Spelling Program

I'm starting to be excited for the next school year. Ben has been involved in the preparations of the schoolroom and seems somewhat interested in what the children will be learning. Praise the Lord! He and I are reading through the MoTH book together and aim to prepare a schedule soon.

We've agreed on the History program (Veritas Press) and both like Shurley English Grammar. I'm not so great at *doing* science yet, but love the Apologia texts. I like Saxon math, if there's something more thorough, but a repetitive mind like mine can do, let me know. I liked Math U See until I figured out they never get to the easier way to multiply.. Just drove me crazy! I'd fight TJ because he'd do as the video showed & couldn't seem to get what I was showing him. Some of the other ones, I just don't get, like abacus. Sure, they make sense, I can figure them out, but they don't seem to be the simplest, most logical -boring :) -day in, day out Math.

Anyway, we have several beginning readers in the house. I'd like to teach them to read well. Personally, I subscribe to the Charlotte Mason philosophy and do not want the dumbed-down children's books in my home (they can read those all they want at the library). I prefer to surround them with great works, great language. If one is taught to read well, straight away, then the Bible makes the perfect beginning reader.

We started somewhat in this manner with MissA, using Phonics Pathway, but we focused on the reading, not writing & never finished the text. She can read well, but her spelling is atrocious. TJ was taught with more of a speller/reader idea, but I wasn't fully involved with that. My good friend, Brenda, introduced me this week to Spelling to Write and Read (SWR). This program goes that next step by introducing the phonemes & preparing more spelling capacity pre-reading.

As much as I'm hoping to look more into this program, I'm going to focus on getting my schedule together and start the curricula we already have & know we want to use.