Kathryn is a 7th grader this year! That makes this my eighth year as a homeschool mom. With the new additions to the family, it looks like if all goes as planned, I’ll have fourteen MORE years ahead of me, too!

Homeschool planning has changed over the years; the older Kathryn gets, the more I value her input and the more I try plan around her goals and interests. The early elementary years are fun in a different way, but I really enjoy this stage of her life.

We’ll be using the following books, curricula, and activities for her school year, but adjusting everything as needed to suit us. {Please note: this post contains affiliate links. See disclosure page.}

Kathryn’s 7th Grade Homeschool Year:

Bible

• Who Is God? (And Can I Really Know Him?) from Apologia
• Verse memorization, personal devotions, and other studies

Science

• KidCoder Computer Programming
• Exploring Creation with Human Anatomy by Jeannie Fulbright
• Nature study (informal but intentional)
• LEGO Mechanics (enrichment class)
• Astronomy (purely interest-led and unschoolish)

Math

• Teaching Textbooks 7 (see our review of TT 5)
  

Social Studies

• History/Geography: Exploring Georgia by Notgrass Company
• Current Events: God’s World News magazine
  (we’re using the Trak high school edition this year)
• Economics: Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? by Richard Maybury

Language Arts

• Poetry, Copywork, Literature
• Narration and composition

Physical Education

• Choi Kwang Do

Fine Arts

• flute lessons and concert band
• art projects (including these chalk pastels tutorials)
• composer studies
• middle school choir (at church)
• knitting and other handiwork

Literature and Free Reading

Taken from Ambleside Online‘s Year 7 booklist:
Watership Down – Richard Adams
Ivanhoe – Sir Walter Scott
The Lost Prince – Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Black Arrow – Robert L. Stevenson
David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain
Huck Finn – Mark Twain
How the Heather Looks – Joan Bodger
When the Tripods Came – John Christopher
Lord of the Rings series – J.R.R. Tolkien
Animal Farm – George Orwell
Galileo and the Magic Numbers – Sidney Rosen
Ordinary Genius: The Story of Albert Einstein – McPherson

This list is really just a jumping-off place. We’ll be following interest-led studies as they come up, practicing life skills like cooking and meal planning, finding ways to continue Kathryn’s study of the Hebrew language, and probably much more. We’re both very much looking forward to this year!

Jamie

Wife, mom, J-ma. Introvert who enjoys good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand – unless it’s lost yet again in the microwave. Read more »