Circle Time Plans for Term 1 of the 2016-2017 School Year

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ow, I actually finished. I switched up the way I am laying out my plans a bit. I’m trying a loop schedule rather than assigning certain books to certain days. I found last year that certain days were more likely to get messed up than others, so I think the looping will keep us from getting “behind” on any single subject. I also think we’re spending less time in Circle Time, but we’ll see if that ends up being true. I’m always surprised by Circle Time, and I’m usually wrong. When I think it’s long, it ends up being short … and vice versa.

As far as the looping goes, I’ll do one or two per day, depending on time. I’m going to use simple Post It Flags to keep track of where I left off.

So here’s a glance at my plans:

Why the surfboard? you might ask. Why not? is my answer. I love that they are often gratuitously pretty, and I love to watch the surfing when we go to the beach.

Here’s my linked resource list {some are affiliate links} with notes:

• Prayer
• Bible
  • The Child’s Story Bible by Catherine Vos
  • I mentioned this on Facebook, but I had skipped buying this children’s Bible because I thought I didn’t need another one. Then, my pastor explained that Catherine Vos was the wife of Geerhardus Vos, the great Princeton theologian. His Biblical Theology is HUGE — I mean almost too long for a lay person to read! My pastor said of  Catherine’s book: “This is the book he should have written.” Made me laugh, and also made me go ahead and buy the book.
  • Yes, I’m using only this. Each child is also doing their own Bible readings using the AmblesideOnline Bible assignments for their own years.
• Apostle’s Creed
  • Actually, we alternate the Apostle’s and the Nicene.
• Memory Work
  • Scripture
    • Numbers 13:30-14:9
    • Psalm 11
  • Poetry
    • Paradise Lost (book 12 excerpt) by John Milton
    • All’s Well by John Greanleaf Whittier
    • The Rainy Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    • Hoppity by AA Milne
  • Hymns
    • He Who Would Valiant Be
    • Awake My Soul and With the Sun
  • Folk Songs
    • Skye Boat Song
    • Greensleeves
• Grammar
  • Michael Clay Thompson’s Practice Island
  • I only bought the teacher’s manual and we’re going to analyze one sentence per day on our white board.
• Looped Titles
  • My oldest child is with us until this point, at which time he leaves to start his high school work.
  • Halliburton’s Book of Marvels
    • This was my favorite geography book I did in the lower years with my oldest child, and I’m excited to combine all of the younger children for it this year!
  • Trial and Triumph
    • We’re just reading one chapter at a time, or half a chapter if it’s too long.
  • Rocks, Rivers, and the Changing Earth
    • I’m combining my children for whatever this subject is — geology? Oh. It says “geology” on the cover. Good call. Whatever it is, I like that it’s something I can do with all three of my elementary students and the demonstrations seem to be something I can handle, even during Circle Time!

And that’s all! If all goes as planned, we begin on August 15th.