Our 2019-2020 Homeschool Plans

The 2019-2020 homeschool year is upon us, and with each year comes a new plan for curriculum. I love to read what other families are using to get new ideas and formulate my own homeschool plan and decide which homeschool curriculum we want to use.

This year, I have a 4th grader, a 2nd grader, and a preschooler, plus an adorable, yet pesky, toddler. Our homeschool year will be busy yet exciting.

Let take a look at our 2019-2020 homeschool plan.

Before I dive into our plans, I need to explain how I break down what we will use for the year.

We participate in a local classical homeschool co-op that meets once per week. So, we have to complete the work for that co-op, along with the work that I have set aside for our personal homeschool.

Our kids do separate language arts, writing, math, typing, and such that is on an individual basis. Then, they do science, history, poetry, music, and foreign languages together. My 4th grader is advanced and my 2nd grader is more in the 1st-grade range for several subjects.

We make it work!

Curriculum for my 4th Grader

For my daughter, she will be reading a ton of books this year. We’re starting with the Narnia series, and then perhaps moving into some classic stories.

Here are her curriculum picks for the year.

• The Good & The Beautiful Language Arts Level 3
• Math Mammoth Level 3
• The Good & The Beautiful Handwriting Level 3
• All About Spelling Level 3 – finishing the remaining lessons
• IEW Student Packet Level B

Curriculum for my 2nd Grader

My 2nd grader has speech problems, and his reading is quite below grade level. He is making wonderful strides, and we will continue to make these strides.

• All About Reading Level 1 – complete lessons remaining from last year
• Math Mammoth Level 1
• The Good & The Beautiful Handwriting Level 1
• The Good & The Beautiful Level 1 – Once AAR is finished
• IEW Student Pack Level A

Curriculum for my Preschooler

Most of my preschooler’s work will be with manipulatives. We will work hands-on with pattern blocks, counting manipulatives, letter blocks, puzzles, and whatever else comes to mind.

• The Good & The Beautiful Pre-K
• The Thinking Tree’s Alphabet Fun-Schooling Journal

Joint Curriculum

My kids do certain subjects together. This year, we are going to go back and use the Beautiful Feet Early American Primary curriculum. Since my daughter is older now, I purchased other books that are in the Early American Intermediate course to add for her. She is an advanced reader and can handle extra books.

For science, we are working through two science courses:

• The Good & The Beautiful Meteorology
• The Good & The Beautiful Human Anatomy

We’re starting with meteorology and moving into human anatomy after Christmas. At the same time, I will be using a sexual maturation curriculum for my daughter, who will be 10 years old when we start the material.

Each day, we will read poems and memorize poems in the order of the IEW poem memorization book that we have. We are working through The Easy French Curriculum.

How I Make a Homeschool Plan

One question I’m asked often is how do I make a homeschool plan? How do I select what curriculums we are going to use?

The simple answer is that I take a wild leap and how that it works for my family, understanding that they don’t always.

For years, we used Math U See, which is a fantastic curriculum! However, it didn’t work for my 2nd grader last year, and my daughter had complaints as well. I read reviews, posted on FB groups for reviews, and asked my friends.

Then, I gave Math Mammoth a try.

What works for someone else doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you. That’s just part of homeschool.

For history, I try to follow a flow that is similar to the 4-year classical model that cycles throughout history. First, you start with the ancient time, then you move to the middle ages and so forth until you make it to modern time. Then, you cycle back through at a move advanced level.

So, we are on the early American stage. Later, we will study westward expansion and move into modern times before cycling back to the ancients. I don’t move from this cycle, even if we add new students.

My preschooler won’t be able to study the same as my kids, but he will participate in projects and I will grab a few books about Native Americans and the pilgrims that might catch his interest.

As for science, until they reach the middle school range, my plan is to expose my kids to a lot of scientific theories and ideas. The Good & The Beautiful offers many selections, and they’re continuing to create more. I want them to sample from the plate of science, so to speak, before we dive deeper.

Later, we will use Apologia for older students.

So, my best advice to you is read reviews, talk to parents who have used the curriculum, and be willing to try. You never know what you will love!