes, because if you’re going to break a self imposed rule, you better have some good excuses to toss out there while you have an argument with yourself inside your head.)
My excuses mostly have to do with the fact that our summer is busy…and our fall is even busier. Right now our days are filled with travel and company. Hardly a day goes by (when we’re actually at home this summer) that we don’t have extra people at our house…some of them as live-ins. I LOVE this, because that means I get to feed more people and feeding people is what I love! But a girl has to be organized (and also a little bit crazy, but I’ve got that one down pat).
And so, all of our books have been ordered and most of them have arrived!!! Oh what fun it is to check the mail each day!!!
I always order books based on what Sonlight Curriculum suggests. I LOVE Sonlight in all of its literature based educational glory!!! We got a lovely box from Sonlight several days ago. Plus, I ordered as many books as I could from Amazon because used books don’t bother me and because books can often be less expensive this way and because I could use my saved up Amazon Gift Cards that I earned from Swagbucks. Yes, free school books. They’re even more fun to read when they’re free! (You can read more about how Swagbucks works here.)
Here’s what I did yesterday as I tried to sort through all of the books we will try to read this year:
No, I didn’t order ALL of those books this year. Some of them are ones I’ve used and saved from past years and get to re-use this year.
And yes, I am getting just a little bit of freaking out over the fact that Malachi is “starting school” this year, which means I will be juggling schoolwork with all of my children this year. And Asa is going to be an eighth grader which means I only have five years left to teach him a whole bunch of stuff before college. And since I’ll have an eighth grader, a fifth grader, a third grader and a kindergartener I can’t school them using all of the same books all at the same time because those gaps are just a little bit too broad.
It’s okay though. I tend to do a little bit of freaking out every year as I make our school plans. And then I pray a lot and lay everything out and spend a few hours making plans and getting organized. Then we start school and all the kinks work themselves out. God’s pretty cool like that.
During the next few weeks, I’ll share more with you about our plans and schedule…and about what each of the boys will be reading and studying this upcoming school year. Just as soon as I get it all figured out myself. :)
It’s funny, because I’m doing the exact same thing at this moment. Checking sonlight and then my library and amazon. I came to your site to check on something I read about Homer Price and then got busy reading your new post. I guess I just couldn’t wait either!
have you checked out My Fathers World curriculum? they offer curriculum that allows you to study the same material with kids of multiple grades.
Yes, Sonlight allows it also, but I’m just not able to make it work this year for all four grade levels. I’ll do my fifth and third graders together though!
What will power that you waif until July to look at catalogs! I usually start in March, before our conference. I loved seeing all of your books. We are former SLers, now usting Tapestry of Grace with our 4th, 2nd, and 1st graders, with two tagging along for the ride. I love teaching with living books!
Oh, I see one of our favorites from last year in your picture (Frindle). This will be our second year homeschooling, and I’m SO excited. I don’t have the nerves going into it like I did last year – it’s all FUN this year!! I’ve started my buying, too, and scored a couple great deals on eBay. My kids will be K, 2nd, & 4th, so I’ll be looking forward to your great tips & insight on your blog!
I LOVE reading everyone’s comments on different curriculum. My sister and I were both homeschooled all twelve years but it’s a whole different thing now that I’m doing the teaching! My oldest will be in Kindergarten. I also have a two year old and an 11 month old. I’m hoping My Fathers World works out so that I may use the same curriculum for all three eventually. I have never heard of Sonlight until recently. I’m going to check them out too.
My husband and I just recently agreed to home schooling our three children. We have 2 (almost 3) year old twin boys, and a 4 year old daughter. I am going to go ahead and let her finish out her pre-school next year but after that she will be home schooled. I ordered their first set of books for home school preschool, because my sons are eager to start. We were all so excited to see them when they hit the door yesterday, and already are digging in today! They don’t consider it school or really even learning, even though they are. I am so happy to see my daughter start adjusting to the idead she will be in our home for her schooling rather than heading off on her own.
Oh no I forgot to add that since we are Catholic, we will be using Seton’s Catholic Home School study, and their curriculum. I like having the idea of teachers/counslers to help me through over the phone.
I have a question about tapestry of grace….? My son will be 4 this coming april. I know that’s a ways, but is 4 too young to start him on tapestry?
