Savannah is reading this book right now. She loves it; reads it every night and every time we get in the car. She draws pictures of Robin Hood and his bow and arrow. She pretends to be Robin Hood and climbs up in the trees. LOVES it.
I gave her a school assignment to write a narration about what she has read so far. It had to be at least five sentences. Here is what she wrote, as she wrote it, spelling and all. For the record:
"Robin Hood lives in Sherwood forest. When ever he or one of the men go somewhere, they disgise in scarlet. The Sheriff of Nottingham town is always tricked by Robin Hood. He went to a shooting-match and won a golden arrow. Little John won two fat steers. In the middle of the forest there was a certin tree. On the tree Robin Hood hung the golden arrow. Robin Hood told little John he had to go to Ancaster. Soon, it started to rain and he had to stay at Blue Boar Inn. He stayed the whole night. The next day he saw Arther a Bland. They foght almost half an hour. Soon they stopped. Robin Hood popped out of the bushes. He told who he was. Arther A. Bland was amased. He joined the band and then all three walked to Ancaster."
And HERE is a sample of the book. It is not an easy read.
I'm impressed with Charlotte too. She is on her second book of the Narnia series and she is not yet seven years old! I was not reading like this when I was their age.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
How to teach reading
There are many great ways to teach reading. This is my way and the curriculum I use.
First an overview:
1. Read out loud to them from birth, every day.
2. Teach them letter recognition and the first sound the letters make.
3. Wait for them to develop the skill to blend the sounds together to make a word.
4. Practice reading CVC words using a white board or tiles.
5. When CVC words come fairly easily, sit down with a beginning reader (BOB books, then McGuffey Readers)
6. Begin systematic phonics instruction. (Ordinary Parents Guide To Teaching Reading)
7. Teach all of the letter sounds (Phonics Road, level 1) You can do this anytime after step 2.
1. Read out loud to them from birth, every day.
Find a list of GOOD, high-quality, beautiful books, not dumbed-down books, and read to your children every day. I have some links on the left side of my blog for lists: 1000 Good Books and Ambleside Online booklists for years 0-3.
2. Letter recognition and the first sound the letters make.
I start at a young age and teach them the first sounds of the letters and letter recognition. I make flashcards, a card for each lower case and each upper case. After I've taught them five letter sounds or so, I will put down five letter cards and say, "which letter says /b/?" "which letter says /a/?" etc... over and over again. Clap, make a big deal... Then teach another another sound and play the same game over and over. They love it. This is for ages 3 & 4. With the cards we also match lower case to it's upper case and learn the names of the letters. Do this for about 5 min. a day and they will have letter sounds down. OR buy the leap frog movies. That works too
To help with letter recognition in words I would play a game where I would lay out 6 letters and say, "What sound comes at the beginning of book?" She would choose among the 6 letters and choose the B. You can ask, "What are some words that start with /b/?" Book, ball, bounce, big, bubble, bus, bill, buck, bubba" Just play games. Be creative.
What are the first sounds of the letters?
A=/a/ as in apple
B=/b/ as in ball
C=/ck/ as in cat
D=/d/ as in dog
E=/e/ as in egg
F=/f/ as in fat
G=/g/ as in goat
H=/h/ as in hot
I=/i/ as in icky
J=/j/ as in jump
K=/ck/ as in kick
L=/l/ as in lick
M=/m/ as in mom
N=/n/ as in nest
O=/o/ as in octopus
P=/p/ as in pig
Q=/qu/ as in queen (you can make a flashcard with just Q or Qu, since Q is always paired with U. It doesn't really matter though)
R=/r/ as in red
S=/s/ as in snake
T=/t/ as in tent
U=/u/ as in up
V=/v/ as in vest
W=/w/ as in water
X= /ks/ as in fox
Y=/y/ as in yellow
Z=/z/ as in zebra
3. Wait for them to develop the skill to blend the sounds together to make a word.
Then I start playing a new game to see if they have developed the skill of blending. While driving in the car I will say "try to guess the word I'm saying: /p/ /i/ /g/?" Keep it fun and light.
When she starts doing this with some success, as well as breaking down the word PIG into its individual sounds, you can move to the written word.
4. Practice reading CVC words using a white board or tiles.
With Madelynn, blending a three letter word on paper was too difficult at first. I would write PIG. She would sound out each letter and say "PIT", "GIB", "POG", etc. She couldn't keep all of the sounds in her head long enough to blend them together. So I changed my method. I chose the vowel "A" and only wrote a consonant and the vowel "A". So my paper looked like this:
ma
pa
ca
ba
ra
fa
She would say /m/, /a/, /ma/.
/p/, /a/, /pa/
/c/, /a/, /ca/
and so on.
Then I underlined the consonant/vowel pairs that she just read and added a "T" at the end of all of them. So now it read:
mat
pat
cat
bat
rat
fat
With my finger I would cover up the "T" and ask her to read "MA" again. She would say, /m/, /a/, /ma/.
Then I would uncover the T and she would say /t/. Sometimes she would then say /mat/ and sometimes she would have to sound it all out again.
To move on from here, I found a handy list of words online and printed them out. It is called Reading Made Easy with Blend Phonics for First Grade. This guide teaches reading the same way I do, so reading through the directions would be worth your time.
Today, I started with UNIT 1 words. I wrote them one at a time on a piece of paper, underlined the first two letters, and had Madelynn read them to me. We got through the first two columns today.
I then decided to explain the words "I" and "A". When these letters are alone in a sentence, they say their name. I then wrote on the whiteboard "I am a cat." and she read her first sentence.
I will continue through the list of words until CVC words come a little easier.
5. When CVC words come fairly easily, sit down with a beginning reader (BOB books, then McGuffey Readers)
When CVC words come fairly easy, I'll bring out the BOB books. We don't sit down with a book until CVC words come easily.
We'll sit on the couch together. I'll point with a pencil which word to sound out. I also cover the pictures. After she reads the whole sentence, I uncover the picture for her to see. This keeps them from guessing words.
When Bob Books have been conquered (the first three sets), we move on to McGuffey Readers (which both my readers LOVE).
6. Begin systematic phonics instruction. (Ordinary Parents Guide To Teaching Reading)
Sometime after we begin in the BOB books, we also start in a systematic phonics instruction book. I used Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading in the past. We start wherever they are at, not from the beginning. I end OPGTR when they are reading fluently. I have yet to finish that book. I don't know that it is absolutely necessary, but it helps me feel like we've covered all the bases.
So at this point, the reading lesson begins with one lesson from OPGTR, then at least one chapter from McGuffey every day.
I also hand them Little Bear, Frog & Toad, and other beginning readers to practice, and alternate with McGuffey. When they have read through the McGuffey Readers through Book 2, we start The Little House in the Big Woods. First we alternate reading a paragraph, then I have just the student read while I listen for mistakes.
With both of my oldest daughters, before we finish Little House, they take off on their own. When that happens, I don't sit with them to read anymore. I do ask them to tell me about what they are reading occasionally to check comprehension.
7. Teach all of the letter sounds. You can do this anytime after step 2.
Teaching ALL the phonograms and ALL the sounds. What is this? It is the easiest way to teach reading. Here is a sample of all the phonograms and the sounds they make. You can buy flashcards here with the sounds written on the back and just teach them to know the sounds when they see the phonogram. Or you can print out the flashcards from this site for free. This can replace your phonics instruction from OPGTR.
