How is everyone doing? Any news to share?

[tamlynn]

We keep a fairly regular school schedule. We just finished our 3rd week, and things are going well. I don't have my new science books or supplies, and I'm waiting on a few Language Arts odds and ends, but overall, we've been doing well.

This year I incorporated the kid's music practice into our regular day, but divided up into 15 min increments, and it has been working very well. So, dd plays violin for 15 min while ds reads out loud to me. Then we switch and ds plays piano for 15 min while dd does a writing assignment, and so on so each child gets a total of 30 min instument practice.

Also we started Saxon math, and I like it! I really like the scripted teachers manual, and the prep section is fairly clear and comprehensive.

So what exciting things are working well for you?

 

[lorihadams]

reviving an old thread.....we're halfway through the "kindergarten" year with my 5 yr old and he is doing great. He can sound out 3 and 4 letter words, write all the uppercase alphabet and most of the lowercase but he hates workbooks so I haven't pushed the writing practice much. He can count to 100 by 1s and 10s...we played sooooooo many games of hide and seek for that one

Mostly we have been "unschooling" and my husband is having his doubts. My son is very interested in art and loves to draw and color so I will print out color by number or letter to practice following directions and reading a chart. We read a lot and go to the library once a week for story time. They take a singing class at church wednesday nights and like it most of the time.....my son kept complaining that he was bored (cause they put him in the 3yr-K age group) so they moved him up a class and now he's happy.

I do have a question though, when do you guys introduce musical instrument lessons? My hubby nor I play anything but I want my kids to learn an instrument. I think the structure will be good for them. I am thinking of getting a nice keyboard and maybe a guitar for their birthdays in a few months.

 

[tortoise]

My son is 3. I *think* he is on a kindegarten level. He can read Dick and Jane level books on his own. Alphabet has been down for a year or so. Counting to 100 by 1 and 10 - sometimes he forgets 60. Counting to 60 by 5's. He can tell time to the 1/2 hour. Anything after that is "after" or "before"

We work on kindegarten level phonics and math workbooks - the writing and tracing letters is good for him - he need A LOT of practice! And slowly learning more words.

He has a violin and I need to get off my butt and start working on it with him.

The next thing down the road is French. I can't find any workbook style books under 1st grade level, so I will wait until he is ready.

He will be evaluated for 4-yr-old kindegarten readiness in April. That will be interesting.

@lori - kids can start music lessons as soon as they can play copy-cat games. I started music lessons when I was 2. (Both my parents were music teachers.)

 

[lorihadams]

cool.....I'm thinking of using that language feature on some of their dvds and watching movies in spanish or french

 

[Okiemommy]

Hiii!!!! Since this is an update thread, I thought I should...well...update! I haven't been on SS in a looooong time

After a lot of hemming and hawing on my part we decided to make the leap into homeschooling this past year and we absolutely love it!! We use mostly unschooling, but I have been at it for less than 6 mo's so I'm not going to put too much on myself and get burned out to the point of not wanting to do it, so I am taking it slow for all of our sanity's sake. I plan on incorporating Charlotte Mason philosphies and I also plan on looking into Classical Conversations. Right now, we are doing a lot of reading and gettting-to-know-my-kids-again type activities, and just plain taking things from life and using them to teach them with.

Initially I had the two oldest at home, and our twins in public school pre-k...they had been in school due to the fact that they were both diagnosed with Autism, one more severely affected than the other, and I was not comfortable starting them at home, all at once. Baby steps.

Now that the school isn't doing anything that I can't do, and I am seriously contemplating bringing the twins home for the rest of the year. I spoke with the teacher from their Autism classroom, and she stated in no uncertain terms that one of them would definitely not do well at all in a reg kindergarten classroom next year, and alluded to the fact that at this point, I would do a better job with him than the public school could. I think I'm ready to do it...I think....haha.

I think I am just freaked out at the thought that I will have all 5 of them home all by myself. O.O

 

[lorihadams]

Today, my 3 and 5 yr olds are driving me nuts.

 

[SKR8PN]

We just cracked open the first jar of our home made dill pickles.

MMMMMmmmmMMMM GOOD!!!

I am also drawing up the plans for the new chicken tractor. I need to get started on it since we are planning on getting our next batch of layers sometime near the end of March.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

today my goal is to drink as much coffee as humanly possible and NOT eat anything with sugar. i need to white knuckle off this 2 week sugar binge. it may not be pretty around here say about... 2:30pm

wish me luck.

 

[Okiemommy]

today my goal is to drink as much coffee as humanly possible and NOT eat anything with sugar. i need to white knuckle off this 2 week sugar binge. it may not be pretty around here say about... 2:30pm

wish me luck.

I'm in the same boat!!

 

[abifae]

LOTS OF FAT!! It helps beat binges.

That's what I do. Cut the sugar to zero and double the fat.