This school year (2014-2015) our children are in 8th, 7th grade, 5th, 4th, and 2nd grade. Rose (age 4 at the beginning of the school year) and Bud (age 2 at the beginning of the school) love joining the fun! We are currently using Saxon Math with all the children, as well as courses from Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) and All About Learning (AAL) for Language Arts, Focus on Science Biology and Physics from Real Science for Kids, Latin from Memoria Press, Connecting with History from RC History, Maps Charts and Graphs, and Meet the Masters for Art. It has been a great school year and I feel like we have finally settled into a curriculum and routine that works well for all of us, at least right now during this particular season in our family.
![]() |
Mama's Notebook Weekly Planner & Organizer, The Catholic Daily Planner, 2015 Saints Calendar |
Captain :: 8th Grade
Religion:
Preparation for Confirmation (continue with Dad)
Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism No. 2 (continue with Dad)
The Soldier of Christ: Talks before Confirmation (independent reading)
Christ 101 (just getting started with this program, will continue in high-school)
Created for high school students and adults, Christ 101 is a welcome addition to my homeschool curriculum for our teens! The convenient and easy to follow format is perfect for me as a home educating mother of many. I look forward to learning how to better defend my Catholic faith alongside my students. Thank you Dr. Scott Sullivan for creating an engaging, fun, and effective way to teach apologetics.
Saxon Math 8/7 with Teacher DVDs
Orbiting with Logic
The boys completed their Saxon Math 8/7 last month and have moved on to Saxon Algebra 1 for the rest of the school year. Switching back to Saxon, and hiring a tutor for extra help with Math, was definitely one of the best decisions I made in 2013! You can read more about our past Math struggles here and here.
Language Arts:
Student Writing Intensive Continuation Course: Level B
Phonetic Zoo, continue and complete Level B
Fix It! Grammar: Robin HoodThe boys completed their Saxon Math 8/7 last month and have moved on to Saxon Algebra 1 for the rest of the school year. Switching back to Saxon, and hiring a tutor for extra help with Math, was definitely one of the best decisions I made in 2013! You can read more about our past Math struggles here and here.
Language Arts:
Student Writing Intensive Continuation Course: Level B
Phonetic Zoo, continue and complete Level B
Latin:
First Form Latin with DVDs
Memorize Server Responses for Latin Mass
Our three oldest are working their way through the first half of First Form Latin this year and will continue with the second half during our next school year. It's been slow going, but at least we are making some progress!
History & Geography:
Connecting with History Volume 2: The Arrival of the King and His Kingdom
New Testament and Early Medieval History 63 B.C. through A.D. 1066
- A Light to the Nations, Part I: Development of Christian Civilization (Core Text)
- A Graphic Life of Jesus Christ
- Augustus Caesar's World
- Daily Life at the Time of Jesus
- Encyclopedia of the Ancient World
- Famous Men of Rome & Famous Men of the Middle Ages
- Lives from Plutarch
- Roman Britain
- 57 Stories of Saints
- Additional Literature for Independent Reading, various Audio Books, and Family Read-Alouds
Science:
Focus on Middle School Biology with Laboratory Workbook, Quizzes, and Teacher's Manual
Focus on Middle School Physics with Laboratory Workbook, Quizzes, and Teacher's Manual
Art:
Meet the Masters: Track B
Physical Education:
Hockey
Ranger :: 7th Grade
Religion:
Preparation for Confirmation (continue with Dad)
Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism No. 2 (continue with Dad)
A Child's Book of Warriors (independent reading)
Christ 101
Math:
Saxon Math 8/7 with Teacher DVDs
Orbiting with Logic
Latin:
First Form Latin with DVDs
Memorize Server Responses for Latin Mass
Language Arts:
Student Writing Intensive Continuation Course: Level B
Phonetic Zoo, continue Level B
Fix It! Grammar: Robin HoodStudent Writing Intensive Continuation Course: Level B
Phonetic Zoo, continue Level B
Latin:
First Form Latin with DVDs
Memorize Server Responses for Latin Mass
History & Geography:
Connecting with History Volume 2: The Arrival of the King and His Kingdom
New Testament and Early Medieval History 63 B.C. through A.D. 1066
View Ranger's Weekly ChecklistConnecting with History Volume 2: The Arrival of the King and His Kingdom
New Testament and Early Medieval History 63 B.C. through A.D. 1066
- A Light to the Nations, Part I: Development of Christian Civilization (Core Text)
- A Graphic Life of Jesus Christ
- Augustus Caesar's World
- Daily Life at the Time of Jesus
- Encyclopedia of the Ancient World
- Famous Men of Rome & Famous Men of the Middle Ages
- Lives from Plutarch
- Roman Britain
- 57 Stories of Saints
- Additional Literature for Independent Reading, various Audio Books, and Family Read-Alouds
Science:
Focus on Middle School Biology with Laboratory Workbook, Quizzes, and Teacher's Manual
Focus on Middle School Physics with Laboratory Workbook, Quizzes, and Teacher's Manual
Art:
Meet the Masters: Track B
Physical Education:
Hockey
Focus on Middle School Biology with Laboratory Workbook, Quizzes, and Teacher's Manual
Focus on Middle School Physics with Laboratory Workbook, Quizzes, and Teacher's Manual
Art:
Meet the Masters: Track B
Physical Education:
Hockey

Religion:
Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism No. 2 (continue with Dad)
Math:
Saxon Math 6/5 with Teacher DVDs
Logic Liftoff
Language Arts:
Student Writing Intensive Continuation Course Level A
Fix It! Grammar: The Nose Tree
Pictures in Cursive