There are many programs that teach this method, which originally began with the Spalding program; the manual is called The Writing Road To Reading. The spin-off of Spalding that I used, and the easiest to use, in my opinion, is The Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading, level 1. Buy it used because it is expensive. You don't need the rest of the levels, nor would I recommend them. The great thing about Phonics Road is that the instructions are on DVD and she puts the spelling/phonics rules to easy songs to help the child remember.
Basically, you teach the child all of the sounds that each phonogram makes. Maddy asked me to write "peacock" on the board. So I sounded it out as I wrote: p ea c o ck . Two-letter phonograms are underlined. Each phonogram makes a sound. The phonogram ea make three sounds: /ee/, /e/, /A/. In "peacock" it makes its first sound. If I wrote the word "lead", I would write it like this: l ea d, and put a little 2 above the phonogram ea since it makes its second sound. There are also marks for indicating a spelling rule. Analyzing words like this makes reading and spelling much easier.
A few rules I have: They sound out everything. I never teach sight words until they've been sounded out first. For instance "the". I let them sound out /t/ /h/ /e/, they try to blend it, and THEN I say "This is a tricky word. We actually say "the" when we see this word. Now whenever you see it, just remember to say "the".
I'm a stickler on making them re-read a sentence if they skip a word or guess a word. NOT ok in my book.
If they are struggling with a word, I just tell them what it is and move on, IF they have done their best to sound it out first. I try to keep reading enjoyable.
I go at their pace. When they're done, reading time is over. When I'm done, reading time is over. Negativity cannot be present during reading time.
Reading time has to be consistent when they are first learning. I try to wait until they are around age 5 and can blend before it becomes a consistent daily practice.
If the child can't sit still for more than 5 min., I have done reading time 3 times a day for 5 min. and that worked out nicely.
MOST IMPORTANT TIP OF THE DAY: Fill your bookshelves with the classics. There are so many beautiful children's classics that contain worthy ideas and words. Check out the 1000 Good Books or Ambleside Online link on the left side of this blog. Find the classics cheap online or in used bookstores. Have your own library of only good books at home.
First an overview:
1. Read out loud to them from birth, every day.
2. Teach them letter recognition and the first sound the letters make.
3. Wait for them to develop the skill to blend the sounds together to make a word.
4. Practice reading CVC words using a white board or tiles.
5. When CVC words come fairly easily, sit down with a beginning reader (BOB books, then McGuffey Readers)
6. Begin systematic phonics instruction. (Ordinary Parents Guide To Teaching Reading)
7. Teach all of the letter sounds (Phonics Road, level 1) You can do this anytime after step 2.
1. Read out loud to them from birth, every day.
Find a list of GOOD, high-quality, beautiful books, not dumbed-down books, and read to your children every day. I have some links on the left side of my blog for lists: 1000 Good Books and Ambleside Online booklists for years 0-3.
2. Letter recognition and the first sound the letters make.
I start at a young age and teach them the first sounds of the letters and letter recognition. I make flashcards, a card for each lower case and each upper case. After I've taught them five letter sounds or so, I will put down five letter cards and say, "which letter says /b/?" "which letter says /a/?" etc... over and over again. Clap, make a big deal... Then teach another another sound and play the same game over and over. They love it. This is for ages 3 & 4. With the cards we also match lower case to it's upper case and learn the names of the letters. Do this for about 5 min. a day and they will have letter sounds down. OR buy the leap frog movies. That works too
To help with letter recognition in words I would play a game where I would lay out 6 letters and say, "What sound comes at the beginning of book?" She would choose among the 6 letters and choose the B. You can ask, "What are some words that start with /b/?" Book, ball, bounce, big, bubble, bus, bill, buck, bubba" Just play games. Be creative.
What are the first sounds of the letters?
A=/a/ as in apple
B=/b/ as in ball
C=/ck/ as in cat
D=/d/ as in dog
E=/e/ as in egg
F=/f/ as in fat
G=/g/ as in goat
H=/h/ as in hot
I=/i/ as in icky
J=/j/ as in jump
K=/ck/ as in kick
L=/l/ as in lick
M=/m/ as in mom
N=/n/ as in nest
O=/o/ as in octopus
P=/p/ as in pig
Q=/qu/ as in queen (you can make a flashcard with just Q or Qu, since Q is always paired with U. It doesn't really matter though)
R=/r/ as in red
S=/s/ as in snake
T=/t/ as in tent
U=/u/ as in up
V=/v/ as in vest
W=/w/ as in water
X= /ks/ as in fox
Y=/y/ as in yellow
Z=/z/ as in zebra
3. Wait for them to develop the skill to blend the sounds together to make a word.
Then I start playing a new game to see if they have developed the skill of blending. While driving in the car I will say "try to guess the word I'm saying: /p/ /i/ /g/?" Keep it fun and light.
When she starts doing this with some success, as well as breaking down the word PIG into its individual sounds, you can move to the written word.
4. Practice reading CVC words using a white board or tiles.
With Madelynn, blending a three letter word on paper was too difficult at first. I would write PIG. She would sound out each letter and say "PIT", "GIB", "POG", etc. She couldn't keep all of the sounds in her head long enough to blend them together. So I changed my method. I chose the vowel "A" and only wrote a consonant and the vowel "A". So my paper looked like this:
ma
pa
ca
ba
ra
fa
She would say /m/, /a/, /ma/.
/p/, /a/, /pa/
/c/, /a/, /ca/
and so on.
Then I underlined the consonant/vowel pairs that she just read and added a "T" at the end of all of them. So now it read:
mat
pat
cat
bat
rat
fat
With my finger I would cover up the "T" and ask her to read "MA" again. She would say, /m/, /a/, /ma/.
Then I would uncover the T and she would say /t/. Sometimes she would then say /mat/ and sometimes she would have to sound it all out again.
To move on from here, I found a handy list of words online and printed them out. It is called Reading Made Easy with Blend Phonics for First Grade. This guide teaches reading the same way I do, so reading through the directions would be worth your time.
Today, I started with UNIT 1 words. I wrote them one at a time on a piece of paper, underlined the first two letters, and had Madelynn read them to me. We got through the first two columns today.
I then decided to explain the words "I" and "A". When these letters are alone in a sentence, they say their name. I then wrote on the whiteboard "I am a cat." and she read her first sentence.
I will continue through the list of words until CVC words come a little easier.
5. When CVC words come fairly easily, sit down with a beginning reader (BOB books, then McGuffey Readers)
When CVC words come fairly easy, I'll bring out the BOB books. We don't sit down with a book until CVC words come easily.
We'll sit on the couch together. I'll point with a pencil which word to sound out. I also cover the pictures. After she reads the whole sentence, I uncover the picture for her to see. This keeps them from guessing words.
When Bob Books have been conquered (the first three sets), we move on to McGuffey Readers (which both my readers LOVE).
6. Begin systematic phonics instruction. (Ordinary Parents Guide To Teaching Reading)
Sometime after we begin in the BOB books, we also start in a systematic phonics instruction book. I used Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading in the past. We start wherever they are at, not from the beginning. I end OPGTR when they are reading fluently. I have yet to finish that book. I don't know that it is absolutely necessary, but it helps me feel like we've covered all the bases.
So at this point, the reading lesson begins with one lesson from OPGTR, then at least one chapter from McGuffey every day.
I also hand them Little Bear, Frog & Toad, and other beginning readers to practice, and alternate with McGuffey. When they have read through the McGuffey Readers through Book 2, we start The Little House in the Big Woods. First we alternate reading a paragraph, then I have just the student read while I listen for mistakes.
