New Things in the New Year

A new year is nearly upon us! And with the new year there will be some changes at our house in the way that we are homeschooling. Up to now, Miss M has been steadily working through Calvert's First Grade. She started in August 2011 when she was only four and will be finishing up the math in January and the rest in February 2013. We took some long breaks in there, but now that she's a smart-as-a-whip 6-year-old, much of the material is too easy for her. The child is a naturally excellent reader and speller. I love, love, love Calvert and have fond memories of it from when I myself was a homeschool student, but I'm not convinced that it is the right curriculum for our family or for Miss M's learning style. So the first change for us will be to drop Calvert and take up My Father's World for 2nd grade. Or...a 2nd/3rd grade combo to be exact so we'll be working at an appropriate level for Miss M.

I really like the idea of a curriculum that incorporates a Biblical worldview into the various subjects as well as tying together the various disciplines into a central theme. Plus, I've heard wonderful things about Singapore Math, so I'm looking forward to giving that a go. In addition to all that, we're going to start learning a foreign language. Tagalog! The kids are half filipino, after all, and their grandparents still speak Tagalog at home and with Hubby, so it seems appropriate that they learn it first. Needless to say, he's quite excited by the prospect as well!

Another exciting change for us is that I've been chosen to join the review team at Mosaic Reviews! I've never done anything like this before and I'm anxious to jump in and give it a whirl! I really can't tell you what to expect since I hardly know myself, but I'm certain it'll be an adventure and I look forward to sharing it with my readers! They say they're still looking for reviewers, so if you're interested, go read about how you can join the team too!

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CHRISTEPHI

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