The conventions are done and we are pretty much settled on curriculum for the next year. Obviously we will have to make changes as we go along, but I am hoping that my plan will allow for flexibility enough that I won't have to overhaul everything too many times :)
I was able to find a My Father's World kindergarten and First grade Teacher's Manual at the CHAP convention's used curriculum sale. I will use their program as a starting point and add in SRA Phonics, Explode the Code, and lots of extra reading for language arts. I also got the first level of Rod and Staff math, as well as the first volume of the Life of Fred series. That along with our Rightstart math program should give me enough background to teach to Henry's level as we go.
The MFW curriculum is low key, provides decent tie-ins to biblical concepts, and gives me a framework to start from when building our curriculum. It's not truly an all-in-one for us, but it does help me by limiting the possibilities and giving a little more structure to my mommy-made studies. The kindergarten program starts with a two week intro, then progresses through 26 themes, each beginning with a different letter of the alphabet. There are short passages of scripture, some fun activities, and a phonics/handwriting progression. We'll skip the letter sounds but definitely use the fine motor skills practice.
The first grade program is all about learning to read, and employs a bible reader that the child is meant to read independently by the end. The older version of the first grade is not as well laid out as the kindergarten but I am working on putting the info into a plan book in order to make more sense of it.
I also got some extra resources from Rod and Staff, some art resources, picture books from the used sale, a small home worship Betty Lukins felt set for teaching Bible stories, some devotions books, and a couple of Wee Sing cds for extra enrichment. Then I came home and placed an amazon order for any other lit. books I still wanted (getting most of them used). All in all I spent somewhere around 600 on curriculum, and will hopefully be able to pass it all onto my niece and then use it for Stella some day. It seems like a lot, but I actually spent less than I had budgeted! I used money from my and Stella's birthday too.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
Homeschool Convention!
We took a break for the last month or so, continuing with some phonics and reading books when we felt like it, and focusing on all the spring social events. We went to weddings, birthday parties, and small group events, and I spent mother's day weekend at the CHAP homeschool convention.
The convention was amazing, way bigger than the NJ convention we've gone to in years past (and will go to this weekend). I talked to some parents who also had early readers, which just filled me with such a sense of relief. There was no trying to say negative things to balance out talking about Henry's reading, no apologies, no assurances that I'm not crazy or suggestions that I'm pushing my kid to do more than he is able to do.
I also found some great curriculum options, which I'll post about separately. Things got a lot easier when I decided to just go with my gut. My first inclination was to find work that was at Henry's level phonics-wise, in other words, second grade stuff. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that my desire is for us to have a low-key, low-pressure, enjoyable school experience this year. I'm far more concerned about learning about the Bible, developing character, learning to get along with others, and spending quality time together than I am about academics at this point.
The truth is, Henry will be fine academically, but these preschool years will be over in no time and I want to make sure that he learns to love school. I want him to feel the satisfaction of knowing the right answers, of getting everything right. There will be plenty of time to struggle, to work hard, to be disciplined. I want him, in the midst of learning something truly difficult, to remember the feeling he had of getting every answer. I want him to know that he is smart, and capable, that he can get this.
This may seem obvious to everyone but me, but I really have struggled with the decision of which path to take. Encourage him to do the hardest work he is capable of doing, or let him revel in a job well done? Both are important I think. Anyway, we will be starting kindergarten curriculum soon, a very cool Bible-based kindergarten curriculum that is similar to what we've been doing. I will supplement the phonics and perhaps the math as needed, and we may continue doing our continent boxes just because they are fun! My plan is to finish up the kindergarten sometime around Christmas, and then start 1st grade in the new year.
The convention was amazing, way bigger than the NJ convention we've gone to in years past (and will go to this weekend). I talked to some parents who also had early readers, which just filled me with such a sense of relief. There was no trying to say negative things to balance out talking about Henry's reading, no apologies, no assurances that I'm not crazy or suggestions that I'm pushing my kid to do more than he is able to do.
I also found some great curriculum options, which I'll post about separately. Things got a lot easier when I decided to just go with my gut. My first inclination was to find work that was at Henry's level phonics-wise, in other words, second grade stuff. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that my desire is for us to have a low-key, low-pressure, enjoyable school experience this year. I'm far more concerned about learning about the Bible, developing character, learning to get along with others, and spending quality time together than I am about academics at this point.
The truth is, Henry will be fine academically, but these preschool years will be over in no time and I want to make sure that he learns to love school. I want him to feel the satisfaction of knowing the right answers, of getting everything right. There will be plenty of time to struggle, to work hard, to be disciplined. I want him, in the midst of learning something truly difficult, to remember the feeling he had of getting every answer. I want him to know that he is smart, and capable, that he can get this.
This may seem obvious to everyone but me, but I really have struggled with the decision of which path to take. Encourage him to do the hardest work he is capable of doing, or let him revel in a job well done? Both are important I think. Anyway, we will be starting kindergarten curriculum soon, a very cool Bible-based kindergarten curriculum that is similar to what we've been doing. I will supplement the phonics and perhaps the math as needed, and we may continue doing our continent boxes just because they are fun! My plan is to finish up the kindergarten sometime around Christmas, and then start 1st grade in the new year.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Feb.-Mar. Transition/Bunnies!
We worked on finishing up the rest of my winter-themed books and activities last week, making snowflakes, reading the gingerbread baby and the mitten, and continuing to enjoy our Antarctica box.
This week we are reading several books about bunnies, including Peter Rabbit and other Beatrix Potter stories, ABC Bunny, and The Little Rabbit. I decided to do a week with these books and some light-hearted Easter reads now, and then focus on the real Easter story at the end of the month.
We are almost at the end of our First Start Reading workbooks A-D, but that will take us only halfway through Classical Phonics. I just write the new words and sentences on a little white board, then Henry reads them and erases the board, because he is not writing yet, but I didn't want this to hold him back from the phonics that he has already mastered. He pretty much knows the words we're doing now, but I still wanted to go through each lesson anyway just so I know I'm not skipping something crucial. I guess when we finish the workbooks I'll have to just make lessons up for the rest of the phonics books. We should be finished with the workbooks this week if I stay on top of it.
We started reading our Bible stories from this book 5 Minute Bible Story Devotions. He seemed distracted while I read but later commented on a story, so I think they're good. I also read from the My Father's World Story Book Bible, and roughly follow the ABC Jesus Loves Me 3-year-old schedule for the stories.
We went to the library and got some Australia books, some about the country and some about animals from the country, so we'll start doing our Australia box soon. I have some more stuff coming in the mail too. We might forgo themes for a while and focus on the animals or something if Henry likes them enough.
This week we are reading several books about bunnies, including Peter Rabbit and other Beatrix Potter stories, ABC Bunny, and The Little Rabbit. I decided to do a week with these books and some light-hearted Easter reads now, and then focus on the real Easter story at the end of the month.
We are almost at the end of our First Start Reading workbooks A-D, but that will take us only halfway through Classical Phonics. I just write the new words and sentences on a little white board, then Henry reads them and erases the board, because he is not writing yet, but I didn't want this to hold him back from the phonics that he has already mastered. He pretty much knows the words we're doing now, but I still wanted to go through each lesson anyway just so I know I'm not skipping something crucial. I guess when we finish the workbooks I'll have to just make lessons up for the rest of the phonics books. We should be finished with the workbooks this week if I stay on top of it.
We started reading our Bible stories from this book 5 Minute Bible Story Devotions. He seemed distracted while I read but later commented on a story, so I think they're good. I also read from the My Father's World Story Book Bible, and roughly follow the ABC Jesus Loves Me 3-year-old schedule for the stories.
We went to the library and got some Australia books, some about the country and some about animals from the country, so we'll start doing our Australia box soon. I have some more stuff coming in the mail too. We might forgo themes for a while and focus on the animals or something if Henry likes them enough.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
We went to PA last weekend for a little vacation, and I visited an
educational store there. A woman who worked there said she was a former
preschool and kindergarten teacher and asked if she could help me find
something. I asked her about resources for teaching some specific
phonetics skills.
