If you’ve been around here awhile, you know my new 3rd grader loves just about everything when it comes to school subjects. Sometimes that makes it hard to keep up with him, but I’m loving the benefits of homeschooling and how I can formulate a curriculum plan that works for him while engaging all of his interests. If you ask him what his favorite subject is, he’ll answer “math,” but he’s also a huge science fan and he’ll spend hours reading his favorite chapter books. When I say he loves it all, I mean it! This year, we’ll be continuing to use what worked for us last year, and we’ll also be adding a new science curriculum, typing, and cursive to our homeschool days. I’m excited to share our 3rd grade homeschool curriculum choices with you!
This post is sponsored by Apologia. This post also contains affiliate links. If you were to make a purchase through one of my links, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Some products were gifted, including some curriculum from The Good and the Beautiful and Apologia. All opinions are 100% my own and not influenced in any way. See full disclosure here.
Click on any pink links to shop the curriculum and homeschool supplies.
Morning Time/ Bible & Devotional
Our morning time has evolved over the years as my son has grown. I started doing a morning time routine when my son was only 2 years old (mostly reading aloud a Bible story from his preschool story Bible) and I slowly added in calendar time and other activities when he was 4 years old. You can find all the Bible storybooks and devotionals we have used over the years listed here. Now at 8 years old and in third grade, we’ll continue the same routine that we did for second grade which I detail below.
Devotional Time
We always start every morning with our daily devotional while we’re eating breakfast. These family devotionals have made a huge impact on us over the last few years. Every week day has a 10 minute devotional that includes reading a Bible passage (directly from your own Bible), reading a couple of paragraphs about the Bible story, questions (and answers), and a prayer. Although I started using the Old Testament devotional when he was 4.5 years old, my son understood the Bible stories we read and most importantly he grasped onto key elements of the gospel. These devotionals are so unique because they can be used from 4 years old all the way to teens. I feel like everyone would get something out of this devotional time!
Whether we’re doing the Old Testament or New Testament devotional, each day’s reading always makes a connection to Jesus. Once we completed the Old Testament (Long Story Short) devotional book, we worked through the New Testament devotional called Old Story New the last 1.5 years. I plan to start the Old Testament devotional again for this school year (and we’ll finish in 4th grade as its a 78 week study). I have been humbled by my son’s deep and thoughtful questions and the discussions we have had while doing these daily devotionals together. These devotionals make it easy to regularly have open and meaningful discussions about the gospel, and they have been a foundation to our school days.
World Watch News
The other part of our morning time is World Watch News. Funny enough, this is also 10 minutes long and we watch the daily episode right after we complete our 10 minute family devotional. World Watch gives us 10 minutes of daily news from a Christian worldview. We have been enjoying World Watch News as a part of our morning time for a full year now, and we even continued with it during the summer. This time has become a favorite staple in our mornings! It gives us the ability to stay informed about current events both here and around the world. I love that I can stay informed, too! Because the news is produced by Christian journalists, I know I can trust what they’re sharing. We also love the fun and educational segments they add into the episodes! I love how every episode ends with the quote, “Remember, whatever the news, the purpose of the Lord will stand.”
You can try out World Watch News for free for 3 months with my code SARABETH: Use my link for a Free 3 Month Trial! It’s the perfect way to try it out to see how your family likes it! (Note: the free trial starts with 30 days free then it will renew at $0 (nothing!) for a total of 3 months free!).
Language Arts
Curriculum
Getting into our 3rd grade homeschool curriculum choices, we’ll be using Level 3 from The Good and the Beautiful for Language Arts. This will be our 4th year using this curriculum for Language Arts. The Language Arts course also covers multiple subjects including reading, phonics, writing, spelling, literature, grammar, punctuation, geography, and art. The lessons are so colorful and engaging, and there’s often wonderful stories woven throughout the lessons. My son especially loves when a lesson includes a watercolor tutorial through the free app. Occasionally, a lesson will refer you to watch a spelling or phonics video or book on their free app. Both my son and I have loved these videos. The Letter Tiles app (for practicing spelling) and the Booster Card games (for reading/phonics in the previous levels) are such a fun addition for extra practice but are not necessary if you want to limit screen time.
