2nd Grade Earth Science

Z has been loving Earth Science!  I made my own blend of various topics and utilized books we own, library books, DVDs, lots of YouTube videos and games.  Here are the topics I picked to divide up our studies:

 

Earth Science Topics

Earth - inside the earth, rotation/revolution/orbit, seasons, atmosphere

 

Weather - water cycle, rain, snow, rainbows, clouds, wind, storms, lightning/thunder, tornadoes, hurricanes

Rocks & Fossils

Earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, avalanche

Rivers, waterfalls, floods, monsoon, lakes, ponds, etc.

Oceans - seashore, seas, under the sea in relation to earth science

Under the ground, caves, caverns

Desert, grasslands, rainforests, polar

Cities/towns, resources, pollution

I'm amazed at how well it is going and all the materials I have found to supplement each topic!  Here are some pictures of things I've utilized to teach and include in our studies:

 

Here are some more books we read already that I forgot to get photos of from the library:

We did a very in-depth study of the ocean in August and then actually went to the ocean in September!

I had some ocean things already but we bought several more at the ocean to keep with our collection for future ocean study:

Books about our caves/caverns and underground study:

We had a lot of books about the different biomes:

There wasn't much I could find on natural resources:

That completes our earth science study!  We will be following it up with a study on astronomy.

Elementary Art

Z has been loving doing Home Art Studio DVDs for art.  We're using the first DVD, which is Kindergarten, but it works great for Z and I wanted him to get the basics before moving on through each DVD.  There are 6 grades worth (K-5th), so we will be doing this for the next few years.  Currently, we just do one lesson a week but Z is asking for more, so we may move it up to twice a week.

2nd Grade History, Geography, Social Studies & Civics

We were supposed to do Story of the World for history but Z just can't pay attention long enough to remember or learn anything because he said it's boring - and believe me, I've tried a lot of different ways since 1st grade!  So I decided to try something else and create my own blend of social studies/civics/geography and so far, so good!

**UPDATE - We finished everything below in Social Studies/Civics and decided to add in Abeka's Our America and Z loves it!

 

Here are the topics we have learned about so far with books we own, library books and videos from YouTube:

 

Social Studies/Civics:

 

American symbols, landmarks, holidays, White House, 3 branches of government, Washington D.C., the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, laws, rights, local government departments, citizenship, voting, mailman, police, paramedics, firefighters, emergency vehicles, military branches, construction workers, doctors, libraries, producers/consumers, resources, society, community, urban/suburban/rural, towns and cities

 

*Some great YouTube channels we used were Homeschool Pop, Kids Academy, A Kid Explains History

 

Geography/Culture:

50 states & capitals, continents, countries, maps, physical geography, more to come...

*We are blending in our geography study with Earth Science that we are currently doing in science.  We also have several geography games that we play frequently and they are the easiest way to learn states and countries!

 

History:

Biographies - Christopher Columbus, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Inventors, history and patriotic songs, more to come...

Magic School Bus Rides Again by Science Subject

I have a printout someone made for the original Magic School Bus video series that divided the episodes into subjects to make it easier to know which one to watch for what science topic.  I couldn't find one for the new series, Magic School Bus Rides Again, so I created my own:

Season 1

Episodes

1. Ecosystems
2. Wind
3. Fish
4. Rocks
5. Magnetism
6. Sickness
7. Camouflage in Nature
8. Solid, Liquid, Gas
   
9. Space
10. Glaciers
11. Robot
12. Alternative Power
13. Ocean - Submarine

Season 2

 

Episodes

1. Fossils
2. Birds
3. Farm
4. Computers
5. Animals
6. Space
7. Simple Machines
8. Clouds
9. Physics
10. Insects
11. Compost
12. DNA
13. Sun
    

Z's 2nd Grade Fun Book List

Z just finished up his 1st Grade Fun Book List and now we are starting his 2nd Grade list of fun books.  These are books that he reads for fun in the evening that are below his reading level.  I will be adding to this list throughout the year.  We are using the 1000 Good Books List that used to be online (I saved the lists) and Z is reading almost all in grades 1-3 lists.

