Books for Geography: South America

Well now I thought I had a post on this up here but apparently I do not. So here are some book I have decided to use to help us study some countries in S. America.

For the younger set:

Biblioburro: A True Story from Columbia by Jeanette Winter 
Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown  

We read the Waiting for the Biblioburro.  Very cute story and loved the art work.  We have owned and loved the Great Kapok Tree for years.  Lynn Cherry has many more books that are suitable for younger children,

Tweens/Teens:

thanks to the Planet YA site for this list!

Island of Thieves (Josh Lacey):  My son loved it, I was like OK with it.  There is some content that is not obscene but kinda sassy and perhaps not for every child.  If you kid loves James Bond movies (or similar) and can handle reading about guns, mobsters and such, this would be suitable then.

The Disappeared (Gloria Whelan):  We both enjoyed this but it does talk of government murders and one character is in a bad jail/prison situation. A couple minor swear words included.
I Am a Taxi (Deborah Ellis): We enjoyed this story so much that we actually read the sequel.  The child (Diego) does get tricked into working for an illegal cocaine production, and does encounter cruel situations but I felt it was worth reading because this is a real issue for the people of Columbia.  
Origin (Jessica Khoury):  Even though my son balked about this at first, I "made" him push through.  It is more sci-fi than realistic but it was a descent story to discuss (immortality and what it takes to create that).  he thought it was weird but I think it was more that it was based on Pia (a chick) and not a dude.  LOL Nothing too terribly horrifying for a child to read.

City of the Beasts (Isabel Allende) : I stopped reading it by first few pages of chapter 2.  The whole demeanor of the story line was very negative (the kid's mom has cancer and I understand a teen being angry but this was just over the top dumb) and then by the second chapter we have him conversing with some chick who is talking about smoking weed.  He admits he has done drugs/alcohol.  What?  This is a recommended book for teens?  Just because they are teens and prob'ly hear a lot of this stuff doesn't mean I want my kid reading this dribble. Yuck.

The Queen of the Water (Laura Resau):  This is based on a true story. It does have some abuse against the main character by her employer/talk of past abuse by the father toward the mother and children [which apparently really did happen]. The story centers around this young lady who is born into one world (of poverty) and gradually, through many events, merges into one of recognition, education and possibility.  It's more of a girl book. There are things mentioned that girls would understand and it comes from a young teen girl's point of view.  I didn't have my son read this.
The Motorcycle Diaries (Ernesto Che Guevara):  We started reading this but because I was the one reading aloud-it simply didn't work.  I gave him the option of reading it on his own-he opted out.  It is set up in diary form and tends to jump about a bit.  So since we didn't read past a chapter or so-I cannot truly speak on its content.  
First Descent (Pam Withers):  Some cussing and negative talk about ingenuousness peoples (by the grandpa)

which is in context of the story (he's from a "different generation") so if you go in understanding that-it shouldn't be too distracting.  In the beginning of the story, the kid (Rex) is pretty full of himself which is kinda funny but he is later humbled by the events in the story.

And there you have it.  I know there are a few more books that could be added but our year is done and we need to move on to Europe and N.A.

Homeschool Dad Tag

So I am a subscriber of a gal who is collaborating with another mom on a HS dad tag.  It is really fun and seeing/hearing dads answer the questions is hilarious and encouraging.   Now, if you don't have a YouTube acct., nor want one, you can still partake.  Just ask your hubby the questions and post his responses on your blog (or here in the comments section if you don't have a blog), then come back here and link the post so we can head on over to check it out.

If you want to video your man's responses, then link your video here. Part of the tag is to put a link in the description box or a card in the video to mine then ask others to link to yours. FYI, it's not difficult to join YouTube and once you get over seeing yourself on camera, it's kinda fun.  I just use my iPhone to record then load to YT.  HTH

Here are the questions (be sure he doesn't see them ahead of time so you get the total off the top of their head responses).....

1 - Who was the first to suggest homeschooling as an option?
2 - What are your thoughts on socialization, co-ops, homeschooling groups, etc.
3 - Did you have any preconceived ideas about homeschooling and those that choose to homeschool?
4 - Three words: Charlotte Mason Method: your thoughts? [Or insert whatever your main method style is]
5 - How many hours a day do you think your children are doing school work? How many hours do you think is appropriate?
6 - What is your first thought when you hear the word "curriculum"?
7 - Let's talk: high school, higher education, future careers - what are your thoughts and goals for your children?
8 - What do you believe is an appropriate homeschooling environment? Couches, desks, etc.
9 - If you had to homeschool for the day, in what order would you lay out your day as a teacher?
10 - Last question: in ten seconds, name as much homeschool curriculum as you can think of!