Latin:
First Form Latin with DVDs
History & Geography:
Connecting with History Volume 2: The Arrival of the King and His Kingdom
New Testament and Early Medieval History 63 B.C. through A.D. 1066
Student Writing Intensive Continuation Course Level A
Fix It! Grammar: The Nose Tree
Pictures in Cursive
Latin:
First Form Latin with DVDs
History & Geography:
Connecting with History Volume 2: The Arrival of the King and His Kingdom
New Testament and Early Medieval History 63 B.C. through A.D. 1066
- The World's Story (Core Text)
- Augustus Caesar's World
- Ancient World
- A Life of Our Lord for Children
- The First Christians
- Famous Men of Rome & Famous Men of the Middle Ages
- Spend the Day in Ancient Rome
- Twelve Bright Trumpets
- 57 Stories of Saints
- Additional Literature for Independent Reading, various Audio Books, and Family Read-Alouds
Science:
Focus on Middle School Biology with Laboratory Workbook, Quizzes, and Teacher's Manual
Focus on Middle School Physics with Laboratory Workbook, Quizzes, and Teacher's Manual
Art:
Meet the Masters: Track B
Music:
Piano Lessons
View Twinkle Toes' Weekly Checklist
Chiquita :: 4th Grade
Religion:
The New Baltimore Catechism No. 1 (with Dad)
Math:
Language Arts:
Science:
Focus on Elementary Biology with Laboratory Workbook, and Teacher's Manual
Focus on Elementary Physics with Laboratory Workbook, and Teacher's Manual
View Chiquita's Weekly Checklist
Snuggles :: 2nd Grade
Religion:
First Communion Preparation
St. Joseph First Communion Catechism
Math:
Saxon Math 2
Language Arts:
Primary Arts of Language: Writing and Reading
All About Spelling Level 1 and Level 2
Faith and Freedom Readers
Supplementing with Explode the Code and All About Reading Readers
From the archives: All About Reading or Primary Arts of Language?
History & Geography:
Connecting with History Volume 2: The Arrival of the King and His Kingdom
New Testament and Early Medieval History 63 B.C. through A.D. 1066
Science:
Focus on Elementary Biology with Laboratory Workbook, and Teacher's Manual
Focus on Elementary Physics with Laboratory Workbook, and Teacher's Manual
Life Is Precious: A Culture of Life Unit Study for Elementary Students
Rose & Bud :: Pre-Kindergarten
In addition to lots of picture books, family field trips, educational games, and religion lessons with Daddy for both of our little ones, Rose has also started Saxon K and All About Reading Pre-Reading. She also loves participating in our family art classes. She will officially begin Kindergarten in the fall!
Despite the fact that I haven't been able to keep up with my own hopes and personal expectations for our younger children (i.e. Little Saints and The Alphabet Path), they are still getting an incredible education. It must be pretty awesome to have so many older siblings!
Following the release of the updated version of Fix-It! we have returned to using this grammar program for all our older children. The new program includes 33 weeks of daily passages, 132 vocabulary words, and much clearer notes for the teacher. Each week the children learn a grammar concept, locate and fix errors in four short passages, discuss how the grammar applies to the passage, and rewrite the corrected passage into a notebook. Love it!
Religion:
The New Baltimore Catechism No. 1 (with Dad)
Math:
Language Arts:
Student Writing Intensive, Level A (complete then move on to Continuation Course A)
Phonetic Zoo, Level A
Fix It! Grammar: The Nose Tree
Pictures in Cursive
History & Geography:
Connecting with History Volume 2: The Arrival of the King and His Kingdom
New Testament and Early Medieval History 63 B.C. through A.D. 1066
Phonetic Zoo, Level A
Fix It! Grammar: The Nose Tree
Pictures in Cursive
Latin:
Prima Latina (second half of book, continued from 3rd grade)
Connecting with History Volume 2: The Arrival of the King and His Kingdom
New Testament and Early Medieval History 63 B.C. through A.D. 1066
- Founders of Freedom (Core Text)
- Augustus Caesar's World
- Ancient World
- A Life of Our Lord for Children
- The First Christians
- Famous Men of Rome & Famous Men of the Middle Ages
- Spend the Day in Ancient Rome
- Twelve Bright Trumpets
- 57 Stories of Saints
- Additional Literature for Independent Reading, various Audio Books, and Family Read-Alouds
Science:
Focus on Elementary Biology with Laboratory Workbook, and Teacher's Manual
Focus on Elementary Physics with Laboratory Workbook, and Teacher's Manual
View Chiquita's Weekly Checklist
Religion:
First Communion Preparation
St. Joseph First Communion Catechism
Math:
Saxon Math 2
Language Arts:
Primary Arts of Language: Writing and Reading
All About Spelling Level 1 and Level 2
Faith and Freedom Readers
Supplementing with Explode the Code and All About Reading Readers
From the archives: All About Reading or Primary Arts of Language?
History & Geography:
Connecting with History Volume 2: The Arrival of the King and His Kingdom
New Testament and Early Medieval History 63 B.C. through A.D. 1066
- Founders of Freedom (Core Text)
- Augustus Caesar's World (family read aloud)
- Famous Figures of Medieval Times
- Once Upon a Time Saints
- More Once Upon a Time Saints
- Additional Literature for Independent Reading, various Audio Books, and Family Read-Alouds
Science:
Focus on Elementary Biology with Laboratory Workbook, and Teacher's Manual
Focus on Elementary Physics with Laboratory Workbook, and Teacher's Manual
Life Is Precious: A Culture of Life Unit Study for Elementary Students
Art:
In addition to lots of picture books, family field trips, educational games, and religion lessons with Daddy for both of our little ones, Rose has also started Saxon K and All About Reading Pre-Reading. She also loves participating in our family art classes. She will officially begin Kindergarten in the fall!