My awesome husband hung up our white board for me and built an awesome book holder thing to hang under it out of the leftover laminate flooring.
We started school the first of August. I started early because I know we’re going to need breaks – especially around the holidays. I’m really loving everything we’re doing this year.
Bernadette and Clare are doing Religion together. We are using the Seton Pre-K Religion book supplemented with some A-Beka Sunday School activities that were given to me. The Religion book only has like 24 chapters so I don’t feel like we have to rush through it. We are enjoying doing the activities – which typically involve cutting. gluing, stickers, that kind of thing.
First day of school pic! Note the chipmunk cheek…Reason number 345245 to homeschool: Chewing Gum!
Bernadette is officially a Kindergartener (in my book). For Handwriting, we are using this Handwriting Without Tears book. She’s doing Saxon First Grade Math. And we’re still working through the Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading.
Don’t be too excited, Clare…She’s really not a morning person.
Clare is a tricky one. She’s not a good tester. She gets shy when given direct one on one attention. I don’t have a good handle on what she knows. These first couple of weeks, I’m working on figuring out which Capital and lowercase letters she knows and teaching her the ones she doesn’t. Next, I’ll work on what sounds she knows and doesn’t know. Once she’s confident in her letters, I’ll start reading lessons with her. (per her request a few weeks ago). She knows her numbers 1-10 and can count to 20 (except she always says EITHER 13 OR 14, never both). We’re working on counting out things one at a time for accuracy. Next month, I’ll start Saxon Kindergarten Math with her. She has a few Preschool workbooks we’re doing as busy work and doing some handwriting, too (correctly tracing letters).
Clare LOVES workbooks. If I’m reading from our Religion book or explaining something, she says, “I want to do school!” I have to remind her that school isn’t just worksheets.
Along with our first day of school, the girls began their new morning routine starting with their 7:30 alarm. I posted a chart in their room of the things they need to do before they come downstairs (ie, get dressed, put clothes in hamper, brush teeth, make bed). Once they got downstairs, we had breakfast and then did chores. We’re doing a room a day cleaning (which we draw out of a hat, of course!). I have a cleaning chart for each room and while we eat breakfast, we divvy up who does what chore (1-2 chores for each of us). Once those chores are done, they may have the option to do “Bonus” chores to earn toys out of time-out (aka, toys that weren’t picked up). We do school from 9-11.
It has been a wonderful first week and I just know I jinxed it by blogging that…
I love the "room a day cleaning" idea. I've wanted to try doing something, but have been trying to figure out how I could get the kids to help with the process. I think might really like it if we pull one from a hat and divide up the chores each morning. Thanks for sharing this idea!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of having the different charts in the rooms. Think I may have to do something like this with Aiden.
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