September 17, 2013

We're in our second week of school and, taxing as it is, I feel so lucky to be able to home educate. I don't have a rigorous schedule of tests, reports, standards, or levels to administer/file/adhere to or otherwise get bogged down by. I know some 1st graders are already doing things we're not and some are still reviewing things we covered in pre-k "classes". There's such a range, depending on region, district, teacher preference that it amazes me. I'm so glad I can skip things that are too repetitive, introduce new things when the opportunity arises, and move at a pace that suits us. Lily can join Izzy for nature study, spelling, science, and reading time, moving along to other things when necessary.

Here's where we stand on subjects: (So I can look back at the end of the year and see if anything has changed)

Math - Izzy still doesn't care much for the repetitive nature of it, Lily has a pretty firm grasp of numerical value
Science - I think this is Izzy's favorite. She loves drawing pictures representing whatever we've just read about. Lily listens pretty closely.
Spelling - Izzy still hesitates to READ words but seems to like all the word/letter games. Lily likes to yell out the letter sounds.
Literature - We're reading "All of a kind family" right now. I think the chapters are a bit long for the girls but we'll move on to something else when it's done. Izzy has already requested more "Mrs. Piggle Wiggle". I think she likes to hear about kids getting outsmarted.
Nature Study - We're coloring pictures of birds, reading about what they eat and where they live. Lily likes to color all her birds jet black.
History - We're moving right along with "A Child's History of the World". I really like the way it's written and it sparks some great conversations and artwork. Lily just thinks it's about The Croods so far. haha. We're not doing an official geography class but we look at the globe/maps when we read our history chapter and try to make note of what part of the world is being discussed and how it differs from other regions.
Bible - We started our kid Torah over again and we're trying to memorize verses each week. Might have to change that to a verse every 2 weeks.
Handwriting - I think Izzy prefers HWOT to the SCM copybook but that's probably because the script is different. My bad. Lily is working really hard at her letter/number writing and is becoming more strongly left-handed every day. :)
French - We're watching the Little Pim dvds. I think I like them more than the kids do but we'll just keep using them and see how it goes. I kind of wish I had saved the money I've spent on little things like picture dictionaries, music cds, etc. and just put it into Rosetta Stone. Then the girls would have been able to use the computer and would have thought they'd hit the jackpot. haha

Here's something that is perpetually frustrating to me: we have no designated class/work area. I hesitate to take over the playroom bc it would mean getting rid of a lot of toys or having to brainstorm a new storage system. I am always considering both of those things but I just don't feel up to the challenge right now.

A Google search just makes me feel worse. I mean, really...

From Confessions of a Homeschooler

From Christian Homeschool Moms

From Those Crazy Homeschoolers