Category: Briarwood Hollow Curriculum

Briarwood Hollow Curriculum, Curriculum

Weekly Schedule & Rhythm

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Weekly Overview

Day 1

  • Language Arts, Handwriting, Arithmetic
  • Art & Artist Study
  • World History
  • Science

Day 2

  • Language Arts, Phonics, Arithmetic
  • Music & Composer Study
  • American History
  • Science/Nature Study

Day 3

  • Literature, Poetry, Mythology & Folklore
  • Handicrafts
  • Native American History & Culture
  • Geography & Culture

Day 4

  • Language Arts, Logic & Philosophy, Arithmetic
  • World Religions
  • Government & Civics
  • Elective Studies

Daily Rhythm

Morning Block (9:00-10:30 AM)

  • Core Lessons: Language Arts, Arithmetic, Literature
  • 10-Minute Breaks

Middle Block (10:40 AM – 12:00 PM)

  • History, Science, Geography, Logic/Philosophy, World Religions
  • 10-Minute Breaks

Lunch Break (12:00-1:00 PM)

Afternoon Block (1:00-2:30 PM)

  • Art, Music, Nature Study, Handicrafts, Electives
  • Hands-on Group Activities

Optional Quiet Reading or Free Exploration: 2:30-3:00 PM

Daily Rhythm Breakdown

Morning Gathering (30 min)

  • Morning song, poetry, family read-aloud, daily calendar, group nature journal

10-min Break

Lesson Block 1 (45 min)

  • Core Subject (Language Arts, Arithmetic)

10-min Break

Lesson Block 2 (45 min)

  • Secondary Subject (Science, History, Geography, etc.)

10-min Break

Lesson Block 3 (45 min)

  • Literature, Mythology, or World Religions

Lunch Break (60 min)

Lesson Block 4 (45 min)

  • Electives, Art, Handicrafts, Music, or Group Projects

Closing Circle (15 min)

  • Reflection, review, and read-aloud time

Note: Adjust timing for younger children and special needs learners as needed.

Briarwood Hollow Curriculum, Curriculum, Family-Style Learning, Homeschool, Learning

🌱 Gardening & Yard Planning Family-Style Math Lesson

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Focus: Geometry | Area | Perimeter | Multiplication | Real-Life Design

📋 Preparation (Before the Lesson)

  1. Choose a Space:
    Backyard, front yard, a raised bed, or even a large planter box.
  2. Gather Materials:
    • Graph paper or large poster board
    • Ruler, measuring tape, string
    • Markers or crayons
    • Calculators for older kids
    • Optional: Gardening catalogs or seed packets for extra fun
  3. Assign Roles:
    • Youngest: Counting seeds, measuring with string, drawing simple shapes
    • Elementary: Measuring lengths, calculating area, estimating spacing
    • Middle/High School: Full garden layout planning, scaling maps, advanced area/perimeter calculations

🪴 Step-By-Step Family-Style Lesson

🔹 Step 1: Measuring the Garden Space

  • Walk the garden space together with a measuring tape or string.
  • Measure:
    • Length and width of the whole garden (older kids)
    • Count steps or use string lengths for younger kids
  • Record measurements.

💡 Math Talk:

How many feet long is our garden?

How wide?

How would we find the area?

(Length × Width = Area)

🔹 Step 2: Mapping the Garden to Scale

  • On graph paper:
    • Older kids: Draw a scaled garden map (Example: 1 square = 1 foot)
    • Younger kids: Draw the garden and place plants with stickers or stamps
  • Discuss perimeter:
    “How much fencing would we need to go all the way around?”

💡 Family Tip:

Let everyone design their own section of the garden.

🔹 Step 3: Planning Plant Spacing

  • Review seed packets to see spacing needs.
  • Younger kids: Count how many plants can fit in one row.
  • Elementary kids: Calculate how many rows fit in the garden space.
  • Older kids: Multiply to find the total number of plants per bed.

💡 Example:

“Tomato plants need 2 feet between them. How many can we fit in a 12-foot row?”

