The reality is that we are usually discussing how much toilet paper to use so as not to clog the toilet. And what I usually ask is "Would you please, for the love of all that is good in this world, stop picking your nose?!" And what we usually eat is Goldfish, right out of the box (in fact, as I write this, Noah is eating Goldfish off a metal folding chair).
Nonetheless, hopes run high. I'll go into my plans for this school year in a little more detail (probably, if I remember) but right now I'll just give you an overview of what we do. This probably won't interest you unless you homeschool but you'll just have to suck it up and wait for the next post and hope it's funny.
Jack and Kate are in first grade and kindergarten (respectively, of course). Jack could be in second but his birthday is August so I red-shirted him ( Definition here). That way, in case he gets into the system at some point, he'll be one of the older ones instead of younger. Of course, it doesn't really matter for us what 'grade' they're in. Everything is kind of tailored to whatever stage they're in (for example, Jack is doing 2-3 grade math but is only 20 lessons ahead of Katie in reading). Noah basically just lumbers around and grabs pencils and eats bits of food off the floor. It's real fun.
Homeschool Plans Fall 2012
Math
Math U See is the program we use primarily. The kids watch a lesson on the dvd (they each have their own level) and do a worksheet. Math U See has manipulatives that the kids can use to solve the problem and they really like them. I plan on using Teaching Textbooks next year for Jack as he is getting more independent and would appreciate being able to do his lesson on the computer.
We also love Life of Fred. We have the entire elementary series. The kids love reading the books and doing the problems at the end of each chapter. I can definitely see us using this series all the way through.
This morning we didn't do either of those things for math.
Instead we read this book and solved the problems in it which lead to watching a video on Fibonacci's Sequence.
There are so many cool videos on math and reasoning (Khan Academy, Donald Duck in Mathematics Land, Schoolhouse Rock,etc) it never gets boring. If one way of explanation doesn't make sense, try another.
Reading
This has been a tough issue for me the past few years. I am a natural reader. Jack is not. It bugs him to no end that rules concerning phonics don't apply for a lot of the words. So I can tell him "Two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking" and he'll accept it and apply it to every word he reads with two vowels in the middle. Oh wait - don't use that rule with 'boot' or 'steak' or 'boil.' And then he'll ask me what the point of the rule is. He likes that 2+2 always equals four and that operating a lever or pulley will follow the laws of physics and give the same result every time. So I have to tell him not to use phonics to sound out the sight words (of which there are about 220) because he'll get frustrated every time. Over the past few years, I've tried countless reading programs, read books about reading and spoken with lots of people whose opinions I respect concerning education. Should I really push this issue, requiring a lesson a day and plowing ahead because goodness sake - look at all those kindergarten students reading fluently! I have failed! I'm a terrible person, holding my kids back from enjoying novels at age 6 all because I don't know what the heck I'm doing! Or...should I take a laissez-faire approach to this? Based on numerous articles, boys especially may not be cognitively able to read well until about 8 or so. And maybe this is one of the pros to homeschooling. I can step back and say "Ok, now what do I know about this one kid? Is this is a reading disability and one that requires specialists, tools, interventions? Or is this just plain the way he is wired? Do I give him a little freedom to be who he is? Do I take into account that his glasses prescription is so strong that only one place in Jacksonville can make it - and he's only 2/3 of the strength he actually needs?" Obviously, a basic education is being able to read and write reasonably well and to do everyday math. But there is a little leeway here. A kid who is a buttoned down scientific type will probably struggle a little with something as loosey-goosey as the English language. Let's be honest here. Our language is a little whacked out sometimes.
Katie takes these rules and exceptions in stride. It doesn't bother her one bit. Sweet little Kate, she breezes through life without much of a worry. And that's a good thing (as opposed to her big brother, who - at 7 - is worried about getting into a good medical school.)
They are both at normal levels for reading. It's hard, though, not to compare your kids to others, wondering if you're doing a good job. Or at least good enough.
Anyway, I told that long rambling background story to say that we use Click N Read phonics. I tried so many reading programs but Jack would get frustrated, trying to learn all the different tricks of each program and stating that the words were so small his eyes would hurt. Finally, after thinking about it and doing so more research, I tossed the workbooks aside and tried this program. I was initially hesitant because I try to limit screen time. They don't get to watch tv on a regular basis. Anything I usually show them is almost always educational in value. Every once in awhile they get to watch a movie and it's a big deal to them. I'm the same with computers. I'm all for kids knowing how to navigate their way around one but at 5? I don't really see the value in that. Anyway, we really like this program. Every lesson incorporates blends, letter sounds, sounds at beginning or end of words, sight words, and reading sentences.
We also use Bob books and Spelling City. We play games with sight word flash cards where the person has to jump up and say the word when they see it. Or they'll take their clipboards to the couch and write the words I say. Sometimes they'll copy sentences or words on primer paper.
