Our Moving Beyond the Page order arrived in May,
and our Education Specialist and I reviewed the 7-9 and 8-10 curriculum
packages. The lessons seem well planned and cover a broad spectrum of subjects.
Also included is a day-by-day detailed lesson plan.
The boys have already completed most of the science kits covered by the MBtP curriculum in past years, so I called the company to ask their advice. The man I spoke with suggested two options. I can try to go deeper into whatever subjects we have already covered to find new challenges, or I can buy the 9-11 science curriculum which can be bought separately at that stage. The latter has two drawbacks. First, since I cannot separate the science curriculum in the 7-9 and 8-10 packages, I would still have to buy them although I would not use them. Second, I think the boys would lose some of the cross-curricular connections once we started splicing parts from different packages.
Ultimately, my ES and I decided to try MBtP for this year, but with some caveats. First, I'm not certain how closely we will follow the daily lesson plan. If the boys show an interest, I will not ignore that, but will pause and go deeper. If we reach material that is a needless repetition, we will go quickly or skip it all together. That choice may also permit us the time to continue bok fu and piano lessons while Kipp takes the 12-week engineering class and Landry takes chess lessons. Second, I will heavily supplement science to make certain they are adequately challenged. That said, I am excited to try Moving Beyond the Page.
Again, Moving Beyond the Page does not include a math component. We've settled on Singapore Math for 2nd and 4th grade, and our ES is attempting to find those in our district.
To supplement science, we will have some projects and experiments going on that are unrelated to the curriculum. For instance, we will continue with Young Scientist Club kits, GEM unit studies and a new chemistry set. Originally, I intended to include another Engineering is Elementary unit study, but we wont have time for the unit study if Kipp takes the LEGO engineering class and the school approves the purchase of his LEGO Mindstorm kit.
I'd also like to continue with the Story of the World to give the boys a sense of world history. However, I am seriously considering starting Volume 1 over again. Landry did not join Kipp until January so did not study the earlier chapters, and it was a lot for Kipp to digest at five. Furthermore, I'd like to take a closer look at some of the projects that the author suggests.
Landry and Kipp will continue with Rosetta Stone, piano lessons and bok fu. Having looked through MBtP, I think the boys will receive enough in terms of art, but I may still supplement both technique and history as needed. As I've previously mentioned, we are attempting to enroll Kipp in an engineering class and will take Landry to chess lessons as often as time permits since the lessons are some distance away.
I still feel strongly that the most potent learning experiences are hands on. Looking over this post, I know already that I may become preoccupied with the daily lesson plan and workbooks when I am distracted by so many outside lessons. I hope that I can continue to see the broader picture and make time for interesting fieldtrips and thought-provoking projects, despite the plan and the pressures of getting everyone where they need to be on time.
That said, I think this next year has the potential to be a wonderful learning experience for the boys.
The boys have already completed most of the science kits covered by the MBtP curriculum in past years, so I called the company to ask their advice. The man I spoke with suggested two options. I can try to go deeper into whatever subjects we have already covered to find new challenges, or I can buy the 9-11 science curriculum which can be bought separately at that stage. The latter has two drawbacks. First, since I cannot separate the science curriculum in the 7-9 and 8-10 packages, I would still have to buy them although I would not use them. Second, I think the boys would lose some of the cross-curricular connections once we started splicing parts from different packages.
Ultimately, my ES and I decided to try MBtP for this year, but with some caveats. First, I'm not certain how closely we will follow the daily lesson plan. If the boys show an interest, I will not ignore that, but will pause and go deeper. If we reach material that is a needless repetition, we will go quickly or skip it all together. That choice may also permit us the time to continue bok fu and piano lessons while Kipp takes the 12-week engineering class and Landry takes chess lessons. Second, I will heavily supplement science to make certain they are adequately challenged. That said, I am excited to try Moving Beyond the Page.
Again, Moving Beyond the Page does not include a math component. We've settled on Singapore Math for 2nd and 4th grade, and our ES is attempting to find those in our district.
To supplement science, we will have some projects and experiments going on that are unrelated to the curriculum. For instance, we will continue with Young Scientist Club kits, GEM unit studies and a new chemistry set. Originally, I intended to include another Engineering is Elementary unit study, but we wont have time for the unit study if Kipp takes the LEGO engineering class and the school approves the purchase of his LEGO Mindstorm kit.
I'd also like to continue with the Story of the World to give the boys a sense of world history. However, I am seriously considering starting Volume 1 over again. Landry did not join Kipp until January so did not study the earlier chapters, and it was a lot for Kipp to digest at five. Furthermore, I'd like to take a closer look at some of the projects that the author suggests.
Landry and Kipp will continue with Rosetta Stone, piano lessons and bok fu. Having looked through MBtP, I think the boys will receive enough in terms of art, but I may still supplement both technique and history as needed. As I've previously mentioned, we are attempting to enroll Kipp in an engineering class and will take Landry to chess lessons as often as time permits since the lessons are some distance away.
I still feel strongly that the most potent learning experiences are hands on. Looking over this post, I know already that I may become preoccupied with the daily lesson plan and workbooks when I am distracted by so many outside lessons. I hope that I can continue to see the broader picture and make time for interesting fieldtrips and thought-provoking projects, despite the plan and the pressures of getting everyone where they need to be on time.
That said, I think this next year has the potential to be a wonderful learning experience for the boys.
Hi Annie! Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier. I'm always struck when I read your posts about how similar we are :) Take care and all the best with MBTP!