When she showed me some workbooks that were heavy on writing and drawing, I explained that I was looking for something more visual since my son was young and didn't enjoy writing. When she heard that Henry was three, she looked at me like I was crazy. First she said that there was no way that he could really read. When I assured her that he could, she acted like I was "hot-housing" (a term I just found out about) or something, drilling him with concepts too advanced for him. When I said that I only followed his interest, teaching him when he asked to be taught and answered his questions about reading, she said, conciliatory, "Well, it's not developmentally normal. Pretty soon he'll just stop and then all the other kids will catch up."
At first I was baffled. Why didn't she just show me what I wanted (and make a sale)? Why was she so invested in convincing me that my son was weird, that I was crazy, that Henry learning early and well was something to worry about, that it would be fine because eventually he would fall back and average out?
I know not all teachers are like this lady. There are certainly teachers out there who see each child as an individual and do their very best to bring out the full potential of each student in their care. But it made me realize that sending Henry to school might subject him to personalities like these, who want everything and everybody to fit in a neat little box, those who see working ahead in the same light as falling behind.
Homeschooling is hard. It will probably get a lot harder before we are through. But it's worth it to let my children learn the best way they can, whether that fits into someone else's timeline or not.
When she showed me some workbooks that were heavy on writing and drawing, I explained that I was looking for something more visual since my son was young and didn't enjoy writing. When she heard that Henry was three, she looked at me like I was crazy. First she said that there was no way that he could really read. When I assured her that he could, she acted like I was "hot-housing" (a term I just found out about) or something, drilling him with concepts too advanced for him. When I said that I only followed his interest, teaching him when he asked to be taught and answered his questions about reading, she said, conciliatory, "Well, it's not developmentally normal. Pretty soon he'll just stop and then all the other kids will catch up."
At first I was baffled. Why didn't she just show me what I wanted (and make a sale)? Why was she so invested in convincing me that my son was weird, that I was crazy, that Henry learning early and well was something to worry about, that it would be fine because eventually he would fall back and average out?
I know not all teachers are like this lady. There are certainly teachers out there who see each child as an individual and do their very best to bring out the full potential of each student in their care. But it made me realize that sending Henry to school might subject him to personalities like these, who want everything and everybody to fit in a neat little box, those who see working ahead in the same light as falling behind.
Homeschooling is hard. It will probably get a lot harder before we are through. But it's worth it to let my children learn the best way they can, whether that fits into someone else's timeline or not.
Snowy Day!
It didn't snow this week but that didn't stop us from reading some great books about snow days and snowmen. There were so many cool activities I found for a snow theme that we didn't get to all of them, so we may sneak a couple into next week when we read The Mitten by Jan Brett.
Henry is getting faster at reading and spelling words. Other than reading aloud and along with him, we also practiced some silent e words and now he is much better at pronouncing silent e words quickly. Before when he saw a word like "make", he would say "mack, no wait, make." Now he is much faster at seeing the whole word and saying it correctly. We'll probably continue practicing the silent e words this week, maybe with some vowel-r-silent e words because I think those can be tricky.
He is also more interested in holding pencils. He didn't want to write letters but likes those printable worksheets where you trace a path from one object to another. He also did some dot-to-dot worksheets and some regular old coloring. I'll be ordering more FLIP crayons from rainbow resource because we've worn ours down to nothing. I'll probably also order some new do-a-dot markers just for fun.
I backed off doing any kind of math this past week.
We opened up our first continent box, Antarctica! Henry absolutely loved it. We have a little ball that looks like a globe, an inflatable globe, and a big map of the world on the wall. We found Antarctica on all of them. We read books from the library and tried watching March of the Penguins. I have to say I was glad Henry wasn't that in to it, that movie is sad! I think his favorite thing about Antarctica is spelling it. It's probably the biggest word he knows and he gets a kick out of it.
We listened to Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne on cd from the library. The first chapter I played he almost ignored it, running around the house. His attention span got much longer as we continued, and now he'll sometimes ask for two chapters, but I've found one is more where he is at this time.
We've been reading one devotion from Gotta Have God Devotions for Boys each morning. Now that Henry is a bit older, the ABC Jesus Loves me curriculum is more his speed in terms of the Bible stories, so we're following that schedule again. Next week is Jesus Feeding the 5000, which should be fun!
I play classical music during some of our down time, but haven't put up our composer of the month pictures yet. I am going to do the Artist of the Month first I think, starting with Picasso because he is fun. I got some books from the library and googled coloring pages for Picasso's paintings - it is amazing how many there were! We will hopefully start the Artists this week and the composers a couple weeks later.
I think I'm mellowing out as we go. I used to feel so bad if we didn't do something I had planned or if I changed the plan or dropped something. Now I'm realizing that those decisions were usually made not because we are lazy or ineffective, but because that was what was best for us at the time. If Henry isn't ready for something he isn't ready. In the same way, if he is ready to read why do we need to wait on someone else's schedule to do it?
Henry is getting faster at reading and spelling words. Other than reading aloud and along with him, we also practiced some silent e words and now he is much better at pronouncing silent e words quickly. Before when he saw a word like "make", he would say "mack, no wait, make." Now he is much faster at seeing the whole word and saying it correctly. We'll probably continue practicing the silent e words this week, maybe with some vowel-r-silent e words because I think those can be tricky.
He is also more interested in holding pencils. He didn't want to write letters but likes those printable worksheets where you trace a path from one object to another. He also did some dot-to-dot worksheets and some regular old coloring. I'll be ordering more FLIP crayons from rainbow resource because we've worn ours down to nothing. I'll probably also order some new do-a-dot markers just for fun.
I backed off doing any kind of math this past week.
We opened up our first continent box, Antarctica! Henry absolutely loved it. We have a little ball that looks like a globe, an inflatable globe, and a big map of the world on the wall. We found Antarctica on all of them. We read books from the library and tried watching March of the Penguins. I have to say I was glad Henry wasn't that in to it, that movie is sad! I think his favorite thing about Antarctica is spelling it. It's probably the biggest word he knows and he gets a kick out of it.
We listened to Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne on cd from the library. The first chapter I played he almost ignored it, running around the house. His attention span got much longer as we continued, and now he'll sometimes ask for two chapters, but I've found one is more where he is at this time.
We've been reading one devotion from Gotta Have God Devotions for Boys each morning. Now that Henry is a bit older, the ABC Jesus Loves me curriculum is more his speed in terms of the Bible stories, so we're following that schedule again. Next week is Jesus Feeding the 5000, which should be fun!
I play classical music during some of our down time, but haven't put up our composer of the month pictures yet. I am going to do the Artist of the Month first I think, starting with Picasso because he is fun. I got some books from the library and googled coloring pages for Picasso's paintings - it is amazing how many there were! We will hopefully start the Artists this week and the composers a couple weeks later.
I think I'm mellowing out as we go. I used to feel so bad if we didn't do something I had planned or if I changed the plan or dropped something. Now I'm realizing that those decisions were usually made not because we are lazy or ineffective, but because that was what was best for us at the time. If Henry isn't ready for something he isn't ready. In the same way, if he is ready to read why do we need to wait on someone else's schedule to do it?
Monday, February 11, 2013
Will You Be My Valentine?
We had lots of fun with our penguin theme last week. I think we may return to it once I get our Antarctica continent box ready!
This week we are reading some Valentine's Day and love-themed books. Today we worked on making some Valentine's Day cards for our friends and some handprint crafts for the grandparents. We also took some time looking at our new maps that I hung in the hallway and reading Where Do I Live?
Henry asked to read BOB books but got bored with them pretty quickly. I'm thinking this is a good thing because they are very easy for him and the stories are not very interesting. It is always hard to know how much he is comprehending when he is reading aloud to me, but in this case I think he realized that the stories were boring. He loves to read Go, Dog, Go, which has more newer sight words and is just all around a more "real" book.
I tried to play a little addition game but he was either bored or just not getting it. I think we'll have to try something more conceptual. Tomorrow we will wrap Valentine's Day presents for the kids in our small group (hoping Amazon gets them to us in time), and do some more fun reading aloud.
Stella has been cruising, crawling, teething, and eating us out of house and home, so it's been harder to sit down for a long time with Henry. On the other hand I feel that for his age shorter, more spaced out learning is working well. I do a little activity with him, then feed the baby, then something else, then do some dishes, etc. It doesn't fit into my neat little plans always but it works.
