My Curriculum Decision

Well, I think I've finally decided what we will use, next year. I won't get to order it until February or March, but, this is one less thing in my life to have to worry about.
Some of it, I'll go ahead and start using when I get it, and some I'll wait until the boys finish with what we have.
Lord willing, I will order from Living Books Curriculum. I emailed them and was told that if I combined Lane and Jacob, and got the 4 Year set, it would probably be the best thing. I loved that she was willing to tell me to buy less, instead of more. She also told me to just order the Instructor's Manual for Blake (the books that come with Foundation Year are easy to find), instead of buying the entire package! She saved me several hundred dollars! I ended up deciding not to even get that, but am going with something different for him.
This is what I want for Lane and Jacob.
http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=LBC&Category_Code=G4
This, I will probably start when we get it, or as soon as I have time to look through it, and make a plan.
The entire curriculum could be used for both of them, but I wanted to add some extra Language Arts and Spelling, and some Math.
I really think that the best Math Program I can find is Math-U-See. I've looked all through the site and watched the Sample DVD. I even let the boys watch the DVD. They LOVE it. If Jacob learns a little more Addition and Subtraction this year, then he'll be ready for the Multiplication Year. If Lane continues to have trouble with Multiplication this year, then I'll just do Multiplication with them both. This will help me out, by having another subject that I do only once with the two of them. I will probably go ahead and start this, but I'm thinking it will be as a supplement to what they're doing , now, til they finish that.
http://mathusee.com/gamma.html
For Blake, I will order the Primer Year. I will start it as soon as possible.
http://mathusee.com/primer.html
For Language Arts, I wanted something that Jacob felt comfortable doing for his level. He sort of panicked when he thought he was going to have to do Big Kid Work! lol I had to explain to him that the stuff he'd be doing with Lane, didn't matter what level he was at. His assignments would not be as hard as Lane's. He visibly relaxed.
So, I found this site, thanks to my sister, April. Thanks, Sis!
http://www.queenhomeschool.com/productpages/Language%20Lessons/Language%20Lessons.html
I will do Little Ones 1, for Blake. For Jacob, the Very Young 1, and for Lane, Elementary Child 1. Lane needs something more for his level, also. Jacob's will come with a Spelling Book and Cursive. Lane's will come with Spelling.
I also found another book for lane, called Learning How to Learn. It teaches them how to us reference books, including the Bible Concordance. It is suppose to be Parent Free.
http://www.queenhomeschool.com/bookpage/bookframe.html
Blake will start his after he finishes the CLE work he has, and so will Jacob and Lane.
So, by the time they start all of these subjects next year, they will be doing: Language Arts, American History - Civil War, World History - Middle Ages ( Dark and High to the birth of the Nation State), Bible Study, Science - Astronomy, Geography - World (Europe) and American (Civil War times), Composer Study - Middle Ages and Civil War Music, Nature Study, Picture Study - Giotto and other Medieval and Civil War-era artists, Reading books based on all these subjects, Math - Multiplication, and Extra Language Arts and Spelling. Lane will also do the Learning How to Learn, and Blake will be doing Language Arts and Math.
This looks like a lot, but all the research I've done on these has said that each subject doesn't take more than about 20 min, and you don't do every subject every day. You alternate some of them. That's nice, because it gives some variety for them.
So, barring any unforseens, this is the plan. We all wish we could start now, but I had to explain to the boys that we had to wait until the money came. Plus, with surgery coming up, I don't have time to start anything new. lol
Thanks for "listening" to all this rambling.

Random Verse


Deu 11:18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
Deu 11:19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deu 11:20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates:
Deu 11:21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.