I'm officially distracted...baby comes in the next 2 1/2 weeks. Trevor was 3 days early and Conrad was a week early, so it could be half that time. So "school" hasn't exactly been my focus this week. But to me, this is a real-life lesson I hope the boys learn from. I've been rearranging their room to fit the baby in our two bedroom house somehow and trying to mentally prepare the boys and myself for the big change.
A couple things I have kept up with are Trevor's reading lessons and our advent calendar. Trevor is actually getting the easy readers from the library now and is really fun to listen to when he reads. The question I've been waiting to hear from him now comes almost daily ("Can I read to you, Mommy?"). He has finished 79 lessons.
We skipped the advent calendar last year, which would have only been our second year. We were super busy remodeling the house and didn't have time for a whole lot of fun stuff. We really did enjoy doing the calendar the first year, though, so I didn't want any excuses for this year, plus it's been helping to keep my mind off of you-know-what so the time goes quicker. I think family traditions are so important, so I'm trying to keep it really simple this year so we actually do the activities. A lot of the activities exclude Sean (he's too busy studying), and include learning. Like yesterday we talked about how Santa lives at the North Pole and read some books about the Arctic Circle and tundra.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Rewind
I keep forgetting about ideas and resources that I tried to develop/used before I started this record. Here are a few I really don't want to forget:
1. The Core Knowledge Series by E.D. Hirsch: Included in the series are books titled, What Your Preschooler/Kindergartner/First Grader/etc. Needs to Know. I first read The Knowledge Deficit, also by E.D. Hirsch, which explains the series better than the introduction inside the books. I don't want to use one person's list exclusively for my kids, because I like to tailor their education based on what they need and what I believe is important, but there is a huge reason I like the idea (and product) these books are based on. Though I don't want to give my kids a "conveyer belt" education that public schools tend to give, I also don't want any holes in their education. The Core Knowledge Series helps with this. Basically, E.D. Hirsch and his colleagues spent a lot of time researching what the basic knowledge of an educated person looks like. They made a list of topics, stories, and lessons that a person would need to know to be able to read and understand texts such as The New York Times.
2.Scripture Reading Plan. A friend of mine helped me remember something I was doing about a year ago, but stopped for some reason. I had totally forgotten about it until Tiffany mentioned on her blog that she was thinking about making up her own Five in a Row (FIAR) baed on the scriptures. I started something similar when I heard a talk in church by a man who said that reading scriptures doesn't have to be formal with kids. He said you can tell them scripture stories in the car or while doing chores together or just be creative. A lightbulb went off in my head and I created something a little less spontaneous, but worked really well while I did it.
The original plan was very simple: read/tell/review the same scripture story every day for a week, and have some sort of activity to go along with it. I knew Trevor was capable of learning more about the scriptures, but he had a hard time sitting still every time we formally read the scriptures. I also just love the primary songs and wanted to incorporate them into our study somehow. This is the original schedule:
Day 1: Tell the story in my own words and draw a picture of the story (we then put it on the wall and referred back to the picture all week).
Day 2: Review the story (asking for lots of help from the boys) and sing a primary song related to the story.
Day 3: Read the story in the childrens version of the scriptures (and sing song)
Day 4: Role-play the story and sing the song. (The boys get a kick out of watching me act the stories out or acting them out themselves.)
Day 5: Do a craft based on the story.
Day 6: Tell story (or have Trevor tell it) and sing the song.
Day 7: Daddy Day - have Sean do something with the boys. If he is unable to, then role-play the story again.
It's very simple, but it was a good starting point. I think the boys just needed something a little different every day to help them remember and stay interested. I also planned on getting the full gospel art kit and a cheap picture frame so I could put up a painting about the story, but I never went that far with it. I'm so glad Tiffany helped me remember this because I think it would be a good thing to implement again (I'll post a revised schedule if we change it). I was really amazed at how much the boys could remember when we stuck to the same story for several days. It's hard to remember all the details when you have a new story each day!
Oh, and FYI, FIAR does make a scripture based program, but I assume it is only with the bible.
1. The Core Knowledge Series by E.D. Hirsch: Included in the series are books titled, What Your Preschooler/Kindergartner/First Grader/etc. Needs to Know. I first read The Knowledge Deficit, also by E.D. Hirsch, which explains the series better than the introduction inside the books. I don't want to use one person's list exclusively for my kids, because I like to tailor their education based on what they need and what I believe is important, but there is a huge reason I like the idea (and product) these books are based on. Though I don't want to give my kids a "conveyer belt" education that public schools tend to give, I also don't want any holes in their education. The Core Knowledge Series helps with this. Basically, E.D. Hirsch and his colleagues spent a lot of time researching what the basic knowledge of an educated person looks like. They made a list of topics, stories, and lessons that a person would need to know to be able to read and understand texts such as The New York Times.
I borrowed the preschooler book about a year ago and I liked it a lot. It has sections from several subjects. I never looked at the others until recently, but I like the kindergartener book even more than the preschooler book. The stories have little tips and questions in the margins to help you bring things up to your kids as you read. I think it would be a good go-to book for the days when I'm struggling to find something to teach the kids without using too much brain power. I'm hoping to get the preschooler, kindergartener, and 1st grader books from my favorite used book websites (thriftbooks.com or betterworldbooks.com) and use them for one of our reading times. You can get them for around $4 with free shipping, but I recommend checking them out from the library first to see if they work for your family (and maybe even reading part of The Knowledge Deficit as well).
2.Scripture Reading Plan. A friend of mine helped me remember something I was doing about a year ago, but stopped for some reason. I had totally forgotten about it until Tiffany mentioned on her blog that she was thinking about making up her own Five in a Row (FIAR) baed on the scriptures. I started something similar when I heard a talk in church by a man who said that reading scriptures doesn't have to be formal with kids. He said you can tell them scripture stories in the car or while doing chores together or just be creative. A lightbulb went off in my head and I created something a little less spontaneous, but worked really well while I did it.
The original plan was very simple: read/tell/review the same scripture story every day for a week, and have some sort of activity to go along with it. I knew Trevor was capable of learning more about the scriptures, but he had a hard time sitting still every time we formally read the scriptures. I also just love the primary songs and wanted to incorporate them into our study somehow. This is the original schedule:
Day 1: Tell the story in my own words and draw a picture of the story (we then put it on the wall and referred back to the picture all week).
Day 2: Review the story (asking for lots of help from the boys) and sing a primary song related to the story.
Day 3: Read the story in the childrens version of the scriptures (and sing song)
Day 4: Role-play the story and sing the song. (The boys get a kick out of watching me act the stories out or acting them out themselves.)
Day 5: Do a craft based on the story.
Day 6: Tell story (or have Trevor tell it) and sing the song.
Day 7: Daddy Day - have Sean do something with the boys. If he is unable to, then role-play the story again.
It's very simple, but it was a good starting point. I think the boys just needed something a little different every day to help them remember and stay interested. I also planned on getting the full gospel art kit and a cheap picture frame so I could put up a painting about the story, but I never went that far with it. I'm so glad Tiffany helped me remember this because I think it would be a good thing to implement again (I'll post a revised schedule if we change it). I was really amazed at how much the boys could remember when we stuck to the same story for several days. It's hard to remember all the details when you have a new story each day!
Oh, and FYI, FIAR does make a scripture based program, but I assume it is only with the bible.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
It was a pretty typical day. I think I need to start recording examples of typical days more often.
Trevor had his reading lesson (lesson # 62). He is sight-reading all sorts of words now. The list is now too long to make. A couple days ago Sean watched Trevor do half of his lesson, which is unusual, because we usually do Trevor's lessons while Sean is at school. Sean was vocally amazed at Trevor's progress, which made Trevor beam and he read his story exceptionally fast that day.
For Conrad's "lesson" we threw bean bags into containers. I also taught Trevor the difference between underhand and overhand throwing.
For a practical life lesson, the boys peeled their own tangerines. They don't really like citrus lately though, and just squished the wedges once they peeled the fruit. I guess that's a sensory/tactile lesson, too. :) I'll just tell myself that so it doesn't feel completely wasteful.
For math, Trevor asked to do patterns again with the bag of buttons.
Trevor was asking this morning what green and red make when they're put together, so I thought it would be fun to copy my friend Tiffany's idea of food coloring and water mixtures. I don't know why, but when I thought of teaching color blending (if that's what it's called), paint always popped into my mind. I like the food coloring idea much better...it's less messy. So we got out a notebook for Trevor and made three columns. The first two columns were of colors he wanted to try together, and the last column was what color they made together. Both boys loved it. They used straws to stir, and drank plenty of the colorful water. Trevor looked at me funny after his first sip and said, "It just tastes like colored water."
