Homeschooling - current thoughts for next year

I've been more diligent about doing "school time" with my girls this last year (okay, just daughter #1 with a tiny tagalong). More diligent, but not as great as I would like. So here is my organizing of my thoughts for the upcoming year:

Reading

Hooked on Phonics - Kindergarten

Other literacy games here and there

Daily reading together (their level and chapter books)

Math (number recognition and writing)

My Book of Numbers 1-30 (Kumon)

Unifix cubes

Math games

Calendar time

Writing

Pre-K Handwriting without Tears

My First Book of Uppercase Letters (Kumon)

Creating books together

Bible

Hidden Treasures: Digging into the Book of Proverbs with Your Family (Doorposts)
For Instruction In Righteousness: A Topical Reference Guide for Biblical Child-Training (Doorposts)

Biblical Festivals
Holidays (ex. St. Patricks, St Nicks origional story)
Bible stories

Language

Signing Time (I get them from library or MIL)

Spanish - reading books from the library, learning songs together

Random skills
Crafts

Painting

My First book of Tracing (Kumon)

Cutting book (Kumon)

Pasting book (Kumon)

Wow! That seems totally too much for a 4 year old doesn't it? Well, its not all of it every day, and it is a whole year.

Reading: The Hooked on Phonics was given to us by my lovely mom-in-law, so we are just taking that really slowly, trying not to push it. #1 is huge on reading and words, and she can sound out so much. I know when it clicks, she will be unstoppable with the reading. I don't know where she got that...

Writing/Math/Cutting/Pasting: I love the Kumon books. I pull them apart and put them in sheet protectors in a binder so we can do them again and again. The cutting book we have, I copy and then she cuts the copy. They are just simple and fun. I've purchased them at Target, a used/new bookstore, and then at Costco.

Writing: I got the Handwriting without Tears book in January and I copy the pages for her to do. We do one here and there. She had all of a sudden started writing letters even though I had never taught her, so we figured, good time to start refining that! I'm not terribly impressed with it, but I like it and it seems to help, if only just helping me actually work on it with her!

Bible: The bible studies from Doorposts are what I'm really excited about. I just ordered them tonight. I felt really uncomfortable all year that I wasn't getting enough bible in, and feeling a sense of panic as to how to teach something I've just been learning myself. I have this intense passion for the book of Proverbs, and couldn't find a study anywhere. Then all of a sudden (thanks Abba!), I came across their Hidden Treasures study! I have also really been feeling at a loss as to how to guide my girls in responding to life with a biblical outlook. Enter "For Instructions in Righteousness"! God is good to me, so good.

I also have frustrated myself for the last 3 1/2 years by remembering there is a festival or holiday coming... but only the day before. Enough is enough! I just printed out monthly calendars from this month to June 2011 and wrote all the important dates in it. I hope to use that calendar during my lesson planning so I don't forget things. At least it is another attempt, right?

Language: This is something I'm just thinking about sticking in here and there. Like I said, #1 loves words and reading. A while back, she brought me The Magic School Bus: Human Body. Those are pretty detailed books. And she sat through it, crazy girl. The thing is, she brought me the Spanish version. She sat through a hard book IN SPANISH. She didn't understand a thing, but she didn't care. I was struggling, and I "speak" Spanish. Whew. It made me think it might be good to have some other languages in the mix, just to see what happens.