Pea of Sweetness

  • Home
  • My Shop
  • About Us
    • About Emilee & Pea of Sweetness
    • Awards
    • Contact Us
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Privacy Policy
  • Work with Me
    • PR Information & Media Kit
    • Sponsor/Advertising Info
    • Sponsorship Opportunties
  • Proudly Part Of
  • Blogs I Enjoy
  • Faith
  • Family
    • Parenting
      • Parenting Special Needs Children
    • Pets
  • Homeschooling
    • Homeschool Reviews
      • Preschool Reviews
    • Homeschooling Special Needs Children
    • 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents
  • Homemaking
    • Meal Planning
    • Recipes
  • Special Needs
    • Autism
    • Sensory Processing Disorder
    • Cancer
  • Natural/Eco-friendly Living
    • Natural/Eco-friendly products
  • Health & Fitness
    • Health and Fitness
    • Wellness Wednesday
  • Reviews & Giveaways
    • Current Giveaways
    • Giveaway Linky
    • Reviews
    • Winners
    • Blogger Opps
  • Travel
    • Ohio Attractions
    • Ohio Events

Our Homeschool Curriculum Picks for 2017

February 4, 2017 by Emilee Evans

Probably the question I get asked most often is “What homeschool curriculum do you use?” I have to admit, I find it amusing because I think I get asked this question from people who don’t homeschool just as often than those who do. Regardless who is asking, it’s a question that stops me in my tracks. It’s not that I don’t know what we’re using, it’s that it’s not so easy.
Homeschool Curriculum
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Please refer to my Disclosure Policy for more information.
I don’t use just one curriculum. We pick and pull from all kinds of curricula. I learned a long time ago a boxed curriculum doesn’t work for us. Even having two children at the same relative grade level they don’t use all of the same curricula. It’s the beauty of homeschooling! All three of my children are unique. I love being able to tailor each child’s learning experience to their needs.
I think it’s particularly great for homeschooling special needs children because they can learn in the way that is best for them and they’re not tied down to one grade level. For example, I don’t have to hold my oldest son back in all subjects just because he’s delayed in one. He’s significantly delayed in reading and writing but only slightly delayed in other subjects. Or if they’re ahead you don’t have to hold them back like in my daughter’s case.
All that being said, it’s time to reveal our homeschool curriculum picks for 2017!

Homeschool Curriculum Picks for 2017

Our Homeschool Curriculum Picks for 2017
When planning our new homeschool year I do ask the kids how they feel about our curricula. I love getting their feedback and definitely take it into account. Of course, my oldest says he doesn’t like anything, so I kind of have to go on what he’s done well with and go from there. B and A are both at about a 4th Grade Level and C is at about a 1st Grade Level.

4th Grade Homeschool Curriculum

B – 4th Grade. He’s on the Autism Spectrum and has reading and writing challenges.

Veritas Bible – We just love this Bible curriculum. Our family uses VeritasBible.com, which has been working well for my kids. Check out our Veritas Bible Review.
IEW Primary Arts of Language – This curriculum is generally recommended for K-2, but B is still delayed in both writing and reading. PAL is also recommended for children with special needs. View our IEW Primary Arts of Language Review.
Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization – This is another great resource from Institute for Excellence in Writing. It’s a fantastic supplement. Check out our Poetry Memorization Review.
Red Apple Reading – We’re using this as a supplement and he really likes it. It has multiple levels, and he has fun while learning. See our Red Apple Reading review.
CTC Math – We had the opportunity to review CTC Math twice, and it’s definitely been one of our favorites. View our CTC Math Review.
Times Alive – My older two kids have been learning their times tables with Times Alive and have been loving it! Stay tuned! Our review is coming soon!
Science Shepherd – This is a great online science curriculum that is faith-based. It’s easy to follow and offers hands-on projects as well. Check out our Science Shepherd review.

A – 4th Grade.

Aurora is slightly advanced. By age she would be in 3rd grade. There are some overlaps since she and B are generally at the same grade level, though she doesn’t have reading or writing delays.
Veritas Bible
Lightning Literature – This is actually a 1st Grade Curriculum, but I knew it was too advanced for my 1st Grader. We hadn’t yet finished it, and I thought it would be a good review and way to ease into our new school year. Learn more in my Lightning Literature Review.
Bible Heroes – This is the next step up from the Primary Arts of Language from the Institute for the Excellence in Writing. We will beginning this soon and will share our review shortly after! Learn more about Bible Heroes.
New American Cursive – This is another curriculum we had started but didn’t yet finish so we decided to revisit it. Plus I already got the next level! Read my New American Cursive Review.
Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization
CTC Math
Times Alive
Science Shepherd

