Schoolin'

Bernadette has been diligently working on her Kindergarten Seton curriculum since February. She has almost completed two quarters of Phonics and Math and she's in the middle of her second quarter in Religion.

Her handwriting and coloring/drawing have improved soooooooo much since we started. We haven't done any science yet. The only PE she gets now that gymnastics is over for the season is playing/swimming outside in the backyard. We listen to the CD that came with the curriculum occasionally as well as some classical selections.

I am learning just as much as she is. I have to remind myself before we start every day that her imagination is going to roam and come up with a plan to get her back on track. Currently, I'm bribing her to hold her crayon the right way with gummy bears. Also, I only allow her one crayon per page. The colors still talk to each other and fight over whose turn it is between pages, but it is a step in the right direction.

Side note: My husband and I blame our children's poor Mass behavior on over active imaginations. We blame their over active imaginations on their lack of TV watching skills. If they are left to themselves (not being talked to or involved in a conversation), for approximately 2 minutes, some inanimate object just gained a name and a life story and is about to have an adventure. A very loud, wordy adventure. I'm not saying that kids who watch TV don't have imaginations. I'm just saying our kids lack the ability to sit in one place without playing...loudly.

I've already mentioned how this comes into play in our school days.

Once the baby comes, I'm sure our school progress will slow down, but I'm hoping we can get a good jump on the third quarter work before then.

I'm glad we went with the Seton program and I'm glad we started it when we did. I am so glad to not have the pressure of putting together my own curriculum and wondering if I am teaching her enough, especially in Religion. I know she won't be in a clear cut grade probably ever in the Seton program, but that's fine. I anticipate her finishing her Phonics and Math books early in the fall, and Religion by Christmastime. We will probably move on right away to the first grade work in those subjects. Science, we might just put off until next year. I'm not sure when she'll move on in handwriting. She doesn't mind doing the work on her own, a little at a time, so I suppose she'll set her own and finish when she finishes. I'll have to look at the first grade Art and Music curriculum before I make a decision on those. That being said, I don't know if we'll enroll next year so much as just stick with their books.

Clare is currently working on shapes. If I draw out a circle, triangle, square, star and heart on a piece of paper and ask her to point to one, she gets it every time. If I point to one and ask her what shape it is, she gets circle, square and triangle confused. After we get shapes down, we'll move on to colors, then letters, then numbers. She knows so much and her vocabulary is expanding so much it is amazing. She knows most of the prayers we say as a family. She can sing her ABC's and count at least to 10. She can sing numerous nursery rhymes. She is learning the Kindergarten Catechism right along with Bernadette. (I ask her the easy ones.) :)

I love teaching my girls. Even more so, I love what they are teaching me!