With both of my oldest daughters, before we finish Little House, they take off on their own. When that happens, I don't sit with them to read anymore. I do ask them to tell me about what they are reading occasionally to check comprehension.
7. Teach all of the letter sounds. You can do this anytime after step 2.
Teaching ALL the phonograms and ALL the sounds. What is this? It is the easiest way to teach reading. Here is a sample of all the phonograms and the sounds they make. You can buy flashcards here with the sounds written on the back and just teach them to know the sounds when they see the phonogram. Or you can print out the flashcards from this site for free. This can replace your phonics instruction from OPGTR.
There are many programs that teach this method, which originally began with the Spalding program; the manual is called The Writing Road To Reading. The spin-off of Spalding that I used, and the easiest to use, in my opinion, is The Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading, level 1. Buy it used because it is expensive. You don't need the rest of the levels, nor would I recommend them. The great thing about Phonics Road is that the instructions are on DVD and she puts the spelling/phonics rules to easy songs to help the child remember.
Basically, you teach the child all of the sounds that each phonogram makes. Maddy asked me to write "peacock" on the board. So I sounded it out as I wrote: p ea c o ck . Two-letter phonograms are underlined. Each phonogram makes a sound. The phonogram ea make three sounds: /ee/, /e/, /A/. In "peacock" it makes its first sound. If I wrote the word "lead", I would write it like this: l ea d, and put a little 2 above the phonogram ea since it makes its second sound. There are also marks for indicating a spelling rule. Analyzing words like this makes reading and spelling much easier.
A few rules I have: They sound out everything. I never teach sight words until they've been sounded out first. For instance "the". I let them sound out /t/ /h/ /e/, they try to blend it, and THEN I say "This is a tricky word. We actually say "the" when we see this word. Now whenever you see it, just remember to say "the".
I'm a stickler on making them re-read a sentence if they skip a word or guess a word. NOT ok in my book.
If they are struggling with a word, I just tell them what it is and move on, IF they have done their best to sound it out first. I try to keep reading enjoyable.
I go at their pace. When they're done, reading time is over. When I'm done, reading time is over. Negativity cannot be present during reading time.
Reading time has to be consistent when they are first learning. I try to wait until they are around age 5 and can blend before it becomes a consistent daily practice.
If the child can't sit still for more than 5 min., I have done reading time 3 times a day for 5 min. and that worked out nicely.
MOST IMPORTANT TIP OF THE DAY: Fill your bookshelves with the classics. There are so many beautiful children's classics that contain worthy ideas and words. Check out the 1000 Good Books or Ambleside Online link on the left side of this blog. Find the classics cheap online or in used bookstores. Have your own library of only good books at home.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Amazing Kids
I just sent my kids to bed after a long day of chores and school work and piano lessons. Since it is after 9pm (which is lights out) I told them they could not stay up and read tonight. Tears and protests started. "But I worked so hard today! I just want to read!!!" They did work hard. I gave in. My 6 year old is reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. My 8 year old is reading Robin Hood by Pyle (the old English version). I am so impressed with these kids!!!
Monday, November 19, 2012
Special Guest Speaker
School Break!!!
This week is a school break. We have schooled 12 weeks so far!!! 1/3 the way through!
So this is the time I get to organize myself; re-examining how we are doing, dropping what doesn't work, trying new things. I am going to make a schedule for myself, for the things that I am in charge of. I need to have written goals. For instance, I want to get through our history books before the end of the school year, so I need to put the chapters on a weekly schedule to see how many chapters I need to read each week. I need to put Latin on a schedule as well. Sometimes we repeat lessons for extra practice and sometimes we get lazy and don't do latin every day. Maybe I could make a visual chart to check off for every time we do scripture reading, devotional, FHE and memory work so that the kids will motivate ME instead of the other way around all the time. I could do that for poetry and science too. They'll hold me to it because they love those subjects. Hmm....
I learned something new this week in 3rd grade english; when to use "me and Isaac" and "Isaac and I". I never learned this in school. If you didn't either, here is the scoop on the poop:
The pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we, & they are used in the subject of a sentence. The pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us, & them are used in the predicate of a sentence.
So it would be:
Isaac and I / went on a date.
Marissa / babysat for me and Isaac.
How easy is that? Why did I not learn this in school? It is a little embarrassing, as a teacher, to be learning along with Savannah. I just explain to her that I never learned this in school and that is one of the reasons I'm homeschooling her. Thank heavens for great curriculum!
Did you know that those who have earned teaching degrees and then homeschool their own children claim that their degree did not help them one little bit? They say that teaching degrees teach mostly classroom management. So don't feel bad that you don't have a teaching degree. You don't need one. It DOES help to be educated, but not necessarily with an education degree. If I had more schooling I would no doubt be a better teacher. As it is, I spend a great deal of time educating myself, and that will just have to be enough for now.
So this is the time I get to organize myself; re-examining how we are doing, dropping what doesn't work, trying new things. I am going to make a schedule for myself, for the things that I am in charge of. I need to have written goals. For instance, I want to get through our history books before the end of the school year, so I need to put the chapters on a weekly schedule to see how many chapters I need to read each week. I need to put Latin on a schedule as well. Sometimes we repeat lessons for extra practice and sometimes we get lazy and don't do latin every day. Maybe I could make a visual chart to check off for every time we do scripture reading, devotional, FHE and memory work so that the kids will motivate ME instead of the other way around all the time. I could do that for poetry and science too. They'll hold me to it because they love those subjects. Hmm....
I learned something new this week in 3rd grade english; when to use "me and Isaac" and "Isaac and I". I never learned this in school. If you didn't either, here is the scoop on the poop:
The pronouns I, you, he, she, it, we, & they are used in the subject of a sentence. The pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us, & them are used in the predicate of a sentence.
So it would be:
Isaac and I / went on a date.
Marissa / babysat for me and Isaac.
How easy is that? Why did I not learn this in school? It is a little embarrassing, as a teacher, to be learning along with Savannah. I just explain to her that I never learned this in school and that is one of the reasons I'm homeschooling her. Thank heavens for great curriculum!
Did you know that those who have earned teaching degrees and then homeschool their own children claim that their degree did not help them one little bit? They say that teaching degrees teach mostly classroom management. So don't feel bad that you don't have a teaching degree. You don't need one. It DOES help to be educated, but not necessarily with an education degree. If I had more schooling I would no doubt be a better teacher. As it is, I spend a great deal of time educating myself, and that will just have to be enough for now.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Still chugging along. Week 7 & 8
This week is only a three day week. My big kids are out of town today and tomorrow. It has been a good, uneventful two weeks. Nothing to report on.
Wait, I can always ramble about homeschooling...
As much as the girls complain about doing school, I am surprised how much they want to do more. Charlotte wants a full load like Savannah. However, I need to spend more time with my three little ones. I finally put my foot down and told her no. She has to go and play. She is only in first grade, for heavens sake! What is the rush to grow up? Lol. I've also trimmed back her required academic school work.
Required academics 1st grade: Math Mammoth, XtraMath, Spelling & Latin (as a family), 2 sentences of copywork, and reading outloud to me.
Optional: phonics and spelling workbooks, science, geography. She was begging me to let her do Writing With Ease too. NOooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! I don't have the time.
Required academics 3rd grade: MM, XM, Spelling & Latin (as a family), R&S English, WWE 3, Greek Myths, read for 1 hour. Optional: science, geography, spelling workbook. And I'm thinking about dropping WWE 3 again. I really don't want any wasted time.