After the art project, the boys just wanted to do their own thing with paper, crayons, markers, and scissors. They've been doing that a lot lately, which makes me happy because Trevor hasn't really taken a huge interest in art until recently. I think Conrad has influenced that new interest immensely because Conrad loves to cut and glue and color. It's something they can do together with minimal contention since they work near each other, but independently.
We also had devotional with Sean and reading time somewhere in the mix.
After I finished this post, Trevor also wanted to make a book again. This time I had him tell me the story, I wrote it on a piece of notebook paper, then I copied it into a homemade book made of construction paper, and he drew the pictures. It was about a lost dog that is found by a man in a cop car. It was cute.
Trevor had his reading lesson (lesson # 62). He is sight-reading all sorts of words now. The list is now too long to make. A couple days ago Sean watched Trevor do half of his lesson, which is unusual, because we usually do Trevor's lessons while Sean is at school. Sean was vocally amazed at Trevor's progress, which made Trevor beam and he read his story exceptionally fast that day.
For Conrad's "lesson" we threw bean bags into containers. I also taught Trevor the difference between underhand and overhand throwing.
For a practical life lesson, the boys peeled their own tangerines. They don't really like citrus lately though, and just squished the wedges once they peeled the fruit. I guess that's a sensory/tactile lesson, too. :) I'll just tell myself that so it doesn't feel completely wasteful.
For math, Trevor asked to do patterns again with the bag of buttons.
Trevor was asking this morning what green and red make when they're put together, so I thought it would be fun to copy my friend Tiffany's idea of food coloring and water mixtures. I don't know why, but when I thought of teaching color blending (if that's what it's called), paint always popped into my mind. I like the food coloring idea much better...it's less messy. So we got out a notebook for Trevor and made three columns. The first two columns were of colors he wanted to try together, and the last column was what color they made together. Both boys loved it. They used straws to stir, and drank plenty of the colorful water. Trevor looked at me funny after his first sip and said, "It just tastes like colored water."
After the art project, the boys just wanted to do their own thing with paper, crayons, markers, and scissors. They've been doing that a lot lately, which makes me happy because Trevor hasn't really taken a huge interest in art until recently. I think Conrad has influenced that new interest immensely because Conrad loves to cut and glue and color. It's something they can do together with minimal contention since they work near each other, but independently.
We also had devotional with Sean and reading time somewhere in the mix.
After I finished this post, Trevor also wanted to make a book again. This time I had him tell me the story, I wrote it on a piece of notebook paper, then I copied it into a homemade book made of construction paper, and he drew the pictures. It was about a lost dog that is found by a man in a cop car. It was cute.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
The Montessori Review Post
As promised, here I am to talk about Montessori. I still haven't researched it enough to feel like a resource on the topic, but we've implemented much of the method. I don't think we'll get totally "into" it as much as other families might. I'm really quite eclectic when it comes to education methods. I just do what works, I suppose.
I really like the ideas about setting up a classroom and managing it the Montessori way. One of the biggest resources for ideas for anything homeschooling is all the other homeschool blogs on the internet. When I wanted to set up a little space for the boys, I mostly used this blog post as a model. Montessori suggests using child-size furniture, which I agree with after trying to give poor Trevor his reading lessons at the counter on bar stools. He's afraid of falling and slips around a lot. We bought chairs ($9.99 each) and a table ($3 in the clearance area) at Ikea (I also bought myself a short stool for $2 so I can sit with the boys). Then I prepared materials for as many free activities as I could find in the books. It is suggested that you use trays for each activity, but I just used what I had and bought various types of containers at the dollar store. I think the point is for the materials to always be available and for the kids to be able to see and access them easily. Here are photos of what we've done:
I also read a book called Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, by Angeline Stoll Lillard. I like reading about others' ideas, but I also like knowing they're backed by research. This book is just a lot of research backing each part of Montessori's methods. I REALLY liked the chapter about time management and schedules. I didn't like what the author said about behaviorism, and I think she got it wrong from several viewpoints. I'm beginning to realize how aversive I truly am to "unschooling." I like a lot of those ideas, too, but our family just needs a little more structure than unschooling gives. I'd also like to read Montessori's own guidebook on her methods someday.
Two books I really liked for implementing Montessori (books I like enough to buy eventually and not just borrow) are David Gettman's Basic Montessori, and Maja Pitamic's Teach Me to Do It Myself. Both books are full of Montessori activities and instructions. Basic Montessori also gives a thorough and short summary of Montessori, complete with an explanation of the activity categories. Pitamic's book is ecpecially helpful for two reasons: 1. It has activities that can be made with materials I have at home (cheap!), and 2. It has photos and drawings of the activities, as well as detailed instructions and variations. Categories include life skills, developing the senses, language development, numeracy, and science.
This method works well for us. Conrad especially loves Montessori and will quietly work with a tray of materials for quite some time before moving on. And even at two he can learn the rules. I usually set him up with a Montessori activity before starting a lesson with Trevor and I only have to help him once or twice, sometimes not at all, depending on the activity and how long he is interested. Trevor also likes Montessori and plays with the materials during Conrad's naptime when he is expected to choose quiet activities or rest. At first I tried having the boys do Montessori for a couple hours in the morning, but I might switch it around a little. We still have a adjusting to do.
Trevor also finished his 56th reading lesson today.
I really like the ideas about setting up a classroom and managing it the Montessori way. One of the biggest resources for ideas for anything homeschooling is all the other homeschool blogs on the internet. When I wanted to set up a little space for the boys, I mostly used this blog post as a model. Montessori suggests using child-size furniture, which I agree with after trying to give poor Trevor his reading lessons at the counter on bar stools. He's afraid of falling and slips around a lot. We bought chairs ($9.99 each) and a table ($3 in the clearance area) at Ikea (I also bought myself a short stool for $2 so I can sit with the boys). Then I prepared materials for as many free activities as I could find in the books. It is suggested that you use trays for each activity, but I just used what I had and bought various types of containers at the dollar store. I think the point is for the materials to always be available and for the kids to be able to see and access them easily. Here are photos of what we've done:
I also read a book called Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, by Angeline Stoll Lillard. I like reading about others' ideas, but I also like knowing they're backed by research. This book is just a lot of research backing each part of Montessori's methods. I REALLY liked the chapter about time management and schedules. I didn't like what the author said about behaviorism, and I think she got it wrong from several viewpoints. I'm beginning to realize how aversive I truly am to "unschooling." I like a lot of those ideas, too, but our family just needs a little more structure than unschooling gives. I'd also like to read Montessori's own guidebook on her methods someday.
Two books I really liked for implementing Montessori (books I like enough to buy eventually and not just borrow) are David Gettman's Basic Montessori, and Maja Pitamic's Teach Me to Do It Myself. Both books are full of Montessori activities and instructions. Basic Montessori also gives a thorough and short summary of Montessori, complete with an explanation of the activity categories. Pitamic's book is ecpecially helpful for two reasons: 1. It has activities that can be made with materials I have at home (cheap!), and 2. It has photos and drawings of the activities, as well as detailed instructions and variations. Categories include life skills, developing the senses, language development, numeracy, and science.
This method works well for us. Conrad especially loves Montessori and will quietly work with a tray of materials for quite some time before moving on. And even at two he can learn the rules. I usually set him up with a Montessori activity before starting a lesson with Trevor and I only have to help him once or twice, sometimes not at all, depending on the activity and how long he is interested. Trevor also likes Montessori and plays with the materials during Conrad's naptime when he is expected to choose quiet activities or rest. At first I tried having the boys do Montessori for a couple hours in the morning, but I might switch it around a little. We still have a adjusting to do.
Trevor also finished his 56th reading lesson today.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Trevor finished his 50th reading lesson today! It went so well, and he read the story so quickly at the end. I had to think back to when we first started the lessons this past summer and I was so cautious, worrying that four was too young to start him with reading lessons. I just want to mention one thing about consistency that I keep learning over and over. I may have said this before, but I have to be just as disciplined as Trevor in order for him to enjoy his lessons. Sometimes it's so easy to make an excuse for not initiating the lesson for the day because Conrad might be in the mood to interrupt too often or maybe I just didn't sleep well the night before.
I have found, however, that if I allow myself to become lax and skip too many lesson in a row, Trevor loses progress and struggles a little. Of course that is no fun (or fair) for him to have to muddle through a lesson because I was not disciplined enough to start one for a few days. He only enjoys reading if we're consistent and diligent. Otherwise he actually tells me he doesn't like lessons. If I wasn't discerning enough to understand that he is really just telling me he is having a hard time, I might be tempted to quit giving him lessons for a long while. Even a half lesson or portion of a lesson is better than no lesson at all.