This week we are reading some Valentine's Day and love-themed books. Today we worked on making some Valentine's Day cards for our friends and some handprint crafts for the grandparents. We also took some time looking at our new maps that I hung in the hallway and reading Where Do I Live?
Henry asked to read BOB books but got bored with them pretty quickly. I'm thinking this is a good thing because they are very easy for him and the stories are not very interesting. It is always hard to know how much he is comprehending when he is reading aloud to me, but in this case I think he realized that the stories were boring. He loves to read Go, Dog, Go, which has more newer sight words and is just all around a more "real" book.
I tried to play a little addition game but he was either bored or just not getting it. I think we'll have to try something more conceptual. Tomorrow we will wrap Valentine's Day presents for the kids in our small group (hoping Amazon gets them to us in time), and do some more fun reading aloud.
Stella has been cruising, crawling, teething, and eating us out of house and home, so it's been harder to sit down for a long time with Henry. On the other hand I feel that for his age shorter, more spaced out learning is working well. I do a little activity with him, then feed the baby, then something else, then do some dishes, etc. It doesn't fit into my neat little plans always but it works.
This Week: Penguins!
We are having a great season of preschool! Henry is happy to be learning and makes progress every day. We are still working on potty-training and our main focus for school is just improving his reading. He will now verbally spell words out unprompted. It is fun to open the front door and hear his little voice whispering "L-O-C-K. That's lock. Yeah, that lock."
I got him to try tracing some letters by using some printable letter pages, I think from 1+1+1? I put them in a binder in sheet protectors and let him use tiny dry erase markers from the Target dollar section to trace the letters. He loved erasing them with the eraser too. We also just do do-a-dot pages and I'll be opening up a new pack of skinny pipsqueak markers to color with tomorrow.
This week our theme is Penguins, and we've been having fun reading some really great books. Greg has been reading The Narnia Chronicles to him before bed, and I just started reading Mr. Popper's Penguins during the day. We've also found some great picture books, including One Cool Friend, Tacky the Penguin, and Penguin. Of course there is always our old favorite, Osbert. Henry hasn't asked to watch Pingu yet, but I'm sure that will happen too.
Greg does "Math School" with him about once a week but I am hoping to join in and do little games throughout the week. He would love memorizing whatever math facts we taught him but we are hoping for a more conceptual understanding.
I am planning a big geography survey based around our continent boxes, but I'm not sure when we'll start. I guess I originally planned to do Antarctica when we did Penguins, but I don't feel like I've prepared enough yet.
I found a great website for a study of artists and musicians. I had some classical cds I got at a prior homeschool convention and I hope to get some more when we go in May.
It's hard not to feel overwhelmed by all of the awesome plans I'm making right now. It feels like there is so much work to do, especially considering our budget limitations, but I'm trying to remember to focus on the basics for now, and realize that by the time Henry is ready for these substantive topics, I'll have it figured out.
I got him to try tracing some letters by using some printable letter pages, I think from 1+1+1? I put them in a binder in sheet protectors and let him use tiny dry erase markers from the Target dollar section to trace the letters. He loved erasing them with the eraser too. We also just do do-a-dot pages and I'll be opening up a new pack of skinny pipsqueak markers to color with tomorrow.
This week our theme is Penguins, and we've been having fun reading some really great books. Greg has been reading The Narnia Chronicles to him before bed, and I just started reading Mr. Popper's Penguins during the day. We've also found some great picture books, including One Cool Friend, Tacky the Penguin, and Penguin. Of course there is always our old favorite, Osbert. Henry hasn't asked to watch Pingu yet, but I'm sure that will happen too.
Greg does "Math School" with him about once a week but I am hoping to join in and do little games throughout the week. He would love memorizing whatever math facts we taught him but we are hoping for a more conceptual understanding.
I am planning a big geography survey based around our continent boxes, but I'm not sure when we'll start. I guess I originally planned to do Antarctica when we did Penguins, but I don't feel like I've prepared enough yet.
I found a great website for a study of artists and musicians. I had some classical cds I got at a prior homeschool convention and I hope to get some more when we go in May.
It's hard not to feel overwhelmed by all of the awesome plans I'm making right now. It feels like there is so much work to do, especially considering our budget limitations, but I'm trying to remember to focus on the basics for now, and realize that by the time Henry is ready for these substantive topics, I'll have it figured out.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Where We Are Now
I haven't posted much since we've been so so busy. Hurricane Sandy threw us for a loop and since then it's been non-stop dealing with damage to the house and rearranging our house now that we have no storage space. We have continued to do preschool at home, but with all of the non-essentials cut out. Just this month I've been able to add back in more of the fun theme-based activities that I'd planned on doing. Without further ado, this is where we are now:
Life Skills - Henry FINALLY was able to use the potty (consciously, not just accidentally because I was putting him on every ten minutes). This has been our main focus as far as teaching him to be independent. We got him a special new train for the first time he did it, and now have a sticker chart for another reward. I got three packs of chore chart things from the dollar section at Target (awesome sauce). I'm taking baby-steps with this. I tried just putting him in underwear cold turkey and I still have PTSD from the number of accidents I was cleaning up, so for now he is still in diapers. I'm sure he would train faster if I had the guts to ditch the diapers again but for now I'm ok with the gradual approach.
Reading - Watching Henry learn to read has been one of the most exciting experiences for me as a homeschooling parent. I'm not a former teacher like many homeschool moms I know, so I was a little worried that I would do something horribly wrong and Henry would end up behind with this. Fortunately for my inexperienced self he has always been obsessed with letters and as soon as he "got it" (figured out how to put the letter sounds together to sound out words phonetically) he was reading.
I let him watch the Preschool Prep Sight Words dvds before he was reading phonetically, and he could pretty much read their Sight Words Readers, but I didn't consider him to be actually "reading" until he was sounding out new words on his own. He started doing that soon after he began reading the Sight Words books, so I think allowing him to take the whole language approach first actually triggered something in his mind that allowed him to "decode" the letters and read. Starting with whole language is controversial, and I wouldn't have chosen to do it, but he loved the Sight Words dvds so much and kept asking for them and in our case it worked out very well. Now he can read many many picture books, BOB books, and the leveled readers like Step Into Reading books. He also loves sounding out signs and other words whenever he encounters them. He will verbally spell out words (unless asked!), like MILK, and CAN'T!
Henry loves Starfall and anything else that has to do with the computer or movies so I'm trying to use that to my advantage. We are doing the portion of Starfall that teaches silent e's and he is doing well with that. Also the Leapfrog dvd WordCaper explains silent e words very well so I think I'll try and show him that again. He knows the rule but needs more practice to apply it quicker.
Writing - Henry is either average or behind with fine motor skills for his age. It's hard to say, because I think he's actually capable of writing but is very easily frustrated and gives up quickly. We went to a birthday party for two sisters this weekend, and he wrote his name on one card, looked at it, and refused to try the second card even when I tried to help him. I think the fact that the letters don't look the way they look in his mind is frustrating to him. He often asks me to write words or letters for him, but I try to hold back a little so that he'll develop the desire to try himself. He is stubborn and won't cooperate when I try to correct his pencil grip. I'm hoping this will be one of those developmental things and that he'll just wake up one day and want to do it :)
Math - Greg does "Math School" with Henry at least once a week. He uses the first grade materials from Right Start Math, level B I think. This program is very conceptual and doesn't yet require writing skills so it is going well. There is a cd with rhymes to learn their system and some visual aids that Henry likes.