So, spelling as a family: I was going to start Spell to Write and Read, then changed my mind because of how time-consuming it was and went to R&S spelling this year. The kids actually really like it, but I kind of thought it seemed like busywork still. In R&S spelling, the word lists are easy, but the value supposedly lies in the application of the spelling rules to the word lists.
So I took that idea and applied it to SWR. Instead of having the girls in separate levels, I started them both on Charlotte's level. First we review our phonogram flashcards. Then I dictate the day's words (20 of them) and they take turns writing them on the white board and mark them (apply the spelling and phonics rules). Then we sing the spelling rule that applies (songs are from Phonics Road) while the girls dance around the room.
After that, they sit down and get out a piece of paper. I dictate two sentences to them that have one of their new spelling words in them. Then they take a test on a previous list of words from a few weeks ago that I dictate to them. I have found this method to be very effective.
Anyway, that's it. I'm tired.
Salvete!
Wait, I can always ramble about homeschooling...
As much as the girls complain about doing school, I am surprised how much they want to do more. Charlotte wants a full load like Savannah. However, I need to spend more time with my three little ones. I finally put my foot down and told her no. She has to go and play. She is only in first grade, for heavens sake! What is the rush to grow up? Lol. I've also trimmed back her required academic school work.
Required academics 1st grade: Math Mammoth, XtraMath, Spelling & Latin (as a family), 2 sentences of copywork, and reading outloud to me.
Optional: phonics and spelling workbooks, science, geography. She was begging me to let her do Writing With Ease too. NOooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!! I don't have the time.
Required academics 3rd grade: MM, XM, Spelling & Latin (as a family), R&S English, WWE 3, Greek Myths, read for 1 hour. Optional: science, geography, spelling workbook. And I'm thinking about dropping WWE 3 again. I really don't want any wasted time.
So, spelling as a family: I was going to start Spell to Write and Read, then changed my mind because of how time-consuming it was and went to R&S spelling this year. The kids actually really like it, but I kind of thought it seemed like busywork still. In R&S spelling, the word lists are easy, but the value supposedly lies in the application of the spelling rules to the word lists.
So I took that idea and applied it to SWR. Instead of having the girls in separate levels, I started them both on Charlotte's level. First we review our phonogram flashcards. Then I dictate the day's words (20 of them) and they take turns writing them on the white board and mark them (apply the spelling and phonics rules). Then we sing the spelling rule that applies (songs are from Phonics Road) while the girls dance around the room.
After that, they sit down and get out a piece of paper. I dictate two sentences to them that have one of their new spelling words in them. Then they take a test on a previous list of words from a few weeks ago that I dictate to them. I have found this method to be very effective.
Anyway, that's it. I'm tired.
Salvete!
Friday, September 28, 2012
Week 6
...is almost over! I think we will do school tomorrow (Saturday) because we are three days behind. Next week is supposed to be our week off, but we have to make up those days, so we'll school tomorrow, Monday, and Tuesday, and then have the rest of the week off.
I don't know what the deal was, but this week I have been dragging my feet getting school done. I let the girls sleep in, we get started late, it is beautiful outside so they just want to play and I just want to let them... I think that maybe I should re-think our yearly schedule. More breaks in the fall and spring, and just school right through winter and summer when it is no fun going outside.
Anyway, we DID do school and it went well. I asked the girls their opinion of each subject and they really like all of their subjects except math (just because they are learning new concepts and it is sometimes a struggle) and Savannah doesn't like english very much, for the same reason. It is a lot of writing, which I like but she doesn't. All well. Our english and math programs are solid and I love them.
I am not thrilled with R&S spelling. I think spalding/O-G method is far superior. But the girls refuse to drop R&S spelling; they both really like it. It is their only workbook, which is why I think they like it so much. So yesterday and today, right after latin, we did spelling together. I use the lists from Spell to Write and Read (the Wise Guide) and the spelling rule tunes from Phonics Road. We spell and mark 20 words together on the white board, discuss/sing the spelling rules that apply (while dancing around the room), and then I dictate two sentences from the Wise Guide that uses some of the spelling words we just went over. It is very effective and will definitely become part of our routine for now on.
I read aloud at night while the kids are in bed because my little ones (Caroline mainly, and Zach) are difficult to read with. We've been reading our history books, Story of the World - Middle Ages and Our Island Story (a history of Britain) three times a week.
The other nights I've read Charlie's Monument. It is a very short book. I think I have only two more chapters. It is just a good story and the kids love it. I bawled through the whole first chapter. It is set in the midwest in the 1800s. It is about a boy who is born physically handicapped. His mother teaches him about his individual worth and how to treat others like Christ treated others. She is killed by indians when he is a young teen. The town gives him a job as a lookout on a hilltop to help him earn money so he can take of himself. So he spends his entire life on this hill and realizes that when he dies, no one will remember him or know he was even there, so he begins to build a monument out of rocks, one at a time, day by day. Then one day the bankers daughter decides to venture up to the hill to see the mysterious Charlie that she has only heard about and never met. .... It is about REAL love. My mom read it to me a few times when I was little and I loved it.
Week 2 of P90X is almost complete. I really enjoy the workouts. I enjoy getting stronger and being able to do certain exercises that I couldn't do last week.
And I need to get more sleep.
I don't know what the deal was, but this week I have been dragging my feet getting school done. I let the girls sleep in, we get started late, it is beautiful outside so they just want to play and I just want to let them... I think that maybe I should re-think our yearly schedule. More breaks in the fall and spring, and just school right through winter and summer when it is no fun going outside.
Anyway, we DID do school and it went well. I asked the girls their opinion of each subject and they really like all of their subjects except math (just because they are learning new concepts and it is sometimes a struggle) and Savannah doesn't like english very much, for the same reason. It is a lot of writing, which I like but she doesn't. All well. Our english and math programs are solid and I love them.
I am not thrilled with R&S spelling. I think spalding/O-G method is far superior. But the girls refuse to drop R&S spelling; they both really like it. It is their only workbook, which is why I think they like it so much. So yesterday and today, right after latin, we did spelling together. I use the lists from Spell to Write and Read (the Wise Guide) and the spelling rule tunes from Phonics Road. We spell and mark 20 words together on the white board, discuss/sing the spelling rules that apply (while dancing around the room), and then I dictate two sentences from the Wise Guide that uses some of the spelling words we just went over. It is very effective and will definitely become part of our routine for now on.
I read aloud at night while the kids are in bed because my little ones (Caroline mainly, and Zach) are difficult to read with. We've been reading our history books, Story of the World - Middle Ages and Our Island Story (a history of Britain) three times a week.
The other nights I've read Charlie's Monument. It is a very short book. I think I have only two more chapters. It is just a good story and the kids love it. I bawled through the whole first chapter. It is set in the midwest in the 1800s. It is about a boy who is born physically handicapped. His mother teaches him about his individual worth and how to treat others like Christ treated others. She is killed by indians when he is a young teen. The town gives him a job as a lookout on a hilltop to help him earn money so he can take of himself. So he spends his entire life on this hill and realizes that when he dies, no one will remember him or know he was even there, so he begins to build a monument out of rocks, one at a time, day by day. Then one day the bankers daughter decides to venture up to the hill to see the mysterious Charlie that she has only heard about and never met. .... It is about REAL love. My mom read it to me a few times when I was little and I loved it.
Week 2 of P90X is almost complete. I really enjoy the workouts. I enjoy getting stronger and being able to do certain exercises that I couldn't do last week.
