I am thinking that this coming year I want to get more photos into this. We did much on geography, but it was mainly in writing. Hopefully, this year I can get a better grasp on everything we did through a photo portfolio.
Showing posts with label Schedule. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Schedule. Show all posts
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Homeschool Photo Portfolio 2011-2012
Homeschool Photo Portfolio 2011-2012
I am thinking that this coming year I want to get more photos into this. We did much on geography, but it was mainly in writing. Hopefully, this year I can get a better grasp on everything we did through a photo portfolio.
I am thinking that this coming year I want to get more photos into this. We did much on geography, but it was mainly in writing. Hopefully, this year I can get a better grasp on everything we did through a photo portfolio.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Here's what's coming in First Grade
We have had a great time in our first year of schooling at home, and now that first grade is coming this fall I have been planning away. In our Homeschool Co-op, many of the moms are doing FIAR for their core curriculum while matching it with Galloping the Globe.
Two years ago, my husband and I bought the Galloping the Globe bundle, and after seeing how our co-op was doing their program I realized very quickly how I was going to set up first to fourth grade for Luk. The beautiful thing about this is that Logan can tag along with the maps, books, and worksheets we are doing.
I had to find something that included Logan into our day because right now he was a distraction wanting to sit on his brother's lap to do the work. Since he is two, I found it hard to fit him into what Luk and I were doing this year. I never imagined that he wanted to be so involved in the formal aspect of our day, but he does. So, here we go teaching a six year old and two year old with the same work. The expectation is for him to have fun doing what his brother is doing, and who knows maybe he will become a geography wiz! ;)
I haven't see many sites showing how they link FIAR with GTG, just that they do. Here is what our month-to-month looks like following the books from FIAR to the countries of GTG.
AUGUST 13-31:
Introduction to Geography
Bible Verse Copy work
"How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World" (week 1)
Prince Henry the Navigator (week 1)
Writing Prompt: "If I were an Explorer"
Considering God's Creation Lesson 2 (week 1)
Make a Paper Mache Globe (this will be labeled and pinned throughout the year)
Label Map
Bible Verse Copy work
"Katy and the Big Snow" (week 2)
Ponce De Leon (week 2)
Writing: Making a funny story
Real Science for Kids "Butterflies" and Insects (week 2)
Bible Verse Copy work
"Miss Rumphius" (week 2)
Christopher Columbus (week 3)
Alphabetize the Explorers List
Field Trip- MOSI Mummies
Each Month we will do "Children Like Me," Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives, Country Facts, Who's Famous, Vocabulary sheets, and Book It! Daily Reading (refrigerator reminder).
Also, during the countries we will cook recipes, reading about missionaries in the area with two books, looking at historical figures, Zoo and Aquarium Guide.
Here is the World Map we use.
One last thing, for each country we will be visiting Compassion International's website to pray for some of the children in that country that will find sponsors. If you don't know Compassion, you must! It is an amazing organization with a sponsorship program. Luk will get to meet one of our sponsor children, Smith in October. Peru with my son, husband, and church! We can't wait!
More to come...
Monday, August 22, 2011
Kindergarten Begins...
The start of our new normal has begun today as Luk was introduced to his first few pretest so that I could determine exactly where he was, and so that our evaluator could see our starting point. Today, I put in some basic critical thinking tests in math and reading/phonics. It was a care-free testing so that he could just do his thing. They were built so that he could self-administer, really. It turned out pretty pain free. As he did each one, I let him know that when I give him the tests that it would done like this and this.
The first test: Pre-primer Dolch Sight Word List Assessment
Luk scored 35%; he 18/40 words, which was pretty good this we've been focusing more on phonemes and blends. The sight words that he did know were ones that have been seen in his Explode the Code books and readings that we have done on our own. I wanted to make sure that I didn't push him before this year. I have to remind myself everyday that he is only five years old. This can be quite a challenge when he talks like teenager many times!
The next test I put in front of him was one on a critical thinking basis with the alphabet. Each section was covered once he finished the top sections.
My husband and I really want to make sure that he knows his stuff, not just something that is routine. In that sheet there are above are blanks in random areas, but the third section is completely empty. Sure, Luk can sing his ABCs, but to write them with no help in the correct order proved that sometimes the Y goes before the X... interesting. Luk scored 34/38 so 89%.
The third sheet is a number sheet with blanks. I only made him do half of it, and he will complete the other half for tomorrow. He also did number recognition from a 1-100 chart (random picks).
He did perfect on it.
