Our Curriculum Choice 2014~ History & Science

Monday, January 20, 2014



Homeschooling my children is such a blessing & some of my favourite subjects to teach my children are History & Science.  These subjects, considered as 'fun subjects' in our little homeschool here at Sunnyside, are actually critically important in shaping a child's world view.   To be honest with you one of the main reasons we removed our children from the government run schooling system is because we felt both of these subjects were being taught contrary to our beliefs.   This meant that in choosing our curriculum I was very, very picky to ensure that my choices upheld our Christian standards & world view. Another thing that effected my choices was that I had a dream of teaching  these subjects to all our children as a group.  This has been such a blessing as we have had such fun exploring these topic together.  This meant that the curriculum I chose had  be adaptable to the children's various stages and abilities.

History:
Since Australian History is covered in each of the various stages of primary school, it made sense to please the Board of Studies & chose a History curriculum that covered this.  We chose to use Australia....The Wide, Brown Land For Me! by Adnil Press.  We are part way through this course as we started it last year.  It has been excellent & I highly recommend it.  While I did have to lower the standard of work for the twins (as they were in first grade & it is recommended for grades 2-8).  They were still able to understand & contribute fully in each lesson. Australia...The Wide Brown Land for Me! begins with the Aboriginals (written from a very balanced perspective)  to the Discovery & Settlement  of our great country, right through to Federation.  It has given my children  a wonderful knowledge of our history & I've learnt a whole lot as well ( I completely missed Australian history when I went through school).



Science:
For Science we have chosen to use God's Design for Science published by Answers in Genesis.  This curriculum is written for  grades K-8 depending upon the topic. It has various activities to complete with the older the student, the more they must complete.   I have found this to be an excellent grounding to build upon (which, as someone with a physics degree, I tend to naturally do).  I do have to juggle a little between topics as in primary school they have to cover a broad range of the sciences (if it were up to me we would do a full year of biology/chemistry/physics etc), but this rotating is easily done as up to 3 books are completed each year!


I'm keeping it short & sweet this week, but if you would like to read more about what other people are finding helpful in their homeschool, please visit my fellow bloggers who are also writing about curriculum in The Virtual Curriculum Fair:
A Classical Approach to Ancient World History for All Ages by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
Supercharged Science's eScience Program by Kristi K. @ The Potter’s Hand Academy
Social Studies & Science Resource Lists by Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses
Designing a Unit Study for History, Geography, or Science by Amy @ Eclectic Homeschooling</ p>
Virtual Curriculum Fair:  Social Studies by Joelle @ Homeschool for His Glory
Uncle Sam & You- Notgrass by Lynn @ Ladybug Chronicles
My Favorite History Books for Boys by Monique @ Living Life and Learning
Social Studies in Our Homeschool by Laura @ Day by Day in Our World
A Peek into our Homeschool: The Sciences by Brittney @ Mom's Heart
We're having a Social Studies-heavy Year by Debra @ Footprints in the Butter
Our Journey Around the World by Laura @ Four Little Penguins
My Favourite Social Studies Curriculum by Kim @ Homestead Acres
Raising Map Nuts: Learning Geography Naturally by Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset
The Whos, Wheres and Whys by Michele P @Family, Faith and Fridays
Why We're Ditching Story of the World by Tauna @ Proverbial Homemaker


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