This year's homeschool purchases

I haven't bought much this year so far. I didn't need much (I wanted lots of stuff, but didn't need much) and moving and entering the real world has been a shock to our budget. I sold a bunch of stuff during the summer to cover some of the cost, so my total outgoing is $108 right now. I got a several items used and acquired some. Here is what I got:

Lyrical Life Science Vol 1 - The songs are good. The text and workbook are not as exciting, but they cover pretty advanced science information and I think they might be useful later.

Singapore Math - I have switched my oldest from Right Start to Singapore. Right Start seems to provide a good foundation (we actually started in Level D and skipped around covering topics that Sierra needed, but I have Levels B and C that I have also used as a reference for teaching). However, as we started Level E, I realized that Sierra was confident enough with her math that she no longer needed daily teacher taught lessons and I, having 3 students to teach now, didn't have the time for the daily lessons. So we are trying Singapore starting with 4B. I bought the workbook, textbook, and Homeschool Instructor's Guide.

Wrap Ups - Full Math set addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, and fractions and States and Capitals set. Hopefully, these won't sit around gathering dust...

What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know

Winston Grammar - I bought the basic set used super cheap and got the advanced set for free at a homeschool swap. I am not using them right now, but I could resist super cheap and free :)

The Writer's Jungle - loving the ideas in this. Hoping to find time to use them...

A " mice" way to learn about government curriculum guide and A "mice" way to learn about voting, campaigns, and elections - these book go along with picture books by Peter Barnes that I plan to get at the library. I should have know I would be disappointed by curriculum design for a classroom, but the picture books are cute and I am looking forward to reading them to the girls and discussing the concepts.

Logic Safari book 2 - I haven't used these, yet. We'll see if the girls like these.

Vroot and Vroom - this is a Cd rom that goes along with Signapore Math. It was kind of a splure. I needed to spend $150 on Rainbow Resources to get free shipping and even after I ordered some birthday and Christmas presents, I still needed a bit more.

I really, really, really wanted to buy Real Science 4 Kids, but I couldn't fit it in the budget. I am hoping to be able to get it in January or with tax return money.

After looking at Lyrical Life Science and needing to wait to buy Real Science 4 Kids, I decide to do science one area at a time starting next year. I have been skipping around through Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science using What Your __Grader Needs to Know as a guide, but I am thinking with RS4K dividing their curriculum into Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, it makes sense to learn about one area at a time. I think that will also make it easier to use Lyrical Life Science along with RS4K Biology instead of trying to skip around. My plan is to do some Physics topics this year - electricity (because I have a set that I bought last year and never got around to using), magnets, and simple machines. I also want to do a little unit on reproduction. It has been 3 year since the girls and I have really sat sown and discussed "the birds and the bees, " so I thought it might be time to revisit that little topic. And then next year we will do Biology, followed by Chemistry the next year, and then Physics and Earth Science the year after that. By that time Sierra will be a high schooler - ack! OK, I must go before I freak out about that.