And here we are:

Literature Activity for kids-and what we did

So with all the books we read for our studies (we are mostly CM in style, literature based kinda homeschooling folks) the boy and I can get rather bored with just a narration or some kind of book report.  It's fun to add in a project that takes the student deeper into planning and executing an idea based around one moment in the story.

Now many may know this as a diorama if it is 3D-ish, but since we were pressed for time-we chose to do a 1D-ish flatorama.  LOL

Here is the low down for creating one:

I know this is pretty basic, but ya know-

some folks may have forgotten about this sorta activity-

I know I totally did.

**The child will need to read or have a book read to them.
**They will then ponder what moment in the book really captured their attention.
**They will then draw, find/print, or collect toys/figurines/animals [with these they would be creating a 3D version] that could represent the characters in the story.
**Once those goodies are gathered, they will need to paint, draw or (as in our case) use paper to cover the background on the poster board or foam board. FYI: we used a variety of scrapbook and construction paper to create the background, the images we found via the internet.
**After that is set, adding in the details (of their choosing) will finish off the main project.

The second part is where they will need to print up a quick (this is not to be a book in of itself!) ditty on what is happening and why they chose it.

We added a book cover picture at the beginning of his description, to help pull this together. The two go side by side or with the story description below the picture.  And there you go-a nice way to shake up and stir away the boredom while engaging the student. Plus, with the 1D version, less space is taken up with the project.

My boy's story board:

 Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard

Now, mind you-my son is all manly-man and chose what may be kind of shocking to a few of you [esp. if you are blessed with princesses and not princes] but it was totally not a surprise to me.  In fact, I thought he was going to chose the moment Old Majesty pounced the three dogs. Seriously. Being a chick-I probably would have chosen a moment like when Danny was at the dog show or when the dad thought Danny was having a girl come to stay with them-which was a funny scene. But no. The animal vs animal throw down was his choice.  When reading this part, I did get all teary and totally angry at that mean ole bear when he wiped Asa out.  I was fond of that dolt of a mule. Anyway, I love when a book can provoke emotions. Which is why we seek out and prefer "living books" for our literature choices.

This moment (bear vs mule) was actually a turning point in the story so I was impressed that he chose it. We worked as a team here and there. Since he is my only student, I wanted him to have the collaboration experience as a part of this project.

To add in some artist interest and to make the grass scrapbook paper not look so darn huge-we chose to go the Eric Carle-esc way [OK so he used paint and such but same type of look] and tear and paste to create a collage look.  I am pretty pleased with the results.  He had fun and now we have this moment from Big Red plastered on our classroom wall.

YouTube Subscribers Give Away! Winners announced

OK subscriber peeps-here is the low down on how to enter the YouTube subscriber give away.  For those of you who visit my blog, you can enter as well but you will need to be a subscriber to my channel. Postage is kinda outrageous lately, so I have to keep it for US only at this time.

I am so happy, and humbled, to have hit over 150 subscribers! Whoot!

I decided to choose two winners and here they are:  Melissa and Kristy! Congratulations ladies.

My YouTube Channel

New YouTube adventure! The Virtual Homeschool Co-op

So there is a new YouTube channel where homeschooling mamas (well dads too) can be a part of by joining the fun by putting up their video responses or simply just partake in by viewing them!

I know I have a ton of homeschooling pals who visit my blog-so I am definitely addressing you all....please consider joining!  You can set up a channel super easy like and follow the assignments (doing the ones that apply) and then build from there. Your voice is important too and we need you there!

Just Sew Trish started this channel and so far many have joined.  I finally did too.  Again, I get it can be intimidating-I mean I had no clue if anyone would ever watch a single video of mine (they have) so think about it.  If you just want to view and learn that is great too.

First assignment:  do an intro video.  Well, mine is a bit cheeky and full of sass.  I literally filmed, refilmed and filmed it some more.  Several takes-felt like a billion times. Over a couple weeks of trying too (seriously) but I finally got a goofy one done.  There was always something happening to waylay my attempts. This is my "I have had it, it's going up as is!" video for ya.  I promise I won't be so crazy from here on out (or will I?) LOL

Click this link to go to the main Virtual Homeschool Co-op channel (this is the first assignment video but you can go back to the playlist to see them all).  Seriously, there are some awesome gals who have joined and their responses are great.