I need to remember this whenever we start any sort of lessons or units--that I better look before I leap and be sure I am willing to follow through with it consistently, for Trevor's sake.
I have found, however, that if I allow myself to become lax and skip too many lesson in a row, Trevor loses progress and struggles a little. Of course that is no fun (or fair) for him to have to muddle through a lesson because I was not disciplined enough to start one for a few days. He only enjoys reading if we're consistent and diligent. Otherwise he actually tells me he doesn't like lessons. If I wasn't discerning enough to understand that he is really just telling me he is having a hard time, I might be tempted to quit giving him lessons for a long while. Even a half lesson or portion of a lesson is better than no lesson at all.
I need to remember this whenever we start any sort of lessons or units--that I better look before I leap and be sure I am willing to follow through with it consistently, for Trevor's sake.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Two Math Lessons
Trevor's math lessons are a bit random right now. I just create them from whatever he's interested in, while supplementing with examples from a very visual "My First Math Book".
Last week's lesson: Actually, this counts for the week before as well. We've started addition! Trevor just soaks up knowledge when it's hands-on. I made some Paper Plate Numbers from The Toddler's Busy Book (but since he already knows his numbers through 10, we use them for addition rather than learning numbers). He's supposed to put the beans on top of the shapes and then count them up and look for the plate that equals the sum of the two numbers he's adding. Then he puts the beans on the shapes of the answer plate to check his answer to see if he added correctly. He really enjoys it. And Conrad actually plays at counting with these, too. He says, "duh, duh, duh," each time I put a bean on a shape. It makes him feel like he's doing important schoolwork like his big brother.
This week: Today he was working on an art project outside while I was doing my own painting project (very exciting Christmas gift for the boys! I'll post something about that on our family blog eventually). Trevor decided to draw a picture of the earth being flooded and glued a drawing of the ark onto the earth. Then he started cutting out squares so he could make a house. I finally realized he was trying to make a 3D house by taping the squares together, so I decided it was a great time to talk about 3D shapes. We made a net (pattern) for a cube, then we cut it out and made a house out of it. Then we got out the trusty picture math book and talked about cubes, cylinders, pyramids and the like. And he got to play with it afterwards! Here he is holding up the net and the picture he drew of the earth flooding (2nd photo), with his cube house on the table. He's now telling me his toy chicken also needs a garage. Sheesh! Spoiled poultry!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Homemade Books
I am so proud of myself! I can't believe I figured out how to do this myself. Apparently my videos were too big for Blogger (it's 59 seconds for goodness' sake!), so I figured out how to post them through youtube--by myself! Now if I can just figure out how to put two videos on one post...
Trevor was inspired by his friend from the preschool co-op to make his own book. Of course Conrad had to make one as well, so I stapled some paper together and they made their own books. Trevor actually wrote words in his, and it was so cute to watch him try to sound out the words made from random letters he put together. And it was pretty adorable watching Trevor read Conrad's book to him, asking him what each page was about.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Preschool Co-op Update
This finishes up Week Two of our preschool co-op. I'm pleased with it so far. I definitely need to brush up on my "teacher" skills (not that I ever developed any anyway!), but everything is going well.
We plan to start out with a lesson from Five in a Row, though we didn't get to use the manual until this past Thursday, so I can't really say how FIAR will go. The FIAR part is my job. Last week I tried mimicking FIAR without the manual using the book Ming Lo Moves the Mountain by Arnold Lobel and made up my own lessons. I think my lessons were well-planned and simple, but I it will take me a little while to learn the group dynamics and how to keep the chaos down to a minimum.
We tried to have a little break and snack between the FIAR and Montessori portions. The Montessori part went well, too. The other mom had everything organized so nicely and the kids were definitely interested. I think that part will go more smoothly the more the kids get to know the materials. I still don't know very much about the philosophy of Montessori, so I'm reading up on it, but I definitely like what I see so far. It's all hands-on learning, which is great for active little boys, especially after having to sit and listen to me read and give a lesson.
This last week was a little rough because ironically both families were having sleep issues and the other mom also found out she's expecting as well. This should be exciting! But we're committed and we're planning to continue tweaking it until it's right for our little group. I'm also very happy about how well the kids are all getting along. Trevor and the 6 year old boy really hit it off and enjoy playing and learning together. Conrad is a bit young to really single anyone out to be friends, but the 3 year old likes Conrad and always wants to sit with him.
One day this week was particularly difficult and both of us moms admitted to almost cancelling for the morning. We ended up letting the kids have a playdate instead of doing any lessons, and the older boys ended up finding their own productive activities while us moms watched the toddlers. They opened up a paper airplane shop and made and decorated paper airplanes for everyone, and then they painted pictures, without any guidance from the moms!
Having a preschool co-op has other definite advantages for moms as well as the kids. Not only do the moms get to talk to an adult for a little, but we get to talk specifically about homeschooling and get a peek at how other people do it. It has been especially beneficial for me to watch a homeschool mom who has twice as many kids as I do and a wider range of ages. I'm amazed at how well she can keep track of everyone's lessons and needs. I hope I can develop a little of that!
photo: the boys played dress-up one day after preschool
Friday, October 7, 2011
What is Five in a Row?
It was created to be very flexible, so you can use any of the many ideas on any given day. So if you want to have Monday be art day, you can do all the art lessons on Monday. But if you want to do a little of every subject each day, you can pick and choose which lessons to do. She also includes a blank planner in the back of the book so you can plan everything out for the week.
I believe the first volume (shown) is for ages 4-7. I plan to use it for Conrad too (he's 2 now), but I think he'll end up being an observer for the most part. So the age recommendation is probably accurate. There is a volume called Before Five in a Row that we might end up using for Conrad once we decide for sure if we like this program or not. Trevor would like that one, as well. The books on the list just look a little more interactive and engaging for kids under 4.
We just got the book in the mail this week to use for our co-op (directed toward four boys, ages 2, 3, 4, and 6). We have done one lesson, which uses The Story of Ping by Marjorie Flack. The parts we chose to do for one session: talk about China and the Yangtze River (looking at a map), talk about the difference between fiction and non-fiction and ask the kids to think of some examples, talk about relationships and the things Ping faced after he got himself lost (danger, fear, loneliness), and we did an art project in their journals (they used colored pencils like the illustrator used to make the pictures in the story). One child decided on his own to make a non-fiction book out of some large index cards. One part I'm excited to have the kids do is to talk about buoyancy and find objects that sink or float (talk about the boy with the barrel on his back).
There are a few ideas that go with all of the lessons. One I really like is the story disks. One of the worksheets in the back is a sheet of circles that have a picture in each one representing each story. You're supposed to cut the disks out and velcro or use sticky tack to place them on a map (wherever the setting is) each time you read a story.
So far I really like the concept of Five in a Row. I'll post an update when I've used it more!
Book List for Five in a Row volumes 1-4
Book List for Before Five in a Row
I'm not so keen on the official Five in a Row website, but here's a link for another website that explains the concept much better.
Spontaneous Learning
I love learning that just kind of happens. It feels much less forced. Trevor's lessons have pointed out a few things besides just sounds, and last night during our bedtime book time, he pointed out every punctuation mark and either told me what they were (he knows period, question marks, and quotation marks) or asked me what they were (exclamation marks, commas, and apostrophes). He got just as excited about that as he does about science topics! It's really nice when you have a pet subject that you want your kids to LOVE without you forcing them and they pick it up on their own. Sigh...I love this mom stuff.
We did lesson 44 today.
We did lesson 44 today.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
New Plan
If there's one thing I'm learning about homeschooling, it's that there are so many available resources. I'm learning to see all the adjustment-making as an adventure instead of a frustrating chore. At first I thought I'd just choose some sort of curriculum and stick with it until I send my kids off to college. Ha ha! Maybe some parents are able to do it thiat way, but I have a very specific idea of how I want my children educated and I don't think I'll ever find a curriculum out there that fits my ideas completely.
So the new plan? Well, I was given an LDS curriculum along with many other used homeschool books when a homeschooling mom I know put her kids in public school (at their choice). It's written by Ken and Teri Ebert, and it's called The Four Year Plan (the first book called Going in Circles). I finally got around to reading it (I put the whole box of books on the shelf while I had morning sickness). It's a revolving curriculum of four years, based on history and the scriptures (with science and English also). What I like is that it's cheap (I got it for free, but the books are all under $30 I believe), it involves all ages (I want to be able to do school with all my kids at once as well as the individualized lessons--I think it would be so much more unifying to have all of us learning the same things, even if we're all at different levels), and it's simple (basically an outline with comments, a reading list, and suggested field trips, and recommended books), based on the scriptures. I looked into a couple other curricula that use scriptures as a base and involve all ages, but they aren't cheap and they're not LDS, so they don't include the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants or Pearl of Great Price. Call me lazy, but I don't want to be constantly saying to my kids, "That's what this religion believes, but we believe X." (Of course I DO want my kids to know what other religions believe, but I don't want to have to put a discaimer on everything I teach.) And I don't want to have to figure out a way to incorporate the Book of Mormon and D&C on my own (yet).