🔹 Step 4: Calculate Planting Quantities

  • Youngest: Count seeds or starter plants.
  • Elementary: Multiply the number of rows by plants per row.
  • Older kids: Calculate space required per plant, how many can fit in multiple beds, or in a specific area.

🔹 Step 5: Optional Budgeting

  • Look up the price of seeds, soil, and fencing.
  • Older kids can:
    • Calculate total garden cost.
    • Compare prices from different stores.

💡 Family Challenge:

“How could we build this garden on a $50 budget? What can we adjust?”

🔹 Step 6: Build or Prepare the Garden Together

  • Measure again in real life while building.
  • Check if your drawn map matches your real measurements.

💡 Preschoolers:

Can help with digging, watering, and placing markers.

🔹 Step 7: Ongoing Math Extensions

  • Track plant growth with a ruler over weeks.
  • Graph weekly growth rates.
  • Calculate harvest yields per square foot.
  • Budget for future expansions based on this year’s costs.

🌿 Quick Adaptations for Special Needs

  • Visual Tools: Color-coded string, seed spacing diagrams, large print measuring charts.
  • Hands-On Learners: Use bean bags, rocks, or play coins to physically represent spacing and costs.
  • Movement Breaks: Measuring with giant steps, running to collect garden tools between tasks.

🌟 Bonus Family Challenges

  • Design a square-foot garden with exact 12″x12″ sections.
  • Create a companion planting plan using research (what grows well together).
  • Plan a pollinator garden with measured flower spacing.

Family Garden Math Worksheets

Briarwood Hollow Curriculum, Curriculum, Family-Style Learning, Game & Sensory Play, Homeschool, Learning

🍪 Cooking & Baking Math Family Lesson

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Focus: Measurement | Fractions | Ratios | Budgeting (optional)

📋 Preparation (Before the Lesson)

  1. Choose a Recipe:
    Pick something simple with multiple measurements like cookies, muffins, pancakes, or soup.
    (Example: Chocolate Chip Cookies)
  2. Gather Materials:
    • Ingredients
    • Measuring cups and spoons
    • Mixing bowls
    • Scale (optional for older kids)
    • Pen, paper, and calculator for older kids
  3. Set Group Roles:
    Assign each child a math-related job based on ability:
    • Youngest: Counting ingredients, pouring, stirring
    • Elementary: Measuring, fraction reading, doubling/halving
    • Middle/High: Scaling recipes, converting units, price calculation

🥄 Step-By-Step Family-Style Lesson

🔹 Step 1: Recipe Review & Math Talk

  • Read the recipe aloud together.
  • Point out:
    • Fractions: ½ cup, ¾ tsp, etc.
    • Units: teaspoons, cups, tablespoons.
  • Ask:
    “What would happen if we doubled this?”
    “What would happen if we halved it?”

Younger Kids: Identify numbers and simple fractions.

Older Kids: Predict how measurements will change.

🔹 Step 2: Hands-On Measuring

  • Let each child measure and pour ingredients.
  • When measuring:
    • Youngest: Count scoops aloud.
    • Elementary: Read fractions on measuring tools.
    • Older: Explain WHY fractions add up (e.g. two ½ cups = 1 cup).

Real-Life Teaching Tip: Use a clear measuring cup to show liquid fractions visibly.

🔹 Step 3: Fractions in Action

  • If the recipe says ½ cup and you only have a ¼ cup:
    • Ask: “How many scoops do we need?”
    • Let younger kids try and older kids explain.
  • Optional: Double or halve the recipe together.
    • Write out the new measurements.
    • Have older children calculate ingredient adjustments.

🔹 Step 4: Ratios & Proportions (for older kids)

  • Talk about the ratio of ingredients:
    • Example: 2 cups flour to 1 cup sugar = 2:1
  • Challenge:
    • If we want to make a double batch, what is the new flour-to-sugar ratio?
      • Does it stay the same?

