As I start to think about next year (yes, I did say start and yes, I know it is July), I realized that some books, etc. really helped us this year. Some of the things that enhanced our school year were:

Child’s Treasury of Daily Prayers ~ If my memory serves me correctly, I bought this book in the spring. After receiving it, we began each morning by saying the prayers for the month and the day of the week. This comb-bound book also inspired us to start reading about the saint of the day again. If we said our morning prayers, I counted our day as a success. We are continuing to say the prayers for the days of the week throughout the summer. The children really like starting their day this way (so do I).

Exploring Creation with Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day ~ Catherine used this book this year and thoroughly enjoyed it. She learned a lot about sea life, improved her drawing skills, kept a notebook, made plenty of sculpey sea creatures for a model aquarium, and raised tadpoles and sea monkeys.

Saxon Math and the corresponding D.I.V.E CD ~ This was the second year that Catherine used Saxon and the D.I.V.E CD for math. Once again, she really liked it. This program in combination with the CD has made a huge difference in her thoughts on math…she actually likes it!

First Communion Preparation found in CHC’s Second Grade Lesson Plans ~ As I have said before, I wish that I had used these with my other children (I bought the plans several years ago, but never used them).

Tour a Country found in CHC’s Third Grade Lesson Plans ~ Brendan really enjoyed learning about various countries and making the travel brochures.

Music Masters CDs ~ I finally purchased these CDs thanks to the fact that Adoremus has been selling them for an excellent price, $59 for all 18 CDs. We have been enjoying listening to them.