Behavior - I've been really encouraged these last few days. Henry is still going through a "no" phase where he basically just says the opposite of whatever we say. I'm not too disturbed by this, since he has actually been more obedient, he just says no but still follows directions and has been sweeter than ever. For example, we'll say "Henry do you want to go swimming in the pool?" and he'll say, "No! Not the pool! We can go take a bath!" A minute later he'll realize what we said and what he said and run up to us saying "The pool the pool, we can go swimming in the pool." His negative responses seem sort of reflexive. I've been ignoring it. I think focusing on it would just make him dig his heels in. I think it has something to do with becoming more independent, trying to have his own opinion, that sort of thing. We're hoping he outgrows this phase soon though :)
Other Subjects - Like I said, I've been planning to do some more theme-related activities. Some are new, others I planned to do earlier but never got to. Up next are Penguins, Snowmen/Snow, The Gingerbread Man, The Mitten (the book), Valentine's Day, Dishes (setting the table, putting the silverware away), Clothing, Weather, Bugs, and Growing Plants. This just means I try to find library books, gather books we have, and buy a few books about the theme, print out some little activities with theme-related clip art, and maybe do a craft or two. It's just a way to get Henry into what we're doing and create some unity between the other subjects.
As far as the bible stories and memory verses are concerned, I'm not sure what to do. I was trying to use the ABC Jesus Loves Me website as a basic guide and planned to gather different resources, books, crafts, etc to go along with the Bible stories she suggested. I'm having such a hard time with this. Maybe I just don't have enough time to do it well. I'm going to research it a little more and see if there isn't some bible curriculum that requires less work on my part. I really wish we were going to one of the big homeschool conventions in March, but money is just too scarce to plan another trip right now. The NJ and PA conventions we're planning on attending are not until May and I don't want to wait that long to change up our Bible time. I may have to try and just ask around.
Life Skills - Henry FINALLY was able to use the potty (consciously, not just accidentally because I was putting him on every ten minutes). This has been our main focus as far as teaching him to be independent. We got him a special new train for the first time he did it, and now have a sticker chart for another reward. I got three packs of chore chart things from the dollar section at Target (awesome sauce). I'm taking baby-steps with this. I tried just putting him in underwear cold turkey and I still have PTSD from the number of accidents I was cleaning up, so for now he is still in diapers. I'm sure he would train faster if I had the guts to ditch the diapers again but for now I'm ok with the gradual approach.
Reading - Watching Henry learn to read has been one of the most exciting experiences for me as a homeschooling parent. I'm not a former teacher like many homeschool moms I know, so I was a little worried that I would do something horribly wrong and Henry would end up behind with this. Fortunately for my inexperienced self he has always been obsessed with letters and as soon as he "got it" (figured out how to put the letter sounds together to sound out words phonetically) he was reading.
I let him watch the Preschool Prep Sight Words dvds before he was reading phonetically, and he could pretty much read their Sight Words Readers, but I didn't consider him to be actually "reading" until he was sounding out new words on his own. He started doing that soon after he began reading the Sight Words books, so I think allowing him to take the whole language approach first actually triggered something in his mind that allowed him to "decode" the letters and read. Starting with whole language is controversial, and I wouldn't have chosen to do it, but he loved the Sight Words dvds so much and kept asking for them and in our case it worked out very well. Now he can read many many picture books, BOB books, and the leveled readers like Step Into Reading books. He also loves sounding out signs and other words whenever he encounters them. He will verbally spell out words (unless asked!), like MILK, and CAN'T!
Henry loves Starfall and anything else that has to do with the computer or movies so I'm trying to use that to my advantage. We are doing the portion of Starfall that teaches silent e's and he is doing well with that. Also the Leapfrog dvd WordCaper explains silent e words very well so I think I'll try and show him that again. He knows the rule but needs more practice to apply it quicker.
Writing - Henry is either average or behind with fine motor skills for his age. It's hard to say, because I think he's actually capable of writing but is very easily frustrated and gives up quickly. We went to a birthday party for two sisters this weekend, and he wrote his name on one card, looked at it, and refused to try the second card even when I tried to help him. I think the fact that the letters don't look the way they look in his mind is frustrating to him. He often asks me to write words or letters for him, but I try to hold back a little so that he'll develop the desire to try himself. He is stubborn and won't cooperate when I try to correct his pencil grip. I'm hoping this will be one of those developmental things and that he'll just wake up one day and want to do it :)
Math - Greg does "Math School" with Henry at least once a week. He uses the first grade materials from Right Start Math, level B I think. This program is very conceptual and doesn't yet require writing skills so it is going well. There is a cd with rhymes to learn their system and some visual aids that Henry likes.
Behavior - I've been really encouraged these last few days. Henry is still going through a "no" phase where he basically just says the opposite of whatever we say. I'm not too disturbed by this, since he has actually been more obedient, he just says no but still follows directions and has been sweeter than ever. For example, we'll say "Henry do you want to go swimming in the pool?" and he'll say, "No! Not the pool! We can go take a bath!" A minute later he'll realize what we said and what he said and run up to us saying "The pool the pool, we can go swimming in the pool." His negative responses seem sort of reflexive. I've been ignoring it. I think focusing on it would just make him dig his heels in. I think it has something to do with becoming more independent, trying to have his own opinion, that sort of thing. We're hoping he outgrows this phase soon though :)
Other Subjects - Like I said, I've been planning to do some more theme-related activities. Some are new, others I planned to do earlier but never got to. Up next are Penguins, Snowmen/Snow, The Gingerbread Man, The Mitten (the book), Valentine's Day, Dishes (setting the table, putting the silverware away), Clothing, Weather, Bugs, and Growing Plants. This just means I try to find library books, gather books we have, and buy a few books about the theme, print out some little activities with theme-related clip art, and maybe do a craft or two. It's just a way to get Henry into what we're doing and create some unity between the other subjects.
As far as the bible stories and memory verses are concerned, I'm not sure what to do. I was trying to use the ABC Jesus Loves Me website as a basic guide and planned to gather different resources, books, crafts, etc to go along with the Bible stories she suggested. I'm having such a hard time with this. Maybe I just don't have enough time to do it well. I'm going to research it a little more and see if there isn't some bible curriculum that requires less work on my part. I really wish we were going to one of the big homeschool conventions in March, but money is just too scarce to plan another trip right now. The NJ and PA conventions we're planning on attending are not until May and I don't want to wait that long to change up our Bible time. I may have to try and just ask around.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Still on Track
Remember when I talked about not letting those unexpected life events get in the way of persevering on with your homeschool? Well, I had the opportunity to put this into practice this year already.
It was the day before we were planning to start school. I had done most of the prep work, but still had a list of stuff to be printed, cut, laminated, and a few books I had to find. Greg was asleep on the couch, the kids were still asleep in bed. I heard Greg's phone and saw his sister's number. I thought it would be a good time to wake him up, so I handed him the still vibrating phone and left the room to do more chores. A few minutes later he came to me, and I could tell before he said anything that the news was bad. My mind said "Who?", frantically going down the list of his family members, each possibility filling me with dread. Then he said, "My dad's plane crashed," and began to cry. We would later find out that Henry's Grandpa-Dad had miraculously survived the accident and would slowly but steadily recover. But for that initial time we didn't know what to think.
I pushed away the tears of uncertain grief and tried to think practicalities. My husband's business had been steady, but his income was still cyclical, he will sometimes wait months to be paid for any one particular case, occasionally creating very dry times for us. This happened to be the absolute lowest we had ever been financially. We had a couple of near-maxed out credit cards and .38 cents in our bank account, no exaggeration. I went upstairs to my family and told them what happened, and asked to borrow money for gas to get down to TN. Luckily they were able to help us with no questions asked. My sister came down with me and started packing a bag for the kids, and I packed for Greg, then started packing for myself. Half-way in I just gave up and got everyone into the car and began driving.
We drove all day and night, arriving in Memphis around 6am the next morning. Greg saw his Dad right away and we were all encouraged as he took the first steps toward healing. We spent the week with Greg's sisters, working around the TICU's visiting schedule. We took Henry with us once, but the combination of emotional strain and running after him was difficult, and after that he stayed home with me or one of the aunts. Despite the stress of the situation, Henry did get to spend time with and interact with his aunts and his soon-to-be Uncle Ron who he absolutely adored.
We got back late on the following Sunday night, effectively skipping our first whole week of school. We were emotionally drained and worried, not just for Grandpa-Dad, but for his wife and daughter who were left behind to walk with him during what will be a difficult recovery time. I did not feel like singing songs or reading books to Henry. I wanted to spend the next day sleeping or reading or in some way recovering from the trip. But I got out my schedule and shifted some things around and cut some things out, and eventually figured about how to combine the first week into the second and third weeks. And Monday we had school. And it was awesome.
