Weekly Wrap-Up 3/11 - 3/15: Sick week

Both kids were battling sickness this past week. Tank was diagnosed with a double ear infection and Monster came down with a terrible cough. School was pushed to the very minimum, but we did get some reading and math in.

Tank showed that she is learning a lot from sitting in on Monster's lessons. She can show any number from 1-100 on the abacus :). It is amazing!! I had no idea! I love that RightStart places a lot of emphasis on place value. Both kids are understanding how to make tens quickly. We didn't work through any lessons in RS A, but just talked about math and worked with the abacus to solve problems around the house.

Monster is really taking off in reading. We worked on reading Dr. Seuss books this week and he can figure out words that he has never seen quickly. I have to remind him of rules at times, but he loves being able to figure out a word by sounding it out. He is still pointing out words on the T.V. that he can recognize all the time. Tank makes leaps in reading that amaze me. She is starting to recognize common cvc words instead of sounding them out. Bob Books are much easier to read when she isn't sounding out "cat" ten times. I really don't think she will need to work through AAR. I'm trying to think of a way to convince her not to follow in big brother's footsteps. I have Logic of English Foundations and may begin it with her next week.

Overall, we had a wonderful week. We all needed to recharge and still managed to learn new things on a very sleep-deprived week.

Weekly Review 3/4 – 3/8

Bible: This week we covered the next five stories in The Beginner’s Bible. We were introduced to Isaac and Jacob. This is still the kids favorite part of the day.

Reading: Monster completed lessons 14 and 15. We are still working on the first rule of silent “e”. Monster seems to be catching on and picking up the words quickly. Words that follow a specific rule make the most sense to him.

Math: Monster completed lessons 33-38. He worked on adding with the abacus on his own and I am trying to encourage him to work them out mentally. If he doesn’t realize the answer right away, the abacus is right next to him at all times. Math is still easy according to Monster .

Handwriting: Monster practiced letters o, g, c, and e. Handwriting is becoming an easier task for him. We haven’t worked on writing outside of his workbook, but will start to practice copywork after he learns how to properly form all of his lowercase letters.

Other:  This week I decided to row The Glorious Flight by Alice and Martin Provensen. Monster was interested for the first few days, but his interest was still gone after a couple of readings. He was very excited about the field trip planned to the C.R. Smith American Airlines Museum, though.

Update time!

   

Bible: This week we read about Noah and Abraham. We are making our way through The Beginner’s Bible. This has actually turned out to be the kids favorite part of school .

Reading: Monster worked on lessons 12 and 13. The focus is one learning the first rule of silent “e”. It took him a bit to catch on, but he is starting to notice it all around now. The fluency sheets can be very overwhelming and I usually split them into a couple of days. Tank sits in on the lessons when she wants and tend to figure out words before Monster. This doesn’t seem to frustrate him though, thankfully. I can’t wait to start on AAR 1 with her this fall. We are reading through the Bob Books from Set 1 when she brings them to me, but she still sounds out each word, every single time. This is perfectly normal and I don’t want to push her to read sooner than she is ready.

Math: Monster worked through lessons 27-32. I am still feeling the RightStart love and so is Monster. The lessons are the perfect length and progress at a perfect pace for Monster. I’m looking at an option for next year that will be easy to afterschool with. RightStart can be time consuming and needs to be done together the entire time. I believe his reading and handwriting skills will be one a level that allows him to complete some workbook math on his own. I am looking into Singapore (again!) to see if it will be a good fit. I could then teach a short lesson from the HIG and textbook and then set him free to finish the workbook portion on his own while I make dinner or clean nearby. Tank will start RightStart in the fall while Monster is at school and can’t wait!

Handwriting: Monster is now working on writing his letters after finishing up all the lessons on his numbers. HIs fine motor skills are shocking compared to where we were before Christmas. He is confident in his ability to form letters and doesn’t complain about handwriting time at all anymore.

 

Everything else: We are currently reading through A Treasury of Mother Goose and The Story of Dr. Dolittle. We haven’t done any art lessons, history, or science formally this past week. If Monster had an interest in a topic, I would simply discuss it with him or search online. This gave Mom a much needed planning break.

However, I recently discovered Charlotte Mason .

Reading about her educational philosophy has totally rejuvenated my spirit. I love the idea of incorporating all subjects together. Which leads me back to FIAR. However, this time there will be much less planning. No printed worksheets, no over-planned lessons that hardly interest the kids, and no pre-conceived idea of how the week will go. I will look up a local place to visit for a field trip and request a few optional books from the library. However, I won’t plan time what days to read each one. I will simply place them in a bin in the area we typically school and allow the kids to look through them. If they are interested in one, we will read it. If they could care less about one, it will simply stay in the bin until it returns to the library. I think this will cause me less stress and allow me to simply enjoy the spark of learning a book can bring.

Looking Ahead to the fall with Tank

This fall will begin Tank’s pre-kindergarten year. However, she is beyond the scope of most programs geared toward typical 4yr olds. She has spent majority of the year sitting in on Monster’s lessons. She can now count to 20, sound out CVC words, and is beginning to form letters and numbers. Tank also knows all of her shapes, colors, and can create patterns. Do you see the dilemma of placing her in any pre-kindergarten program?!