What I don't like (or what doesn't fit for our family) is that it doesn't include all the subjects I'd want to teach (like math) and it has a heavy emphasis on co-ops (which is great, but I've only tried preschool co-ops and I don't yet know if I could organize one for older kids, though of course I'd be interested in trying). Also, the whole time I was reading it, I just had a strong feeling that this is what is right for their family. It's great, and the Eberts did a wonderful job, but I wuld be lying to myself if I said it was already perfect for us.
So ultimately I realized I can't use The Four Year Plan exclusively, but there is so much I do like about it, that I'm still going to use it as a rough outline. I am gaining confidence in myself very quickly as I learn to ignore negative influences and listen only to the Spirit tell me what is right for us. I thought at first that I would want a "canned" curriculum for the first year at least, so I could get my feet under me, but that isn't how I really want to do things so why start that way? And we really can't afford to buy an expensive curriculum and have me skip half of it because I decide it isn't 100% perfect for us.
Summary and Final Plan:
After speaking to a homeschool mom with similar views and finding out what she is planning for her family, I was given some very good, wise suggestions for starting out. She recommended that I do a daily devotional (of course), use Five in a Row (and Before Five in a Row for Conrad), and buy a phonics curriculum and math curriculum separately. And for Conrad, I would make lots of inexpensive Montessori activities (I'm falling in love with Montessori, esp. for toddlers). Inexpensive, easy, and much more to my liking. And this other mom isn't so keen on The Four Year Plan, but there's so much I like about it that I'm planning on using it for our devotional to incorporate history (I just can't leave out history, it's one of my favorites!) and science (definitely Trevor's favorite). I'm really excited about this plan, moreso than any other I've come up with. It feels so right for us and will be so much cheaper! I haven't felt this good about a plan through all my researching. I know I might end up tweaking it a lot (and I still have to choose a math and phonics curriculum), but even if I didn't change it a bit I would be okay with that. It will be cheap enough that if I decide to change something I will still have wiggle room, instead of using all our allotted money on one curriculum, hating it, and being stuck with it.
I still have to post about our first week of the preschool co-op! I'll get to that another time. but that's exciting too!
So the new plan? Well, I was given an LDS curriculum along with many other used homeschool books when a homeschooling mom I know put her kids in public school (at their choice). It's written by Ken and Teri Ebert, and it's called The Four Year Plan (the first book called Going in Circles). I finally got around to reading it (I put the whole box of books on the shelf while I had morning sickness). It's a revolving curriculum of four years, based on history and the scriptures (with science and English also). What I like is that it's cheap (I got it for free, but the books are all under $30 I believe), it involves all ages (I want to be able to do school with all my kids at once as well as the individualized lessons--I think it would be so much more unifying to have all of us learning the same things, even if we're all at different levels), and it's simple (basically an outline with comments, a reading list, and suggested field trips, and recommended books), based on the scriptures. I looked into a couple other curricula that use scriptures as a base and involve all ages, but they aren't cheap and they're not LDS, so they don't include the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants or Pearl of Great Price. Call me lazy, but I don't want to be constantly saying to my kids, "That's what this religion believes, but we believe X." (Of course I DO want my kids to know what other religions believe, but I don't want to have to put a discaimer on everything I teach.) And I don't want to have to figure out a way to incorporate the Book of Mormon and D&C on my own (yet).
What I don't like (or what doesn't fit for our family) is that it doesn't include all the subjects I'd want to teach (like math) and it has a heavy emphasis on co-ops (which is great, but I've only tried preschool co-ops and I don't yet know if I could organize one for older kids, though of course I'd be interested in trying). Also, the whole time I was reading it, I just had a strong feeling that this is what is right for their family. It's great, and the Eberts did a wonderful job, but I wuld be lying to myself if I said it was already perfect for us.
So ultimately I realized I can't use The Four Year Plan exclusively, but there is so much I do like about it, that I'm still going to use it as a rough outline. I am gaining confidence in myself very quickly as I learn to ignore negative influences and listen only to the Spirit tell me what is right for us. I thought at first that I would want a "canned" curriculum for the first year at least, so I could get my feet under me, but that isn't how I really want to do things so why start that way? And we really can't afford to buy an expensive curriculum and have me skip half of it because I decide it isn't 100% perfect for us.
Summary and Final Plan:
After speaking to a homeschool mom with similar views and finding out what she is planning for her family, I was given some very good, wise suggestions for starting out. She recommended that I do a daily devotional (of course), use Five in a Row (and Before Five in a Row for Conrad), and buy a phonics curriculum and math curriculum separately. And for Conrad, I would make lots of inexpensive Montessori activities (I'm falling in love with Montessori, esp. for toddlers). Inexpensive, easy, and much more to my liking. And this other mom isn't so keen on The Four Year Plan, but there's so much I like about it that I'm planning on using it for our devotional to incorporate history (I just can't leave out history, it's one of my favorites!) and science (definitely Trevor's favorite). I'm really excited about this plan, moreso than any other I've come up with. It feels so right for us and will be so much cheaper! I haven't felt this good about a plan through all my researching. I know I might end up tweaking it a lot (and I still have to choose a math and phonics curriculum), but even if I didn't change it a bit I would be okay with that. It will be cheap enough that if I decide to change something I will still have wiggle room, instead of using all our allotted money on one curriculum, hating it, and being stuck with it.
I still have to post about our first week of the preschool co-op! I'll get to that another time. but that's exciting too!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Lesson 40, 3rd Bob Book
Trevor finished lesson 40 today and can read the 3rd Bob Book (Dot) now. I can't believe how much quicker he is at reading already and how little help he actually needs. It took so much longer for him to read the first Bob Book the first time he tried it. Today he read Dot to me, Sean, and to my mom over the phone. He was so excited and told my mom he was going to read her all his books when she comes to visit after the baby is born.
The lessons have been slowing down lately because there are so many sounds to remember now that we often have to take a day to review sounds instead of do a lesson. No big deal! I'm learning how to adapt.
About his reading sticker chart...it seems unnecessary now. Lately he tells me I can just pick a sticker and put it on for him after our lessons. I'm still glad I made the chart because it really helped motivate him in the beginning when it wasn't such a routine yet, and I'm sure it will help as he nears the end goal (and party), but I'm really glad that it hasn't turned out to be the reason for his excitement. He's just happy to be reading!
The lessons have been slowing down lately because there are so many sounds to remember now that we often have to take a day to review sounds instead of do a lesson. No big deal! I'm learning how to adapt.
About his reading sticker chart...it seems unnecessary now. Lately he tells me I can just pick a sticker and put it on for him after our lessons. I'm still glad I made the chart because it really helped motivate him in the beginning when it wasn't such a routine yet, and I'm sure it will help as he nears the end goal (and party), but I'm really glad that it hasn't turned out to be the reason for his excitement. He's just happy to be reading!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
I just thought of something I wanted to add. Trevor has amazed me with some of the words he can read by sight. I thought "sight words" came a lot later in the reading process. Words he knows by sight (without having to sound them out): duck, cat, dog, a, can, little, is. I think that's all of them. I may have missed a few. I LOVE these words because it makes him so happy when he can just run right over them without spending time on sounding them out. He's amazing!
Preschool Co-op
I'm so excited! We've finally found another family to do a preschool co-op with again! We tried to get one started at the beginning of the year, but it turned into a playgroup, which Trevor and Conrad enjoyed, but it wasn't what I was looking for for the boys. I was planning on trying again after the summer was over, and we were so lucky to have just the right family move into our ward. The mom homeschools her four kids and was very interested when I mentioned joy school.
This other mom has some very good ideas. We had a meeting last night to plan. I didn't have any big plans myself, I just wanted Trevor and Conrad to get something a little more structured with other kids on a regular basis. I really want to keep it simple with being pregnant, something that will last through the pregnancy and a newborn without being overwhelming. I'm really blessed to be doing this with a mom who is a little more seasoned in the homeschool scene. She suggested that we have two segments to our preschool.
The first segment will be a lesson from Five in a Row. It seems to be a very simple curriculum. It comes in four volumes, $35 each. You read the same children's book five days a week (hence, five in a row), and each day there's a short lesson based on a different subject (social studies, language arts, math, science, art). And that's as complicated as it gets.