1st Grade Homeschool Curriculum

C has Sensory Processing Disorder and has fine motor delays as well as reading challenges. We’re going really heavy on the language arts this year, and this was actually by his request. I’m really excited about it!
Jolly Phonics and Jolly Grammar – He has just loved this and wanted to keep going, and so we are! Check out our Jolly Grammar and Jolly Phonics review.
Can Do Cubes – The Can Do Cubes really are a great hands-on resource to use alongside Jolly Phonics, but really they can be a great supplement for any grammar curriculum. Read our Can Do Cubes review.
Logic of English Foundations – C has really enjoyed Foundations and he was excited to jump back into it. We had the opportunity to review both Foundations A and Foundations B.
Eclectic Foundations – This is a curriculum we’re currently reviewing and he has been loving it! Stay tuned because the review will be coming in a couple of weeks!
CTC Math
Various Bible Activities from Twin Sisters Productions – They offer a variety of great Bible resources for young kids. C’s favorite is the Bible Story Mazes & Puzzles.

What Homeschool Curriculum are You Using?

Although this is the base of our curriculum it’s very possible we’ll make some changes through the year. Sometimes we discover something isn’t going to work from us. Because I review curricula, sometimes we end up reviewing something else that we discover is a great fit for our family and we either add it in on top of our base or we replace something. We’re kind of all over the place with our arts because it works for us!
Are you an eclectic homeschooler as well or do you use a specific curriculum? Do you have a favorite homeschool curriculum?
 

Learning the Bible in a Fun and Interactive Way {Veritas Press Review}

June 29, 2016 by Emilee Evans

Our kids definitely learn best when they are having fun. Recently, they have been learning the Bible in a way that is fun and interactive with VeritasBible.com. This homeschool Bible curriculum from Veritas Press has been a great addition to our homeschool curriculum.
Old and New Testament Online Self-Paced Bible Veritas Review
VeritasBible.com is an online Bible curriculum that allows kids to progress through their Bible learning at their own pace. All of the account information is saved into a single account for the whole family. It can be easily accessed online by signing in with your account information. Although there is only one account for the family, the kids still have their own separate accounts where their progress is saved. They simply choose their account from the main menu. When setting up children’s accounts, they can each be assigned a specific avatar to represent them.
I originally started an account for all three children but quickly discovered it is too advanced for our youngest son who is only 6. Even our 10 year old had some challenges as many activities required reading, and he is a delayed reader. So I would sit with him as he does it so I can help him with the reading when answering questions. Our 8 year old is also working through VeritasBible.com and is able to do so independently.
Veritas Bible Review Curriculum
VeritasBible.com offers three courses: Genesis to Joshua, The Gospels, and Judges to Kings. Both of our kids opted to start at the beginning with Genesis to Joshua. All three courses cover 32 events in the Bible, and they are not dependent on each other. If your child chooses to start with The Gospels instead of Genesis to Joshua, for example, they will be able to do so without challenges. We’re just a very “by the book” family and love to follow things in an exact order. I wasn’t surprised they both chose to start at the beginning!
To get started, they choose and click on their course. They are then taken to a screen that is similar to a map. It marks a path and shows where they’ve been as well as how many stars they’ve earned in a lesson. Certain lessons award stars based on their understanding and completion of quiz-like questions. This is where I need to help our oldest because they require reading. Although overall scores or grades are not given, they do have to receive at least one star to continue. Even though our children started at the same time, they are at different places on their path due to this. I like that this encourages and confirms understanding before proceeding.

Veritas Bible Review

VeritasBible.com Bible Curriculum Review
Our kids have really been enjoying VeritasBible.com. Lessons are presented in a way that is fun and enjoyable. They watch videos acted out in a fun way, learn music to help memorize events and do activities, projects, and worksheets in addition to the tests. They get to explore activities in a variety of ways which even includes activities in art, music, and geography.
They really seem to be doing well with this approach, and although our oldest son is progressing a little more slowly due to his special needs, I can tell he really is learning the Bible and doing so in a whole new way. Our daughter logs in and finishes her lessons before I even ask her! She can easily log in and complete the lessons by herself! The overall lesson times vary based on which lesson it is, but they generally seem to be between 30 and 45 minutes.
I love that they have been learning the Bible in a way that is fun and engaging. They have been going beyond just learning and hearing Bible stories to truly knowing them. I appreciate that they are challenged to have an understanding of them before proceeding. Of course, I love that they are enjoying it!

Get Connected with Veritas Press

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
Other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew have been using VeritasBible.com with their families as well as Veritas Press Self-Paced Bible. Learn more and see what they thought by clicking on the banner below.
Old and New Testament Online Self-Paced Bible Veritas Review
 
Crew Disclaimer
 

Our Favorite Homeschool Curriculum from 2015 and Blue Ribbon Award Winners!