We also incorporated Mama Jenn's "Read It, Spell It, Write It" page. He really liked it. So, we will keep on keeping on.
After we did these things, there was 30 minutes of quiet/reading time. So, we had a little Star Wars action going because well, we like Star Wars. Luk was in a battle field mode as we began our day reading the book of Judges. He drew a photo on how the Canaanites had chariots and the Israelites struggled with this:
I think he wanted to pretend some fighting scenes. Logan tagged along (waiting to get him his Education Cubes also from Mama Jenn)
As our day came to climax (dinner making time = stress time) Luk pulled out his US President Flashcards (shocked me). I pulled out our $1 Wal-Mart place mat of the Presidents, and we had a nice matching game going on.
Luk's favorite President: Abraham Lincoln. Why? He was such a good one. (nice)
Luk's bad President: Richard Nixon. Why? He did a bad thing. (Watergate, just in case)
Luk's actor President: Ronald Reagan. Why? He was an actor. (DUH!)
However, we learned a bit about Theodore Roosevelt about the "Teddy" Bear story. As Luk would say, "he didn't kill the bear when he went hunting... I don't know why though." In this we also learned about Pres. William McKinley who was President and Teddy was Vice President. What Luk and I really liked about him was the fact that when he was shot before he died he asked the people around him not to hurt the man that shot him. We were really impressed with that response. I am going to look further into his spiritual life especially after reading this I am curious to see where he stood.
How do we end our school day? We end it with a bit of unschooling in the science area with daddy.
I, also, wanted to share one of the many many many reasons why we love our public library. Our wonderful Mrs. Dee who does story time did a theme on cupcakes... did she know this is Logan's favorite little treat... hmmm...
The first test: Pre-primer Dolch Sight Word List Assessment
Luk scored 35%; he 18/40 words, which was pretty good this we've been focusing more on phonemes and blends. The sight words that he did know were ones that have been seen in his Explode the Code books and readings that we have done on our own. I wanted to make sure that I didn't push him before this year. I have to remind myself everyday that he is only five years old. This can be quite a challenge when he talks like teenager many times!
The next test I put in front of him was one on a critical thinking basis with the alphabet. Each section was covered once he finished the top sections.
My husband and I really want to make sure that he knows his stuff, not just something that is routine. In that sheet there are above are blanks in random areas, but the third section is completely empty. Sure, Luk can sing his ABCs, but to write them with no help in the correct order proved that sometimes the Y goes before the X... interesting. Luk scored 34/38 so 89%.
The third sheet is a number sheet with blanks. I only made him do half of it, and he will complete the other half for tomorrow. He also did number recognition from a 1-100 chart (random picks).
We also incorporated Mama Jenn's "Read It, Spell It, Write It" page. He really liked it. So, we will keep on keeping on.
After we did these things, there was 30 minutes of quiet/reading time. So, we had a little Star Wars action going because well, we like Star Wars. Luk was in a battle field mode as we began our day reading the book of Judges. He drew a photo on how the Canaanites had chariots and the Israelites struggled with this:
I think he wanted to pretend some fighting scenes. Logan tagged along (waiting to get him his Education Cubes also from Mama Jenn)
As our day came to climax (dinner making time = stress time) Luk pulled out his US President Flashcards (shocked me). I pulled out our $1 Wal-Mart place mat of the Presidents, and we had a nice matching game going on.
Luk's bad President: Richard Nixon. Why? He did a bad thing. (Watergate, just in case)
Luk's actor President: Ronald Reagan. Why? He was an actor. (DUH!)
However, we learned a bit about Theodore Roosevelt about the "Teddy" Bear story. As Luk would say, "he didn't kill the bear when he went hunting... I don't know why though." In this we also learned about Pres. William McKinley who was President and Teddy was Vice President. What Luk and I really liked about him was the fact that when he was shot before he died he asked the people around him not to hurt the man that shot him. We were really impressed with that response. I am going to look further into his spiritual life especially after reading this I am curious to see where he stood.
How do we end our school day? We end it with a bit of unschooling in the science area with daddy.
I, also, wanted to share one of the many many many reasons why we love our public library. Our wonderful Mrs. Dee who does story time did a theme on cupcakes... did she know this is Logan's favorite little treat... hmmm...
YUM!!!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Starting all over...
We started from scratch with my schedule/calendar. You see, my days were running into each, Logan is my tumor growth (as my friends have stated), and Luk has been a good sport. The days consisted of ham and pb&j sandwiches, school, Logan screaming, stop school, turn on computer game, Logan screams... and screams... NAP!!!