And if you haven't already subscribed to my channel-please do so!  Thanks!

Continent Boxes: South America

Here we are, having moved across the ocean to study S. America.  But wait-you may be wondering what happened to Europe? Well, here's the thing.  We will be studying the Medieval/Renaissance time period for history next year (2016-17)-so I decided to waylay the European study until then.  So we jumped across the great Atlantic to land on the S. A. shoreline.

I didn't have a lot of time to gather more goodies since I was not going to cover this until next year-but that is how things go.  So a better planned continent box stuffer would probably have a few more trinkets and things to look at.  This is what we have (so far) as I will continue to find things to pop into it (for perhaps future grandchildren).

Contents for the South American Box:

*Easter Island Statues:  From the Safari Toob World Landmarks 

*Easter Island Monument Dig kit:  This is actually a part of his archaeology unit but once done he can toss this into the box too (Amazon)

*[Venezuela] Wooden Chocolate Box:  gift from a friend (yes, we have some awesome friends who understand our need for chocolate)

*[Brazil] Trinket Box:  gift from sister-in-law who is from Brazil.

*Animal Cards:  from the animals card set from Target

*S.A. landmark cards:  Landmarks cards set from Target

*Postcards:  from my sister-in-law

*Stamps:  mostly from eBay

*Coins:  from eBay

*We also have access to a gorgeous travel bag my sister-in-law gave our oldest daughter (for graduation) that was hand-made in Puru (out of llama or alpaca wool-just cannot recall which)

*Bat:  there are many bats to be found in S.A.  so I thought I would throw this dude in (probably from the dollar store)

*Birds:  from Safari Toob Exotic Birds set

New goodies:

 *Chullo Hat from Peru  (made from Alpaca wool): purchased from Ebay

*Handmade purse from Brazil:  gift from my daughter (she recently traveled there for work)

**The turtle box was not suppose to be pictured in the SA box-apparently Aruba is a part of NA even tho it sits right off the coast of Venezuela.  

***********************************

I could purchase the Rainforest Safari Toob too.  I still may do that.  Just haven't had the time to really add more to this.  Plus, I plan on hitting the Goodwill and Salvation Army to look for souvenirs from here as well. That's all we have in our box for now-hope it helps you out for ideas. 

Field Trip Idea:

We are going to go to dinner at our local Rainforest Cafe.  Just to enjoy the (albeit fake and noisy) ambiance of the S.A. landscape-well and the food and the mist that drizzles here and there near the displays. LOL

Artist Study: Monet

image from Wikipedia.com

Claude Monet

Books:

Monet Art Activity Pack
I own

Linnea in Monet's Garden (HB)
don't own but recommend this-
great for young and old :)

Some books [in the pic] were from our library.
I forgot to write down the titles/authors tho.
My bad.  Just check your library for their selections.

I have used many artist books from the "Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artist" series-Monet is one of them.  I also forgot to take the pic of the Monet and the Impressionists book for Kids I checked out (oops), and wanted to include it-so I have it linked here. We ended up using Pinterest and YouTube for our final choices.  The coloring book is another great way to add in some art projects for those who don't like to draw but would rather color/watercolor on a pre-drawn page.

                                       Mike Venezia                              Carol Sabbath                         Marty Noble

                                                                                *images from Amazon.com

Picture Study Resources:

Use calendars when you can. The prints are usually very nice and large enough to glean many details.

We have a slightly different calendar than shown below. I chose one with pictures we did not already own. The one noted below is a good choice as it has many of his more recognizable prints. Or you can use art cards like the ones I have/own in the pic above.  DON'T panic-you can purchase a new set for $11 not $61 like the ad below states! Yikes!

Notebooking Pages:

Olga's Gallery
for images/info to use on notebook page

Free:

We used this one:

Homeschool with Index Cards

Others:
Homeschool Helper Online
The Notebooking Fairy
Harrington Harmonies (free for subscribers)


Art Project Ideas:

Acrylic painting of a lily pond and a watercolor tree/shadow activity.

I want to keep the art projects separate from this due to their length. You can find out how we accomplished these two neat projects by clicking here.

Monet Art Projects: Birch Tree Watercolor and Lily Pond Painting

I chose two different methods to emulate Monet-like art projects for my son. I scoured Pinterest and just Googled "Monet art projects for kids" first, then thumbed through the Monet and the Impressionists for Kids book (linked to my Amazon Affiliate program) I borrowed from our library. My son decided on these two activities:

  Project 1:

Watercolor Birch Trees Art Project

(instructions link)

Supplies:

Large sheet of good paper (I chose to use the glossy

 paper I had on hand), brushes, watercolors, 

water/cup, masking tape, salt

 and directions found on Deep Space Sparkle's website. 

