2011-2012 Curriculum - 8th Grade

updated....01/06/12


We have withdrawn Jonathan from Challenge A.  We are still working through the work but at a much slower pace!


8th grade
Jonathan will be participating in our local Classical Conversation's group - Challenge A. 


Saxon 1/2 Algebra
Teaching Textbooks - Pre-Algebra
Latin's Not So Tough - 3&4
Latin For Children - A & B
Geography
Biology 100 + Series
IEW Bible Based Lessons
It Couldn't Just Happen

Literature + Family Read Alouds

The Door in the Wall $6.99	The Secret Garden $6.99	Number the Stars $6.99
Amos Fortune, Free Man $6.99	Carry On, Mr. Bowditch $6.95	The Bronze Bow $6.95
The Magician's Nephew $8.99

Family Lessons

Family Resources

Bible - Who Is God

History/Science - My Father's World ECC, Classical Conversations

Read Alouds - Sonlight Core 3/D

• Walk the World's Rim
• The Sign of the Beaver
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond
• Johnny Tremain
• Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
• Justin Morgan Had a Horse
• Calico Bush
• The Journeyman
• Swift Rivers

Spelling - Spelling Power

Memory Work - Classical Conversations and My Father's World ECC

Giveaway - 31 Days To Clean ebook

update:  Thank you for the responses but all books are now gone!

Sarah Mae has been so gracious as to give me not one, not two, but three copies of 31 Days To Clean to giveaway here for my readers.  I'm going to make it as simple as I can for myself and you.  

First, to be eligible you must follow my blog.  If you already do - awesome.  If you don't, just click the follow button on the sidebar.

Second, email me at smjlangley@gmail.com.

That's it - the first three emails of followers that I receive get the book!

TOS - And the Winners Are.....

No wonder I kept saying "yes our family loves these products" over and over because so did my fellow 200 + crewmates!!

Here are the 2010-2011 Blue Ribbon Award Winners voted the best of the best by homeschool crew families!


Favorite Language Arts Product:  Institute For Excellence in Writing (IEW)

Favorite Social Studies Product: Bright Ideas Press-Wondermaps

Favorite Science Product:  Eagle’s Wings-Considering God’s Creation

Favorite Math Product:  I See Cards-Pyramath

Favorite Online Math Product: Ten Marks

Favorite Writing Product: Writing Tales

Favorite Reading Instruction Product: Talking Fingers

Favorite Foreign Language Product: Classical Academic Press

Favorite Fine Arts Product (art, music, etc.): Artistic Pursuits

Favorite Preschool Product: Go Go Kabongo

Favorite Elementary Product: Speekee

Favorite Upper Grade Product: Vocab Ahead

Favorite Special Needs Product: See-N-Read

Favorite Christian Education Product: Apologia

Best Resource I Didn’t Know I Needed: Lanschool Technologies

Best Customer Service: Peterson Directed Handwriting

Best Online Resource: Big IQ Kids

Best e-product: Zeezok Publishing-ZGuide to the Movies

Best Technology Resource: Collectorz

Best Homeschool Resource:  Yesterday’s Classics

Best Book, Novel or Magazine: Zoe & Sozo Publishing-Foundlings

Best Children’s Book: Kregel Publications-Circle C Beginnings

Best Hands-On Resource: Corps of Re-Discovery

Most Adaptable Resource:  The Write Foundation

Most Unique Resource: GoTrybe

Most Family-Oriented Product: Growing Healthy Homes-Nutrition 101

Kid’s Choice: Schleich Action Figures

All Around Crew Favorite: Institute For Excellence in Writing

Our personal reviews of these products can be found below:
Institute For Excellence In Writing
Eagle's Wings - Considering God's Creation
Ten Marks
Talking Fingers - Read, Write, and Type & Wordy Qwerty
Classical Academic Press
Artistic Pursuits
Speekee
See-n-Read
Apologia
Peterson Directed Handwriting
Kregel Publications
Corps of Re-Discovery
Growing Healthy Homes: Nutrition 101


You may also enjoy Our Family's Top Ten.