Henry had an amazing day. He listened, he remembered what I taught him. I was able to take care of Baby Stella and do the dishes and the laundry and teach Henry and even make dinner without a hitch. It wasn't perfect by any means. We won't get to do every single thing I originally planned. But it will be work, and Henry will have a great year, maybe even a better year because we stuck with it.
It was the day before we were planning to start school. I had done most of the prep work, but still had a list of stuff to be printed, cut, laminated, and a few books I had to find. Greg was asleep on the couch, the kids were still asleep in bed. I heard Greg's phone and saw his sister's number. I thought it would be a good time to wake him up, so I handed him the still vibrating phone and left the room to do more chores. A few minutes later he came to me, and I could tell before he said anything that the news was bad. My mind said "Who?", frantically going down the list of his family members, each possibility filling me with dread. Then he said, "My dad's plane crashed," and began to cry. We would later find out that Henry's Grandpa-Dad had miraculously survived the accident and would slowly but steadily recover. But for that initial time we didn't know what to think.
I pushed away the tears of uncertain grief and tried to think practicalities. My husband's business had been steady, but his income was still cyclical, he will sometimes wait months to be paid for any one particular case, occasionally creating very dry times for us. This happened to be the absolute lowest we had ever been financially. We had a couple of near-maxed out credit cards and .38 cents in our bank account, no exaggeration. I went upstairs to my family and told them what happened, and asked to borrow money for gas to get down to TN. Luckily they were able to help us with no questions asked. My sister came down with me and started packing a bag for the kids, and I packed for Greg, then started packing for myself. Half-way in I just gave up and got everyone into the car and began driving.
We drove all day and night, arriving in Memphis around 6am the next morning. Greg saw his Dad right away and we were all encouraged as he took the first steps toward healing. We spent the week with Greg's sisters, working around the TICU's visiting schedule. We took Henry with us once, but the combination of emotional strain and running after him was difficult, and after that he stayed home with me or one of the aunts. Despite the stress of the situation, Henry did get to spend time with and interact with his aunts and his soon-to-be Uncle Ron who he absolutely adored.
We got back late on the following Sunday night, effectively skipping our first whole week of school. We were emotionally drained and worried, not just for Grandpa-Dad, but for his wife and daughter who were left behind to walk with him during what will be a difficult recovery time. I did not feel like singing songs or reading books to Henry. I wanted to spend the next day sleeping or reading or in some way recovering from the trip. But I got out my schedule and shifted some things around and cut some things out, and eventually figured about how to combine the first week into the second and third weeks. And Monday we had school. And it was awesome.
Henry had an amazing day. He listened, he remembered what I taught him. I was able to take care of Baby Stella and do the dishes and the laundry and teach Henry and even make dinner without a hitch. It wasn't perfect by any means. We won't get to do every single thing I originally planned. But it will be work, and Henry will have a great year, maybe even a better year because we stuck with it.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Encouragement for Homeschool Moms
I need this post more than anyone else, so here goes:
What You Shouldn't Be Discouraged By:
Your Own Expectations. It might be the way you thought you'd look. It might be the kind of social life you thought you'd have. It might be zero screen-time and all wooden/organic/natural toys. I think the most silly and unrealistic expectation I have is my house. Somewhere in the back of my mind I pictured us living in a little brick mansion with an old stone fence and a garden in the backyard. The inside would be pristine and the cookies would be from scratch, with nary a laundry pile or Ikea product to be found. This ridiculous vision of domesticity is behind all sorts of guilty, discontented and otherwise useless thoughts that bring me down day after day.
The Solution: Expectations are a drag; realistic goals are much more useful. If you're not happy about your body, your schedule, your house, your job, your finances - make a plan and do a little something about it every day. It's not glamorous but it's a whole lot more likely to actually change your life.
Other People's Expectations. Your parents, your in-laws, your friends who are sending their kids to school, even your husband will have some picture in their minds for what your homeschool should look like. Don't buy into it. Saying the pledge of allegiance every morning in your primary-colored school room might work for some people, but for most of us homeschooling looks a lot less formal.
The Solution: When it comes to other parents, like your friends who are raising kids or your own parents, often times your decision to do something differently is interpreted as a judgment of their own choices. If you're trying to convince your friends to homeschool their own kids and they are open to hearing about it, then by all means tell them how great it is. If they aren't open to the idea, shelve it for now. No one wants to hear how they're ruining their kids' lives with public school. Likewise your parents don't really need to know how inferior you think their choices were; instead of talking about what you hated about your education emphasize the pros of homeschooling and all the new (emphasis on new) resources out there. If your spouse is, um, surprised at the stacks of books on the table or the piles of unfolded laundry, the best advice I have is to swap it up. The next vacation week he has, let him take a day or two and try to do what you do. I've seriously done this and guess what? My husband knows how hard my job is and appreciates that he gets to go to work! Whatever other people think or say, make sure you don't let other people's low expectations of what you or your kids can do affect what you do or how you perceive your homeschool.
Money. I saved up pretty much all our discretionary income for two months, and the other night I spent it all on school stuff for Henry, my not-yet three-year-old. I have to admit, placing the orders for this stuff stressed me out. It was a big commitment. I'm worried about spending too much for stuff, about not choosing the right things, and about, oddly enough, not spending enough. We are living on one income, and paying taxes for the school system but not using resources from the public school in return. This hurts sometimes. Maybe you have lots of kids, or one or one and a half incomes, or the economy sucks. Whatever it is, figuring out how to use the money you have to provide your kids with the best possible education is difficult and stressful sometimes.
The Solution: Being poor doesn't mean you can't give your kids a great education. That said, don't feel weird about sacrificing less important stuff so that you can afford the resources you really need. We've never paid for cable (actually not totally true, we had it for the three months we were studying for the bar so the babysitter could watch TV), I haven't bought myself new shoes in two years and we have limited eating out and traveling so that we can afford the lifestyle we've chosen. Get out of the deprivation mindset and look at allocating your financial resources like you're playing a game. Ask "How can we limit spending on things we don't really care about and focus our money on the things we really need or want?" Then, stop comparing what you have to others who have more. If you need to, compare yourself to those who have less and praise God for how rich you are.
"Wasting" Your Time. I think this is something all SAHM's face from time to time. We put aside the degrees, the careers, all those things we used to get praise and money for excelling at. (Yes I end sentences in prepositions, no my kids will not be idiots because I'm their teacher). We give up alot to do a job that society does not value. So is being "just" a mom a waste of our gifts?
The Solution: Maybe, for you it might be. Ask yourself this: what do you want to do, honestly? Forget what anyone else thinks. Are you happier at home or outside the home? I can honestly say that working makes me proud, fulfilled, cranky, mentally tired and stressed out. Being home makes me happy, relaxed, and physically tired. It's clear to me that I prefer to be home. My mom wanted to work, and she did, and I am fine. Your kids will also be fine if you want to work. But choosing to stay home, while usually less lucrative than working, is not a waste of your time, as long as you don't waste your time at home. What does this mean? It means you're the mom, not the babysitter. Take advantage of the time you have, think of it as a real job in which you have the opportunity to excel. Pray about how to do it better and prioritize the most important things. Just because the world may not value this job doesn't mean it's not valuable.
Not Doing a Good Enough Job. Even I've worried about this, and I'm teaching my kid to color inside the lines. Not exactly rocket science, but I've still worried that I will be so much less qualified to teach my kids than the preschool teacher down the road that it's led to serious self-doubt.
Solution: It's simple math. Maybe I'm only half as qualified to teach my kid as a real teacher would be, but he wouldn't just get a real teacher if I sent him to school. He'd get 1/30th of a real teacher or at best 1/15th. The fact that I can give him my full attention is worth way more than a few education classes, IMHO. And if you're worried about a lack of experience, remember that you've lived with this kid for years, since the day he was born. This experience makes you uniquely qualified to understand your child and how he learns.
Obstacles. You will fight with your cranky kid all day, only to realize just after five o'clock when the doctor's office is closed that he has a fever and an ear infection. You'll puke non-stop for five months with extreme morning sickness. Your friends and relatives will stop by the house unannounced in the middle of the day. Daddy will have an unexpected afternoon free and want to do something fun.