Hi there,
I haven’t personally used Tapestry, but have looked carefully at the
sample on their site. They recommend starting their program with those
in first grade, and I think that would be accurate as they’re already
a bit on the advanced side anyway. At that age, I would focus on
teaching him his letter sounds, and if he gets the hang of that, start
working on some blends to prepare him for reading. Introduce him to
his numbers, counting, sorting, etc. Lay a strong Bible foundation and
get a couple of good books to introduce him to doctrine (like Susan
Hunt’s, “Big Truths for Little Kids”–see the online sample at Google
Books to make sure he’ll sit down for the length of the story…chapters
are pretty short…just depends on the kid at that age ;) Spend lots of
time exploring outdoors; get library books on the subjects in which
he’s interested. Anyway, those are just my thoughts as a mother of
five…oldest being seven who has been homeschooling for a couple of
years. Your son is learning A LOT right now! :D You might also consider
looking at the reading recommendations in the Veritas Press catalog as
they have some Kindergarten recommendations that you could probably
start to use…Catherine Vos’ “Children’s Story Bible” is listed as
well as some others you might enjoy together (though I know my son
would not personally do well with Vos’ title just yet as the chapters
there are a little longer. May you have a rewarding time learning
together, whatever you decide!! Warmly, Elizabeth
What fun!! Laura, I loved your photo. It reminds me of “delivery days” when we were homeschooling. My kids used to say that their friends were excited about seeing the school bus but they were excited to see the UPS truck!
I gave in a few weeks ago and stayed up until 1am ordering! I love curriculum and can’t wait to get it! I also love Sonlight, we’ll be starting our 2nd year in August!!
Hi,
Just wondering how your preschool E-Book is coming a long. I remember you mentioning about that a while back. Thanks – Jen
Ugh, so glad you asked. It is CONSTANTLY in the back of my mind. Ideas of how to wrap it up. It really is going to be a pretty neat resource I think and my husband is really encouraging me to finish it up. At this point, it overwhelms me! I’m having such a hard time keeping up with all the daily work of this site, so to find the time to put the final touches (which will still take HOURS) on that ebook feel next to impossible! It’s definitely the biggest project I’ve taken on…it will be a few hundred pages when it’s all said and done.
Anyhoo…I’d love it if you could pray about this one for me! Maybe I can try to block out a certain time period each week to work on it so that I can finish it before all of my readers preschoolers are teenagers!!!
I never thought I would love ordering school books so much either. I ordered my daughter’s first grade curriculum a couple months ago and we’ve just started it’s so much fun!!!
What a fun pile of books! May this coming year be your best homeschooling experience yet. [smile]
~Luke
Ah yes, it IS a beautiful pile of books huh!?! Sonlight rocks. And I’m not just saying that because your last name is Holzmann. :) We’re beginning our ninth year with Sonlight and we LOVE it. I’m not sure about the kids…but I sure am learning an awful lot!!
I just placed an order with Sonlight on Wednesday. I ordered the “newcomer 1 package”. I have a 6yo and 4yo. I can’t wait for the box to arrive. It was really expensive, but if you order before the end of June, they have a payment plan that allows you to make 4 payments over a 6 month period. That’s how I helped justify the cost, lol.
The cost does seem high…but if you divide it by the kid…I find that helps my brain a little bit. Like, I know that when I order something that costs $100…I’ll use it for all four kids eventually, so really it’s only $25 per kid. It makes me feel better!
Plus…it’s their education we’re talking about here! Paying for high quality is worth it!
Enjoy watching for the FedEx truck with your new box of books!!!
Good point about it being used for more than one kid. I like the way you think!
I have been scouring amazon for our already too!
I’m in the same mode, but because I have to get my paperwork in to the state! BTW, I loved Frindle. You can get it audio at the library.
Oh, I just can’t even THINK about starting school next year! I’m still trying to finish up this year!! LOL! With going to Italy and moving twice, we have gotten a little behind. That’s ok though, because who says when we have to finish?! We do!
Congratulations! Those books look so fun!
It sounds like we have a similar situation. My oldest son will be in 8th grade this year and my youngest turns 5 in Sept., so he will start Kindergarten. The three in the middle are 1st, 3rd, and 6th grades.( I have one girl though) So I understand the freaking out part. But we combine a lot of subjects. Our history, bible, and extra subjects are all done together. I have two or three in the middle who do science together. My two youngest are 1 yr. apart and will do lots together. My oldest will have several things to do by himself. I have found that My Father’s World worked out better for us. I have looked at Sonlight’s curriculum and got overly stressed by it. Couldn’t do more than 2 kids together with their stuff. So I am sticking with MFW for history and bible.
