Making a change!

We're almost 5 weeks into school now and I'm starting to see what works for us and what doesn't. I love our unit study approach and Rosetta Stone. I've switched to a website called quizlet for vocabulary, instead of writing them on index cards. I'm using more typing games and less tutorials.  And I've decided not to buy the next unit of Tapestry of Grace. 


I want to be clear, it's a great program. If I was teaching Highschool I'd probably love it. But right now it feels a bit too scheduled and confining for me. This is Michael's last year of elementary school and I want to keep things fun.  I don't think we need all the worksheets and scheduled discussions just now. And I hate rushing him through the reading.  So we are going to work our way through The Usborne Encyclopedia of the Ancient World: Internet Linked (History Encyclopedias) instead. We will still add in additional books from the library, but I will pick ones that look interesting and let him read at his own pace.  We will still do map work and time line entries of course. I will probably keep using Map Aids and Writing Aids. Both have worked really well.  I am really having him focus on prewriting skills right now, as well as paragraph construction.  I think spending more time on this will lead to an easier time teaching the actual writing later on.  


I'm nervous about venturing off the beaten path, but excited too!