I also like how the lessons emphasize God, family, high character, nature, and wholesome literature. My son showed an interest in learning to read at 4 years old, and I watched his reading soar once we started this curriculum at 5 years old. The reading booster cards from levels K-2 made it so easy to teach him how to read, and he is now an avid reader of chapter books with over 100 pages! Since we’ll be using level 3 this year, the level 3 course set comes with a set of phonics read-together books. Although my 8 year old already snuck these books (hah!) and has been reading them over the summer, we’ll read them together this school year, taking turns for the parent/student sections. You can see flip-throughs of the above books linked on my Instagram here.
You can check out the Language Arts curriculum by clicking here. The entire courses for all levels from Level K through Level 8 are also available to download for free (yes, you read that right!!). This is such a blessing that The Good and the Beautiful offers their courses as free downloads! You can print them to try them out for free. You can also take a free placement test to see which level of Language Arts your child would need.
Independent Reading: Chapter Books
Almost all of my son’s favorite books that he reads independently are from The Good and the Beautiful’s bookshop. I love that they’re wholesome stories that model positive character growth and perseverance as well as respect and gratitude for parents, siblings, and teachers. I can trust the content is clean, and I don’t have to pre-read them to make sure we approve of the content. They’re absolutely beautiful and fun stories that he loves to read again and again! I recently shared flip-throughs of several of these books so you can see how each level looks.
Handwriting, Typing, and Cursive
The Language Arts curriculum incorporates some handwriting, and we’ll continue to use The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting workbooks. We’ll be using The Good and the Beautiful level 2 Handwriting. Near the end of 2nd grade, my son started showing an interest in learning cursive, so I ordered him Cursive Kickoff from Learning Without Tears. We have used both curriculum companies for handwriting over the past 4-5 years (starting in Pre-K because he showed interest), and we like both. We can always make adjustments if one style of workbook works better for him this school year.
Typing
We will be using Typing 1 from The Good and the Beautiful. We had this course for 2nd grade, but never got to starting it so we will be incorporating it into our lessons for 3rd grade. They offer three levels of typing courses and they’re all linked here.
Math
This is our fourth year using the math curriculum from The Good and the Beautiful, and we couldn’t love it more! As someone who has tutored in math for over 10 years (not counting homeschooling!), I have loved the way this math is taught. The curriculum is spiral math so concepts build upon each other more and more throughout the course. Each lesson ends with an Independent Review section, so the different math concepts also get reviewed consistently.
We’ll be using Math 3 for third grade. We both love the interactive learning activities and hands-on games woven throughout the lessons. The lessons really hold my son’s attention, and he always looks forward to math lessons! When I was searching for the right math curriculum for us, I knew I wanted it to include colorful pages and fun hands-on learning activities. I knew I didn’t want math to be black and white pages full of only math problems (that must be how I remember learning math!). The lessons are so colorful and engaging, and they’re inviting! My son always looks forward to the games and activities in the math lessons!
The math curriculum (levels K-3) comes with a box of fun math manipulatives that are used throughout the lessons. I love how we have all the pieces we need in a small organized box. It makes lessons a breeze especially if you want to take it on-the-go. We also have the Musical Multiplication books (this is now all digital and you can download the Musical Multiplication App here). The Musical Multiplication App goes along with Math 3, and my son already started listening to the songs and he has been asking for more. I can tell this is going to be such a fun way for him to memorize his multiplication facts! My son is always asking to do more math! We have loved this math, and we look forward to Math 3. You can see flip-throughs of the Math 3 book linked on my Instagram here.
The full math courses for all levels from Level K through Level 8 are also available to download for free (yes, you read that right!!). This is such a blessing that The Good and the Beautiful offers their courses as free downloads! You can print them to try them out for free. You can also take a free placement test to see what level of math you would need.