🔹 Step 5: Real-Life Budgeting (Optional)

  • Let older kids look up grocery prices.
  • Calculate the cost per batch.
  • Bonus:
    “If we sell each cookie for 50¢, how much profit would we make?”

🔹 Step 6: Cooking Time Estimations

  • Ask younger kids to set a timer.
  • Older kids calculate:
    • If each batch takes 12 minutes, how long for 3 batches?

🔹 Step 7: Family Reflection

  • After enjoying the food together, discuss:
    • What math did we use today?
    • Was it easier or harder than expected?
    • What would we do differently next time?
  • Optional: Have each child draw or write a quick note in a math journal:
    • Younger: Draw what they made.
    • Older: Write out the measurements they calculated.

📌 Adaptations for Special Needs

  • Visual Supports: Large fraction visuals, color-coded measuring tools.
  • Hands-on Learners: Use dry rice or beans to practice measuring before baking.
  • Movement Breaks: Set tasks like running to get ingredients or cleaning between steps.

🔥 Pro Tip:

Repeat this lesson regularly with different recipes. Rotate who leads the math each time.

Cooking is one of the strongest, real-world math labs you can offer in your homeschool.

Family Cooking Math Journal

Briarwood Hollow Curriculum, Curriculum, Game & Sensory Play, Homeschool, Learning

Real-Life Math Activities: Seventh Grade to Twelveth Grade

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Seventh Grade

Household Budgeting

Instructions:

  1. Create a basic monthly household budget.
  2. Calculate income, bills, groceries, and savings.
  3. Adjust categories to stay within budget.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use simplified, color-coded budgeting forms.
  • Provide visual samples and guided practice.
  • Start with a smaller scale (weekly budgets).

Meal Planning for a Week

Instructions:

  1. Plan three meals per day for a week.
  2. Calculate grocery lists and costs.
  3. Adjust plan to fit budget.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Offer meal templates with pre-filled options.
  • Use pictures for menu choices.
  • Focus on 2-3 meals at a time if needed.

Eighth Grade

Planning a Small Business

Instructions:

  1. Create a plan for a small business (lemonade stand, pet sitting, etc.).
  2. Budget for supplies, advertising, and profits.
  3. Track earnings and expenses.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use pre-made templates with step-by-step questions.
  • Focus on fewer variables for easier calculations.
  • Provide visual aids like pie charts.

Tracking Household Energy Use

Instructions:

  1. Record daily energy use from utility bills.
  2. Calculate weekly and monthly consumption.
  3. Propose ways to reduce energy costs.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use visual energy charts.
  • Focus on simple comparisons (before/after changes).
  • Provide guided interpretation of utility bills.

Ninth Grade

Managing a Checking Account

Instructions:

  1. Track deposits, withdrawals, and balances.
  2. Reconcile a monthly bank statement.
  3. Practice using checks and debit registers.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use mock accounts with visual check registers.
  • Provide step-by-step reconciliation guides.
  • Focus on one transaction type at a time.

Trip Planning with Budgets

Instructions:

  1. Plan a trip to a destination of choice.
  2. Budget travel, lodging, food, and activities.
  3. Calculate total costs and compare travel options.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Provide budget templates.
  • Focus on simplified trip components first.
  • Allow calculator use and visual supports.

Tenth Grade

Tax Preparation Basics

Instructions:

  1. Introduce basic tax forms and concepts.
  2. Complete a mock tax return using provided data.
  3. Discuss gross income, deductions, and net income.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use color-coded forms with simplified examples.
  • Break the process into single-step lessons.
  • Offer guided practice with immediate feedback.

Comparing Service Providers

Instructions:

  1. Compare prices for internet, phone, or utilities.
  2. Calculate total annual costs and potential savings.
  3. Present findings in chart form.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Provide templates for cost comparison.
  • Use visual supports to compare options.
  • Limit to 2-3 providers initially.

Eleventh Grade

Car Ownership Costs

Instructions:

  1. Calculate purchase price, insurance, fuel, and maintenance costs.
  2. Compare different vehicle options.
  3. Create a monthly budget for ownership.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Provide step-by-step calculation guides.
  • Focus on fewer variables.
  • Use calculators and visual aids.