Click link above.

My son's final art piece.  He worked very hard to create a curved trunk on the right tree.  Getting the shadow was a bit tricky but I think it came out pretty nice.  He chose to not add a lot of detail except the river at the bottom [other examples show fences/more trees].
BTW: it's definitely more vibrant in person, the pic doesn't do it justice.

Project 2:

Lily Pond on Canvas Project (from YouTube)

The instructor moves very quickly.  We just stopped 

when needed to allow for my son to catch up 

before moving along.

Go to the YouTube video and watch it first.  

It is short enough to view a

 few times before starting the project.

Then get prepped and paint away!

This is my Michaels haul score!  I got the canvases for 70% off!  

Big time savings!

We'll use those for other projects-just had to share!  

I used coupons for the paint and the brushes.  I got those for 40% off.

Anyhoo-we needed the acrylic paint set since most in the kit were old and dried up.

I had purchased this art case, many moons ago, for my daughter.

It was available during the holiday season.  I am not sure if you can

still find it but if you do-it's worth the $ (use a coupon).  You could

certainly just buy a small canvas and easel to do this.

The little stand is such a cute way to showcase artwork!

 Supplies:

Computer, [access to] YouTube, canvas, 

acrylic paints, brushes, paint palette, newspapers,

water, and paper towel to wipe off paint-if need be.

I had my son put newspaper down to protect our table. 

I forgot with the first project and spent a lot of time removing

paint-even though it was just watercolors!

Our boy's final masterpiece!

A little funny for ya:  I sent a text of this pic to my hubby to show him what the boy had done (he was out of town); so he thought it was a fairly large canvas. Nope-it's actually 5 3/4" X 8".  So when he came home the next day, he was shocked and had a good laugh when he saw how small it really was. It's all about perception!  Well that, and not having jet lag to skew things.  LOL

Oh and Cleo just had to take a look see and

critique things whilst my son was painting.  

This is her "What is all this about?" look!

DYI Homeschool Planner: Planner Page Options

If you are pulling together your own homeschool planner, you will definitely need some nice pages for it. There are tons of places to look. Pinterest and Google are your best friends.  Some are free, others will have to be purchased.  Check Etsy too.  Go with what you feel will work best for you.

I have not chosen all that I need.  Simply haven't had the time to give it any more thought lately, but will have to soon enough.  Anyway-I have 3 vids up now on the pages I have picked so far (for the DYI planner) and will do a few more once I have it all tweaked and ready to go.  Enjoy!

Paper Choice:

 Goals/Lists/Overviews and Class Descriptions/Grades:

 Weekly Planning:

Up and coming posts and videos on the DYI Homeschool Planner series

Just a quick note on what I am planning on posting, but haven't yet.  I simply have been side lined by a variety of things that have prevented me from finishing the editing and getting the pics taken/uploaded.  So hopefully, I will get some time to get these posted.  I am still in the ordering process for the curriculum and goodies I need for next year, so once I have those-I will get that post completed.

What's coming down the pike:

1. Monet Art Study:  books and craft projects.
2. S. America Continent box.
3. Books for tweens/teens (I will add a few for younger kids in it too) about S. America.
4. DIY Homeschool Planner: variety of pages to go inside and where I found them (also have to shoot a video on that)
5. 2016-17 curriculum choices.
6. Some neat discounted goodies I have found lately-all school related.
7. Future YouTube vids planned.  This includes a workbox series.
8. Route 66 Bible program review.  Still working on this so not quite ready to give a fair opinion on it.

Right now that is all I can remember.  We start baseball next week, so it may take a wee bit of time to get these done.  The S. A. posts will probably be first.  The boy needs to complete his last Monet project before I can post that one.  So look for those soon-ish.  :)

I have 3 vids up now on the pages I have picked so far (for the DYI planner)

Paper Choice:

 Goals/Lists/Overviews and Class Descriptions/Grades:

 Weekly Planning:

Pulling Together a History Study (or any other subject for that matter) Part I

Before I go any further-please note, my son is in high school but you can take this advice and morph it to fit any grade level. I am mentioning this because I have a in depth history planning post that talks about the books/ideas and materials we will use for him.  If you have many children you can always organize your study to include various levels of material to fit everyone. Obviously, for the younger student, designing your study with a less intense agenda with more activities is your best option.  But don't think the older kids should be regulated to text books and boring stuff-no ma'am.  Be sure to include fun, hands-on projects that really pull everything together.  Esp. if you have a student who learns better that way.