The second segment is Montessori time. This other mom is really getting into Montessori and has ordered lots of Montessori materials. So she will have several stations set up where the kids can work on a Montessori activity while she and I will go around helping and guiding if necessary.
I'm so excited!! The Lord really knows who to put in our lives, like angels to bless us. I was worried all summer about what to do because I really felt strongly that Trevor especially needed more than just the lessons we're doing at home. Playgroups are fun, but I felt the boys needed to know what a structured time felt like with other kids. As fall came nearer, I worried more and more because I hadn't figured it out yet. I was tempted to put Trevor in preschool for one or two mornings a week, but after discussing it with Sean, I knew we couldn't afford it right now. I kept getting this feeling that I shouldn't worry, that something was on its way. I know it sounds silly, but these are the things I worry about most, and I'm just so grateful the Lord has helped me provide our boys with what they need.
Our first day is next Tuesday! Oh, and Trevor finished lesson 36 today. He was having a hard time remembering several sounds, so we took a few days off of formal lessons to play go fish and other memorization games with the sounds. He was excited to learn even more when we got back to doing lessons. Yesterday we were snuggling and talking together and I told him I was proud of his work on his lesson today. He said, "Yeah. I'm so happy I learned two new sounds. Do I get to learn a new sound tomorrow?" I love that boy.
This other mom has some very good ideas. We had a meeting last night to plan. I didn't have any big plans myself, I just wanted Trevor and Conrad to get something a little more structured with other kids on a regular basis. I really want to keep it simple with being pregnant, something that will last through the pregnancy and a newborn without being overwhelming. I'm really blessed to be doing this with a mom who is a little more seasoned in the homeschool scene. She suggested that we have two segments to our preschool.
The first segment will be a lesson from Five in a Row. It seems to be a very simple curriculum. It comes in four volumes, $35 each. You read the same children's book five days a week (hence, five in a row), and each day there's a short lesson based on a different subject (social studies, language arts, math, science, art). And that's as complicated as it gets.
The second segment is Montessori time. This other mom is really getting into Montessori and has ordered lots of Montessori materials. So she will have several stations set up where the kids can work on a Montessori activity while she and I will go around helping and guiding if necessary.
I'm so excited!! The Lord really knows who to put in our lives, like angels to bless us. I was worried all summer about what to do because I really felt strongly that Trevor especially needed more than just the lessons we're doing at home. Playgroups are fun, but I felt the boys needed to know what a structured time felt like with other kids. As fall came nearer, I worried more and more because I hadn't figured it out yet. I was tempted to put Trevor in preschool for one or two mornings a week, but after discussing it with Sean, I knew we couldn't afford it right now. I kept getting this feeling that I shouldn't worry, that something was on its way. I know it sounds silly, but these are the things I worry about most, and I'm just so grateful the Lord has helped me provide our boys with what they need.
Our first day is next Tuesday! Oh, and Trevor finished lesson 36 today. He was having a hard time remembering several sounds, so we took a few days off of formal lessons to play go fish and other memorization games with the sounds. He was excited to learn even more when we got back to doing lessons. Yesterday we were snuggling and talking together and I told him I was proud of his work on his lesson today. He said, "Yeah. I'm so happy I learned two new sounds. Do I get to learn a new sound tomorrow?" I love that boy.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
The Plan
I've been playing around with several avenues for homeschooling since Trevor was born. I feel I'm really just making things up as I go and gleaning advice from friends and books as well. It's nice to have the freedom to change things when I want, but I want to buckle down and get settled into a routine again (like we had before we moved to Minnesota).
We've set a bit of a routine since we started reading lessons, so it shouldn't be too hard to go deeper. We wake up, eat breakfast, clean up/do chores, get dressed/brush teeth, listen to Sean read scriptures (some days we go running before or after as a family), Conrad gets a lesson, Trevor gets a lesson, and then usually it's time for lunch. If not, we read books or do a messy project until lunch. After lunch and naps, I don't really have anything set in stone. Mostly the boys get free play until dinner and free play or family time after dinner.
So the plan is to slowly add subjects until next fall and hopefully by then it will be old news for us. For next year, we're looking into Sonlight curriculum. A few friends have been using it and I'm impressed with the layout and choice of literature. I'm interested in a classical education and I've really enjoyed reading A Well Trained Mind this summer.
So far that's the plan. I don't want to get too rigid yet because I still think early childhood is a time for play and exploration and learning about the world and relationships more than any academic subject.
We've set a bit of a routine since we started reading lessons, so it shouldn't be too hard to go deeper. We wake up, eat breakfast, clean up/do chores, get dressed/brush teeth, listen to Sean read scriptures (some days we go running before or after as a family), Conrad gets a lesson, Trevor gets a lesson, and then usually it's time for lunch. If not, we read books or do a messy project until lunch. After lunch and naps, I don't really have anything set in stone. Mostly the boys get free play until dinner and free play or family time after dinner.
So the plan is to slowly add subjects until next fall and hopefully by then it will be old news for us. For next year, we're looking into Sonlight curriculum. A few friends have been using it and I'm impressed with the layout and choice of literature. I'm interested in a classical education and I've really enjoyed reading A Well Trained Mind this summer.
So far that's the plan. I don't want to get too rigid yet because I still think early childhood is a time for play and exploration and learning about the world and relationships more than any academic subject.
Two Awful Lessons to Learn
Trevor finished Lesson 29 today. He can read two Bob books and sometimes will read words from regular books (as long as it doesn't interfere too much with his enjoyment of the story). Now that Sean is back in school for his second semester, Trevor is yet again begging for me to find him more "homework". He loves his daddy. So I found a little phonics workbook in the $1 section at Target and he did a few pages today. Reading lessons are going great! What's awful is my learning curve for being a homeschool parent. You have to understand that though I didn't get my degree in teaching, I took a few courses relating to how children learn (Educational Psychology, Child Development, Infant and Toddler, etc.). So I figured I was well aware of all the mistakes a well-meaning parent might make in teaching. Well, for some reason I have to experience it all myself, too.
Lesson #1: Never read books about Chinese parenting. Ever. I'm sure there are many good Chinese parents, but the book I read (Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother) made me feel a little soft (and I'm SO not shooting for child prodigies, either). So I think I pushed Trevor in his lessons too much. First, though he still needs lots of help reading certain words, I started refusing to help until he had practiced a word a few times first. He's a perfectionist, so when he doesn't get it the first time, he gets frustrated and upset, to which I would just respond, "Try again" in a firm voice. He was not enjoying it. I was not enjoying it. I started to worry that I couldn't homeschool (because first and foremost I will NOT compromise my relationships with my kids. Love comes first, or nothing).
I decided it didn't matter whether he did it perfectly on his own or not, because we can just start right from the beginning of the book (or try another book) when he's done with the whole 100 lessons if he hasn't gained a firm grasp of reading. He's only 4 1/2 for goodness sake! What a turnaround! Trevor loves the lessons again, the same as he did when we first started, and he's actually reading faster now that I'm not stressing him out. He doesn't do it perfectly, and we end up skipping parts here and there, but I don't care. He still loves me and is still learning.
Lesson #2: Balancing attention between two boys is really hard. Conrad just turned two last week. When Trevor was two, all my attention was focused on him. He was the only child. We did so many nursery school type activities, he never felt the need for more attention. But somehow I've never transferred enough of that educational/nurturing focus on to Conrad. I don't do nearly as many activities with Conrad as I did with Trevor, because I guess I figured a lot of what I do with Trevor will trickle down to Conrad. Bad thought. Very bad thought.
Conrad and I were able to connect easily when he was first born. Maybe it's because he's so happy-go-lucky and joyful all the time. But lately I felt that connection slipping a little, and it worried me. When Trevor and I do any kind of lesson, I usually go to our closet where we keep educational toys and get one out for Conrad to keep him busy. It worked great for a while, but it wasn't enough. Conrad would come interrupt the lessons and forget about the toy because he just wasn't getting the attention he needed. He also started acting out and randomly misbehaving. It was a pretty awful realization once I finally figured out why we were having all the interruptions and tantrums. Conrad's my baby boy! How could I let that happen?
So I've started having "lessons" with Conrad, too. He loves nursery rhymes, fingerplays, and any songs with actions. So before I try to do a lesson with Trevor, I sit with Conrad and we sing and recite rhymes and smile at each other. I also do an activity with him from Slow and Steady Get Me Ready, by June R. Oberlander (it has a simple weekly activity for young kids from birth to age 5). Another good one I'll probably use is The Toddler's Busy Book, by Trisha Kuffner. I also need to try to include him in more activities like chores or science "experiements". So far, this has worked much better. I just need to try and be more aware so I can catch it earlier next time.