Science
I’m so excited to introduce an official curriculum for science for the first time in our homeschooling journey! After a lot of research, both online and chatting with my trusted homeschool mom friends who have forged ahead of me, I have decided to use Apologia’s Exploring Creation with Zoology 3: Land Animals of the Sixth Day (2nd Edition). The Zoology courses are for grades K-6, and they do not need to be completed in order so we chose Land Animals first because that covers such a wide array of animals. My son has always had a love of animals and learning interesting facts about animals so I’m looking forward to diving into this newly updated textbook. We will be using the Zoology 3 Textbook, the corresponding Zoology 3 Notebooking Journal, and the Audiobook (an audio version of the textbook so we can occasionally listen on the go!).
Apologia’s curriculum is Christ-centered and Biblically-based which makes me feel confident to know the subject is being taught through the lens of Biblical teaching. Bible verses are woven throughout the lessons, and I especially love the blue text boxes called “Creation Connection” and “Grounded in Truth.” I have read quite a few sections ahead and it looks like I will also be learning so much right alongside my son!
Although the main book is a textbook, it’s not like any traditional textbook I have ever read in my schooling experience (it’s not at all like public school textbooks). The Zoology 3 textbook is a Charlotte-Mason-style living book that Apologia aims to cultivate and inspire a love of learning through reading, journaling, observing, narrating, and fun activities. The book shares detailed descriptions of animals, broken up into three different groups: wild animals, livestock, and the creatures that move along the ground.
I recently started the lessons with my son, and we have both loved reading the textbook! I love how easily the text flows to read aloud. The textbook is written as if the author is sitting and having a conversation with the readers. Just within the first couple of lessons, I have noticed how conversational the book is, as we often pause to discuss thoughts and questions. Both the Zoology 3 textbook and Notebooking Journal are full of colorful photographs of animals to compliment the text in the lessons. Fun and hands-on activities are incorporated throughout the textbook, which often link up with the Notebooking Journal. I noticed many of the activities refer you to use the Notebooking Journal to document or complete the activity. Although the activities can be done on a blank sheet of paper, I think we’ll be happy we have the journal to have a place for all of the prepared activities.
We’re a few of weeks into the lessons, and we are both loving the hands-on activities in the Notebooking Journal. The Notebooking Journal provides a beautiful space full of notebooking activities and templates, full-color mini books to create, experiment project pages, vocabulary, drawing pages, review questions, coloring pages, Scripture copywork, and field trip sheets. Here’s an activity he recently worked on in which he got to classify and draw one of his favorite animals in his journal.
The notebook offers a suggested schedule of completing one full lesson every two weeks, while working on science two days a week. The schedule includes details about what sections to complete in the Notebooking Journal as well as what pages to read in the textbook. I plan to follow the suggested schedule which would mean we’d complete a full lesson every 2 weeks. Zoology 3 has 14 lessons, so we’ll plan to finish the course after 28 weeks.
I love that this curriculum incorporates reading aloud, journaling, and optional experiments and activities. As always with any curriculum, the activities and experiments are optional so you can tailor them to your family’s needs. We’re looking forward to immersing ourselves into this curriculum, and I see several zoo field trips in our near future!
You can use code SARABETH10 for 10% off at this link: Apologia Homeschool Curriculum
See my flip-through’s of the Zoology 3 textbook and Notebooking Journal in this IG reel.
History
We will continue using the course Early American History from Beautiful Feet Books. We started this curriculum in first grade and continued at a slower pace for second grade. My plan is for us to complete this course this school year during third grade. We have absolutely loved this curriculum and the books that go along with it. We have gone down many rabbit trails and taken this course at our own pace.
As someone who highly disliked history in school when I was younger, I absolutely love it now with this style of learning! I have never enjoyed history more! My son loves the read-alouds of living books that correspond with discussion questions and notebooking. The Teacher Guide, notebook, and books are also sold separately if you’d like to utilize the library for some of the books. The Teacher Guide is open-and-go, and it includes clear instructions, Bible verses, and optional activities.
At the heart of this wonderful curriculum is carefully selected living books that foster character development and build a deep connection to the past. We have really enjoyed the books, and we look forward to reading more! We have also paired this with some fun field trips, and we have never loved History more!