The Solution: (Insert expletive) happens. It's not the end of the world. Having a rough day, or week, or even a few months of chaos does not mean you are failing. In regular school there are sick days and holidays, teachers who take breaks by showing movies, time spent lining up and walking around, waiting for everyone to sit down and shut up, and countless instances of busy work or working above or below the child's current abilities. In other words, you can afford to have hiccups in the routine and still get more done than in a classroom. Don't feel bad about needing breaks or unexpected distractions. Shake it off and begin again!
What You Shouldn't Be Discouraged By:
Your Own Expectations. It might be the way you thought you'd look. It might be the kind of social life you thought you'd have. It might be zero screen-time and all wooden/organic/natural toys. I think the most silly and unrealistic expectation I have is my house. Somewhere in the back of my mind I pictured us living in a little brick mansion with an old stone fence and a garden in the backyard. The inside would be pristine and the cookies would be from scratch, with nary a laundry pile or Ikea product to be found. This ridiculous vision of domesticity is behind all sorts of guilty, discontented and otherwise useless thoughts that bring me down day after day.
The Solution: Expectations are a drag; realistic goals are much more useful. If you're not happy about your body, your schedule, your house, your job, your finances - make a plan and do a little something about it every day. It's not glamorous but it's a whole lot more likely to actually change your life.
Other People's Expectations. Your parents, your in-laws, your friends who are sending their kids to school, even your husband will have some picture in their minds for what your homeschool should look like. Don't buy into it. Saying the pledge of allegiance every morning in your primary-colored school room might work for some people, but for most of us homeschooling looks a lot less formal.
The Solution: When it comes to other parents, like your friends who are raising kids or your own parents, often times your decision to do something differently is interpreted as a judgment of their own choices. If you're trying to convince your friends to homeschool their own kids and they are open to hearing about it, then by all means tell them how great it is. If they aren't open to the idea, shelve it for now. No one wants to hear how they're ruining their kids' lives with public school. Likewise your parents don't really need to know how inferior you think their choices were; instead of talking about what you hated about your education emphasize the pros of homeschooling and all the new (emphasis on new) resources out there. If your spouse is, um, surprised at the stacks of books on the table or the piles of unfolded laundry, the best advice I have is to swap it up. The next vacation week he has, let him take a day or two and try to do what you do. I've seriously done this and guess what? My husband knows how hard my job is and appreciates that he gets to go to work! Whatever other people think or say, make sure you don't let other people's low expectations of what you or your kids can do affect what you do or how you perceive your homeschool.
Money. I saved up pretty much all our discretionary income for two months, and the other night I spent it all on school stuff for Henry, my not-yet three-year-old. I have to admit, placing the orders for this stuff stressed me out. It was a big commitment. I'm worried about spending too much for stuff, about not choosing the right things, and about, oddly enough, not spending enough. We are living on one income, and paying taxes for the school system but not using resources from the public school in return. This hurts sometimes. Maybe you have lots of kids, or one or one and a half incomes, or the economy sucks. Whatever it is, figuring out how to use the money you have to provide your kids with the best possible education is difficult and stressful sometimes.
The Solution: Being poor doesn't mean you can't give your kids a great education. That said, don't feel weird about sacrificing less important stuff so that you can afford the resources you really need. We've never paid for cable (actually not totally true, we had it for the three months we were studying for the bar so the babysitter could watch TV), I haven't bought myself new shoes in two years and we have limited eating out and traveling so that we can afford the lifestyle we've chosen. Get out of the deprivation mindset and look at allocating your financial resources like you're playing a game. Ask "How can we limit spending on things we don't really care about and focus our money on the things we really need or want?" Then, stop comparing what you have to others who have more. If you need to, compare yourself to those who have less and praise God for how rich you are.
"Wasting" Your Time. I think this is something all SAHM's face from time to time. We put aside the degrees, the careers, all those things we used to get praise and money for excelling at. (Yes I end sentences in prepositions, no my kids will not be idiots because I'm their teacher). We give up alot to do a job that society does not value. So is being "just" a mom a waste of our gifts?
The Solution: Maybe, for you it might be. Ask yourself this: what do you want to do, honestly? Forget what anyone else thinks. Are you happier at home or outside the home? I can honestly say that working makes me proud, fulfilled, cranky, mentally tired and stressed out. Being home makes me happy, relaxed, and physically tired. It's clear to me that I prefer to be home. My mom wanted to work, and she did, and I am fine. Your kids will also be fine if you want to work. But choosing to stay home, while usually less lucrative than working, is not a waste of your time, as long as you don't waste your time at home. What does this mean? It means you're the mom, not the babysitter. Take advantage of the time you have, think of it as a real job in which you have the opportunity to excel. Pray about how to do it better and prioritize the most important things. Just because the world may not value this job doesn't mean it's not valuable.
Not Doing a Good Enough Job. Even I've worried about this, and I'm teaching my kid to color inside the lines. Not exactly rocket science, but I've still worried that I will be so much less qualified to teach my kids than the preschool teacher down the road that it's led to serious self-doubt.
Solution: It's simple math. Maybe I'm only half as qualified to teach my kid as a real teacher would be, but he wouldn't just get a real teacher if I sent him to school. He'd get 1/30th of a real teacher or at best 1/15th. The fact that I can give him my full attention is worth way more than a few education classes, IMHO. And if you're worried about a lack of experience, remember that you've lived with this kid for years, since the day he was born. This experience makes you uniquely qualified to understand your child and how he learns.
Obstacles. You will fight with your cranky kid all day, only to realize just after five o'clock when the doctor's office is closed that he has a fever and an ear infection. You'll puke non-stop for five months with extreme morning sickness. Your friends and relatives will stop by the house unannounced in the middle of the day. Daddy will have an unexpected afternoon free and want to do something fun.
The Solution: (Insert expletive) happens. It's not the end of the world. Having a rough day, or week, or even a few months of chaos does not mean you are failing. In regular school there are sick days and holidays, teachers who take breaks by showing movies, time spent lining up and walking around, waiting for everyone to sit down and shut up, and countless instances of busy work or working above or below the child's current abilities. In other words, you can afford to have hiccups in the routine and still get more done than in a classroom. Don't feel bad about needing breaks or unexpected distractions. Shake it off and begin again!
Problem Solved: How the crib tent saved our marriage
Ok, my title was a little dramatic. But seriously, Greg and I hadn't slept through the night in two months. Oh yeah, and Henry was also ridiculously cranky from his little nighttime romps.
If you are debating whether or not to get a crib tent for your tall or climb-y baby, stop. Just get one, I swear my son is not being abused by using this device.
If you are debating whether or not to get a crib tent for your tall or climb-y baby, stop. Just get one, I swear my son is not being abused by using this device.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Homeschool 2012/2013
I've been spending way more time than necessary obsessing over what to do with Henry this year. He will be three in November and we've decided to start having a more planned-out routine for him during the week. Basically our plans consist of a Calendar Time every morning, weekly Bible Stories, verses, and songs, a poem each week, various crafts for fine motor skills, pre-writing practice, whatever steps he is ready for as far as reading goes, and Greg will introduce a math program when we feel he is ready.
I'm loosely following the curriculum set up by ABC Jesus Loves Me. Henry has already known the alphabet and sounds, numbers, shapes, colors, etc. for a while now, but the Bible stories schedule is good, and I'm working on simple themes to go along with each month.
I just ordered this crasian math program for Henry and Greg to do together. It's for older kids, so we'll see how it goes.
I also ordered all five sets of Bob books and the BOB Books: Sight Words: Kindergarten
Henry has the pre-reader set and absolutely loves them.
I'm loosely following the curriculum set up by ABC Jesus Loves Me. Henry has already known the alphabet and sounds, numbers, shapes, colors, etc. for a while now, but the Bible stories schedule is good, and I'm working on simple themes to go along with each month.
I just ordered this crasian math program for Henry and Greg to do together. It's for older kids, so we'll see how it goes.
I also ordered all five sets of Bob books and the BOB Books: Sight Words: Kindergarten
Henry has the pre-reader set and absolutely loves them.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Postponed!