Enjoy and congratulations to all. Thank you for sharing your wonderful products with us!

Summer Schedule

Today’s 31 Days To Clean challenge was to come up with a plan for our family.  I’ve been needing to work on our summer schedule so right on time!  Summer is here and with summer comes a new schedule because our school schedule is different with different priorities.  This summer I’m trying something new as well with our schedule.  I’m going back to assigned days for certain chores.  Here’s what I am giving a try.


Monday – Laundry Day
Tuesday – Clean out day – taking different rooms each week and working on getting rid of stuff!
Wednesday – Paperwork and planning day
Thursday – Big Clean Day
Friday – errand/library day – this is the same day all year for us


We still continue with reading lots of books, read alouds, and some other fun school projects but three cheers for a flexible summer time schedule! Hip, Hip, Hooray!  

Timberdoodle Review: A Kid's Guide to Drawing the Presidents

How awesome that this review is due today on Memorial Day.  Our presidents, our founding fathers, our commanders in chief, those who have fought for our country - all we remember on this day.  Our upcoming school year we will be studying American History.  I am so excited to start and can't wait to fill in those holes that I have in my education!  So, when this product became available for review - I jumped!


We had the opportunity to review one of the books in the series called "How to Draw the Times and Life of Franklin Pierce".  I was very impressed with the quality in this book.  It was a hardback book complete with the life history of Franklin Pierce.  I am a huge fan of combining subjects whenever we can so this also includes many drawings from the time period including how to draw Franklin Pierce himself!  It also contains a timeline, glossary, and a website link for further research!  

The pictures available for drawing were in our opinion are HARD!  The kids were excited to give them a try but quickly found out that even with step by step instructions their end result did not quite match the books.  That being said, art never has been our strong suit!  We love to keep trying though!


There are 42 books in all stopping at George W. Bush.  Some of the books are available for individual sale as well. You can see samples of John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan by clicking each name.   


Unfortunately, the publisher is discontinuing this series so there will be no more added.  But the the good news is you can get the whole set which originally sold for $1,060.50 for only $195.00!!!!  Wow, what a steal!  You better hurry though because they are going fast and when they are gone...they're gone!

Our family really enjoyed the book we received and the information included in it even if we don't consider ourselves artist!  The history included is awesome!

Timberdoodle also offers other history curriculum and complete grade curriculum sets too!

You can also request a free catalog!  I love their browsing their catalog!

Legal Disclosure:
As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.

The Homeschool Mother's Journal - 17 & 18

In my life this week...

We finished school today!!!!!!  Summer, summer, summer time!  Yahoo!  We celebrated with the sweetest, juiciest strawberries of the season.  So good!!

In our homeschool this week...

We finished and are now on summer break!!  I now have an 8th grader, 5th grader, and 3rd grader!!  WOW!!  Congratulations!!

Places we're going and people we're seeing...

Last week we went to Myrtle Beach for Beach Blast to see Toby Mac!!  Only problem was, so did everybody else in the world!!  It was so hot and the ocean was just across the road from the concert calling our names with each splashing wave.  So, we left and went swimming :)

My favorite thing this week was...


uhm....finishing school!!!!!!  And watching the sunrise at the beach!

What's working/not working for us...

Summer is so working for us, lol!!  For the next few weeks we will do nothing - nothing I tell ya.  We WILL break!!  After that, I'll start a relaxed summer schedule and start some cleaning and planning preparation for next school year.  

Homeschool questions/thoughts I have...

None right now - refreshing the mind!!

A photo, video, link, or quote to share...

Enjoy Summer!!!

Stop by The Homeschool Chick for more Homeschool Mothers' Journals.

31 Days To Clean–Week 3

This week was pretty much shot for me.  I read all the pages - can I get a shout out for that?  :)


Now, wasn't that a quick and painless read!  Enjoy the rest of your day!


"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)