College Cost Planning

Instructions:

  1. Research tuition, housing, books, and fees.
  2. Calculate total annual and degree costs.
  3. Explore scholarship and financial aid options.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use simplified college cost worksheets.
  • Limit research to local schools.
  • Provide structured comparison charts.

Twelfth Grade

Apartment Rental Budget

Instructions:

  1. Research rental costs in local areas.
  2. Budget for rent, utilities, food, and transportation.
  3. Create a monthly budget and savings plan.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use real estate sites with simplified listings.
  • Provide templates for monthly budgeting.
  • Offer guided calculations and visual supports.

Long-Term Financial Planning

Instructions:

  1. Discuss savings, investment basics, and retirement planning.
  2. Create a sample long-term savings goal and timeline.
  3. Use compound interest calculators to explore growth.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use simple savings plans with visual timelines.
  • Provide pre-filled examples.
  • Break concepts into manageable lessons.
Briarwood Hollow Curriculum, Curriculum, Game & Sensory Play, Homeschool, Learning

Real-life Math Activities for Preschool to Twelveth Grade

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Each grade level has two games or activities to help work on math skills. Some can be used in other grades for additional practice and review of skills or just to take a break from busy work.

Preschool to Sixth Grade

Seventh Grade to Twelveth Grade

Multi-age Family-Style Math Activities

Any guides or additional resources will be added when possible.

Briarwood Hollow Curriculum, Curriculum, Game & Sensory Play, Homeschool, Learning

Real-Life Math Activities: Preschool to Sixth Grade

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Preschool

Counting Toys

Instructions:

  1. Provide a basket of small toys (blocks, animals, cars).
  2. Ask the child to count them out loud as they line them up.
  3. Encourage counting in groups of 2 or 5 to introduce skip counting.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use large, brightly colored objects for visual tracking.
  • Allow hand-over-hand support if needed.
  • Use auditory counting songs or rhymes to reinforce numbers.
  • Keep sessions under 5 minutes to support short attention spans.

Sorting and Categorizing

Instructions:

  1. Provide a mix of objects (colorful buttons, blocks, toy animals).
  2. Have the child sort by color, shape, or size.
  3. Discuss which groups have more, less, or the same number.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use clear trays or mats to define sorting spaces.
  • Offer visual examples for each sorting category.
  • Break the task into smaller, more manageable steps.

Kindergarten

Grocery Store Math

Instructions:

  1. Take the child on a grocery trip.
  2. Give them a picture list of 3–5 items.
  3. Help them find items and count quantities.
  4. Discuss prices and introduce the concept of more/less.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use picture-based shopping lists.
  • Focus on 1-2 items per trip if overwhelmed.
  • Reinforce learning with play shopping games at home.

Calendar and Weather Math

Instructions:

  1. Set up a daily calendar routine.
  2. Have the child identify the day, month, and date.
  3. Track weather and graph sunny, rainy, and cloudy days.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use a tactile or Velcro calendar.
  • Provide weather symbols for easier identification.
  • Use large-print, simplified calendar visuals.

First Grade

Cooking Measurements

Instructions:

  1. Involve the child in cooking simple recipes.
  2. Measure ingredients together using cups and spoons.
  3. Discuss fractions (half, whole, quarter) in context.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use color-coded measuring tools.
  • Offer step-by-step picture instructions.
  • Provide hand-over-hand guidance when needed.

Money Counting

Instructions:

  1. Use play money or real coins.
  2. Practice identifying and sorting coins.
  3. Set up a small store to practice buying and selling.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use large, plastic coins for easier handling.
  • Color-code coins to distinguish them.
  • Keep exchanges simple, using 1-2 coin types at a time.

