Week in Review 2016: #31 (The First Week of School!)

It was an exciting week for us, as it was the first  week of school. Bridget is now in second grade (our second grade curriculum) and George is in pre-k (our pre-k curriculum). He has asked me every day this summer if it was time for him to start school yet. The day finally came and so far, he's loving it. Now that I have two students, I wanted to make sure I had everything planned out. Most of their subjects are separate, except for history and geography. Originally, I had planned on having them together for science, but knew that George would get lost when we did chemistry and physics, so instead George will be starting from the beginning with a special pre-k science curriculum. 

The kids got to pick their special color paper for their weekly plan and each task has a check box next to it, so we can mark it when they are done. I did this in the second half of last school year and it worked beautifully in making sure we got everything done and helps us to stay on task. 

The Friday before our first week of school, we went to the library to pick up school books and a few fun books. The children couldn't wait to dive in to their new books once we got home!

At last, the first day of school arrived. The kids were up early (on their own), dressed, fed, and were ready to begin at 8 a.m. No cutesy signs this year, but we did take this "first day of school" picture with my two students.

My youngest, who very recently turned two years old, was surprisingly well-behaved (most of the time) while I worked on school with the older two. He kept Bridget company when she did her math work, and kept busy with her math manipulatives. He got nervous when I called his name to take this picture, as he knows he's not usually allowed to play with the manipulatives, but since he was being good and quiet, I let him continue. He has done this every day this week.

For our first day of school, I cut up a pineapple to include with our lunch. Between the kids and I, we ate the entire thing. This was Liam's first taste of fresh pineapple, and he was hooked. Even when his mouth began hurting, he wanted to continue eating.

After lunch and after I put Liam down for his nap is when I like to sit on the couch with the older two and do some reading. This is when we get a lot of our history work done, and now geography. Bridget had to write her own narration, which I forgot to take a picture of, but I do have one of George coloring his narration page.

George really enjoyed his first science lesson. We worked on it while Bridget did math. We learned about observation, then went on a "science safari" in our backyard, where George told me what he could see, hear, smell, and feel.  

The week, overall, was a pleasant one. A fresh start to a new school year will do that. 

In other news, I developed strep again for the fourth time since May. I saw a new doctor, and he has determined that the strep never really went away and is somehow hiding in my throat and flaring up every few weeks (I was recently diagnosed for the third time on July 16th, and diagnosed again on August 3rd). The three different antibiotics I had been prescribed previously got rid of the symptoms, but didn't get rid of it entirely. Now I am on a new antibiotic in a different "class". I am not a candidate yet for a tonsilectomy, as the doctor feels I haven't been catching it over and over again, but that is has been resistant to the antibiotics. That was good news for me, because I do not have a history of a constant sore throat and really didn't want to have surgery. Fortunately, I got to the doctor before it got really bad, so I have not been in much pain after the first day, and have been able to eat and swallow (unlike the last 3 times), though food doesn't taste good. And on top of that and my immune system being weakened, I am also battling a cold. Thankfully, it is now the weekend and I only pray that I am better by Monday, though Sunday would be ideal. 

Linking Up With:

Pre-K Curriculum | 2016-2017 School Year

My 4-year-old will officially be joining us in school this year with a very relaxed Pre-K curriculum. He has waited for this moment for a long time. We are so excited to have him with us!!!

Language Arts

Reading

It is time for the boy to start reading. I have a confession to make. My 4-year-old son cannot read his letters. There, I said it. He knows the alphabet, but we have not worked on reading the letters. He has had no interest in learning and I chose not to force it. However, it is now time to change that. I will be using the same book with him that I used for my now 6-year-old. It worked wonderfully for her and I see no reason not to use it again. The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading is one of the most important books in my homeschool. It lays a perfect foundation for reading.

We will also be using BOB Books, as they are good practice for a beginner. We'll start with the pre-reading books and move up to the beginning readers.

