4th Grade Curriculum Choices for 2018-2019

My son's birthday is just days away. Do you know what he's asked me to decorate his birthday cake to look like? A wasp's nests. Specifically, a bald-faced hornet's nest. Out of all the different kinds of wasp's nests, this one's his favorite.

Yes, he has a favorite kind of wasp nest. (He's actually, at this very moment, making a paper mache version of one so that I'll have a "model" to look at while I decorate his cake.)


The boy knows about and can identify nearly all of the native wasps and their nests of our state. In fact, if you invite him to your house, don't be offended if he spends most of the time scouring the outside of your home and property for them. If he finds any, he'll want to show them to you. You've been warned.

This summer, his passion has been wasps. Last summer it was tornadoes. The summer before that, it was lake fish. And who could forget the predatory birds during the summer of 2014?

Are you sensing a trend?

He's an autodidactic learner who has a special fondness for nature. Once he homes in on one particular element of the natural world, it's all he can think about. He reads about it, watches documentaries about it, and becomes a walking encyclopedic advocate for it. (I bet you think I'm exaggerating here, right? Nope. Not even a little bit.)

How many other kids do you know who would request a bald-faced hornet's nest birthday cake? I rest my case.

He's an easy boy to teach because he loves to learn!

In addition to all-things-nature, here's what he'll be learning this year in 4th grade. Since we only homeschool 4-days a week, you can assume that each of these subjects will only be covered four times each week unless otherwise indicated.

(This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.)

Content-rich Subjects

As always, he'll do all of his content-rich subjects like Morning time/Bible, history, science, art and creative writing with his older siblings. You can see those curriculum choices here>>>

Personal Devotions- everyday

• The ESV Holy Bible for Kids

• Jesus Calling for Kids- I am not a fan of the adult version of this devotional nor any of its supplementary materials as I think it is replete with heresy. However, I have read the kids' version from cover to cover and have not found any of those same false teachings within its pages. 

Language

• LLATL Orange Book (Use coupon code unlikelyhomeschool at checkout to get 15% off your entire purchase from Common Sense Press, the makers of LAHTL.)

• Finish All About Spelling level 3 and move on level 4
• Read for pleasure. (everyday)
• Read the following books that correspond with the LLATL Orange Book:

The Boxcar Children, Book 1

Wilbur and Orville Wright

Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin By His Good Mouse Amos

The Sign of the Beaver

• If he's not currently working through an LLATL suggested book, he will read a chapter from a book that I assign to him. These will be classics, biographies, or exceptional fiction.

Math

• Teaching Textbooks 3.0 Math 5
• free online review games and apps (like Math Mateer and Monkey Math) for math process review (every few days) OR
• a flashcard drill with one of his brothers for 5 minutes

Copywork

• Character Handwriting Cursive

Typing- 1x a week

• Typing Instructor for Kids

Piano

• lesson 1x a week
• practice 5x a week

Life Skills

• He will continue to be a child-of-the-day and help me make lunch and dinner once a week. 
• Wipe down the bathroom sink, shelves, and toilet every day after lunch.
• Feed his fish.
• Help his older brother transfer the clean dishes from the dishwasher to the cupboard 
• Vacuum the living room as needed. 
• Sort the laundry with his younger brother as needed.
• Put his own clean laundry away each week.
• Dust the house on big-chore days with his brothers.
• Help clean the boys' room and make his bed each day.

Co-operative Learning

This year, our family has joined a larger co-op that meets twice a month in a neighboring town. (Funny enough, it's the same co-op The Hubs attended as a teen.) My son will be in the 3rd-6th-grade group with his younger brother. His classes for the first semester will include the following:

• Physical Education
• STEM
• Botany with a lapbook project

For now, my son is fascinated with wasps. He'll carry his devotion into the new school year. But if I were a betting woman, I'd place my money on a new creation infatuation by late fall. In the meantime, if you need him, just look for the giant stack of field guides in the middle of my living room. He'll be huddled somewhere underneath it.

Set your homeschool day on autopilot!

Thank you! Your task cards will be sent to your inbox shortly.

Set your homeschool day on autopilot!

No more nagging your kids to do their work. Grab my free Task Cards today.