We are changing things up for our fith grade homeschool curriculum choices! For the past several years, I have pulled together many different resources to come up with a curriculum plan. I am an eclectic homeschooler and have been very hesitant to just buy a box and call it good. This usually works well for us as I like to try many things and may love a publisher for history but not like their science. But this past year has been…weird? It seems like it was rough in more than one way and our homeschooling felt a little (maybe a lot) disconnected. We managed to get through the school year and the boys learned, but I didn’t feel like it was our best year. I’m not sure that it was anyone’s best year because 2020 happened and we all know 2020 isn’t playing nice. 2020 is kind of a jerk.
I decided to do things differently this year and ordered a box curriculum. We’re still using a separate math and language arts, but it was honestly a relief to just go to a website and hit the order button. So, which box did I choose?
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Sonlight
Peyton will be doing Sonlight D this year for History, Bible, Literature, and Science. He really enjoys American History so this HBL is a perfect choice for him. We have also really enjoyed Sonlight Science so we are looking forward to continuing with that. I looked at other curriculum and planned to add in Sonlight read alouds and readers, but I figured by the time we did those I might as well just use the whole program. This really simplifies things for me as everything is planned and I just need to put the books on our shelf and open the Teacher’s Manual. I have contemplated for years just diving in with Sonlight and am excited to finally take the plunge.
How we are using Sonlight
I am trying to decide if I’m going to go through this level in one or two years with Peyton. Since his language arts is separate from the HBL we may just take our time. If we take two years we will get the lapbook kit and use that on the days we don’t use the rest, but I’m still undecided on that. We will probably start as scheduled and see how it goes.
One thing to note is that I am not combining my kids in Sonlight. The boys are less than two years apart in age and Sonlight recommends combining kids with that age span, but the idea of combining my kids has kept me from jumping in with Sonlight in the past. They are just two different personalities and have very different learning styles, so it works better for me to keep them separate. Part of me jumping in with Sonlight meant jumping in to two different levels. This is part of the reason why we may slow down the core for Peyton this year.
Other Subjects
While the skills subjects are not nearly as fun as the content subjects, they must be done. Here is what Peyton will be using for skills subjects for fifth grade.
Math
Math Lessons for a Living Education
As I mentioned in this post, this curriculum really surprised me. I didn’t think I was going to like it at first, but I really do. Peyton enjoys it too, so that is an added bonus. We are sticking with it because it is working for him and I am happy with his progress with this curriculum.
Language Arts
Language Lessons for a Living Education
Another choice we are sticking with this year. I tried a different language arts program for Peyton last year, and he asked me to get him Language Lessons again. This is a very gentle approach to Language Arts, but in the end I feel like he will learn what he needs. I have been surprised at how such a gentle approach has gotten him writing more for school work. He is a prolific writer of stories in his free time, but he resists assigned writing. The gentle approach has actually worked to get him writing more academically. We are skipping the spelling section and possibly the reading section in the weekly lessons this year, since Sonlight has so much reading already.
Spelling
We are trying out Spelling You See this year. Peyton saw the Americana level in the Sonlight catalogue at one point and asked me to get him that book. This will be a great addition to our American History study and I think the curriculum will be a good fit for him.
Extras
We’re trying out a virtual options program through the state for the first time this year. They offer many hands on tech classes and provide opportunities to participate in outside classes as well. Peyton will be doing a virtual makerspace class with KiwiCo, LEGO Robotics wedo, and violin lessons. He has been wanting to take violin lessons for a long time so he is very excited for this. The rest of us are investing in good ear plugs.
That’s all for Peyton’s fifth grade homeschool curriculum. I’m really trying to keep things simple so I am not sure if we will resume our weekly poetry tea time. This has always been a highlight of our week so I may have to find a way to simplify it because we would all miss it. I will keep you all posted on how things are going once we fully get back into our homeschool routine.
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I am loving your website and learning through you! I am on the fence about homeschooling, it seems to be alot, and i’m feeling overwhelmed. My daughter will be in the 5th grade, and is insisting on homeschooling.. I am not opposed. Would you mind reaching out to me please. -Melissa
Hi Melissa,
Homeschooling can seem overwhelming and like it’s a lot, mainly because there is a lot available for homeschooling. The great thing about homeschooling is you can make it as simple or as complicated as you want. Start by looking into your state’s homeschool laws to see what is required. Once you know the requirements, you can start building your homeschool year. You can find some posts I did here https://myhomeschoolwithaview.com/category/homeschool/start-the-adventure/ to help you get started.