And I need to get more sleep.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Week 5
Week 5 went fabulous. I'm glad I added Writing With Ease 3 in. It doesn't take much time and I do think it is helpful.
Charlotte is learning clocks in MM1B. Savannah is learning multiplication in MM3A. Both are progressing nicely in math.
This is my first year using Rod & Staff English. I really like it; it is very thorough. A lot of people say they do it orally and skip problems. I have Savannah do every problem and she writes it all out. I feel that it is right on her level and provides the perfect amount of work. If anything, she might need more practice, so I bought the workbooks and tests that go with it. They will arrive in the mail soon.
We are going to repeat lesson 5 in Prima Latina this week so that we can really solidify the vocabulary. Savannah memorizes very easily, whereas Charlotte does not. She needs LOTS of repitition. I want to keep them together in latin because it is more enjoyable (and easier on me) to learn latin in a group, so we are going at Charlotte's pace.
Let's see... spelling is fine. I don't know that I will do a spelling curriculum next year. It just seems like busywork. I don't want to quit on the workbooks we have started, so we will finish them.
Savannah is really liking MP's Greek Myths study. Like I said, she memorizes very quickly. I am amazed at the sheer amount of information she has memorized so far.
Exercise went great! I finished my first full official week of P90X; the previous week I only did 30 min. of each video as a transition. I love exercising. It has become an enjoyable habit. I love the way I feel, I love that I'm getting stronger, I love the way I look! My 5-baby-belly is shrinking :) Mostly, I just really like how I feel; that is my main motivation for getting up in the morning. I look forward to it.
Today is the first day of week 6 in homeschool, but I decided to take the day off since the girls slept in until 900am. We just got back from spending the weekend in Atlanta. It is so nice outside. The kids spent the whole day playing outside. Not homeschooling, however, throws my schedule off, so I accomplished nothing, wasted time, didn't clean, didn't do much of anything. I look forward to our scheduled day tomorrow.
Charlotte is learning clocks in MM1B. Savannah is learning multiplication in MM3A. Both are progressing nicely in math.
This is my first year using Rod & Staff English. I really like it; it is very thorough. A lot of people say they do it orally and skip problems. I have Savannah do every problem and she writes it all out. I feel that it is right on her level and provides the perfect amount of work. If anything, she might need more practice, so I bought the workbooks and tests that go with it. They will arrive in the mail soon.
We are going to repeat lesson 5 in Prima Latina this week so that we can really solidify the vocabulary. Savannah memorizes very easily, whereas Charlotte does not. She needs LOTS of repitition. I want to keep them together in latin because it is more enjoyable (and easier on me) to learn latin in a group, so we are going at Charlotte's pace.
Let's see... spelling is fine. I don't know that I will do a spelling curriculum next year. It just seems like busywork. I don't want to quit on the workbooks we have started, so we will finish them.
Savannah is really liking MP's Greek Myths study. Like I said, she memorizes very quickly. I am amazed at the sheer amount of information she has memorized so far.
Exercise went great! I finished my first full official week of P90X; the previous week I only did 30 min. of each video as a transition. I love exercising. It has become an enjoyable habit. I love the way I feel, I love that I'm getting stronger, I love the way I look! My 5-baby-belly is shrinking :) Mostly, I just really like how I feel; that is my main motivation for getting up in the morning. I look forward to it.
Today is the first day of week 6 in homeschool, but I decided to take the day off since the girls slept in until 900am. We just got back from spending the weekend in Atlanta. It is so nice outside. The kids spent the whole day playing outside. Not homeschooling, however, throws my schedule off, so I accomplished nothing, wasted time, didn't clean, didn't do much of anything. I look forward to our scheduled day tomorrow.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Week 4
It has been a GREAT week!
My personal stuff: I'm RIPPED! (ok, not exactly)
I was supposed to do week 4 of Ripped in 30, but I didn't enjoy her exercises; they were very hard on the joints and not very effective because they were so awkward to me that I couldn't do them. I decided to start P90X instead. This week I only did 30 min of the total hour each day. Next week I am going to wake up at 5am so I can squeeze in the whole hour. I really like P90X so far!
What does exercising have to do with homeschooling? It affects my mood and energy level so much that if I don't do it, I notice that I'm not as happy of a mother or as motivated as a homeschooler. Exercise = a sucessful day. This is so new to me. I've never exercised before now and I LOVE it.
School has been great this week, other than Monday (see two posts ago). We did do the rest of the week with the new schedule: school from 8am to 10am, chores at 10am, followed by a snack, and a 4-5 hour break so we can hang out with Daddy before he goes to work.
It works so well! Since they know they have a huge break, they work really hard to get most of their work done within the two hours. Savannah usually has about one to two more hours to do, but it is the stuff that isn't teacher intensive, like reading, spelling, and piano. Charlotte usually does everything but piano and reading, which takes about 45 min. total. It has been awesome. School doesn't take all day now! Daddy has awakened to a clean house and a happy family this week.
The only down side is that I am fairly unavailable for two solid hours and so my littles don't get much attention during that time. I do focus my attention on them for the rest of the day to make up for it, though.
Changes: Savannah's language arts consists of R&S grammar & spelling. I was going to add in a writing curriculum next year, but I have decided to give WWE 3 a try again.
She finished reading a book this week, so I asked her to tell me what it was about. She gives lots of details and zero summary, so I'm thinking WWE 3 is in order. I just hate to add to her load though. We'll see how it goes next week and see. I'm undecided about what to do.
My personal stuff: I'm RIPPED! (ok, not exactly)
I was supposed to do week 4 of Ripped in 30, but I didn't enjoy her exercises; they were very hard on the joints and not very effective because they were so awkward to me that I couldn't do them. I decided to start P90X instead. This week I only did 30 min of the total hour each day. Next week I am going to wake up at 5am so I can squeeze in the whole hour. I really like P90X so far!
What does exercising have to do with homeschooling? It affects my mood and energy level so much that if I don't do it, I notice that I'm not as happy of a mother or as motivated as a homeschooler. Exercise = a sucessful day. This is so new to me. I've never exercised before now and I LOVE it.
School has been great this week, other than Monday (see two posts ago). We did do the rest of the week with the new schedule: school from 8am to 10am, chores at 10am, followed by a snack, and a 4-5 hour break so we can hang out with Daddy before he goes to work.
It works so well! Since they know they have a huge break, they work really hard to get most of their work done within the two hours. Savannah usually has about one to two more hours to do, but it is the stuff that isn't teacher intensive, like reading, spelling, and piano. Charlotte usually does everything but piano and reading, which takes about 45 min. total. It has been awesome. School doesn't take all day now! Daddy has awakened to a clean house and a happy family this week.
The only down side is that I am fairly unavailable for two solid hours and so my littles don't get much attention during that time. I do focus my attention on them for the rest of the day to make up for it, though.
Changes: Savannah's language arts consists of R&S grammar & spelling. I was going to add in a writing curriculum next year, but I have decided to give WWE 3 a try again.