November 25, 2015 by Emilee Evans

Last week we wrapped up our 2015 homeschool year. We homeschool by calendar year, which means we start our new school year each January and finish our year the week before Thanksgiving. That means it’s break time for the holidays! I was blessed to be part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew for 2015 and am excited to announce I will be part of the 2016 Crew as well! We had the opportunity to review a variety of homeschool curricula and resources and we’re weighing in on our favorite homeschool curriculum for 2015!
Our Favorite Homeschool Curriculum for 2015
This year we had the opportunity to review a variety of both elementary curriculum and preschool curriculum. I also had the chance to kick off our youngest son’s Kindergarten year a little early with Horizons Kindergarten Phonics & Reading!
Here are our favorites (some of which we’ll be bringing into our 2016 Homeschool year as well)!

Elementary Language Arts Curriculum

IEW Primary Arts of Language Review
Writing: Institute for Excellence in Writing Primary Arts of Language. This curriculum encompasses both reading and writing and is great for young children and those with delays due to special needs.
Reading: ASD Reading. Although IEW PAL offers reading, I had to mention ASD Reading as well. It’s tailored specifically for the way children on the Autism Spectrum learn, this curriculum is helping our oldest son make advances in his reading.
Grammar: Sheldon’s New Primary Language Lessons. It covers a variety of grammar concepts in a way that’s easy for our children to learn.

Elementary Math Curriculum

GPALOVEMATH Review
GPALOVEMATH. This is an engaging, rewarding math curriculum that motivates and encourages learning – which our children have done very well with!

Elementary History Curriculum

Hands-on History with Home School in the Woods
History Curriculum: Home School in the Woods. This is a great hands-on history curriculum that definitely keeps our kids engaged in learning.
History Resource: Heirloom Audio. I know this includes a few different resources, but I can’t say enough good things about all of the Heirloom Audio productions!

Elementary Language Arts Curriculum

Middlebury Interactive Languages Online French Curriuclum
Middlebury Interactive Languages. Our daughter has enjoyed learning French through a variety of interactions that are interesting and engaging.

Elementary Science Curriculum

Critical Thinking Company Review
Critical Thinking Company. The Surfing the Net: Science curriculum not only helps our children learn science in an interesting way, but it teaches them to use the Internet for science resources.

Bible Curriculum

Grapevine Studies Review
Grapevine Studies. Grapevine Studies offers a Bible curriculum our family can use together. It’s a hands-on Bible curriculum.

Homeschool Mom Resources

The Ultimate Homeschool Planner Review - Yearly Planning
Planner: The Ultimate Homeschool Planner. I honestly thought I’d never choose a physical planner, and I did review a couple of online planners, but the physical planner became my favorite. It’s full of great resources and information on how to plan well.

Schoolhouse Review Crew Blue Ribbon Awards

Other members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew weighed in our their favorites as well in the Blue Ribbon Awards! Congrats to the Winners!

Favorite Reading Curriculum: Reading Kingdom
Favorite Writing Curriculum: Institute for Excellence in Writing
Favorite Vocabulary Program: Dynamic Literacy
Favorite Spelling Program: Institute for Excellence in Writing: Phonetic Zoo
Favorite Grammar Program: Institute for Excellence in Writing: Fix-It! Grammar
Favorite Penmanship Program: CursiveLogic
Favorite Literature Curriculum: Progeny Press
Favorite History Curriculum: Home School in the Woods
Favorite History Supplement: Heirloom Audio Productions: In Freedom’s Cause
Favorite Science Curriculum: Visual Learning Systems
Favorite Science Supplement: Ann McCallum Books: Eat Your Science Homework
Favorite Math Curriculum: CTC Math
Favorite Math Supplement: SimplyFun
Favorite Christian Education Curriculum: Grapevine Studies
Favorite Christian Education Supplement: Brinkman Adventures
Favorite Foreign Language Curriculum: Middlebury Interactive Language
Favorite Fine Arts Product: Maestro Classics
Favorite Elective Curriculum: Apologia Educational Ministries: Field Trip Journal
Favorite Audio Drama: Brinkman Adventures
Favorite Video: FishFlix.com
Favorite Elementary Product: Star Toaster
Favorite Middle School Product: The Critical Thinking Co
Favorite High School Product: Writing with Sharon Watson
Favorite College or College-Prep Product: Freedom Project Education
Favorite Parent Product: Koru Naturals
Favorite Planning Product: Apologia Educational Ministries: The Ultimate Homeschool Planner
Best Resource I Didn’t Know I Needed: Homeschool Planet
Best Online Resource: Super Teacher Worksheets
Best e-Product: Home School in the Woods
Just for Fun: USAopoly
Teens’ Choice: YWAM Publishing
All Around Crew Favorite: Institute for Excellence in Writing