As you might have noticed, I haven't posted much on this blog. My plans to do a little tot schooling with Henry this year got side tracked when we decided to move into a small apartment with Henry's aunt, uncle, and cousin, and when I realized I would have a difficult pregnancy. Despite completely neglecting to try and teach Henry anything for the past few months, he has excelled.
He now sounds out three letter words (when he is in the mood) and makes faces out of everything. He's talking a lot more clearly and can draw a recognizable face or body! He loves play doh toys and his train table, and is more interested in smaller board books that he can "read" himself than the longer books he used to like.
I still haven't tried potty training. Originally I thought we'd wait until our last move in Feb./March to start, but now I'm thinking I'll just wait and take my cues from him. I feel like the later I put it off in this case the easier it will be.
After being obsessed with Daddy for months, Henry is now in a mommy phase where he prefers me, especially if he is sick or upset. I have to say, I kind of miss the daddy's boy! But it is nice to know he likes me too :)
He now sounds out three letter words (when he is in the mood) and makes faces out of everything. He's talking a lot more clearly and can draw a recognizable face or body! He loves play doh toys and his train table, and is more interested in smaller board books that he can "read" himself than the longer books he used to like.
I still haven't tried potty training. Originally I thought we'd wait until our last move in Feb./March to start, but now I'm thinking I'll just wait and take my cues from him. I feel like the later I put it off in this case the easier it will be.
After being obsessed with Daddy for months, Henry is now in a mommy phase where he prefers me, especially if he is sick or upset. I have to say, I kind of miss the daddy's boy! But it is nice to know he likes me too :)
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Homeschool Plan for the '11-'12 School Year Continued
I decided to use monthly or twice monthly themes to make Henry's learning more fun. Right now I'm looking for books, games, puzzles, toys, and items for the sensory bins to use with these themes. As a practice run I made a sensory bin for July and am working on a beach-themed bin for August. I will try to take Henry on some kind of trip at least once a month and I feel like the themes are a great way to tie it all together. Here is a tentative list of the themes I'm going to use next year:
- Apples
- Farm
- Trains
- Halloween
- Autumn Leaves
- The First Thanksgiving
- Christmas
- Snow
- Outer Space
- Valentine's Day
- Vehicles
- St. Patrick's Day (really a green theme)
- Dinosaurs
- Easter
- Growing Seeds
- Zoo Animals
- Bugs
- Around the World
- Rainbows/Weather
- Apples
- Farm
- Trains
- Halloween
- Autumn Leaves
- The First Thanksgiving
- Christmas
- Snow
- Outer Space
- Valentine's Day
- Vehicles
- St. Patrick's Day (really a green theme)
- Dinosaurs
- Easter
- Growing Seeds
- Zoo Animals
- Bugs
- Around the World
- Rainbows/Weather
Homeschool Plan for the '11-'12 School Year
This year is going to be incredibly busy and tight financially, but I still want to make sure that Henry gets the attention and opportunities that he would have if he were in daycare or preschool.
A couple of months ago I wrote out a list of skills that I wanted to work on this next school year. Many of these were just a shot in the dark, I have no way of knowing which he is capable of or which he will exceed. Since the list was written he's actually picked up some of the skills on his own.
Objectives:
- counting objects 1-20
- potty training (if he is ready, I'm definitely not going to push this)
- phonetic reading of three letter words
- saying please and thank you (started doing this recently)
- learning colors/sorting by color (knows colors, will continue to solidify with games)
- recognizing some sight words if ready
- pouring liquid from one container to another
- setting a table and eating well with utensils
- stringing large wooden beads
- matching lids to jars
- using a dropper to drop liquid
- able to do a Montessori cylinder and stacking blocks puzzles
- matching fabrics of different textures
- identifying animals, babies, group names and sounds
- understanding cold v. hot, big v. small, open v. closed, on v. off, up v. down, in v. out, over v. under and perhaps biggest, smallest, coldest, etc.
- learning to be quiet and listen for a quiet sound
- listening to classical music (one composer per month to build appreciation)
- recognizing basic shapes (pretty good at this now, but has some trouble saying some of them)
- associating words/objects with the first letter sound (great with this)
- obeying simple commands, following directions (especially when it comes to directions like, turn around, it's behind you, etc.)
- drawing a counterclockwise circle
- transferring objects with tongs or large tweezers
- sweeping with a tiny broom/dustpan, wiping up spills, tidying up toys
- making own bed
- gross motor skills (tbd)
- naming clothing, ability to put on and take off some clothes
As far as what each day will look like we'll have to see how it goes. I am planning on "doing school" either three or four days a week depending on our schedule. Right now I'm thinking we will continue to start with the calendar time, then do a Bible story and possibly something crafty to go along with it. Then one to three other learning activities, some outside time, a little music while we play, and that's it.
I'm planning to have a new theme every two weeks, but can adjust to a new theme once a month if we need to. For September the themes I picked are "Apples" and "Farm", mainly because I was able to collect some books at a used book fair and good will. I also think it will be fun, easy and cheap to go to an apple picking place or farm for a field trip.
A couple of months ago I wrote out a list of skills that I wanted to work on this next school year. Many of these were just a shot in the dark, I have no way of knowing which he is capable of or which he will exceed. Since the list was written he's actually picked up some of the skills on his own.
Objectives:
- counting objects 1-20
- potty training (if he is ready, I'm definitely not going to push this)
- phonetic reading of three letter words
- saying please and thank you (started doing this recently)
- learning colors/sorting by color (knows colors, will continue to solidify with games)
- recognizing some sight words if ready
- pouring liquid from one container to another
- setting a table and eating well with utensils
- stringing large wooden beads
- matching lids to jars
- using a dropper to drop liquid
- able to do a Montessori cylinder and stacking blocks puzzles
- matching fabrics of different textures
- identifying animals, babies, group names and sounds
- understanding cold v. hot, big v. small, open v. closed, on v. off, up v. down, in v. out, over v. under and perhaps biggest, smallest, coldest, etc.
- learning to be quiet and listen for a quiet sound
- listening to classical music (one composer per month to build appreciation)
- recognizing basic shapes (pretty good at this now, but has some trouble saying some of them)
- associating words/objects with the first letter sound (great with this)
- obeying simple commands, following directions (especially when it comes to directions like, turn around, it's behind you, etc.)
- drawing a counterclockwise circle
- transferring objects with tongs or large tweezers
- sweeping with a tiny broom/dustpan, wiping up spills, tidying up toys
- making own bed
- gross motor skills (tbd)
- naming clothing, ability to put on and take off some clothes
As far as what each day will look like we'll have to see how it goes. I am planning on "doing school" either three or four days a week depending on our schedule. Right now I'm thinking we will continue to start with the calendar time, then do a Bible story and possibly something crafty to go along with it. Then one to three other learning activities, some outside time, a little music while we play, and that's it.
I'm planning to have a new theme every two weeks, but can adjust to a new theme once a month if we need to. For September the themes I picked are "Apples" and "Farm", mainly because I was able to collect some books at a used book fair and good will. I also think it will be fun, easy and cheap to go to an apple picking place or farm for a field trip.
Summa' Time
We've been pretty laid back this summer. Most days Henry and I read books in the air conditioning and go for long walks early in the morning before it gets too hot. When Daddy gets home he takes Henry to the beach and if the water is gentle they swim in the ocean. Henry is absolutely obsessed with Thomas the train right now and will play with his little track forever. I think a Thomas themed birthday party is in the works for November!
On the learning front we are also being lazy. I made a simple calendar and each morning we talk about what day of the week it is (I figured we would start out simple). We sing the days of the week song:
(to the tune of the Adam's family theme song)
Days of the week, snap, snap
Days of the week, snap, snap
Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week, snap, snap
There's Sunday and there's Monday,
there's Tuesday and there's Wednesday,
there's Thursday and there's Friday,
and then there's Saturday.
Days of the week, snap, snap
Days of the week, snap, snap
Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week, snap, snap
We sing a few other songs and talk about what we did yesterday and what we will do today and tomorrow.