She finished reading a book this week, so I asked her to tell me what it was about. She gives lots of details and zero summary, so I'm thinking WWE 3 is in order. I just hate to add to her load though. We'll see how it goes next week and see. I'm undecided about what to do.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Why we do what we do
Monday
|
Tuesday
|
Wednesday
|
Thursday
|
Friday
|
Saturday
|
|
Math
|
Math
Mammoth
XtraMath
|
Math
Mammoth
XtraMath
|
Math
Mammoth
XtraMath
|
Math
Mammoth
XtraMath
|
Math
Mammoth
XtraMath
|
XtraMath
|
Latin
|
Copy
vocabulary 2Xs
|
Copy
vocabulary 2Xs
|
Copy vocabulary
2Xs
|
Copy
vocabulary 2Xs
|
Copy
vocabulary 2Xs
|
|
English
|
1 Lesson
|
1 Lesson
|
1 Lesson
|
1 Lesson
|
||
Spelling
|
Test
|
Section A
|
Section B
|
Section C
|
||
Myths
|
Make
facts flash cards
|
Copy
vocabulary
1X
Review
flashcards
|
Read
chapter.
Review flashcards
|
Answer
questions.
Review
flashcards
|
Review
Flashcards
|
|
Literature
|
Read 30
min.
|
Read 30
min.
|
Read
Myths
|
Read 30
min.
|
Read 30
min.
|
|
Book of Mormon
|
Read 30
min.
|
Read 30
min
|
Read 30
min
|
Read 30
min
|
Read 30
min
|
Read 30
min
|
Piano
|
Play 3Xs
each
|
Lesson
|
Play 3Xs each
|
Play 3Xs each
|
Play 3Xs each
|
Play 3Xs each
|
Enrichments
|
Poetry
teatime/
Composer
|
Exploring
Creation-2-3 sent/ illustrate
|
Geography
|
Exploring
Creation-2-3 sent/ illustrate
|
Discover
the Old Testament
|
Real Science Odyssey-Life
|
This is what Savannah does everyday. She has a copy in her notebook and checks it off when she finishes each assignment.
Our day is jammed packed. I was just sitting here going over her list of things to do, trying to decide if I can or should drop some of it.
A friend asked recently on her blog for us to write out why we do each subject, just so we have a defined reason for learning something rather than just doing it because someone else does it or thinks we should do it.
Doing an exercise like this really makes me go back to the root of why I homeschool in the first place and to think about what my ultimate goal is for my children as a mother/teacher.
The spiritual is at the top of the list, of course. I want my children to have a personal relationship with their Heavenly Father through prayer, to have their own testimonies, to know who they really are, to make the scriptures their dearest friends, to have a serving heart, etc. I am trying to get there, not by any curriculum or checklist, but by just by reading my scriptures, saying my prayers, and by striving to be worthy of having the Spirit as my constant companion. Then, by having consistent, daily family prayer, scripture study, and weekly Family Home Evening with the kids, I hope to accomplish this goal to my best ability. But this has nothing to do with her checklist.
So aside from my top reasons for doing everything I do, my second reason is more academic. I want my children to be well-educated and have a love of learning. She works hard in math, latin, and piano (and science in high school) because I want her to know how to think, how to work, and how to problem-solve. Love of learning, for me, happens when I put forth concentrated effort to accomplish a goal, develop a skill, understand a difficult concept, or learn a new idea. That all takes physical and mental work. I believe work is good for the mind and soul.
I want them to be well-read in worthy ideas and truth; there is no room in my curriculum for trivial reading. So we study great books, like the scriptures, Greek mythology and other Classical works, history, and high-quality literature.
I want them to be able to express themselves clearly, eloquently, and persuasively, so that they can make a positive influence on those around them as adults. So she studies grammar, writing, spelling, and handwiting. Grammar, spelling and handwriting are grammar school skills that need mastered first before we can really focus on writing and rhetoric later.
I think everything we do has a significant purpose. I purposely don't make histoy, science, or geography the center of our homeschool at this age. History is a read-aloud three times a night. Science is a fun, occasional activity on Saturday that we have yet to get around to. Geography is a matter of learning catchy tunes and wall maps. History and science will take a more significant role when the foundational skills are mastered.
So there you have it.
Monday, Monday
People say to me often, "I don't know how you do it." And I just shrug and smile, because what do you say to that?
Well today I yelled at the top of my lungs, out of complete frustration, to no one in particular, "I DON'T KNOW HOW I DO IT!!!!!!" SERIOUSLY. Ugh.
I have five little children that all need me at once.
Today I was giving a spelling test to Savannah, while holding Caroline, feeding Caroline AND Zach yogurt (Zach was standing beside me), and helping Charlotte with her phonics. OK, so maybe that was four children all at the same time.
I don't know exactly how it came to that. I think it was just interruption after interruption and we just had to get school done no matter what. I really wish I had a helper in the daytime for the little kids.
Savannah- Two tantrums today. SHE's 8! : ( It is very unusual for her. She was rude first thing this morning and it just went downhill from there.
Maddy-one tantrum; Thank heavens.
Zach-one tantrum and no major messes. :)
Charlotte- none... my sweet, wonderful, even-tempered child.
Caroline-none... my angel baby.
Here is my solution to the chaos that I am going to try this week. We will stop school at 10 am and will not resume until just after lunch. 10 am is about when everything starts to get out of control. Everyone gets hungry and grumpy. I feed everyone a snack, but then I try to keep pushing through with school because we have so much to do. I think that is my mistake. I need to feed everyone their snack and then hang out with the little ones for a few hours and let the bigs take a long break.
Plus, that is about when Daddy wakes up; he works nights.
He woke up early today from the screaming Zach in the hall, sees the gigantic mess that Maddy and Zach have made building tents all over the house (he hates messes), and I'm hyper-focused on schooling and mothering on a particulary bad day, which means I'm NOT in wife mode at all.
Grumpy, sleepy husband (large child) meets hyper-focused, unsympathetic wife (psycho) = NO GOOD. Isaac didn't say much, I could just tell he wasn't happy. He went outside to work.
So, we are stopping at 10am, eating, cleaning, and playing quietly and happily until naptime this week. We'll see how that goes.
On the positive side, we got everything accomplished, we had an enjoyable poetry tea-time outdoors, and everyone went to bed happy.
Well today I yelled at the top of my lungs, out of complete frustration, to no one in particular, "I DON'T KNOW HOW I DO IT!!!!!!" SERIOUSLY. Ugh.
I have five little children that all need me at once.
Today I was giving a spelling test to Savannah, while holding Caroline, feeding Caroline AND Zach yogurt (Zach was standing beside me), and helping Charlotte with her phonics. OK, so maybe that was four children all at the same time.
I don't know exactly how it came to that. I think it was just interruption after interruption and we just had to get school done no matter what. I really wish I had a helper in the daytime for the little kids.
Savannah- Two tantrums today. SHE's 8! : ( It is very unusual for her. She was rude first thing this morning and it just went downhill from there.
Maddy-one tantrum; Thank heavens.
Zach-one tantrum and no major messes. :)
Charlotte- none... my sweet, wonderful, even-tempered child.
Caroline-none... my angel baby.
Here is my solution to the chaos that I am going to try this week. We will stop school at 10 am and will not resume until just after lunch. 10 am is about when everything starts to get out of control. Everyone gets hungry and grumpy. I feed everyone a snack, but then I try to keep pushing through with school because we have so much to do. I think that is my mistake. I need to feed everyone their snack and then hang out with the little ones for a few hours and let the bigs take a long break.
Plus, that is about when Daddy wakes up; he works nights.
He woke up early today from the screaming Zach in the hall, sees the gigantic mess that Maddy and Zach have made building tents all over the house (he hates messes), and I'm hyper-focused on schooling and mothering on a particulary bad day, which means I'm NOT in wife mode at all.
