Plans for this school year are underway! I have a 5th grader and a 10th grader this year. Our philosophy of education throughout our many homeschool years has been simply: Love to Learn. If I can encourage my kids to love learning, my objective has been accomplished. We are very eclectic in our daily curriculum choices, and I’ve been known to finagle together some unit studies, lesson plans, and even my own curriculum at times.
Our Routine
I am a huge proponent of some kind of schedule or routine. Even if that plan falls to pieces, it gives us some kind of organization to the day. We homeschool 5 days a week now. I plan out our year on a school calendar planning holidays, short and long breaks, and other important days. This is our tentative daily schedule:
Yes, it will change. At some point, we may totally scrap it and start all over. But for now this gives some peace to my type A personality.
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📚 Curriculum Choices by Subject
5th Grade
Math:
Abeka Math 5: I only order the child kit (worktext & quiz book), worktext answer key, and quiz book answer key. I order the teacher’s keys on FB Marketplace usually, although Christianbook (below) has some great deals too. I do not order the teacher’s guide. We just do a lesson a day, and we often just do every other problem because there are so many problems it can become frustrating for the child. I have done this with all 3 kids, and it has worked out wonderfully. Abeka is a great curriculum but there are many great curriculums out there.
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Grade 5 Arithmetic Parent Kit (Revised in 2025) |
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Grade 5 Arithmetic Child Kit (Revised in 2025) |
Language Arts
Language Arts Through Literature (purple book): We are trying a new Language Arts curriculum this year! It is an all-in-one curriculum which includes spelling, literature, writing, and grammar. Each lesson is divided into days. There are 36 lessons for a full year of work. It also includes literature guides for the books they read. The idea is that it teaches LA in a cohesive manner in a more naturally occurring way.
From the company: “Integrated learning incorporates spelling, reading, vocabulary, grammar, writing, penmanship, and phonics in the same lesson, instead of being taught each skill in isolation and then filling in workbook pages. This method not only gives the student more understanding of the skills as they work with real-world models but also strengthens their retention.”
History
We are Mystery of History lovers! I used it with my son when he was young (he’s grown now), and I now use it with the girls. I love that it is easy to use with both girls despite their age/grade difference. It all comes down to the activities. We are using it as a history credit for high school also. We listen to the lesson while the girls fill out their notebook pages. Then we do a daily activity appropriate to grade level. This year we are doing MOH 2 which covers the middles ages.
Science
Berean Builders is on tap for this year in science. My 5th grader loves science. This curriculum goes along with our Mystery of History curriculum to some extent. We will just be working through it, not picking out the lessons that go with our history. It is Bible based, with simple daily experiments to do. It is more the history of science and is a general science study. This is the set I bought:
Special Classes/Electives
- PE
We don’t do a formal curriculum at this age. She is constantly on the move so we count her skating, riding her biking, helping in the garden, etc. as hours for this. - Computer
We use All In One Homeschool (free) for this. She will be creating a blog and learning how to manage it. - Music
- Piano lessons (from me)
- Music History (All In One Homeschool)
- Art History- All In One Homeschool (free)
- Art
- YouTube videos to learn certain skills
- Draw and Write Through History (Book 3 goes with our MOH 2-The Vikings, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance)
- ASL
B is doing a homeschool class through Learn How to Sign. It is an elementary class and has videos and activities geared toward kids. There are also a few holiday classes included. We bought the membership when it was on sale on Black Friday ($350 lifetime).
10th Grade
Math:
Teaching Textbooks is an awesome program that we use once the kids get to about 8th grade. It scores everything and keeps up with their grades. You can print lessons, watch a video, get extra help, and a variety of options.
English:
7Sisters is a new-to-us company. We are doing the Great Christian Writers Literature and Composition. This is a PDF download that I am putting into a binder with dividers. She will be reading a variety of books from Christian authors and watching a few movies for cinema studies. The curriculum includes writing guides, grammar granules, public speaking experience, and more.
History:
As mentioned above, we are using Mystery of History for both girls. My 10th grader will do more research and writing assignments in addition to the lesson, videos, and other activities.
Science:
Guest Hollow sells a twist on a traditional subject called Chemistry in the Kitchen. My daughter does not enjoy science very much. She is a history buff all day long. This course is a literature-based approach to science. The lab portion is done in the kitchen. We did not purchase the lab kit, but bought what we needed as we went.
Electives:
Nutrition & Health: We are using a book called Nutrition 101: Choose Life! I am putting together my own high school level course based on this book. I hope to have something more concrete to share by the end of the year. I am doing this with both girls. There are 6 units & 448 pages with activities & recipes in this book:
- The Brain and Nervous System
- Digestion and Elimination
- Respiration and Olfactory
- Muscular and Skeletal Systems
- Cardiovascular and Immune Systems
- Endocrine System and Emotions.
From the company: “Biblically based and packed with hands-on activities, science and art projects and nearly 80 family-friendly recipes, this program teaches and reinforces the why’s of what we should eat, not just “because I said so.” Containing a complete reference guide filled with nutrition facts, charts, practical tips and an exhaustive index, Nutrition 101: Choose Life! will serve as a constant resource for improved health and abundant living.”
Economics 101: The Principles of Free Market Economics is a class from Hillsdale College. It is free, online, and amazing! There are a ton of classes to choose from.
Introduction to the Constitution: also from Hillsdale College
American Sign Language- My highschooler also does Learn How to Sign‘s ASL classes. There are several classes with the membership: ASL 101, 201, 301, 401. There are also mini classes and live classes online. You can sign up for certain classes also at a discount with the membership.
We will adding some more electives as we go along.
What About Bible?
Just about all of our curriculum is Bible based. We talk about the Bible together in these subjects. We often listen to preaching in the evenings as a family with Bibles open and notebooks ready. I do devotions in the morning with the girls. So we are not incorporating a formal Bible curriculum this year. We have done this before and it worked out well, but we just are taking a different approach this year.