Handwriting

With learning to read letters, my son will also be learning to write them. We do not have a special book for this, and we will be starting with writing lines (horizontal, vertical, circle, etc.). If I feel that he is ready, I may start early with the kindergarten level Zaner-Bloser Handwriting book.

Literature

While my son will be joining his big sister on the couch as I read various stories related to history, science, or anything else, I wanted to include a special read-aloud time with just him and I. We will be reading classic children's stories and doing an activity related to the story. We hope to get through Rumpelstiltskin, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Red Hen, The Three Little Pigs, The Three Bears, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and so on. I will also include Aesop's Fables and any other stories involving a lesson.

Mathematics

Mathematics in the early years, if done right, can be very fun and rewarding. My son is already an excellent counter and knows simple addition and subtraction, but I will still be formally going over the basics with him. This way it all gets covered and if we move at a faster pace to meet his needs, then that is what we will do. 

Just this year, The Well-Trained Mind Press published a book by Kate Snow called Preschool Math at Home: Simple Activities to Build the Best Possible Foundation for Your Child. At first, I had no intention on getting the book, as I did just fine with my oldest with preschool math. However, after watching this video, I got to see the concepts and activities of the book in action. I am always on the look-out for fun and effective ways to teach my children, and my son is a very active hands-on little boy, so I am eager to give it a try. 

Because the book is geared toward the early preschool years (age 3), I anticipate that my Pre-K student and I will work on two lessons per week, alternating with puzzles, counting bears, and other activities.

History

At this age, I do not do any formal history lessons but he usually likes to join in when I do history with his older sister. This year, we are studying the Middle Ages and I know that the stories of knights and kings will be of great interest to him.

Science

I did not do Pre-K science for my oldest, and I regret it. This time around, I will be using Elemental Science's Exploring Science. We've used this for both kindergarten and first grade with my oldest and it has been a big hit. Looking at the lessons, I know that my son will look forward to science each week. The concepts are simple and the experiments are easy. For the experiments, we will be using the suggested book Science Play.

My hope is that my son will feel included in our school day and that by keeping his lessons simple and fun, he will not only learn but also enjoy having school with us. 

2016-2017 Curriculum Link-Up:

Chasing Slow {Curriculum Decisions} Link Up
8th Annual Back to Homeschool Blog Hop

Second Grade Curriculum | 2016-2017 School Year

The new school year is upon us. In a few short weeks, my oldest will be starting second grade. Curriculum has been decided on and purchased. Boxes of books have arrived. The lesson planning is almost complete. Now, let's get started.

Language Arts

Language Arts is the backbone of our homeschool. Without being able to read and write, other subjects become too difficult to understand and complete.

Spelling

My daughter has enjoyed the format of Spelling Workout Level A in first grade, so we are continuing on with Spelling Workout Level B.

Each lesson in the workbook introduces a list of words, first given in context. Then the child has the opportunity to practice identifying and spelling the words before they move on to fun puzzles and activities. At the very end, the child is expected to write a sentence or short paragraph using as many of the list words as possible. We like how it makes spelling fun and my daughter looks forward to completing the puzzles. At the end of the lesson (or two lessons), I give my daughter a spelling test. The format of the workbook helps her to learn and spell the words correctly on the test.

Grammar

As a busy mother of three, I appreciate the format of First Language Lessons. Each level has 100 prepared lessons. By completing three lessons each week, we are able to finish the book before our summer term. I also like that poem memorization, and narrations are mixed in with the grammar lessons so that it does not feel like we are doing the same exact thing each day. I do not know if any young child truly enjoys grammar lessons, but my daughter's favorite lessons are the picture narrations. In these lessons, a picture is presented and the artist is briefly discussed while the child is asked to search for elements in the picture and make assumptions about what is happening in the picture. It is fun to see what my child's imagination comes up with. 

Reading

I am pleased to say that my daughter has passed the stage that we will need to use "readers". She has branched out to reading story books, although she does enjoy reading Dick and Jane books for fun. This year, we will be reading story books from our family library or what we bring home from the public library. Over the summer during our read-aloud stories, I have asked my daughter to read the first sentence or two in a chapter. With so many great works of literature coming up in our study of history this year, my goal is to have her read some, if not most of the children's versions of these books.  