My son is a hands-on kinda guy so having a few things that are not notebooking, reading, or narrating is essential.  I add in timelines, cooking/baking, art projects, building stuff, and hopefully-a few trips to places that resonate with the era we are studying.

Helpful Tips and Ideas:

*START with catalogs, websites/blogs and Pinterest.  Depending on what it is you are going to cover-you should find oodles of ideas and links.  

*Look at those teacher guides...(most sites allow you to see what their scope and sequence is)  it should list what is covered and when.  This is a general baseline to follow (after all, you may have already covered some of that material), it is not a "must do" for you.  It should help you corral the main areas into a manageable 'to cover' list so you can keep from becoming overwhelmed. 

*Jot down some notes on what your goal is for this study.  Refer to this a lot.  History (esp) is a whopper to tackle.  You cannot do it all, or cover every bit of it.  Just pare it down to fit your schedule. Once you know what truly interests your child(ren) then you can always revisit that time frame with a more in-depth look into those particular areas.  

*Utilize your LIBRARY!  I cannot stress this enough.  I usually go to Amazon first, to search the title so I know for sure what it is I am looking for, then click over to the library catalog to hunt them down. Usually, you should be able to get many of the books you are interested in.  Request them now.  Once they arrive, go through them.  You'd be surprised at how many of them won't meet your needs or simply won't fit your study (schedule/child's age/etc.) -so check them off the list and look for more. This way you can eliminate and whittle the list down to only those books that should work for you.

*Write down every book you do want to use and the author. Note if your library owns it or if you need to pre-request it before your target date for that lesson.  Now you'll have a master list to refer to as you pull together your study.

*I must point out-there are many good programs are out there that have done this for you.  BUT-I have been at this for ages-so I can attest to the fact that even those guides will fail at some point.  Not every kid will be engaged in the books/projects that are listed.  Many will be boring...seriously. Others will just be too young/old for your child(ren)'s current skills/level or just plain stupid.  I say that because we follow Charlotte Mason's method of choosing living books that are written by people who love and know the subject.  Not those written by uniformed, or silly authors who are required to fill some quota or the shelves.  Does this mean we never read a 'fun' book-oh of course not. But be selective folks.   

I personally love to supplement a bunch of reference material and additional books to really jazz up what we are studying.  It's a bit of work but always pays off in the end.  That includes finding art projects, kits, songs, movies, and so forth that will enhance and solidify the point of your study. Knowing your child's learning style is a must here. This is where you find those items that will engage and keep them interested from beginning to end.

OH, and here is a soapbox moment from a seasoned (or is that battered? LOL) mother. Kids will have to learn to 'just deal' with some things they deem boring or useless.  It's a fact of life-and a valuable lesson-not everything we will do is a picnic or an amazing amusement park vacation type of event. Let's face it, most of what we do is mundane and necessary but not always a whoop it up good time. Push them through those rough moments and continue on.  Bail only if it sinks faster than a lead filled sub. But don't dump it until you have given it sufficient time. I have found allowing my son to do something else whilst I read helps a lot with this problem.  When he was younger he could play quietly with Legos, Play-Doh or small toys but was required to listen.  In fact, he learns best this way-boring book or not! All too often Junior will 'think' it will stink, only to find that those very books/activities were what they say they enjoyed the most. Go figure. Remember-you are the parent/teacher with foresight and life knowledge-right?  So press on dear mother-press on.

*Depending on what type of a planner you are (big time all fancy like, or just a simple outline kinda gal)-sketch it out and type up your schedule with potential dates, books needed by and other must haves (be prepared) so that when the time comes you can start with (hopefully) little or no glitches. Also, if possible-print up any notebook pages, coloring sheets, and any other needed items way before the study is to begin.  It will save you tons of frustration and time later on.  I place all the books I own onto our current year bookshelf so they are within my grasp and I put the projects/kits and any other pre-gather items I can into a tub to pull out when needed.  

*Know your state/college requirements for documenting this stuff.  Esp. for Jr/Sr high.  Keep your records and if need be-a few good projects/papers/etc. that you can put into your portfolio or 'save' tub for reference.  Our state doesn't require anything really, but I do keep records for my ability to create a transcript (only for high school) otherwise, I would just save a few cute projects to tuck away for "Mom's Cry and Remember When" keepsake box.  