Second Grade

Telling Time

Instructions:

  1. Introduce an analog clock with moveable hands.
  2. Practice setting specific times and reading the clock.
  3. Track daily routines with a visual clock.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use clocks with color-coded hour and minute hands.
  • Start with whole hours and gradually introduce half-hours.
  • Provide visual schedules linked to clock times.

Simple Budgeting

Instructions:

  1. Provide a pretend allowance and a selection of items to “buy.”
  2. Help the child decide how to spend within their budget.
  3. Practice saving and choosing priorities.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use large visual aids showing prices and coins.
  • Offer repeated practice with smaller budgets.
  • Provide guided choices with limited options.

Third Grade

Measuring Projects

Instructions:

  1. Measure items around the house using rulers or tape measures.
  2. Record lengths and compare sizes.
  3. Build simple craft projects requiring measurement.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use color-coded or large-print rulers.
  • Pre-mark starting points.
  • Provide step-by-step visual guides for projects.

Cooking with Doubling Recipes

Instructions:

  1. Cook simple recipes.
  2. Double the ingredient amounts together.
  3. Discuss multiplication in the real world.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use simplified recipes with fewer ingredients.
  • Provide a multiplication chart as a visual aid.
  • Offer one-to-one support during calculations.

Fourth Grade

Mapping and Distance

Instructions:

  1. Use local maps to measure distances between landmarks.
  2. Calculate simple walking/driving times.
  3. Create a simple map of the neighborhood.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use enlarged maps with color-coded routes.
  • Provide pre-measured distances for focus on reading skills.
  • Offer GPS-based activities for visual learners.

Home Project Budgeting

Instructions:

  1. Plan a pretend home improvement project.
  2. Budget materials and compare store prices.
  3. Track total cost and savings.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use picture-based shopping lists and price tags.
  • Limit budgeting to 2-3 items initially.
  • Guide calculations with visual charts.

Fifth Grade

Planning a Family Meal

Instructions:

  1. Plan a full family meal including a budget.
  2. Calculate total cost and portions per person.
  3. Shop and prepare the meal together.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use picture-supported recipes.
  • Provide a price list with visual cues.
  • Focus on 2-3 key calculations.

Local Travel Planning

Instructions:

  1. Choose a local destination.
  2. Calculate travel time, distance, and fuel cost.
  3. Compare different travel options.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use digital maps with step-by-step visual guidance.
  • Pre-calculate some distances to reduce overwhelm.
  • Allow use of calculators for multi-step problems.

Sixth Grade

Gardening Math

Instructions:

  1. Plan a small garden plot.
  2. Calculate square footage and spacing for plants.
  3. Track growth and harvest yields.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use graph paper with pre-drawn plots.
  • Break tasks into small, manageable steps.
  • Provide simple visual guides for plant spacing.

Personal Savings Plan

Instructions:

  1. Set a personal savings goal.
  2. Track weekly earnings and expenses.
  3. Calculate savings over time with charts.

Special Needs Adaptations:

  • Use color-coded charts.
  • Limit variables to keep calculations simple.
  • Provide frequent progress check-ins.
Briarwood Hollow Curriculum, Curriculum, Homeschool, Homeschool Library, Uncategorized, Vintage Library Collection

The Picturesque Geographical Readers

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At Home and at School

This Continent of Ours

The Land We Live in Part I

The Land We Live in Part 2

The Land We Live in Part 3

Northern Europe

Methods and Aids in Geography

Advanced Geography

Briarwood Hollow Curriculum, Curriculum, Homeschool, Homeschool Library, Uncategorized, Vintage Library Collection

Tarr and McMurry’s Geographies

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Home Geography Book 1

North America Book 2

Europe and other continents with review of North America Book 3

Home Geography Part 1

The Earth as a Whole Part 2

North America Part 3

Europe, South America, etc Part 4

Asia and Africa, with Review of North America Part 5

Briarwood Hollow Curriculum, Curriculum, Homeschool, Homeschool Library, Vintage Library Collection

Miller’s Practical English Composition

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Practical English Composition Book 1

Practical English Composition Book 2

Practical English Composition Book 3

Practical English Composition Book 4