Writing

Writing With Ease is another excellent program from The Well-Trained Mind. The workbook shown here includes the teacher's portion of the lesson and the second half of the book includes the perforated workbook pages. I tear these out and make copies because I have two more children that will be using this book in the future. This book has prepared four lessons per week. While Level 1 includes narrations and copywork, Writing With Ease Level 2 includes dictation. While I am somewhat nervous of my daughter's reaction to this addition (she has adjusted to the narration-copywork rotation from Level 1), I am also looking forward to it. 

Handwriting

This will be one of the biggest changes for second grade. My daughter will be switching from manuscript handwriting to.... cursive! I cannot believe she is old enough to begin learning cursive handwriting. I have shown her the book and at first she was hesitant and not too happy. Then we looked at it more closely and I wrote her something in cursive and she thought it was "pretty" and is excited to learn.

Mathematics

Math-U-See is another curriculum we are very happy with. Not only does it work, but it's also very affordable in comparison to other popular alternatives. This year, we are moving on to Math-U-See Beta. 

History

We love Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer. After completing Story of the World, Volume One: Ancient Times, which we are still working on over the summer, we will begin the new school year with Story of the World, Volume 2: The Middle Ages. I am so excited!!! I have the lessons all planned out with the help of the Activity Book and this year will be the first year that I will be giving the Tests. 

Geography

This subject is the newest addition to our homeschool. We have done the mapwork included in our Story of the World curriculum but I have felt that it does not serve well as a complete geography curriculum. I also wanted something that my daughter could enjoy, so I purchased all four volumes of A Child's Geography. We will be covering all four volumes in the next year to year and a half. The last three volumes (Explore the Holy Land, Explore the Classical World, and Explore Medieval Kingdoms) are excellent for accompanying our history curriculum but I have other plans for the first volume, which I'll explain below.

Along with the geography books mentioned above, I will be using maps from MapTrek, which I purchased last year. They are all from the same company, KnowledgeQuest. I was able to get all four volumes above and many bonus items during a special promotion I learned through their Facebook page.

Science

First grade has proven two things for me: (1) My daughter loves science; and (2) Elemental Science is awesome! I don't think my daughter (or my 4-year-old son) would be as interested in science if I had gone with a different curriculum. I honestly believe that. Paige Hudson did an amazing job putting Biology for the Grammar Stage together that I had to stick with her and purchase Earth Science and Astronomy for the Grammar Stage. Our entire family is looking forward to science this year because I have a few field trips planned that go right along with our curriculum.

To accompany the science curriculum, Paige Hudson suggests additional books.

For experiments, she suggests these:

I am really looking forward to learning the constellations with the children (because it's a given that the boys are going to want to participate). 

We will also be using Volume One of A Child's Geography titled Explore His Earth, as it covers a lot of earth science-related topics. 

Fine Arts

I do not have a formal curriculum planned for art or music, but we do plan on studying works of art and composers when the time comes in our study of world history. I will purchase the necessary books (or find them at the library) when we need them. My children love music and over the last year I have had classical music playing while my daughter worked on independent school assignments and the boys played. No one complained so I will probably continue it this year.

If time permits, we will use a couple of books I purchased last year but was unable to fit in to our daily lessons. The first one is this book about instruments and the orchestra. The second book is a book about drawing. My daughter loves to draw, but she could use some help with proper techniques. I hope that we will have the time (and patience) to sit down and work on this book together.

 

A goal I have for my daughter is to work more on piano lessons with her. She is slowly reading music and wants to learn to play well, but we always run out of time (or the youngest is taking a nap). I shouldn't keep putting it off, as it is a skill I know we will all appreciate when she is older. 

We are looking forward to beginning a new year!

2016-2017 Curriculum Link-Up:

Chasing Slow {Curriculum Decisions} Link Up 

8th Annual Back to Homeschool Blog Hop