Want to see what the other Crew members thought? As you can see, the awards were more detailed! Some of their favorites were our favorites as well, others weren’t. Plus, they have children of all ages and grade levels. Check out their thoughts by clicking on the banner below!
2015 Blue Ribbon Awards
 

2013 Blue Ribbon Awards and Our Favorites

November 21, 2013 by Emilee Evans

It’s hard to believe 2013 is winding down already! The 2013 Schoolhouse Review Crew year has come to an end. This was my first year as part of the Crew, and our family has been so blessed by the experience! It has been a blessing sharing our experiences with you as well!
At the end of each Schoolhouse Review Crew year member are asked to vote on their favorite curricula for the year. Well, the votes are in, and this year’s 2013 Blue Ribbon Awards have been posted! Are you ready to see if a few of your favorites are on the list? Head over to the Schoolhouse Review Crew Blog to check them out!

Blue Ribbon Awards

We had the chance to review so many wonderful resources it was hard to vote on our favorites! Many of our favorites made the list like Apologia, which not only won the “All Around Crew Favorite,” but it also won in 5 other categories as well! We were blessed to review both Apologia Exploring Creation with Zoology 2 and Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics. Both are very hands-on
Apologia Review
Another of our favorites that made the list is Bible Study Guide for All Ages, which won for “Favorite Christian Education Curriculum.” Once we started using Bible Study Guide for All Ages, we have continued using it! It has been a great addition to our homeschool curriculum, and I love the versatility of being able to use it with a variety of ages because we love to have our Bible time together as a family!
Bible Study Guide
Another favorite that we continue to use (and plan to continue to use) is IXL. IXL offers Math for PreK – 12th grade and Language Arts for 2nd – 4th grade. It can be accessed both online and on the iPad. We use IXL for both Math and Language Arts! IXL won the Blue Ribbon for “Best Resource I Didn’t Know I Needed.”
IXL Awards
We also love Brainfood Learning, which is a great Science Resource! In fact, it received the Blue Ribbon Award for “Favorite Science Resource.” We reviewed the Fascinating World of Mammals and hope to add the other two to our lineup soon!
In addition, I wanted to share a couple of our favorites that may not have made the list, but they are definitely winners with us!
TouchMath. TouchMath is another curriculum we have continued to use right through to the end! We’ll actually be wrapping up our homeschool year next week and starting our “new year” in January. TouchMath has been with us ever since! They recently released an app as well, which is great because we love apps, too! They have both a Lite version, which is free and offers in app purchases or a Pro Version which includes it all for $5.99. TouchMath has really helped our tactile learners make a connection with learning math!
TouchMath Worksheets
The Homegrown Preschooler from Gryphon House. Although Gryphon House did win a Blue Ribbon Award for “Favorite Fine Arts Resource” for Global Art, I definitely have to mention how much we enjoy The Homegrown Preschooler. It is just so well-rounded and full of great information!
Homegrown Preschooler
Classical Conversations Prescripts. This was our first experience with cursive, and we were able to use it for all three children. It was so much more than just cursive letters, though, with drawing and coloring (with historical pictures) as well. Classical Conversations Prescripts is another resource we continued to use and enjoy – and will probably do more of it next year, too!
Classical Conversations
Of course, I could go on and mention more because really there have just been some wonderful curriculum and resources we got to review that we may have never experienced without The Schoolhouse Review Crew. All offer something different and of value. I definitely wanted to highlight our personal favorites as well, though, that we continued to use and made a “home” in our curriculum.
Did some of your favorites make the list? I’d love to hear what yours are as well!
 
 

Next Page »

Top Posts & Pages

  • What are Cervicogenic Headaches?
  • Apologia: Exploring Creation with Chemistry and Physics {Review}
  • Minky Chic Review

Recent Posts

  • Under Construction
  • How to Manage (and Use) all Those Pictures of Your Kids
  • Castaway Bay Getaway for Family Fun
  • 5 Winner Utzy Naturals Allurtica Seasonal Relief Giveaway! $262 TRV Giveaway!
  • Spend the Day at Castaway Bay {Enter to Win 4 Day Passes!}

Recent Comments

  • catofashions coupons on Affordable Women's Fashion and Accessories
  • Happy Hiller on Keep Your Home Connected with Netgear Arlo Smart Home from Best Buy
  • Pencil Sketch Drawing on Learn to Draw a Cat {Drawing Tutorial}
  • fast apps apk on Learn to Draw a Cat {Drawing Tutorial}
  • strobe light on Learn to Draw a Cat {Drawing Tutorial}

Archive

Categories

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Beautiful Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in