Some lessons are so hard to learn! I'm so grateful I'm learning them now though, before we really jump into homeschooling next fall, otherwise I'd feel doomed. Being a mom is so hard!
Lesson #1: Never read books about Chinese parenting. Ever. I'm sure there are many good Chinese parents, but the book I read (Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother) made me feel a little soft (and I'm SO not shooting for child prodigies, either). So I think I pushed Trevor in his lessons too much. First, though he still needs lots of help reading certain words, I started refusing to help until he had practiced a word a few times first. He's a perfectionist, so when he doesn't get it the first time, he gets frustrated and upset, to which I would just respond, "Try again" in a firm voice. He was not enjoying it. I was not enjoying it. I started to worry that I couldn't homeschool (because first and foremost I will NOT compromise my relationships with my kids. Love comes first, or nothing).
I decided it didn't matter whether he did it perfectly on his own or not, because we can just start right from the beginning of the book (or try another book) when he's done with the whole 100 lessons if he hasn't gained a firm grasp of reading. He's only 4 1/2 for goodness sake! What a turnaround! Trevor loves the lessons again, the same as he did when we first started, and he's actually reading faster now that I'm not stressing him out. He doesn't do it perfectly, and we end up skipping parts here and there, but I don't care. He still loves me and is still learning.
Lesson #2: Balancing attention between two boys is really hard. Conrad just turned two last week. When Trevor was two, all my attention was focused on him. He was the only child. We did so many nursery school type activities, he never felt the need for more attention. But somehow I've never transferred enough of that educational/nurturing focus on to Conrad. I don't do nearly as many activities with Conrad as I did with Trevor, because I guess I figured a lot of what I do with Trevor will trickle down to Conrad. Bad thought. Very bad thought.
Conrad and I were able to connect easily when he was first born. Maybe it's because he's so happy-go-lucky and joyful all the time. But lately I felt that connection slipping a little, and it worried me. When Trevor and I do any kind of lesson, I usually go to our closet where we keep educational toys and get one out for Conrad to keep him busy. It worked great for a while, but it wasn't enough. Conrad would come interrupt the lessons and forget about the toy because he just wasn't getting the attention he needed. He also started acting out and randomly misbehaving. It was a pretty awful realization once I finally figured out why we were having all the interruptions and tantrums. Conrad's my baby boy! How could I let that happen?
So I've started having "lessons" with Conrad, too. He loves nursery rhymes, fingerplays, and any songs with actions. So before I try to do a lesson with Trevor, I sit with Conrad and we sing and recite rhymes and smile at each other. I also do an activity with him from Slow and Steady Get Me Ready, by June R. Oberlander (it has a simple weekly activity for young kids from birth to age 5). Another good one I'll probably use is The Toddler's Busy Book, by Trisha Kuffner. I also need to try to include him in more activities like chores or science "experiements". So far, this has worked much better. I just need to try and be more aware so I can catch it earlier next time.
Some lessons are so hard to learn! I'm so grateful I'm learning them now though, before we really jump into homeschooling next fall, otherwise I'd feel doomed. Being a mom is so hard!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
I think writing a log really helps already.
1. Reading Lessons: We're definitely not going to finish the 100 lessons in 100 days. I've been very lenient with Trevor because if he has a bad lesson he doesn't want to do another one for a few days. So we've skipped a day here and there when he gets frustrated. I don't let him skip more than two days in a row, though, because I don't want him forgetting what he's learned. I try to quiz him on sounds and the few words he knows when we don't do a lesson. Trevor does well with reward systems, so I made a chart with 100 squares, and he gets to put a sticker on a square each time he finishes a lesson (obviously Conrad got to it with a marker). Each row has 10 squares, and when he finishes a row he gets a fun size candy. When he finishes every single one of the 100 lessons, he gets a party. He loves parties, so this is great motivation, however...
The best thing I've done so far to help Trevor enjoy his lessons more is a SCHEDULE! I learn this over and over with Trevor, that he just simply does better when he has a set time he is to do something. He craves structure. So for the past few days, I haven't even given him a choice, I just warn him at lunchtime that when Conrad goes down for a nap, we will be doing a lesson. The consistency has done wonders. Today he was a little sleepy (he ended up takng a nap afterwards as well), so he had a hard time focusing. Other than that, the lessons have been going much more smoothly.
We finished lesson 13 today, which is the first lesson with a "story" and picture. He enjoyed it so much. The reading comprehension task after the story is nice because we both get tired of me telling him what to do next and by then we just need to shoot the breeze for a minute.
We've also been playing hangman with the few words he can read.
We also worked on shapes. He already knows the name of most of them, but we talked about sides and angles today. He liked that. We used a whiteboard with dots.
3. Sorting and Socializing: I've been trying not to ignore Conrad while Trevor and I work. Conrad wanted to play with some preschool flashcards I have in a drawer. They are always mixed up and Conrad and I sorted them together while we talked about why we sorted them into the specific piles. He liked that so much (I think it was mostly the talking together), I think I'll mess them up again tomorrow so we can do it again. :)
1. Reading Lessons: We're definitely not going to finish the 100 lessons in 100 days. I've been very lenient with Trevor because if he has a bad lesson he doesn't want to do another one for a few days. So we've skipped a day here and there when he gets frustrated. I don't let him skip more than two days in a row, though, because I don't want him forgetting what he's learned. I try to quiz him on sounds and the few words he knows when we don't do a lesson. Trevor does well with reward systems, so I made a chart with 100 squares, and he gets to put a sticker on a square each time he finishes a lesson (obviously Conrad got to it with a marker). Each row has 10 squares, and when he finishes a row he gets a fun size candy. When he finishes every single one of the 100 lessons, he gets a party. He loves parties, so this is great motivation, however...
The best thing I've done so far to help Trevor enjoy his lessons more is a SCHEDULE! I learn this over and over with Trevor, that he just simply does better when he has a set time he is to do something. He craves structure. So for the past few days, I haven't even given him a choice, I just warn him at lunchtime that when Conrad goes down for a nap, we will be doing a lesson. The consistency has done wonders. Today he was a little sleepy (he ended up takng a nap afterwards as well), so he had a hard time focusing. Other than that, the lessons have been going much more smoothly.
We finished lesson 13 today, which is the first lesson with a "story" and picture. He enjoyed it so much. The reading comprehension task after the story is nice because we both get tired of me telling him what to do next and by then we just need to shoot the breeze for a minute.
We've also been playing hangman with the few words he can read.
2. Math: We haven't been as consistent with other subjects yet, but we've been working on math a lot for some reason. Trevor picked up one of our preschool workbooks I grabbed at a dollar store and wanted to do a page about patterns. He has had a really hard time with patterns and just doesn't get it on paper. Well, my mommy lightbulb went off. I took a baggie of buttons and we made our own patterns with them. Well, if you believe it, he got the very first one right and kept getting them right. I could have kicked myself for not thinking of it before! He likes to do "homework" on paper, but he's more of a tactile learner for sure. He's been asking to do patterns every day now.
3. Sorting and Socializing: I've been trying not to ignore Conrad while Trevor and I work. Conrad wanted to play with some preschool flashcards I have in a drawer. They are always mixed up and Conrad and I sorted them together while we talked about why we sorted them into the specific piles. He liked that so much (I think it was mostly the talking together), I think I'll mess them up again tomorrow so we can do it again. :)
4. Quiet Time: I like to have a quiet time every day where the boys are still doing something productive. Today they played with magic mud while listening to Chopin. They both loved it, of course. Even I love magic mud (cornstarch, water, food coloring). It was funny because we were just listening to classical on the radio, and Trevor asked for "something more beautiful," So I put a Chopin cd on and then he smiled and told me his "ears are dancing."
Monday, July 25, 2011
Today was a great day for learning.
1. We started the morning off outside. I hung laundry on the line while the boys played, then we had apple slices for a snack, and Trevor started asking questions about plants. So I ran inside and got a Childcraft book (we bought a used set at St. Vincent's in Wisconsin) about plants and turned to the part about flower parts. We talked about pollination and flower parts. We walked around the garden plots and looked at all the different flowers and talked about how each plant made seeds. We ended by eating ourselves full of green beans.
2. Trevor wanted his reading lesson outside (Lesson 7). He was very distracted, but we got through it somehow. Then Trevor got a special package in the mail later. It was his Bob Books! I ordered them last week and they arrived just in time. The first book has all the sounds from lessons 1-7, so it really was perfect timing. Trevor got to read his first book! At bedtime he wanted to read it again. He was so excited that we had him call Grandma Arndt and read a few pages to her. She was excited for him, of course, which just added to his momentum and after hanging up and reading a few bedtime books together, Trevor wanted to do another lesson! It went really well, and we're so proud of him for working so hard!