What If?

*We get off schedule (pretty sure that will happen)?...well don't panic.  Just pick up where you left off and keep going.  Adjust or drop things on your list if you must stick to a strict time frame-otherwise, just delete what you can live without or don't do anything at all and just keep on keeping on til done.

*The child and/or I loathe the book/project choice?  Well first off, figure out why you loathe it, maybe just finding a different version of it will fix the problem. If it is closer to the 'just don't wanna do it' or what have ya-then see if changing the attitude about it refreshes the zeal to carry on with it. IF it totally bombs, just drop it.  Life is too short to fuss over a book or something 'others say' is an absolute must for your child. Bah humbug to that!  Trust your gut. Just note what it was, find a different version or another way to cover it, then down the road, revisit it.  

*I am not good at planning or researching?  Well sistah, it's time to strap on your planner's cap and get to it.  Research how others do it (Pinterest is great for this, blogs too!) and try out options til you find what works.  Even if that simply means listing books, resources and noting your overall goal. That should be enough for most.  

*I just dropped a pretty penny on an all-inclusive study guide/curriculum.  Do I need to do all this? Well, yes and no. Your work will be less, but I still suggest you hunt down some other book options and additional activities/projects as a cushion.  Esp. if you are uncertain how you child learns best.  I always have a guide (usually Beautiful Feet Books or Sonlight for history) as my backbone.  I tweak it to fit each student.  I have taught three through high school graduation and am currently on number four.
For example:  I have two girls and two boys.  Each child was drawn to different book topics and styles and they all absorbed info differently. Due to their learning style I would change (when necessary) some of what was required for their reading.  My son (14) loves the manly-man stuff, where my daughter (graduated in 2012) could have cared less. She truly enjoyed the clothing/life styles/cooking/art styles and general aspect of the different eras over the particular wars/battles/political events and all that related to it.  So I added and deleted books that would appeal to each of them. The older two were closer in styles but still had enough variances to require some changes. Our oldest daughter really liked the political side of history and our oldest son was more about timelines/dates and events...so again-no guide will completely hit each child's interests. So be prepared and if you don't need for this particular year, perhaps you can pull that out down the road for another student.

*I cannot afford all those books!? Remember how I said to utilize your library?  Well here is where you can save hundreds.  Also, look for their book sales...I have found many good books for our history and science needs for just a few dollars per stack!  Borrow from a friend, if you have the good fortune of having a pal who has already studied or has the particular book you need.  Be sure to respect that privilege and return it in a timely manner and without damage...don't lose a friend over a book. :)

Also, look to used book sites such as Homeschool Classifieds, Vegsource's used curriculum boards, Ebay or Amazon. 

I rarely buy the whole curriculum unless I know I have a lot of kids to go thru it.  So I have not bought any big program for years now, but did way back when. I definitely got our money out of it and then some.  But not every book worked (as I have said) so I had to adjust as needed.  I usually only buy what I absolutely cannot find. That is where going through the book lists is a must. Go through your shelves and library catalog then jot down what is totally unavailable. Buy only those books.  It always saves me lots of cash to put toward other things for our homeschool.  Like those cool activity kits, games and so forth.

What Next?

At this point, I am not completely sure how it will all work together.  What I will do is keep a log so I can refer to this when actually writing out the schedule. So I will:

*Count the number of pages each book has so I can assign a certain number per day to cover. Or go by chapters.  That will give me a good guideline for planning

*Look at my backbone guide to check the order of how things are introduced. I can then add that info into my notes, listing all the extras or switch ups I will want to cover.

*Note if it is a reader for my son, a read-aloud or if it is simply a good reference book.

Then again, when compiling this into a plan I can simply add those selections in. 

**Remember, if you are using an all inclusive/pre-designed/boxed curriculum, just take a few notes and mention where the extras need to be added so that when the time comes-you have that material ready to go.  Since I need to tweak this study to fit my son's interests and skill levels, I have my work cut out for me.  But I have done this enough times through the years that I am able to whip up something usable, and well, I kinda enjoy the challenge.  I can always add or delete if I have to. Again-this is my backbone plus goodies guide...not a millstone about my neck.

Now that should give you some tips to take that leap and pull together a nice unit.  Don't forget to decide if you will make it a semester or year long study and what era you will delve into.

Need more help?  Leave a comment and I will try to answer.  :)