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.