Changes, changes, changes!

So, I suppose one of the biggest benefits of homeschooling is that we are not limited to one curriculum.  It is good because about 2 weeks into this school year, I decided that the Easy Peasy Homeschool program was a bit off from what I wanted for Olivia.  The concepts are too advanced in several areas, and Olivia was having a difficult time getting into some of the material.  She especially had difficulty with the reading which was severely dated, using words such as "nag" for horse and "lad" & "lass" for girl and boy.   People just don't use words like that anymore, and it is unrealistic to think that learning those old words will help her in the future in any way.

So, we've ditched that curriculum and I am currently making up a new one as I go.  It is composed of learning videos online, games, lots of worksheets & coloring pages, and some online learning as well.  She seems to be responding well and she has definitely enjoyed switching back to Hooked On Phonics for her reading instead of the memorization reading we were doing before.  So, we have figured out what works best for us so far, and I have found some areas to work on with her.  For instance, her writing of numbers and letters is a bit behind I think.  I am unsure if it is due to the fact that she is left handed or if she just has not practiced writing enough.  I know a lot of left-handed people who write poorly, but I don't want to assume that that is why she is having difficult.  She also has a hard time differentiating between her "Bs" and "Ds" which gives her trouble with reading.  Most everything else she does pretty well in.  There is an occasional number switch as well "01" instead of "10, or "41" instead of "14".  I wonder if she has a slight case of dyslexia....maybe something to keep an eye on for the future.  =)

So right now, her curriculum is as follows:

Reading - Hooked on Phonics, finishing up Kindergarten level 2, then moving on to First Grade level 1.
Grammar - Pearson Grammar & Writing Grade 1
Handwriting - Evan-Moor Daily Handwriting Practice
Spelling - Evan-Moor Building Spelling Skills Grade 1
Math - MathMammoth Light Blue Series Grade 1A
Social Studies - Weekly Units, including printables, online learning, and activities
Science - Weekly Units, including printables, online learning, and activities
Phys Ed - Playing with her friends, Softball, dancing activities
Fine Arts - Basic coloring, using new mediums, friendship bracelets, cooking, crafts

So, I think we've gotten a well rounded curriculum going for ourselves!  I found a site in a community online with usernames and passwords to a bunch of online resources like printable worksheets, learning videos, and much more.  We are covered with Hooked on Phonics until the end of grade 2, so after that she will begin independent reading with book reports.

Not a bad conclusion to our never-ending search for the perfect curriculum....MY conclusion is that there is no such thing as a perfect curriculum!!!