There is also the added factor that I may need to pass schooling on to my mother at times throughout the year. It will just be a day here and there, but I would like to have an easy program that she can jump right in to. I know that we will start AAR 1 and RightStart A which are very scripted programs. I could simply leave my mother with a sticky note placed on the lesson we are working on. Simple and easy. However, Tank is never content with just reading and math. School is part of life and fun. I want to encourage that and provide more opportunities for her to learn and grow. Monster will also be gone at school all day, leaving her without her playmate.

Programs I am considering: My Father’s World , Heart of Dakota, Sonlight (no idea which core as she is sitting through P4/5 with Monster this year), or Memoria Press. Each program has pros and cons. I’m still searching for more.

I am also considering putting together my own plan, but planning it out for the year. This way I could just hit the print button and my mother could check off each item as it is completed. Unfortunately I am a terrible planner and burnout quickly.

I’m simply thankful it is only February

February Burnout

I have officially hit the point of homeschool burnout. I am exhausted. I don't want to spend the night planning lessons, I want to sleep or read something for pure entertainment. The schedule is packed and this mommy needs a rest. The kids are progressing and actually enjoying their lessons more, but my enthusiasm fades before lunch. More screen time has happened then I care to share with everyone.

It is time for a change. I need a schedule created by someone else and I need simple quick activities that I can actually find the supplies to. I need.... Sonlight P4/5.

I bought this curriculum back in September, but set it aside in favor of FIAR and a home-made schedule. Planning was fun and I was riding on newbie adrenaline. That adrenaline is gone :). I was so happy to look over and see the teacher guide that has planned read-a-louds, science, Bible, and world studies. The suggested activities are simple and use items already lying around the house. This also means much less trips to the library. Putting items on hold and picking them up each week has just become a big mess. I forget what I have on hold and hardly use all the books once their home. It also dampens my spirit when the kids could care less about the books I find fascinating.

I also want to incorporate Bible stories into our homeschool. This is a new journey for my family as well. This past weekend we found a church we all love. I am so excited to introduce my children to God. I went to church as a kid, but became torn on my feelings as a teenager and as an adult. I've found my way back and am now ready to help my children find him as well :)

I'm also going to leave more time for Monster to pursue his interests. He loves learning about the human body so we will spend many days discussing every function and part. When he has fulfilled all of his questions, we will move on to something else. I am not planning any science or history outside of our Sonlight readings. I've seen Monster learn so much more through discussion about his interests than anything I plan out.

Wish us luck! Summer cannot come soon enough!

Weekly Update 2/11 – 2/15

Reading: Monster completed lessons 7, 8, and 9. Long vowel sounds tend to throw him for a loop. It is going to be a slow process for him, but I know that he can do it. Tank is going to start at the beginning of AAR Pre-1 again and work at about 3 lessons a day. She can sound out words, but I really want to give her time to grow a bit more before we start AAR 1. I also need to order another student activity book and the extra games for level 1. I wasn’t planning to put her through AAR as she picks up reading much easier than Monster, but she wants to follow the same process as her big brother.

Math: Monster completed lessons 17 – 23. RightStart is still a love for both of us. I can’t recommend this program enough for a child that needs short and fun lessons. Monster enjoys all the games and repetition built in. I don’t have to remember to review concepts he’s already learned because the teacher’s manual lists it under the warm-up everyday. Tank still sits in on the lessons, but more of the material is going over her head. She likes to play the games, but she is back to working on Singapore K A which is more at her level. 

Handwriting: Monster practiced numbers 1- 7. He still gets frustrated when he can’t form a number correctly the first time, but his fine motor skills are definitely improving.

History: This week we started our unit on Ancient Egypt. We talked about life along the Nile River and created a model of the river. This model wasn’t very successful, but I think the kids understood the concept behind it . We also covered ancient writing and Monster and Tank wrote their names in hieroglyphics. This was a big hit even though I had to help out quite a bit.

Art: Monster and Tank worked on Lesson 3 from Home Art Studio. I did most of the cutting in this project as it is Monster’s least favorite thing in the world. If he never had to cut another thing in the world, he would be happy.

Weekly Update 2/4 – 2/8

Reading: Monster is still progressing wonderfully with AAR. Reading is still a challenge for him and he tries to avoid it, but I can tell that his confidence is growing. He is starting to recognize words we haven’t covered in the program and likes to point out words he knows on TV or in the store. Monster finished lesson 6 and started lesson 7. The lessons have a lot of components and tend to take longer for Monster to finish, but I don’t want to rush him. Tank still participates in reading time and can usually decode faster than Monster. I will probably begin working through Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading with her as she doesn’t need the incremental approach that Monster does.

Math: Monster completed lessons 13-16 of RightStart A. He is still excited about the program and I love the short lessons. They are just long enough to keep him engaged and learning without losing his attention. I love that it has a variety of topics presented, but constantly reviews previous lessons. Tank joins in on all of his lessons, but I can tell that some of the concepts fly over her head. We work on Singapore K A when she wants her own math time and will switch to RightStart A in the Fall.

Handwriting: Monster is not complaining about practicing handwriting!! He still gets frustrated when he doesn’t form a number correctly, but he keeps trying :) Tank and Monster are also fascinated with mail. They love sending and receiving mail so I bought them cardboard mailboxes to use as their own. Mail has been flying all over my house!



 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Story of the World Ancients: We took a detour this past week as Monster wasn’t enjoying listening to me read from the book. I’ve decided to continue learning about ancients, but use the Magic Tree House books instead. Monster loves these books and can’t wait to start learning about Mummies next week.

I didn’t capture many good photos this week, but I promise to have a ton for next week!