Curriculum, Curriculi

Well, I've seen people who homeschool post the curriculum they use. I guess just to let other homeschoolers know who might be wondering what others use.  So I'm gonna do that, but also to keep a list for myself to make sure I order everything I need!  Let me also say that I totally realize that as we take on this adventure for the first year I will probably plan to do way too much.  I get that.  My rationale is 'tis better to plan to much than to plan too little.  Some of my choices were vicariously made through the co-op we have chosen to participate in.  If my girls are in certain classes there they are expected to be doing that particular curriculum at home too.  Some of the classes are simply supplemental, but some are not.  So my hope is that with the classes in which they are having to keep up with what the co-op teacher has planned I can say, "This is what your teacher needs you to do, Mommy isn't in charge of this one."   ;)   I am still planning on using the Project approach.  (For those who don't know, this isn't just doing "projects."  Its a whole learning approach that incorporates inquiry-based learning into every subject to investigate a set topic with a demostrative aspect at the end) This also needs to incorporate a good amount of choice, so the girls will choose aspects of the project to investigate.  I'm going to plan "centers" for each one to choose each day, although it won't actually be a center b/c I don't have enough room, more like Daily 5 reading and math activities that they can pick 4-5 out of 6-7 to do each week.  I did find this cool list of online books for the girls to listen to:  http://www.techsupportalert.com/free-books-children  I especially like the We Give Books site because every book you read helps get books donated to the cause you choose to support.  The girls are each taking some type of music lessons.  I haven't really decided if Lyla is ready to take real lessons or not though - we may just do this at home.  I hope to supplement the music with the World's Greatest Composers set once a week.  Jason is in charge of art.  And they are each in some type of sports activity which I hope to supplement with different P.E. themes each month like skating one month, track one month, etc.  At public school, they cycled through art, music, and p.e. each week so getting each at least once a week (most of the time more than this) should be about par with what they were getting. 

Here is the list so far:
Lyla - Kindergarten
My Father's World (co-op)
Earlybird Kindergarten Math (Singapore)
Miquon Orange Book Level 1
Bible Beginnings: Precious in His Sight
World's Greatest Artists
For Project work:  Buildings
*My friend also loaned me the book, Mathematics Their Way by Mary Baratta-Lorton which I'm planning on using activities from - it's out of print now, but contains some really neat active math games/activities

Celee - 3rd Grade
Winning with Writing level 3 (co-op)
Growing with Grammar level 3 (co-op)
Primary Math US 3 (Singapore)
Miquon Blue Book Level 3
Mystery of History Vol.1 Creation-Resurrection (co-op supplemental)
Anatomy and Zoology at co-op
Bible Beginnings II: God's Promises
Espanol Para Chicos y Grandes (co-op)
World's Greatest Artists
For Project work: Ancient Structures

Gwyn - 4th Grade
Writing Strands 3 (co-op)
Primary Math US 4 (Singapore)
Miquon Green Book Level 4
Mystery of History Vol 1 Creation-Resurrection (co-op supplemental)
Anatomy and Zoology at co-op
Bible Beginnings II: God's Promises
Espanol Para Chicos y Grandes (co-op)
World's Greatest Artists
For Project work: Ancient Structures

I'm also developing a reading list for each of the girls based on various grade-level lists available to me.  Sonlight Curriculum lists their reading lists on their website - Most of these books correspond to the era of history that each grade in their curriculm is studying so they don't fit well with the ancient history we are doing.  So I'm picking some of those, but adding other lists like those from the library, books the girls choose, and others that go better with our project.  I'm hoping that going along with our project topic of Buildings/Ancient Structures we will get to go on some field trips to Cahokia Mounds, a construction site close-by, up to Jason's office to hopefully see some virtual buildings and how the guys at Volition create them in their games, and the Field Museum among others.  I still haven't figured out how to arrange an end-of-project event where the girls can display their work and knowledge, but I'm working on it.  We may have to have a Buildings Party in December!
I also know that some of this may work for us and some of it won't.  So we will learn together what works best for us and I am going to try to stay flexible enough to let things go that prove not to work for us.  Again, this is what I would hope for if I was preparing to teach again in a normal classroom and I always tried to get too much done then too.  So it's all good.  We will work on our inquiry skills and reflexivity together.