1. Olivia Sharp (Nate the Great's Cousin) - The Pizza Monster
2. Oliva Sharp 4-book audiobook set
3. Amelia Bedelia
4. Thank you, Amelia Bedelia
5. Come Back, Amelia Bedelia
6. Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia
7. Good Work, Amelia Bedelia
8. Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia
9. Amelia Bedelia Helps Out
10. Amelia Bedelia and the Baby
11. Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping
12. Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia
13. Amelia Bedelia's Family Album
14. Balto
15. George the Drummer Boy
16. George and Martha
17. The Long Way to a New Land
18. The Horse in Harry's Room
19. Daniel's Duck
20. A Bargain for Frances
21. Bread and Jam for Frances
22. A Baby Sister for Frances
23. The Carrot Seed
24. Bedtime for Frances
25. A Birthday for Frances
26. Sammy the Seal
27. Chester
28. The Littlest Leaguer
29. Sam the Minuteman
30. The Josefina Story Quilt
31. Julius
32. Mrs. Brice's Mice
33. A New Coat for Anna
34. Granny and the Desperadoes
35. George Washington's Mother
36. Clara and the Bookwagon
37. The Long Way Westward
38. Prairie School
39. Keep the Lights Burning Abbie
40. Finding Providence
41. First Flight: The Story of Tom Tate and the Wright Brothers
42. Abigail Takes the Wheel
43. The Battle for St. Michaels
44. Night Noises and the Other Mole and Troll Stories
45. Albert the Albatross
46. The Lighthouse Children
47. Barney's Horse
48. Danny and the Dinosaur
49. Danny and the Dinosaur Go to Camp
50. Oliver
51. Stanley
52. Grizzwold
53. Wagon Wheels
54. Dinosaur Hunter
55. Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express
56. The 18 Penny Goose
57. The First Thanksgiving
58. Christopher Columbus
59. George Washington: The First President
60. George Washington and the General's Dog
61. Chang's Paper Pony
62. Kick, Pass, Run
63. Hockey at Home
64. Arthur's Funny Money
    
65. Thomas Edison: Lighting the Way
66. Ben Franklin Thinks Big
67. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
68. Always Room for One More
69. Amos and Boris
70. Brave Irene
71. C D C?
72. And To Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street
73. Andy and the Lion
74. Angus and the Ducks
75. The Animals of Farmer Jones
76. Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing
77. Amish Christmas
78. Christmas in the Barn
79. Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
80. The Crippled Lamb
81. My First Christmas
82. The Birds of Bethlehem
83. The Grumpy Shepherd
84. Mary, Did You Know?
85. Peter Spier's Christmas
86. Silent Night
87. Who is Coming to Our House?
88. The Story of Christmas
89. The Big Snow
90.  The 12 Days of Christmas
91. A Apple Pie
92. Apricot ABC
93. The Biggest Bear
94. Biggest House in the World
95. A Color of His Own
96. Swimmy
97. It's Mine
98. Inch by Inch
99. Geraldine the Music Mouse
100. An Extraordinary Egg
101. Fish is Fish
102. The Church Mouse
103. Caps for Sale
104. The Cock, the Mouse and the Little Red Hen
105. Corduroy
106. Cross-Country Cat
107. Deer at the Brook
108. Doctor Dan and the Bandage Man
109. Dogger
110. An Edward Lear Alphabet
111. Emily
112. The Emperor's New Clothes
113. The Empty Pot
114. The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins
115. Flat Stanley
116. Goodnight Moon
117. The Color Kittens
118. Harry the Dirty Dog
119. The Sailor Dog
120. Big Red Barn
121. Hilda the Hen Who Wouldn't Give Up
122. A Hole is to Dig
123. Horton Hears a Who
124. The House That Jack Built
125. I Saw the Sea Come In
126. If You Give a Moose a Muffin
127. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
128. Just Me
129. James and the Rain
130. Johnny Crow's Garden
131. King at the Door
132. The Little Engine That Could
133. The Little House
134. Katy and the Big Snow
135. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
136. Little Red Hen
137. Little Toot
138. The Luckiest One of All
139. Madeline
140. Madeline in London
141. Madeline and the Bad Hat
142. Madeline's Rescue
143. Madeline's Christmas
144. Madeline Says Merci
145. Madeline in America
146. Made About Madeline
147. Make Way for Ducklings
148. Blueberries for Sal
149. Marshmallow
150. May I Bring a Friend
151. Millions of Cats
152. Miss Rumpius
153. Eleanor
154. Chanticleer and the Fox
155. Ox Cart Man
156. My Mother is the Most Beautiful Woman in the World
157. On Mother's Lap
158. Owl Moon
159. Paper Crane
160. Penny Wise - Fun Foolish
161. Peter Spier's Rain
162. The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night
163. Petunia
164. Petunia Takes a Trip
165. White Snow, Bright Snow
166. Randolph Caldecott Picture Book
167. The Poky Little Puppy
168. Rain, Rain Rivers
169. Richard Scarry's Please and Thank You Book
170. Rome Antics
171. The Shy Little Kitten
172. Sir Frances Drake: His Daring Deeds
173. The Smartest Bear and His Brother Oliver
174. The Snowy Day
175. Brother Francis and the Friendly Beasts
176. Stone Soup: An Old Tale
177. The Story About Ping
178. The Story of Babar
179. Babar Goes to School
180. Babar the King
181. The Story of Ferdinand
182. The Tale of Peter Rabbit
183. Three Little Kittens
184. Thunder Cake
185. A Toad for Tuesday
186. Two Roman Mice
187. Veronica
188. The Very Hungry Caterpillar
189. Where Does the Butterfly Go When It Rains?
190. Where the Wild Things Are
191. My Father's Dragon
192. Abraham Lincoln
193. Blaze and Thunderbolt
     