A few times a week I bring out his sensory bin. This one is fourth of July themed. The bin for August is a beach theme and I've collected all of the stuff but haven't put it together yet. I'm not sure if it has more to do with his own development or if the sensory bin is working but I've seen the biggest change in his fine motor skills this summer. He also plays with puzzles every day so that might be helping too. We usually do Starfall at night a couple of nights a week.
He still knows all of his letters and can count to 20, he usually speaks in two or three word sentences but sometimes uses longer ones. He is climbing like a maniac, and we had to get him a toddler bed after he got out of the crib. (Notice I said got out and not fell out, he actually maneuvered himself out pretty well, but we didn't want to risk it.) He still generally ignores other babies but likes to play near older kids.
Next up: my plans for next year!
On the learning front we are also being lazy. I made a simple calendar and each morning we talk about what day of the week it is (I figured we would start out simple). We sing the days of the week song:
(to the tune of the Adam's family theme song)
Days of the week, snap, snap
Days of the week, snap, snap
Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week, snap, snap
There's Sunday and there's Monday,
there's Tuesday and there's Wednesday,
there's Thursday and there's Friday,
and then there's Saturday.
Days of the week, snap, snap
Days of the week, snap, snap
Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week, snap, snap
We sing a few other songs and talk about what we did yesterday and what we will do today and tomorrow.
A few times a week I bring out his sensory bin. This one is fourth of July themed. The bin for August is a beach theme and I've collected all of the stuff but haven't put it together yet. I'm not sure if it has more to do with his own development or if the sensory bin is working but I've seen the biggest change in his fine motor skills this summer. He also plays with puzzles every day so that might be helping too. We usually do Starfall at night a couple of nights a week.
He still knows all of his letters and can count to 20, he usually speaks in two or three word sentences but sometimes uses longer ones. He is climbing like a maniac, and we had to get him a toddler bed after he got out of the crib. (Notice I said got out and not fell out, he actually maneuvered himself out pretty well, but we didn't want to risk it.) He still generally ignores other babies but likes to play near older kids.
Next up: my plans for next year!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Unplugged
Sometimes Henry and I spend all day busily learning and playing without going on the computer or vegging out in front of the TV. And on other days . . . let's just say it's kind of embarrassing how often I hear "watch dvd." from my toddler as he positions himself on his favorite chair. I also find that the computer can suck up time that I just don't have. For some reason the ability to find out anything I'm interested in at that very moment is addictive. Who knew? While the internet has been great for discovering new resources, I've noticed my stack of books is taking a little longer to go down now that I'm reading so many education blogs and websites. That said, I'm thinking of putting some limits on the time we spend plugged in. At least until there is an emergency that requires Henry to be occupied by Thomas the train . . .
Friday, June 24, 2011
New Knowledge
Henry counts to 20 but doesn't recognize the numbers over 12 yet. He also likes to play with change, and can name quarters, pennies, nickels and dimes. He likes to point to your thumb ("fum") and pinky fingers. If you ask him what does .................start with and use a phonetic word, he will tell you the first letter. When playing with blocks he will arrange them in simple patterns, and can stack eight in a tower. He loves his little counting bears and likes to sort them into their colored cups. He also loves puzzles and his favorite books right now are Mr. Brown Can Moo, Caps for Sale, Five Little Monkey books, and any Fancy Nancy book. He often brings these over to us with the request "read again?" even if it's the first time that day.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Homeschool Convention
I went to the ENOCH homeschool convention this past weekend, and Greg came too on Saturday. It was fun to touch and read all of the different curriculum and we got some really cool books at the used curriculum sale. The seminars were so-so, but it didn't really matter. I think just sitting there and listening to a talk about a topic sometimes just gets me thinking. I've been so focused lately on the academic details that I forget what my primary responsibility is to my son.
Greg and I had a chance to talk in the car and during the conference, and I'm happy to say that we've decided to start doing some low-key family devotions. We also talked about having our own little family dinner together at least a couple of times a week (we tend to eat with my family a lot, and usually don't get any time to talk together.) I'm so relieved to be on the same page with Greg on this finally. It's not that we didn't want the same things, but we've just seriously been so busy or tired that we hadn't been able to articulate what we wanted.
It was so easy when we were first married, we spent so much time together and we lived in a very isolated little apartment, there was never a shortage of opportunities to communicate.
This year everything has changed, Greg is commuting over 4 hours a day, plus his working hours, and we are just so tired at night that we both want to just veg out. Next year he will be working close to home, but for now we just have to be intentional about making time for each other. Believe it or not, this convention was maybe the first time we spent a day together without Henry since we took the bar exam last summer.
Even though I did miss Henry on Sat, it was good to be reminded that Henry needs his parents to be in tune with one another too. If that means taking time away to reconnect and talk about our goals then that is what is best for him in the long run.
So what do we agree on, now that we've talked? It all boils down to this: It's not enough to teach Henry about God. He needs to see us relating to God. He needs to see Greg and me praying, reading the Bible, talking about what we've read. He needs to see the Holy Spirit change us, and feel God's love through our interactions with him. A great education will be completely meaningless if he grows up without knowing his Best Friend.
If I have the perfect house and cook the best meals, but have not love, I have nothing.
If I have the most energy and take my son out every day to explore, but have not love, I have done nothing.
If I provide the best education and opportunities, and send my son to an Ivy League college, but have not love, I have given him nothing.
If I work hard to provide for him and die leaving him a trust fund, but have not love, my work will have been in vain.
Greg and I had a chance to talk in the car and during the conference, and I'm happy to say that we've decided to start doing some low-key family devotions. We also talked about having our own little family dinner together at least a couple of times a week (we tend to eat with my family a lot, and usually don't get any time to talk together.) I'm so relieved to be on the same page with Greg on this finally. It's not that we didn't want the same things, but we've just seriously been so busy or tired that we hadn't been able to articulate what we wanted.
It was so easy when we were first married, we spent so much time together and we lived in a very isolated little apartment, there was never a shortage of opportunities to communicate.
This year everything has changed, Greg is commuting over 4 hours a day, plus his working hours, and we are just so tired at night that we both want to just veg out. Next year he will be working close to home, but for now we just have to be intentional about making time for each other. Believe it or not, this convention was maybe the first time we spent a day together without Henry since we took the bar exam last summer.
Even though I did miss Henry on Sat, it was good to be reminded that Henry needs his parents to be in tune with one another too. If that means taking time away to reconnect and talk about our goals then that is what is best for him in the long run.
So what do we agree on, now that we've talked? It all boils down to this: It's not enough to teach Henry about God. He needs to see us relating to God. He needs to see Greg and me praying, reading the Bible, talking about what we've read. He needs to see the Holy Spirit change us, and feel God's love through our interactions with him. A great education will be completely meaningless if he grows up without knowing his Best Friend.
If I have the perfect house and cook the best meals, but have not love, I have nothing.
If I have the most energy and take my son out every day to explore, but have not love, I have done nothing.
If I provide the best education and opportunities, and send my son to an Ivy League college, but have not love, I have given him nothing.
If I work hard to provide for him and die leaving him a trust fund, but have not love, my work will have been in vain.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Growing
I feel a growth spurt coming on soon! Henry went back to two naps a day, although the first is very short now. His appetite has also taken off, and some days he eats more than me!
He is also saying more sentences, like "give me blanket" and "need help". He is also repeating new phrases every day. One of his favorite games involves answering questions, like what animal makes this sound? or what does this letter sound like?
He doesn't seem interested in the potty yet, but I am trying to talk about it more so he gets used to the idea. I'm debating whether or not to order another huge case of diapers, since I'm not sure how much he will grow or for how much longer he will need them.
My favorite new words: Gam-ma, purple, umbrella, honeybee. He still calls me mama, which melts my heart every time.
He is also saying more sentences, like "give me blanket" and "need help". He is also repeating new phrases every day. One of his favorite games involves answering questions, like what animal makes this sound? or what does this letter sound like?
He doesn't seem interested in the potty yet, but I am trying to talk about it more so he gets used to the idea. I'm debating whether or not to order another huge case of diapers, since I'm not sure how much he will grow or for how much longer he will need them.
My favorite new words: Gam-ma, purple, umbrella, honeybee. He still calls me mama, which melts my heart every time.
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