Grumpy, sleepy husband (large child) meets hyper-focused, unsympathetic wife (psycho) = NO GOOD. Isaac didn't say much, I could just tell he wasn't happy. He went outside to work.
So, we are stopping at 10am, eating, cleaning, and playing quietly and happily until naptime this week. We'll see how that goes.
On the positive side, we got everything accomplished, we had an enjoyable poetry tea-time outdoors, and everyone went to bed happy.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Week 3
It has been a great week! The kids are getting used to the work load and the schedule. We are happy to have full and busy days. It is satisfying to see progress being made. I love watching/helping the kids to learn and grow. I'm learning and growing right with them.
I'm learning to be more patient as a math teacher. That is the hardest subject for me to teach and the kids to learn. Savannah needs lots of repitition. She could do five problems in a row correctly, and then suddenly on the sixth problem completely forget how to do it (ADD?). Today we figured out it is easier for her to focus if she writes her problems out on the whiteboard. I also do lots of sample problems on the whiteboard, as well as doing problems using manipulatives (apples and pencils this week). She is getting very good at thinking through math problems, even though occasionally her brain falls out. I'm am pleased with the progress she is making.
Have I mentioned yet how awesome Math Mammoth is? It's awesome.
Charlotte is my over-analyzer. She will act like she doesn't know a simple concept, but it is actually her just over-analyzing it for the sake of clarity in her mind. I did the same thing when I was little. Both girls are a joy to teach though!
Charlotte got her wish for more work. I ordered R&S phonics 1 for her, even though it is really just busy work. She likes it. I also ordered Climbing to Good English 2, which I think I will save for next year or for when she is finished with the phonics workbooks. If you are looking for a workbook English, Climbing to Good English is EXCELLENT. At least it looks excellent, having not used it yet. I would recommend it. It looks very solid.
I've been thinking about preparing to teach highschool and self-educating now. Math, science, & discussing great books are my focus areas. Today I researched math. I found the best middle/high school math program available (according to the consensus of the Well-Trained Mind Forum experts). Commonly referred to as AoPS, which stands for Art of Problem Solving. http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/ It is described as being more in depth than typical math texts and it explains the WHY behind the math. It is NOT just memorizing formulas, which is how I was taught. You really know mathematics when you are finished. It is for mathy kids, not just the average student. It sounds like it will be a lot like Math Mammoth, which is challenging but fulfilling as well. I want to be a good math teacher and I want my children to have a solid foundation in math, so this is the curriculum I'm going to use.
I took a placement test and tested into PreAlgebra :) So I ordered the books. I'm going to work through PreAlgebra this year. I was actually really good at math in highschool, so I think it will all come back to me fairly easy.
It is a great website. They have additional curriculum to help students to prepare for a huge math competition.. forgot the name. They also have online math problems for each book; you work through different levels until it is mastered, much like Xtramath that the girls play online for their math facts. I'm working through Pre-Alg. There is a video that explains new concepts and is tied to the text as well. There is also a very active forum for questions.
Now to research science. I don't know that I am up to teaching chemistry and physics too. I can't be good at every subject. I might farm those out or get a good video curriculum to teach it; we'll see.
And lastly, what literature/history program to choose so I can begin reading through the books. This one is more difficult being quite under-read myself. It is hard to compare books and ideas when I haven't read them. Off the top of my head there is My Father's World, Ambleside, Memoria Press, The Well-Trained Mind, Tapestry of Grace, & Latin Centered Curriculum. I'm sure there are many more.
That's it. Here's to a great week!
Oh, and I'm still a rockstar. :D Week 4 of Ripped in 30, here I come!
I'm learning to be more patient as a math teacher. That is the hardest subject for me to teach and the kids to learn. Savannah needs lots of repitition. She could do five problems in a row correctly, and then suddenly on the sixth problem completely forget how to do it (ADD?). Today we figured out it is easier for her to focus if she writes her problems out on the whiteboard. I also do lots of sample problems on the whiteboard, as well as doing problems using manipulatives (apples and pencils this week). She is getting very good at thinking through math problems, even though occasionally her brain falls out. I'm am pleased with the progress she is making.
Have I mentioned yet how awesome Math Mammoth is? It's awesome.
Charlotte is my over-analyzer. She will act like she doesn't know a simple concept, but it is actually her just over-analyzing it for the sake of clarity in her mind. I did the same thing when I was little. Both girls are a joy to teach though!
Charlotte got her wish for more work. I ordered R&S phonics 1 for her, even though it is really just busy work. She likes it. I also ordered Climbing to Good English 2, which I think I will save for next year or for when she is finished with the phonics workbooks. If you are looking for a workbook English, Climbing to Good English is EXCELLENT. At least it looks excellent, having not used it yet. I would recommend it. It looks very solid.
I've been thinking about preparing to teach highschool and self-educating now. Math, science, & discussing great books are my focus areas. Today I researched math. I found the best middle/high school math program available (according to the consensus of the Well-Trained Mind Forum experts). Commonly referred to as AoPS, which stands for Art of Problem Solving. http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/ It is described as being more in depth than typical math texts and it explains the WHY behind the math. It is NOT just memorizing formulas, which is how I was taught. You really know mathematics when you are finished. It is for mathy kids, not just the average student. It sounds like it will be a lot like Math Mammoth, which is challenging but fulfilling as well. I want to be a good math teacher and I want my children to have a solid foundation in math, so this is the curriculum I'm going to use.
I took a placement test and tested into PreAlgebra :) So I ordered the books. I'm going to work through PreAlgebra this year. I was actually really good at math in highschool, so I think it will all come back to me fairly easy.
It is a great website. They have additional curriculum to help students to prepare for a huge math competition.. forgot the name. They also have online math problems for each book; you work through different levels until it is mastered, much like Xtramath that the girls play online for their math facts. I'm working through Pre-Alg. There is a video that explains new concepts and is tied to the text as well. There is also a very active forum for questions.
Now to research science. I don't know that I am up to teaching chemistry and physics too. I can't be good at every subject. I might farm those out or get a good video curriculum to teach it; we'll see.
And lastly, what literature/history program to choose so I can begin reading through the books. This one is more difficult being quite under-read myself. It is hard to compare books and ideas when I haven't read them. Off the top of my head there is My Father's World, Ambleside, Memoria Press, The Well-Trained Mind, Tapestry of Grace, & Latin Centered Curriculum. I'm sure there are many more.
That's it. Here's to a great week!
Oh, and I'm still a rockstar. :D Week 4 of Ripped in 30, here I come!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Week 2
It was a great week. We're on a roll! Here is how our day goes:
I wake up at 530 and do Ripped in 30 by Jillian Michaels. *APPLAUSE* Thanks. Yep, about to be half-way ripped, or I would be if it weren't for that daily bowl of ice cream.
Then I shower and dress.
You heard me right. I've showered and dressed EVERY MORNING for the last two weeks.
*APPLAUSE* I know! I'm pretty much amazing. These are things I haven't done in a very long time. You know WHY??? My 5th baby is about to be ONE!!!! The fog is lifting and the clouds are parting. I'm becoming human again.
After being a rockstar in the morning, at least half of my kids are awake and the baby is wanting fed, so I feed her sweet, chubby face.
7am I wake up the other half of my kids and we eat breakfast.
Right after breakfast we have family prayer and read scriptures together.
Then immediately do latin & math.
The rest of the day is scattered with spelling, english, reading, copywork, myths, piano, lunch, dinner, etc. It lasts all day long, from 530 am to 830 pm.