3. During church I often have to run out to the car for a snack (morning sickness). One Sunday while in the car I put an April 2010 General Conference cd into the cd player. I listened to Elder Neil L. Andersen's talk titled, "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus". Lately I haven't been going in any order with our scripture reading with the boys, just reading stories I think they will be interested in. For family scripture time, Sean has been reading the Book of Mormon to us. As I listened to the talk, I felt impressed to start reading the New Testament with the boys. It's amazing how the Lord knows what we all need. Trevor kept asking me to read another "Jesus story". I could almost hear him singing the primary song, "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus".
Today after Conrad went down for a nap I read Trevor some books, and he chose to read the New Testament. He wanted me to read the story about "how Jesus died with nails in his hands". It was really good bonding time for us. He was so sad after reading about Jesus dying, that of course I had to continue and read about how Jesus came alive again and will never die ever again. He had lots of questions about death and resurrection. He liked it so much that he asked for it again at bedtime.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
We're six days in and Trevor has six lessons down. He did two reading lessons on the second day, and none today since we had family in town and he fell asleep at 6 PM! Though Trevor did two lessons one day, the lessons got longer and I'm actually considering splitting each lesson in half and doing half in the morning and half in the evening because he gets a little silly halfway through. So far he knows the sounds for m, s, a and e. We were both so excited at the end of the last couple of lessons when they put sounds together and had him sound them out.
Monday, July 18, 2011
History
Since I'm starting this log long after I got the idea in my head to homeschool, I wanted to write a bit of the history of my researching and the other steps I've taken to come this far.
It all started when I was really young, in middle or high school. I decided that when I had children, I would homeschool them at least for middle school. I was worried about the things kids taught each other at such a young age. I was slow to notice things like fashion and trends, but when I finally realized there was a pecking order starting already and that it was based on silly things like clothes, how early puberty set in, and who you were friends with, I decided I didn't want my kids to have to deal with those issues if they didn't have to. I knew already that how a person views themselves should not come from how others see them. And I also gained a skewed sex-education from my peers.
As I got older, my reasons for wanting to homeschool multiplied. I decided that I wanted to homeschool at least till high school, but if my future husband didn't really like the idea of homeschooling, that I would still try to convince him to let me homeschool for middle school. I didn't know if I would feel confident enough to teach my own children. In college I took an educational psychology class (I was an elementary ed major for a little while) that helped me to feel more comfortable with the possibility of teaching children. I actually felt that I had a good education in my public school (as far as the subjects were concerned), but once I started classes at college I realized there were a lot of school districts that weren't as concerned about the students. I was never in an English class where the students weren't excited about writing or reading, and I realized how blessed I was to always have been placed in advanced courses in so many subjects. My peers who weren't so lucky in grade school didn't always get as much attention. And that made me realize where the public school system can fail so many students.
I won't go into all the reasons I want to homeschool. Maybe another post. But as I got married and we started having children, my reasons for wanting to homeschool multiplied again as I realized how big a responsibility it truly is to nurture and teach children. I thought over and over to myself, "These kids are in my charge! How am I supposed to feel good about someone else taking care of them for 3/4 of their waking hours for five days of the week? How do I know if they're getting what they need?" Dramatic, maybe, but I still feel that way, which is why I desperately wanted to feel confident enough to teach our children in our home.
I really didn't feel confident enough at first, and Sean hadn't warmed up to the idea of homeschooling yet, so I just decided to start looking for preschool material to teach my kids on my own anyway, whether we were going to homeschool or not. A friend of mine back in Wisconsin, who also hadn't convinced her husband yet, was a great support to me. I had no idea where to start and she was able to point out a philosophy she liked, as well as recommend books and answer my questions.
I plodded along, wondering what to do next, when I spoke to my Grandma Naegle on the phone, who recommended starting a joy school. I had no idea what it was, but she explained a little and told me my Aunt Alissa had participated in one with her girls. I called Aunt Alissa and asked her tons of questions. A joy school is a preschool co-op taught by the parents that focuses on values rather than just academics. I knew I would get too scared to start one if I didn't do it right away while I was excited about it, so I immediately emailed some women at church to see if there was interest. The friend I spoke of earlier already wanted to start one as well, so it seemed perfect. Between the two of us we had three preschoolers and two infants. A few other women dropped by occasionally with their kids, but smaller numbers seemed to work well for us (less chaos). It was a great experience for me to be able to see how other moms taught their children. I realized how uptight I was about planning, too, which was a huge revelation for me and very freeing. When I tried to plan everything out and give responsibilities for teaching certain things, my friend said, "Let's just do it. No one should have to stay up late planning anything." And it worked better that way because we both agreed with the idea of teaching our kids what they were curious about anyway, which can vary day by day.
During the months of joy school, I attempted to do homeschool at home on the off days. I realized how much Trevor craved the consistency of a schedule, so I started reading books that gave suggestions about schedules. I loved the TJEd philosophy of "schedule time, not content", so I tried planning chunks of time with just a very general idea of what we'd be doing (mostly it was mornings for "reading learning", or more formal, sit-down lessons, and afternoons for "play learn", usually outside time). The only thing I had a schedule for was the beginning of the "school day", when we'd have a little devotional, say the pledge of allegiance, and have music time afterwards. It made mornings after breakfast less hectic to have the kids know what they were supposed to be doing.
We also planned out our errands (library, grocery, play dates, etc.) at the beginning of each week. We had Family Counsel every Sunday night, which was just Sean and I talking after the kids went to bed, about what each family member's needs were and what the schedule should be for the week (including our date night). Sean especially likes that because he wants to be part of the family and know what we're doing even when he's away at work. It helps us all feel more connected, and Sean has more of a say in what is being taught and knows what I need help and support in teaching.
Then we had the Big Move. Everything fell apart. I had such a firm resolve to at least keep up the bare bones basics of our schedules, but remodeling the house took too much energy and time. At first I justified it by telling myself that homeschoolers can plan their vacations whenever they want, so maybe this would be like our vacation. It dragged on until Sean started school in May, though, and I'm just now starting to get back on track (after a period of morning sickness as well). We always read a lot, no matter what craziness is going on in our lives, and we always make time for library trips as well. Trevor has been begging to learn (in his own way). He is very interested in watching Sean's study habits, and when Sean goes down to the office to study or heads off to school, I can count on Trevor asking me, "Mommy, can I do homework too?" We bought a preschool workbook (though I don't really like worksheets) at Sam's Club just to get him through my morning sickness. He loves the book and was really sad when he got to the point where he couldn't do anymore because he hadn't learned sounds yet.
So here we are! What's next? Well, I'm still going over The Well-Trained Mind and enjoying it immensely, and I will be trying to implement some things I learned there as well as from A Thomas Jefferson Education. I like the idea of the trivium and classical education. I plan to start adding subjects, slowly, to make sure Trevor isn't overwhelmed. If he simply is not interested in something, we'll put it aside and start again later. He loves to learn lots of different things, so I'm confident that even if he gets frustrated with something or just isn't interested at first, that he will eventually want to learn it as long as I continue to present it to him. We've already started reading lessons (see next post).
Phew! That was a lot, but I really wanted to have it recorded. Now that that's out of the way, the posts should be much shorter, as we'll record daily or maybe just weekly what we're working on.
It all started when I was really young, in middle or high school. I decided that when I had children, I would homeschool them at least for middle school. I was worried about the things kids taught each other at such a young age. I was slow to notice things like fashion and trends, but when I finally realized there was a pecking order starting already and that it was based on silly things like clothes, how early puberty set in, and who you were friends with, I decided I didn't want my kids to have to deal with those issues if they didn't have to. I knew already that how a person views themselves should not come from how others see them. And I also gained a skewed sex-education from my peers.
As I got older, my reasons for wanting to homeschool multiplied. I decided that I wanted to homeschool at least till high school, but if my future husband didn't really like the idea of homeschooling, that I would still try to convince him to let me homeschool for middle school. I didn't know if I would feel confident enough to teach my own children. In college I took an educational psychology class (I was an elementary ed major for a little while) that helped me to feel more comfortable with the possibility of teaching children. I actually felt that I had a good education in my public school (as far as the subjects were concerned), but once I started classes at college I realized there were a lot of school districts that weren't as concerned about the students. I was never in an English class where the students weren't excited about writing or reading, and I realized how blessed I was to always have been placed in advanced courses in so many subjects. My peers who weren't so lucky in grade school didn't always get as much attention. And that made me realize where the public school system can fail so many students.
