What We are Learning 2nd Grade Edition

We have family that live overseas and don't always get to see what we are doing so this post is for them, however, I hope that it helps some of you out too! Remember that this is what works for OUR family. If your learning looks different than ours don't worry. Also, we do not follow the state with our curriculum. We learn concepts at an entirely different pace and in a different order. Sometimes we are ahead of the schools and sometimes we are behind. It all balances out.

Luke: He sat at the table for 2 weeks solid with his Spiderman pencil saying "momma when can I do school with my Spiderman pencil?". I am not a fan of pre-k. We take a better late than early approach especially in the early years, but I also believe in encouraging my children when they wish to learn. After searching I decided on Abeka Pre-K. I am not a huge Abeka fan, but I wanted something that was quick and painless and this is both. We spend maybe 15 minutes with this and really I only pull it out when he asks. It has him doing things that are great for the pre-k level such as cutting and gluing, finger painting, and coloring. If I was a pre-k proponent Abeka Pre-K would be my suggestion.

For the girls they are on the same level for everything. Why? Because they aren't very far apart in age (10 months) and it is just easier for me. We get so much more done since I don't have to teach two separate grades. I imagine this will change over time. Especially when Luke is school aged.

Brianna and Keira:

Bible- We are really enjoying the Alpha Omega Life Pacs. This is not normally one I would recommend as I truly do not care for the other subjects, but the scope and sequence for these is excellent. The Life Pacs actually dive into theology and life application rather than just giving the kids the same Bible stories over and over again.

Math-I am using a mix of Bob Jones and Teaching Textbooks. I bought the Teaching Textbooks because I needed to give myself a break from teaching the math. Then I felt guilty about not being hands on with the math so I bought BJU. Then I decided that I really like Teaching Textbooks so we are using the BJU as practice and the Teaching Textbooks as our main math course. You can visit here to see the scope and sequence for Teaching Textbooks 3.

English- I started out using BJU Grammar and Explode the Code for phonics. It was too much so I dumped the BJU and we are now using Easy Grammar which I love and Explode the Code which I am sure is the reason my kids can read. Forget complicated reading programs. Just go grab your child the Explode the Code series. Trust me. Brianna is in book 5 and Keira in book 4.

Spelling- I am more or less taking a natural approach to this though I did purchase them the Spectrum Spelling books. I let them go through a page or two every other day with those just to reinforce, but I found that spelling was best taught through correcting them during other writing projects. Explode the Code also offers a bit of spelling in their books and since the phonics is covered thoroughly they can pretty much make a good guess and I just help them along the way.

Penmanship- Handwriting without Tears cursive. This saved my left handed daughter. However, we will probably swap to a more traditional cursive program after we are finished with this book.

Science- Real Science 4 Kids. This is a world view "neutral" program and I actually love it. Each book lasts 10 weeks and we will go through Chemistry, Biology, Physics and Astronomy. I love that it is real science and doesn't speak to the kids like they are stupid. The kids love it and you have the option of purchasing a lab book that has household experiments.

History and Reading- This is by far my favorite! We are three weeks into using Sonlight Core B. We are just gearing up to start learning about ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome and I am so excited. I did swap out the main book for Mystery of History but other than that we are pretty much following the 5 day plan to the letter. I love the rich living books and our daily read aloud time has become so special, even Luke sits still through it. This week we are reading Charlotte's Web!

Latin- We have been using Song School Latin though I admit that this seems to be the thing that gets pushed to the side. I am going to make sure we get it in at least once a week once we get back from Disney.

I know this looks like a lot, but we usually have school done in about 2 hours minus the read aloud time which takes anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes just depending on how much we do. The girls, especially Brianna, would have me read aloud the entire day if I would!