194. Blaze Finds the Trail
195. Blaze and the Forest Fire
196. Blaze and the Gray Spotted Pony
197. Blaze and the Mountain Lion
198. Blaze Shows the Way
199. Blaze Finds Forgotten Roads
200. Blaze and the Lost Quarry
201. Blaze and the Indian Cave
202. Temple Cat
203. Moses - Harriett Tubman
204. My America - Westward to Home
205. My America - A Perfect Place
206. Buffalo Bill - d'Aulaire
     
207. I Am Helen Keller
     
208. My America - The Wild Year
209. My America - Freedom's Wings
210. Cowboy Sam and the Airplane

11th Grade Curriculum

Can you believe my daughter is going to be doing 11th grade!?  I remember starting this blog back when she was starting Kindergarten and here we are - close to the finish line!  It has gone too fast and it was much easier than I thought it would be.  We changed things up with my daughter's transcript because she wanted to do different things in 10th and the rest of high school and I catered to her desires.

Core Subjects

English III - Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind; Writing With Skill; Elements of Style Book and Workbook; Vocabulary from Classical Roots; Book List

Advanced Math - Saxon Advanced Math; Saxon Teacher CD's; Art Reed DVD's

Science - Chemistry 101

Government & Economics - Notgrass' Exploring Government and Exploring Economics


Electives

Church History - The Church in History

Psychology - Homeschool Psyche



With English, it looks like a lot but it all flows together.  We are working our way through Grammar for the Well Trained Mind workbooks, as well as Writing With Skill.  I added in the Elements of Style because I remember having it school and I believe it's a great resource and the workbook helps you navigate through the teachings.  My daughter had issues with vocabulary, so I made her do the first book over again and she is really going through the books quicker now and expanding her understanding of word roots and meanings derived from Greek and Latin.

Z's 2nd Grade Curriculum

Here is our plan for 2nd grade:

Bible - Bible Study Guide for All Ages Primary Set

Reading - Assigned Book List; Fun Book List & Family Read-alouds

Math - Saxon Math 2 & 3

Grammar - First Language Lessons

Writing - Writing With Ease

Spelling - Spelling Workout C, D and E

Science - Earth Science & Astronomy

History - Abeka's Our America & Social Studies/Civics

Art - Home Art Studio

Music - Story of the Orchestra

Z speeds through Spelling and doesn't have any problems at all!  He is a natural speller and has a photographic memory, unlike my daughter.  I don't think he will even need All About Spelling, so I haven't even added it in.

A Taste of Homeschooling

Z's 1st Grade "Fun" Book List

The reason these are called "fun" books is because they are below Z's reading level.  He's currently on a 4th grade reading level, so his "fun" books are 1st-3rd grade reading level.  Z reads in the evening for 15 minutes right now but it will be going up to 30 minutes in 2 weeks.  Here's a list of the books he's read.  I will be adding to this as we go.

1. Little Bear
2. Little Bear's Visit
3. The Berenstain Bears' Big Machines
4. Paddington's Day Off
5. Paddington Cleans Up
6. Nate the Great and the Sticky Case
7. Nate the Great and the Lost List
8. Nate the Great Goes Undercover
9. Nate the Great and the Snowy Trail
10. Owl at Home
11. Mouse Soup
12. Uncle Elephant
13. Frog and Toad
14. Frog and Toad Are Friends
15. Frog and Toad Together
16. Frog and Toad All Year
17. Days with Frog and Toad
18. Nate the Great
19. Nate the Great and the Phony Clue
20. Nate the Great and Missing Key
21. Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize
22. Nate the Great and the Stolen Base
23. Nate the Great and the Pillowcase
24. Nate the Great and the Tardy Tortoise
25. Nate the Great Stalks Stupidweed
26. Nate the Great and the Musical Note
27. Nate the Great Goes Down in the Dumps
28. Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine
29. Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas
30. Nate the Great Saves the King of Sweden
31. Nate the Great and the Case of the Fleeing Fang
32. Nate the Great and the Monster Mess
33. Nate the Great San Francisco Detective
34. Nate the Great and the Big Sniff
35. Nate the Great and the Owl Express
36. Nate the Great Talks Turkey
37. Nate the Great and the Hungry Book Club

