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We made it past Kindergarten!!!

Well the school year is at an end and we made it!!  We are officially past Kindergarten!!  

This year was full of ups and downs, changing schedules, and changing curriculum.  It was trying, it was frustrating, it was fun and adventurous.  It was everything I thought it would be and more (both the good and the bad)!
Now we are gearing up for 1st grade and introducing Mason for his first year of pre-schooling.  I pray I won't loose my mind er, um.... will be joyful and thankful for every milestone! Honestly, I love this time of year, I am a curriculum junkie, and I adore looking at all that is available to us.
 
Right now, here is what I have Zander's core:
  • Epi Kardia 1st grade 
  • Math U See Alpha
  • Bob Jones Phonics & English
  • Bob Jones Science (as a followup & enhancement to the Epi Kardia lesson plans)
  • Story of the World (continuing passively from last year)
We will need to add an online element or two such as time4learning.com or the like.  I also intend to do delight driven expansions of topics using lapbooks, unit studies, library books and lesson pathways.

Really, we have all we need right now to begin: a joyous thing as well as a bummer. Did I mention I LOVE curriculum?! LOL!!!

When I buy curriculum, I always search my resale outlets first (ebay, homeschool boards, etc). This year I paid LESS than $75.00 for the whole of our core!   Part of that is because I had one curriculum that we are carrying though to this next year, and one part that I received as part of a reviewer. However, here is what I paid and what it is worth retail:

  • Epi Kardia 1st grade ($95.00 each semester or $200.00 for the whole year) $0.00 (reviewer copy)
  • Math U See Alpha ($100.00 +shipping) $50.00 total (ebay)
  • Bob Jones Phonics & English ($105.00) $6.50 total (ebay)
  • Bob Jones Science (as a followup & enhancement to the Epi Kardia lessons) $70.00 $6.50 (ebay)
  • Story of the World (continuing very passively from last year) $66.00 $16.00 (already had one part)
I recommend doing your research and finding what it is you want. Put in order three or four choices for each subject.  Then go on months before you need your curriculum to start. Passively place bids with your max - do not go higher.  I find that ebay has highs and lows. If you keep looking, you are likely to eventually find what you are seeking for WAY below retail!

2 comments:

Christina S. LessonPathways.com Team Member said...

It sounds like you're on the right track. We're glad to here you'll be using LessonPathways this year.

Feel free to drop by our blog for more homeschool inspiration (http://blog.lessonpathways.com).

If you have any questions about LessonPathways.com, drop me a line at ContactUs@LessonPathways.com.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much! We love Lesson Pathways! :)

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