I also got books this week. We don’t take the whole summer off, but will start back in July. So I have been looking at everything to get it ready. Because I have been homeschooling for going on 8 years, I am able to reuse a lot of things. I was able to loan out books to a friend and another friend will be loaning me books. So I have spent less than $200 for all 5 kids. I am so excited about that.
I was homeschooled from 7th grade on. I am wanting to homeschool my girls (ages 4 and 1.5), but my oldest, being bi-lingual, is a little behind other kids her age. So I am thinking to put her in school for a short time to catch up a bit because I am really at a lost of how to improve her english. I have talked about homeschooling my kids since I was pregnant with the first and my husband is not sure. He is from Mexico and is not used to how messed up our school system is here in the US. I think he is starting to get it now. Your book order looks so exciting. Do your boys like reading? I remember not liking it for the longest time. Once I started being homeschooled, my mom and I read “Where the Red Fern Grows” and that book is what turned me into a book worm. Good luck with the coming school year, its nice how it all comes together.
Hi there, I think it’s great that you all are holding on to both languages
and teaching them to your kiddos…some people don’t. As for
improving the English, I think you’ll find that the more you read to
your oldest (and as you teach him/her to read and write), that will
improve. At least that’s what I’ve seen. I’ve even found that I’ve
grown in my understand of English as I’ve studied other languages. If
you all decide that the school route is best for your family, that
will probably work too, but don’t under-estimate the value of time in
the growth and development of children. There are a lot of English-only
speaking children that sit in front of the tv and play video games all
of the time that don’t speak their langauge well. The more your child hears the
language, the more he/she will grasp it. ;)
That is very true. I have met a lot of kids that don’t grasp basic english when the should, and that is what worries me, I think she should know more than she currently does. BUT I know at the end of the day, kids that learn two languages tend to be further ahead. I also found that when I was in school and learning spanish (at the homeschool resource center) that I understood english grammer better. Before we both would speak a mix of english and spanish to the kids, but now I think we are going to stick to me speaking the english and him the spanish so that they get the proper ways to speak with both. My spanish certainly isnt perfect.
Yes, my boys do like reading…as long as it is on their reading level and as long as the book is on a topic that interests them. Otherwise, they groan when I tell them to read!
I am a book junkie too- and I love children’s books :). We have been using SL but are now going to a homeschool/school hybrid for the coming year in which the boys will go to school until 12 and then I will finish up with them in the afternoon. One of the things I loved about this school was that they used the SL book lists both for reading and read-alouds. There is just something magical about reading those books together!!
Hi Laura! Seeing your stack of books makes me curious…about how much time do you spend each day reading aloud to your younger crew and about how many books does that allow you to cover in a given period of time (week, month, etc.). I’m just curious because I’m using several different catalogs to pull together a reading list for my family this year, but I’m not sure how many books would be overkill or what a reasonable expectation is. Often, the catalogs recommend more than you could possibly read. It’s so hard to make the final calls. I’m largely using the Veritas catalog for recommendations. My oldest is seven and a proficient and avid reader (reading on a sixth grade level, though I do have to guard carefully to account for maturity ;) She easily reads your average chapter book in a day or two, but I don’t want to use that as a gauge for my five-year-old–lol. Anyway, just curious…thanks for sharing!
Oh goodness, I don’t know how long I spend each day reading to the kids. I guess it depends on the day. This year I will be spending more time than I have before since I’ll be working through two grade levels of reading. But, I guess on average it’s about two hours a day. Not all at once, but all together!
Nice! I could see carving that out ideally when our nappers are napping and reading to the older kiddos then. Do you have an estimate of how many books that gets you through in a week or so? I know it depends on the length of the book…I’m thinking average chapter book here.
Thanks again!
Warmly,
Elizabeth
Well, since our read aloud time includes our History, Bible and Science, as well as just general novels…we don’t really get through the books very quickly. Some of the History books can be read in one day (Jean Fritz type books). Some of them take all year long if you read just one small section each day. A general read aloud novel usually takes anywhere from one week to six, depending on it’s content and what else is going on in our lives (like if it’s soccer season, we don’t get as much reading time).
We LOVE Sonlight – we’re getting ready to start our 3rd year with my daughter in 2nd grade. The cost doesn’t bother me – we set money aside each month, plus I have a friend borrowing our kindergarten set of books, and it will get used again someday with my 2 yr old son. My daughter also loves to go back and reread the books on her own. So the books get used over & over!