Z's 1st Grade Assigned Reading List

This list consists of Z's independent assigned reading time during school-time.  These are 4th grade reading level books so they take him longer than his evening fun books.  Currently he's reading 15 minutes and we will increase that to 30 minutes in 2 weeks when we finish the phonics program.

1. The Golden Children's Bible - this is more of devotional time, not a book to check off the list and never read again
2. Christian Liberty's Nature Reader Book 1
3. Pompeii... Buried Alive - Kunhardt
4. King Midas and The Golden Touch - Craft
5. The Trojan Horse - Little
6. The Five Chinese Brothers - Bishop
7. Aesop's Fables

1st Grade Plants

We are finishing up 1st grade science with our plant study.  I'm using the DK Smithsonian Trees, Leaves, Flowers & Seeds: A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom as our spine.  We're reading through every page but I'm skipping over some of the middle-school level verbiage.  The pictures are absolutely amazing!  Everyone should own this book, whether or not you use it to teach plants, it's a great reference book and just enjoyable to look at.

I'm also using the books we own since the libraries here are still closed.  I'm so glad that I purchased so much from Scholastic's book club over the years and then some from used bookstores or garage sales.  We utilize the Magic School Bus DVD set we own and watched the 2 Botany-related episodes: Gets Planted and Goes to Seed.  We also did a worksheet from Considering God's Creation by Eagle's Wings.

I also plan on adding in a farm study, since it seemed like a great place to use these books we own:

We plan on using these kits below and a flower press kit we already own:

1st Grade Insects and Bugs

I shared what we we used for studying animals in this post, but I also wanted to share what we are using for our study of insects and bugs.  We are still using Considering God's Creation by Eagle's Wings and utilizing lessons 13-15 and my son is loving the worksheets!  We have a plethora of books thanks to Scholastic, which was a good thing because the library has been closed for a month due to the pandemic and they'll be closed for the next month too and maybe even longer.  I'm so glad I invested over the past 12 years in Scholastic books and others.  I'm also utilizing the life cycle cards I got from Scholastic a few years ago that pertain to insects and a set of insect flashcards I think I bought from the Dollar store many years ago.  Finally, we got live insect kits from Insect Lore - ladybugs and butterflies - to watch them go through metamorphosis.

We utilized the Magic School Bus DVDs we own and Z watched the insect-related episodes: In a Beehive, Spins a Web, Gets Ants in Its Pants and Butterfly & the Bog Beast.

Homeschool Room Re-Do

We had purchased the last 2 years of homeschool curriculum for our daughter, grades 11 and 12.  I now have materials to school Preschool-12th grade in this house.  I had no idea how I was going to fit these new books on our already full shelves, there just wasn't any room.  I also have several bookshelves downstairs of non-homeschool books.  Here was the dilemma:

The new books needing a home:

The lack of space to store them:

Those toy food items with prices on them are our math "store" right now.  You can see I have no space to put anything else.  But, I knew with organization and God, anything is possible!  Prayers go a long way as you will soon see.

I also had our craft cabinet in the garage since we moved here, 3 1/2 years ago almost.  I really wanted it in the house and specifically in the homeschool room.  Just didn't think it was possible..  Well, I moved the small bookshelf beside the desk work area and them moved the easel where the bookshelf was AND my husband brought up the white craft cabinet.

Now, tell me how is it possible that I actually brought MORE stuff into the homeschool room, yet I condensed it, even have leftover empty containers AND space opened up on my bookshelves to fit the new books?  If that wasn't enough - it literally feels like we have more space in here!

There is still a lot more organizing I want to do of the things on the black bookshelves and I may even be able to bring in our science supplies that are in the garage!  I also plan to put a big bulletin board or posters on the wall by the bathroom, where I currently have the human body sticker poster.

I can take any child, any age, any grade and school them in this room!  I thank God for that ability.  I have less than 12 years of schooling for my son, 2 1/2 years left with my daughter and then hopefully more with children God will give us through adoption.  It has been a long journey since we started but the Lord has been with us all the way!  We're almost to the finish line with our daughter!