Since I pretty much took a whole day to cover just reading and math, I'll have to make a part 2 for everything else. I'll try not to blather on so much.
Nonetheless, hopes run high. I'll go into my plans for this school year in a little more detail (probably, if I remember) but right now I'll just give you an overview of what we do. This probably won't interest you unless you homeschool but you'll just have to suck it up and wait for the next post and hope it's funny.
Jack and Kate are in first grade and kindergarten (respectively, of course). Jack could be in second but his birthday is August so I red-shirted him ( Definition here). That way, in case he gets into the system at some point, he'll be one of the older ones instead of younger. Of course, it doesn't really matter for us what 'grade' they're in. Everything is kind of tailored to whatever stage they're in (for example, Jack is doing 2-3 grade math but is only 20 lessons ahead of Katie in reading). Noah basically just lumbers around and grabs pencils and eats bits of food off the floor. It's real fun.
Homeschool Plans Fall 2012
Math
Math U See is the program we use primarily. The kids watch a lesson on the dvd (they each have their own level) and do a worksheet. Math U See has manipulatives that the kids can use to solve the problem and they really like them. I plan on using Teaching Textbooks next year for Jack as he is getting more independent and would appreciate being able to do his lesson on the computer.
We also love Life of Fred. We have the entire elementary series. The kids love reading the books and doing the problems at the end of each chapter. I can definitely see us using this series all the way through.This morning we didn't do either of those things for math.
Instead we read this book and solved the problems in it which lead to watching a video on Fibonacci's Sequence.
There are so many cool videos on math and reasoning (Khan Academy, Donald Duck in Mathematics Land, Schoolhouse Rock,etc) it never gets boring. If one way of explanation doesn't make sense, try another.
Reading
This has been a tough issue for me the past few years. I am a natural reader. Jack is not. It bugs him to no end that rules concerning phonics don't apply for a lot of the words. So I can tell him "Two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking" and he'll accept it and apply it to every word he reads with two vowels in the middle. Oh wait - don't use that rule with 'boot' or 'steak' or 'boil.' And then he'll ask me what the point of the rule is. He likes that 2+2 always equals four and that operating a lever or pulley will follow the laws of physics and give the same result every time. So I have to tell him not to use phonics to sound out the sight words (of which there are about 220) because he'll get frustrated every time. Over the past few years, I've tried countless reading programs, read books about reading and spoken with lots of people whose opinions I respect concerning education. Should I really push this issue, requiring a lesson a day and plowing ahead because goodness sake - look at all those kindergarten students reading fluently! I have failed! I'm a terrible person, holding my kids back from enjoying novels at age 6 all because I don't know what the heck I'm doing! Or...should I take a laissez-faire approach to this? Based on numerous articles, boys especially may not be cognitively able to read well until about 8 or so. And maybe this is one of the pros to homeschooling. I can step back and say "Ok, now what do I know about this one kid? Is this is a reading disability and one that requires specialists, tools, interventions? Or is this just plain the way he is wired? Do I give him a little freedom to be who he is? Do I take into account that his glasses prescription is so strong that only one place in Jacksonville can make it - and he's only 2/3 of the strength he actually needs?" Obviously, a basic education is being able to read and write reasonably well and to do everyday math. But there is a little leeway here. A kid who is a buttoned down scientific type will probably struggle a little with something as loosey-goosey as the English language. Let's be honest here. Our language is a little whacked out sometimes.
Katie takes these rules and exceptions in stride. It doesn't bother her one bit. Sweet little Kate, she breezes through life without much of a worry. And that's a good thing (as opposed to her big brother, who - at 7 - is worried about getting into a good medical school.)
They are both at normal levels for reading. It's hard, though, not to compare your kids to others, wondering if you're doing a good job. Or at least good enough.
Anyway, I told that long rambling background story to say that we use Click N Read phonics. I tried so many reading programs but Jack would get frustrated, trying to learn all the different tricks of each program and stating that the words were so small his eyes would hurt. Finally, after thinking about it and doing so more research, I tossed the workbooks aside and tried this program. I was initially hesitant because I try to limit screen time. They don't get to watch tv on a regular basis. Anything I usually show them is almost always educational in value. Every once in awhile they get to watch a movie and it's a big deal to them. I'm the same with computers. I'm all for kids knowing how to navigate their way around one but at 5? I don't really see the value in that. Anyway, we really like this program. Every lesson incorporates blends, letter sounds, sounds at beginning or end of words, sight words, and reading sentences.
We also use Bob books and Spelling City. We play games with sight word flash cards where the person has to jump up and say the word when they see it. Or they'll take their clipboards to the couch and write the words I say. Sometimes they'll copy sentences or words on primer paper.
Since I pretty much took a whole day to cover just reading and math, I'll have to make a part 2 for everything else. I'll try not to blather on so much.
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