Amy
I recognize those books! My second & fourth grade daughters did core 3 this past year and we are doing core 4 next. My older homeschooler, who will be a junior this fall, studied American government and economics last year, and will do Am history this year. My girls are close enough to use the same core, but my high school son liked listening to the read-alouds and the history spine as well. At least, he liked it better than doing what he was supposed to be doing- usually math! So it has worked out well that they are at least studying sort of the same subjects. Both girls liked Om-Kas-Toe a lot – it’s about a horse, you know. Really, they liked all the Indian stories. Sonlight does come up with the best book lists, for sure. I got lucky and found almost everything at our used book sale for next year. I only need to order a couple of consumables. I’ve been putting off making my big Rainbow Resource order, just to make the excitement last. Is that too weird or what? I love books, just about as much as I like office supplies!
Book excitement must come with homeschooling. I’ve been gathering supplies for next year since last Christmas! : ) We did Sonlight last year and loved it. I’m trying something different this year to try to save a little money. Sure was easier to get it all at one place! Do you use their instructor’s guides?
I have one or two years…usually though, since I combine grade levels I just use their book suggestions and wing it. This year however, with my oldest (8th grade), I bought the guide for him to use as a sort of assignment book. He’ll be sort of (but not really) on his own and since he’s in these upper grades, I wanted to be more thorough. So, I forked out the money for the guide. I’m VERY glad I did. It will be great for both of us!!
I see one of your books is To Kill a Mockingbird if I’m seeing correctly. One of my favorite reads. You’ve got me super excited about homeschooling again! i had been dropping a lot of the academic stuff because my son is nonverbal and needs more of the life skills instead. But he is able to learn, just not sure what sticks with him. I may get back to reading to him again. Does anyone else homeschool special needs kids?
Laura,
I decided last year that I was going to home school are 1st grader. I had been praying about it and thinking about it all through his kdg year. ( He was at a private school) I had found your blog through someone else and had just happened to read a post you had up about being so excited because it was July and you were “allowing” your self to start looking through the Sonlight catalog. I thought I would go check it out too.
Fear of not knowing what to do or where to start with homeschooling was holding me back. I knew I needed something that would help guide me. I looked at Sonlight and then looked at TONS of other stuff and kept coming back to Sonlight. It was the parent’s guide that got me and all of the reading books! I LOVE me some books! I ordered the Newcomer 1 package and was so nervous and excited… It came, we got started and…Can I tell you something? It changed my life! Seriously! I have a 19 year old, 15 year old, a 7 year old and an almost 2 year old and I only wish wish I was brave enough earlier to do this home school thing! Because of your one post and our first year of Sonlight my 2 year old will probably never see a traditional classroom.
It’s been one my greatest accomplishments as a mom and I can not believe that I did this! Next year is going to be even better now that I know what to expect and I thank God for answering my prayers on your blog. I had been searching and he put the bug in my ear through you! Tell that to Luke! LOL
Thanks Laura and as an old mom but a new homeschooler. Keep up the posts on homeschooling! We love to hear about it from “pro”!
Kristin
I wanted you to know how much this comment encouraged me. WOW, made my day (even though it took me a couple weeks to respond!)! My goal is to encourage and inspire women and I’m so glad God used me to encourage you. God bless you in the upcoming school year!
Chloe is three and John is two in August. This will be our first year dabbling in homeschooling.
I am so excited and ordered the Before Five in a Row to start with. It hasn’t arrived yet but I can’t wait! We’ll be starting in August this year when John officially turns two.
Next year (or possibly January depending on how things go) we’ll do Sonlight PreK. I love the look of their curriculum but thought they may be just a little too young right now.
I am so looking forward to Mr. Fedex man making our delivery! FUN! :)
I love that you use Sonlight. I did not even see this on your blog but I prayed and prayed about what curriculum to use. Everyone around here kept telling me Abeka. While I know that Abeka are one of the best around, I think Sonlight fits my family better. I have a 6 yo(starting 1st grade), 4 year old, and 2 year old(will be 2 Sept 7). We had our “box day” this past Saturday and I have to say that I am super excited about teaching from this curriculum. I have read a lot of the teacher’s guide just because I’m curious. LOL! We ordered Sonlight Newcomer 1 and will combine my 6 and 4 year old. They wanted to start this week! We still have 2 months of summer left while public school here start back August 3!