Language Arts:
We read lots of great books! Sonlight has many good titles available. We don't always use the curriculum and teachers manuals; sometimes we just read the books listed for a "Basic" curriculum in the order they recommend. Other years we have answered the questions, done the vocabulary, etc.
I also love the Pathway Readers.
Phonics
We used Explode the Code, Alphaphonics and The Bob Books when teaching our children to read. Don't be in a big hurry. One of ours was reading at three and another was not reading well until eight. They both love to read and read well now. So I am glad I did not push the child who simply took a bit longer.
Grammar
We like Daily Grams. I like using curriculum that is reproducible and can be used by all of my children. I put the originals in a three-ring binder and make copies as needed. Daily Grams takes only about five minutes each day and the student has lots of review and practice. Easy Grammar is used by many of our friends as well.
We also used Winston Grammar. However, Winston Grammar teaches the parts of speech not punctuation. So we have worked through the WG Basic with a student for a year or so, usually around 4th Grade. The other years, the children do Daily Grams.
I have recently started using Jensen's Grammar and Punctuation for our middle school & high school students and it is really driving home the correct usage of parts of speech and punctuation!
Handwriting
We use A Reason for Writing.
Spelling
Honestly, we have not done well in spelling. We have tried many things. I love Spelling Power, but it does take a lot of time when you have five children! My children were working in some spelling workbooks I picked up at local book store and using Dr. Aardsma's Spelling Drill on the computer. This was helping. But recently, we begun the Sequential Spelling books offered by Timberdoodle. In just a few short weeks, we have seen a huge difference in their spelling.
Vocabulary
Wordly Wise 3000 is our favorite. It can be done independently and takes only about five to ten minutes most days. The longer "Exercise E" in each lesson is done over two days. It requires lots of writing. The other exercises are done one per day. We start this in about 3rd grade.
Writing
The best way to become a good writer is to practice and read good literature. One idea - Have your child write one sentence per year of their age. Your seven year old would write seven sentences and your nine year old nine.
If you want a curriculum, try the Seven Sentence Story. Quick and easy lessons that teach some basics of writing a story. We also like Writing Strands.
Science
Quite honestly, we don't use a formal Science curriculum until around 5th grade. Until then we have many books, videos, etc for our children to use as they would like. We check out books from the library and they have lots of field guides to use to help them identify all the critters they catch and see on our property.
Our children have also taken Science classes through our local Home School Co-op. Apologia Science now offers some great curriculum for elementary students. These books by Jeannie Fulbright are great for use at home and in a small class like a co-op. Check them out at www.highschoolscience.com!
We like to make the tools available for them to learn and encourage experiments and such. For the early years, reading, writing and math are the main focus.
Math
Daily drills are vital! Flash cards, computer drills, Calculadders, Wrap-Ups. We have used them all and find our children like a variety so we mix the various types of drill. Whatever you use, do them daily!
We also have ours do the "Keys to Decimals" and "Keys to Fractions" series in 5th grade. If a child does not understand these concepts, Algebra will be very difficult.
You may also want to get thinking skills games like Muggins, Blockus and others. We have our students complete the Building Thinking Skills and Math Reasoning books. I make copies, put them in binders of about 100 pages each, and have the children work a few pages each day. Logic is important in high level math classes. Begin to teach logical thinking early!
History
We don't use a formal history program until upper elementary grades.
We love to read to the Sonlight books and have the books for almost all the Basic levels. Have great books and biographies on hand! Some of our favorites are stories of missionaries, the "Life is a Jungle" set, the Ralph Moody Books, and most all of the books on the Sonlight 5th Year list. Our oldest daughter asked for about two dozen books off this list for Christmas last year - and she is a married, college graduate! She & her husband love these books. She told me that hearing and reading all the books & biographies as a child gave her an interest in missions and learning more about great Christians.
Trips to the library can help with history as well. Teach your kids to love books!
