Never did I imagine homeschooling my children, yet here we are! We wanted to start capturing our curriculum that is not so mainstream to excite and encourage others to do the same. With our transition over the next few years from Florida to Tennesse, it made sense to start with adventures between both areas that give us exposure to different things that would not normally be taught in school.
Davin is currently doing second grade and will finish about four months ahead of his peers he was in virtual e-learning with in first grade. As I have been a fan of Dolly Parton since the age of two, this made sense to create a fun way to build field trips into our family vacation.
First, we created a Dollywood Bucket List for our field trip, to inspire us to come back ready to feature the theme park, the history and the photographs we take. Next, we ordered our materials to be able to study not only Dolly but the history of her from childhood until now.
I am a big fan of ThriftBooks because you can earn free books and keep books out of the landfill. Many of the books are in like new condition and you can purchase new as well. I have saved tons of money this way and have earned multiple free books in just the first six months of using them. Their reward program is free to join and perfect for those who love to read or homeschool. You will get a free book immediately following your first $30 purchase.
Also, if easier and faster for you, Amazon always has most of the curriculum we purchase as well.
We are doing a month-long study that will have a full day field trip to Dollywood. Following our return, Davin will feature his photos, his thoughts, and his favorite things he learned not only on the website but on our social media. He will be compiling his photos, writing samples and summary of the curriculum in a folder for his yearly evaluation. This is a great way to incorporate many subjects such as Language Arts, History, Geography, Music, Art, Home Ec and more! Children learn more hands on and what is more hands on than visiting the area of the person we are studying and enjoying the rich history of her as a person and the Great Smoky Mountains?
An easy reader with chapters our first book in the lesson is Who is Dolly Parton? It starts with the history of her parents and her birth and continues through the years. An easy way to ease into the history part of the lesson.
Next, we want to read a book based on one of her personal favorite songs, also mentioned in the prior book. Her infamous “Coat of Many Colors”. This book is a children’s book and has been featured in her Imagination Library as well as countless other publications she has helped to create.
We will be following up these two reads with a fun activity book that is being released but available for pre-order at the time of publication. It has a lot of fun things to round out the lessons. It is The Unofficial Dolly Parton Activity Book but while looking at the preview, has some great material!
Have fun and take lots of pictures.
Thanks! I know it will be a blast!