Use code Farmhouse25 for free shipping when ordering from Beautiful Feet Books!
Geography
We will continue using U.S. Geography from Beautiful Feet Books. Similarly to History, we have taken this course very slow and we plan to finish it this school year for third grade. This course is designed to be completed in one year if you complete weekly lessons. This will be our third year using this course but we took a little break from it during part of second grade and we also have re-read several of the books (that’s the beauty of homeschooling!).
My son loves the picture books and the giant foldable USA map. This course features beautiful and interesting living books, mapping, and fun hands-on activities. You can also purchase the Teacher Guide, map, and books separately but the curriculum pack makes it easy to get everything you need. Grandma Gatewood (about a grandma who hikes the Appalachian Trail), There’s a Map in My Lap, and Our 50 States are some of our favorite books that we have read countless times!
The living books help to form emotional and intellectual connections with the people and places across the United States. My son also enjoys learning about the different landforms and filling out the giant map during each lesson. The map is a fun hands-on learning tool for labeling capitals, cities, rivers, landmarks, and more. It’s sturdy and huge but folds down to 12″ by 9″ for easy storage. I’m really looking forward to diving back into this course!
Use code Farmhouse25 for free shipping when ordering from Beautiful Feet Books!
Music
My son started formal drum lessons when he was 6 in first grade, and he has been taking weekly lessons from our talented drum teacher who comes to our house. We were blessed to get our drum set for free from a Facebook group shortly after my son started showing an interest in drumming. He has always been very musical (since he was a baby really hah!), so we’re happy he has loved formal drum lessons.
He also occasionally completes the free Hoffman Academy piano lessons. We set up our iPad on the piano, and he follows along to the short lessons. He really enjoys them and the only reason we don’t do more is due to time!
Art
I’m not doing a formal curriculum for art, but because my son loves drawing and painting, I thought I’d share a few resources we’ll be using. In the past, he has taken a formal art/art history class with our co-op homeschool group, and he loved it so much! He retained so much of the information and was excited to show me the techniques he learned in class. These lessons won’t be scheduled but we’ll use them more for fun when he wants to paint or draw.
Drawing:
My son has really gotten into drawing recently. We love using Kids Art Hub for free video instructions on YouTube, but I’m also excited to add in some drawing step-by-step books on subjects he loves. Each book has 100 fun and easy drawing lessons that he can follow the step-by-step instructions to draw the pictures. We’ll be introducing the following drawings for him to do as he pleases for fun drawing lessons: Drawing 100 Fun & Easy: Flowers and Plants, Trees, and Birds. I also have the Christmas drawing book tucked away for an early Christmas present. 🙂
Painting:
We have had our watercolor paint set for a few years, and I’m amazed at how long they have lasted. The watercolor paint set, watercolor paper, and watercolor notebooks are linked here with our other favorite art supplies. The notebooks come in a 2-pack so you can join along in painting, too! 🙂 My son uses the watercolor paints to paint landscapes and various techniques he learned in his co-op art class last year. We also have the Watercolor With Me in the Forest and Slow Down books I hope to use more this year.
Extracurriculars
Aside from our 3rd grade homeschool curriculum choices, I thought I’d share that we will continue several of our extracurricular activities for third grade. These include various weekly church programs, homeschool group class day (he’ll be taking a few classes including classes that focus on a mixture of history, science, and art plus a PE class), classes, field trips, and park meetups.
Field Trips
We attend several field trips with our homeschool group and also as a family. We absolutely love field trips and learning through experiences so we try to add in field trips, community events, and day trips whenever we get a chance! I have the privilege of being one of the many field trip planners for our homeschool group, and it’s so fun to curate real world learning opportunities for the kids! If you need some field trip ideas, I often share the field trips on my Instagram account (I also have a few reels with field trip ideas).
I hope this was helpful to see our 3rd grade homeschool curriculum choices for this school year! Have you used any of the same curriculum? Let me know how your school year is going below!