I won't go into all the reasons I want to homeschool. Maybe another post. But as I got married and we started having children, my reasons for wanting to homeschool multiplied again as I realized how big a responsibility it truly is to nurture and teach children. I thought over and over to myself, "These kids are in my charge! How am I supposed to feel good about someone else taking care of them for 3/4 of their waking hours for five days of the week? How do I know if they're getting what they need?" Dramatic, maybe, but I still feel that way, which is why I desperately wanted to feel confident enough to teach our children in our home.
I really didn't feel confident enough at first, and Sean hadn't warmed up to the idea of homeschooling yet, so I just decided to start looking for preschool material to teach my kids on my own anyway, whether we were going to homeschool or not. A friend of mine back in Wisconsin, who also hadn't convinced her husband yet, was a great support to me. I had no idea where to start and she was able to point out a philosophy she liked, as well as recommend books and answer my questions.
I plodded along, wondering what to do next, when I spoke to my Grandma Naegle on the phone, who recommended starting a joy school. I had no idea what it was, but she explained a little and told me my Aunt Alissa had participated in one with her girls. I called Aunt Alissa and asked her tons of questions. A joy school is a preschool co-op taught by the parents that focuses on values rather than just academics. I knew I would get too scared to start one if I didn't do it right away while I was excited about it, so I immediately emailed some women at church to see if there was interest. The friend I spoke of earlier already wanted to start one as well, so it seemed perfect. Between the two of us we had three preschoolers and two infants. A few other women dropped by occasionally with their kids, but smaller numbers seemed to work well for us (less chaos). It was a great experience for me to be able to see how other moms taught their children. I realized how uptight I was about planning, too, which was a huge revelation for me and very freeing. When I tried to plan everything out and give responsibilities for teaching certain things, my friend said, "Let's just do it. No one should have to stay up late planning anything." And it worked better that way because we both agreed with the idea of teaching our kids what they were curious about anyway, which can vary day by day.
During the months of joy school, I attempted to do homeschool at home on the off days. I realized how much Trevor craved the consistency of a schedule, so I started reading books that gave suggestions about schedules. I loved the TJEd philosophy of "schedule time, not content", so I tried planning chunks of time with just a very general idea of what we'd be doing (mostly it was mornings for "reading learning", or more formal, sit-down lessons, and afternoons for "play learn", usually outside time). The only thing I had a schedule for was the beginning of the "school day", when we'd have a little devotional, say the pledge of allegiance, and have music time afterwards. It made mornings after breakfast less hectic to have the kids know what they were supposed to be doing.
We also planned out our errands (library, grocery, play dates, etc.) at the beginning of each week. We had Family Counsel every Sunday night, which was just Sean and I talking after the kids went to bed, about what each family member's needs were and what the schedule should be for the week (including our date night). Sean especially likes that because he wants to be part of the family and know what we're doing even when he's away at work. It helps us all feel more connected, and Sean has more of a say in what is being taught and knows what I need help and support in teaching.
Then we had the Big Move. Everything fell apart. I had such a firm resolve to at least keep up the bare bones basics of our schedules, but remodeling the house took too much energy and time. At first I justified it by telling myself that homeschoolers can plan their vacations whenever they want, so maybe this would be like our vacation. It dragged on until Sean started school in May, though, and I'm just now starting to get back on track (after a period of morning sickness as well). We always read a lot, no matter what craziness is going on in our lives, and we always make time for library trips as well. Trevor has been begging to learn (in his own way). He is very interested in watching Sean's study habits, and when Sean goes down to the office to study or heads off to school, I can count on Trevor asking me, "Mommy, can I do homework too?" We bought a preschool workbook (though I don't really like worksheets) at Sam's Club just to get him through my morning sickness. He loves the book and was really sad when he got to the point where he couldn't do anymore because he hadn't learned sounds yet.
So here we are! What's next? Well, I'm still going over The Well-Trained Mind and enjoying it immensely, and I will be trying to implement some things I learned there as well as from A Thomas Jefferson Education. I like the idea of the trivium and classical education. I plan to start adding subjects, slowly, to make sure Trevor isn't overwhelmed. If he simply is not interested in something, we'll put it aside and start again later. He loves to learn lots of different things, so I'm confident that even if he gets frustrated with something or just isn't interested at first, that he will eventually want to learn it as long as I continue to present it to him. We've already started reading lessons (see next post).
Phew! That was a lot, but I really wanted to have it recorded. Now that that's out of the way, the posts should be much shorter, as we'll record daily or maybe just weekly what we're working on.
Trevor's First Reading Lesson
I've had Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons for a while now, burning a hole in our bookcase. Trevor just turned four in March, so I've been extremely hesitant to begin. Of all the things I want our kids to learn really really well, it's reading. I know that a child who can't read well will have a hard time with every other subject. I've read so much literature that warns of the dangers of starting kids too early (especially boys). But Trevor was asking for it and he knows all of his letters. He often points to words and asks, "Mommy, what does that say?"
So I promised him that we'd start reading lessons as soon as my morning sickness went away. I keep telling myself that if it turns out to be another potty-training experience (we tried much too early and had a very difficult time), I can always put the lessons away for a few months and try again later. I absolutely refuse to go on if Trevor shows any signs of developing a dislike of reading. He will love to read if it kills ME (not him).
I ordered another book, Phonics Pathways from ILL at the library, because though 100 Easy Lessons has tons of awesome reviews (and a few good friends have recommended it as well), another book I love, The Well-Trained Mind, recommends Phonics Pathways because it's simpler and it refers you to books that work well with the program to read along. But...I told Trevor we'd start today and the library still doesn't have Phonics Pathways for me, so we're taking the plunge and going on ahead.
I told Trevor we'd start after lunch, when Conrad was napping, so we'd be uninterrupted, but he kept asking if we could start. I set Conrad up with some playdough, cleaned a workspace off the counter for Trevor and I, and we set to work.
Trevor did a wonderful job! The lessons are super-simple and short, so they don't outlast Trevor's interest. He wanted to keep going at the end, but I could sense he wouldn't last much longer. I wanted to end the lesson on a positive note, so I told him we'll do it again later today so Sean can see. I'm very excited!
So I promised him that we'd start reading lessons as soon as my morning sickness went away. I keep telling myself that if it turns out to be another potty-training experience (we tried much too early and had a very difficult time), I can always put the lessons away for a few months and try again later. I absolutely refuse to go on if Trevor shows any signs of developing a dislike of reading. He will love to read if it kills ME (not him).
I ordered another book, Phonics Pathways from ILL at the library, because though 100 Easy Lessons has tons of awesome reviews (and a few good friends have recommended it as well), another book I love, The Well-Trained Mind, recommends Phonics Pathways because it's simpler and it refers you to books that work well with the program to read along. But...I told Trevor we'd start today and the library still doesn't have Phonics Pathways for me, so we're taking the plunge and going on ahead.
I told Trevor we'd start after lunch, when Conrad was napping, so we'd be uninterrupted, but he kept asking if we could start. I set Conrad up with some playdough, cleaned a workspace off the counter for Trevor and I, and we set to work.
Trevor did a wonderful job! The lessons are super-simple and short, so they don't outlast Trevor's interest. He wanted to keep going at the end, but I could sense he wouldn't last much longer. I wanted to end the lesson on a positive note, so I told him we'll do it again later today so Sean can see. I'm very excited!
Welcome!
There are a few reasons we're starting another blog:
1. We're mostly doing this for ourselves to keep track of what we've done and when, so we can track our progress. This may end up being a bit of a hodgepodge: parenting/homeschool book reviews, what each child/parent is working on, field trips, homeschool/education links, etc.
2. As a journal for posterity specifically about education. We're still planning on homeschooling (99.9% sure), so if any of our kids ever decide to homeschool as well and ask us, "Where in the world did you start?" or, "How did you teach us that?" we'll just tell them to read the log.
3. We wanted to invite a few people to view the log who might also be interested in seeing how we do things and/or who would be able to give good comments and advice. So please leave a comment! I love to hear how other people do things and we're so green to homeschooling, anything helps!
1. We're mostly doing this for ourselves to keep track of what we've done and when, so we can track our progress. This may end up being a bit of a hodgepodge: parenting/homeschool book reviews, what each child/parent is working on, field trips, homeschool/education links, etc.
2. As a journal for posterity specifically about education. We're still planning on homeschooling (99.9% sure), so if any of our kids ever decide to homeschool as well and ask us, "Where in the world did you start?" or, "How did you teach us that?" we'll just tell them to read the log.
3. We wanted to invite a few people to view the log who might also be interested in seeing how we do things and/or who would be able to give good comments and advice. So please leave a comment! I love to hear how other people do things and we're so green to homeschooling, anything helps!
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