The kids do a lot of chores and keep the house clean. I do a lot of cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, wiping bums (Zach is potty training himself!!!!), laundry, teaching, nagging, sneaking chocolate, etc.
Usually at the end of the day we squeeze in devotional (song, scripture verse, scripture story) and then recitations (IEW poetry & The Living Christ).
And then we watch Ben Hur until bedtime :) It is so good! I've never seen it before. We've watched about 4 1/2 hours of it so far. It is perfect because we are learning about the Romans in our history book right now.
Then the kids go to bed at 8pm and I read to them from Story of the World-Middle Ages & Our Island Story or a fairytale.
Tuesdays we go into town about 45 min away and take Savannah and Charlotte to piano lessons (I'm not sure about this teacher though...) and gymnastics (Savannah, Charlotte, & Maddy). Next week we will also be going to homeschool class (PE, art, computers) on post on Wednesday mornings and Savannah will start Activity Day Girls on Wed. nights.
I have to say that I am really loving homeschool. I love our full schedule. I love learning along with the kids. I love my kids!
We did do a curriculum switch this week. I put aside Spell to Write and Read and purchased Rod & Staff's spelling for both girls. They love it; I love it. Charlotte wants more workbooks like her spelling, so today I bought her Rod & Staff's phonics and Climbing to Good English. She will be just as busy as Savannah now, but that's what she wants! Who knew?
I wake up at 530 and do Ripped in 30 by Jillian Michaels. *APPLAUSE* Thanks. Yep, about to be half-way ripped, or I would be if it weren't for that daily bowl of ice cream.
Then I shower and dress.
You heard me right. I've showered and dressed EVERY MORNING for the last two weeks.
*APPLAUSE* I know! I'm pretty much amazing. These are things I haven't done in a very long time. You know WHY??? My 5th baby is about to be ONE!!!! The fog is lifting and the clouds are parting. I'm becoming human again.
After being a rockstar in the morning, at least half of my kids are awake and the baby is wanting fed, so I feed her sweet, chubby face.
7am I wake up the other half of my kids and we eat breakfast.
Right after breakfast we have family prayer and read scriptures together.
Then immediately do latin & math.
The rest of the day is scattered with spelling, english, reading, copywork, myths, piano, lunch, dinner, etc. It lasts all day long, from 530 am to 830 pm.
The kids do a lot of chores and keep the house clean. I do a lot of cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, wiping bums (Zach is potty training himself!!!!), laundry, teaching, nagging, sneaking chocolate, etc.
Usually at the end of the day we squeeze in devotional (song, scripture verse, scripture story) and then recitations (IEW poetry & The Living Christ).
And then we watch Ben Hur until bedtime :) It is so good! I've never seen it before. We've watched about 4 1/2 hours of it so far. It is perfect because we are learning about the Romans in our history book right now.
Then the kids go to bed at 8pm and I read to them from Story of the World-Middle Ages & Our Island Story or a fairytale.
Tuesdays we go into town about 45 min away and take Savannah and Charlotte to piano lessons (I'm not sure about this teacher though...) and gymnastics (Savannah, Charlotte, & Maddy). Next week we will also be going to homeschool class (PE, art, computers) on post on Wednesday mornings and Savannah will start Activity Day Girls on Wed. nights.
I have to say that I am really loving homeschool. I love our full schedule. I love learning along with the kids. I love my kids!
We did do a curriculum switch this week. I put aside Spell to Write and Read and purchased Rod & Staff's spelling for both girls. They love it; I love it. Charlotte wants more workbooks like her spelling, so today I bought her Rod & Staff's phonics and Climbing to Good English. She will be just as busy as Savannah now, but that's what she wants! Who knew?
Friday, August 24, 2012
Week 1
Done!!!
It was a great week. The first few days were long as we were getting used to doing so much, but by the end of the week we were figuring things out. However, our days are still quite long & busy.
Savannah has quite a bit on her plate this year. Savannah and Charlotte both do Math, latin, spelling/writing, literature, piano, & enrichments (poetry, geography, science), but Savannah also does English, Greek Myths, Book of Mormon reading, summarizing, and Discovering the Scriptures. It is just a lot more than what we've done in the past. She really applies herself and gets her work done without much proding from me. I made her a to-do list to help with this. The only subject that she hates and drags her feet on is math. Today, math took around... two hours or more for one front and back page of math. Yeah, really.
I love Math Mammoth. I love how it shows patterns in numbers; how it shows different ways of solving problems. It is an amazing math program. *sigh*
She usually does just fine and completes her math page quickly without much help from me. Today, however, her brain was MIA. It might have been that I told her she had to complete her math before we went to a swimming party. Her mind was on swimming, not work. So maybe today was my fault.
I am exhausted.
It was a great week. The first few days were long as we were getting used to doing so much, but by the end of the week we were figuring things out. However, our days are still quite long & busy.
Savannah has quite a bit on her plate this year. Savannah and Charlotte both do Math, latin, spelling/writing, literature, piano, & enrichments (poetry, geography, science), but Savannah also does English, Greek Myths, Book of Mormon reading, summarizing, and Discovering the Scriptures. It is just a lot more than what we've done in the past. She really applies herself and gets her work done without much proding from me. I made her a to-do list to help with this. The only subject that she hates and drags her feet on is math. Today, math took around... two hours or more for one front and back page of math. Yeah, really.
I love Math Mammoth. I love how it shows patterns in numbers; how it shows different ways of solving problems. It is an amazing math program. *sigh*
She usually does just fine and completes her math page quickly without much help from me. Today, however, her brain was MIA. It might have been that I told her she had to complete her math before we went to a swimming party. Her mind was on swimming, not work. So maybe today was my fault.
I am exhausted.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Getting ready
Well, we are getting ready to start our first day of school on Monday. I am particularly excited about the latin. Savannah listened to O Come All Ye Faithful in latin over and over to get the pronunciation down all day today. She will really enjoy learning a new language... just to show off. I'm excited about latin because she is excited. It is fun to teach enthusiastic students (Charlotte will be learning it too).
Charlotte is excited about spellingcity.com and the fact that I'll let her play spelling games until her heart's content. I put their spelling lists, vocabulary lists, and latin words on there for them to play with. Should be quite helpful.
I took our school pictures today; I'll have them up soon. I like to make IDs with them.
Monday I am going to surprise them with something special... I'm just not sure yet. A trip to get donuts maybe? Or frozen yogurt? Maybe I can wake them up early and we'll go stand at the end of the driveway and wave at the bus as it drives by, lol. That is MY favorite part. We are going to a Not-Back-to-School pool party on Friday with other homeschoolers in the area.
Piano lessons start on Tuesday; we took the summer off. Homeschool class (PE, art, computers) starts next month, along with Maddy's gymnastics class.
Charlotte is excited about spellingcity.com and the fact that I'll let her play spelling games until her heart's content. I put their spelling lists, vocabulary lists, and latin words on there for them to play with. Should be quite helpful.
I took our school pictures today; I'll have them up soon. I like to make IDs with them.
Monday I am going to surprise them with something special... I'm just not sure yet. A trip to get donuts maybe? Or frozen yogurt? Maybe I can wake them up early and we'll go stand at the end of the driveway and wave at the bus as it drives by, lol. That is MY favorite part. We are going to a Not-Back-to-School pool party on Friday with other homeschoolers in the area.
Piano lessons start on Tuesday; we took the summer off. Homeschool class (PE, art, computers) starts next month, along with Maddy's gymnastics class.
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