So needless to say, when the new year came, I was determined to get on a schedule again. Logan still screams, but we are SLOWLY working on independent play time with him. I made a planner for this year with my handy dandy Binding Books Beautifully kit.
Inside I have a yearly objective for each subject, monthly objective, and a weekly objective.
Bible- OT stories, what leads us to the cross? Catechism: God, man, sin, firm foundation on on our doctrine, and large focus on right and wrong.
Reading- ETC Book 1 finishing up and begin ETC Book 2. Confidence in beginners reading and sight words, consonant blends, and spelling. Books to read: Abuela (Spanish), Doctor De Soto (Character Traits), and Moses goes to a Concert (deaf awareness/ASL).
Writing- Practicing his penmanship
Vocabulary- ETC new words to him "mutt" or using other terms to say words "pup."
Math- Right Start continuation: counting, parallel lines/planes, money, simple addition, and quantity recognition without counting.
Character Building- during Bible time and all day practice- obedience, kindness, self-control (this one is killing me with him), patience (another killer), promptness (we use a timer for clean up time, etc), and manners (table, "please", "thank you", "yes ma'am").
Science- Real Science: Lapbooking through the year the book contents. Living things, Cells, Plants, Butterflies, Frogs, Protozoa, Our Life Cycle
History- Geography: Maps, Charts, Knowing his address, phone number, map symbols, and measuring distances (math). Holidays: Learning the root of holidays and celebrations (eg. Jesse Tree Journey), currently working on an Easter Celebration tree. Our Life: Florida and Agriculture.
Foreign Language- American Sign Language (ASL): A, B, C's, Numbers, common words (food, places). There is no curriculum for ASL. I am using my 5 years of taking classes in HS and College. Spanish: Hooked on Phonics and Home Practice- common words/phrases, and numbers.
The primary focus for the year is as followed: Reading, writing, math, Bible, character building, and physical fitness.
Here is fun thing to share with you today. As we were doing the ETC the question read was
"Can a bag rip?"
To which I asked, "Well, can a bag rip?"
Luk responded, "No."
*in my head thinking, really*
"Luk, a bag can't rip like a piece of paper or clothes?"
"No, because it has no hands!"
*laughing out loud*
*he grins*
I explained to him that the bag is not doing the ripping, but that he can rip the bag. It was cute. The beauty of homeschool, let that imagination soar!
So needless to say, when the new year came, I was determined to get on a schedule again. Logan still screams, but we are SLOWLY working on independent play time with him. I made a planner for this year with my handy dandy Binding Books Beautifully kit.
Inside I have a yearly objective for each subject, monthly objective, and a weekly objective.
Bible- OT stories, what leads us to the cross? Catechism: God, man, sin, firm foundation on on our doctrine, and large focus on right and wrong.
Reading- ETC Book 1 finishing up and begin ETC Book 2. Confidence in beginners reading and sight words, consonant blends, and spelling. Books to read: Abuela (Spanish), Doctor De Soto (Character Traits), and Moses goes to a Concert (deaf awareness/ASL).
Writing- Practicing his penmanship
Vocabulary- ETC new words to him "mutt" or using other terms to say words "pup."
Math- Right Start continuation: counting, parallel lines/planes, money, simple addition, and quantity recognition without counting.
Character Building- during Bible time and all day practice- obedience, kindness, self-control (this one is killing me with him), patience (another killer), promptness (we use a timer for clean up time, etc), and manners (table, "please", "thank you", "yes ma'am").
Science- Real Science: Lapbooking through the year the book contents. Living things, Cells, Plants, Butterflies, Frogs, Protozoa, Our Life Cycle
History- Geography: Maps, Charts, Knowing his address, phone number, map symbols, and measuring distances (math). Holidays: Learning the root of holidays and celebrations (eg. Jesse Tree Journey), currently working on an Easter Celebration tree. Our Life: Florida and Agriculture.
Foreign Language- American Sign Language (ASL): A, B, C's, Numbers, common words (food, places). There is no curriculum for ASL. I am using my 5 years of taking classes in HS and College. Spanish: Hooked on Phonics and Home Practice- common words/phrases, and numbers.
The primary focus for the year is as followed: Reading, writing, math, Bible, character building, and physical fitness.
Here is fun thing to share with you today. As we were doing the ETC the question read was
"Can a bag rip?"
To which I asked, "Well, can a bag rip?"
Luk responded, "No."
*in my head thinking, really*
"Luk, a bag can't rip like a piece of paper or clothes?"
"No, because it has no hands!"
*laughing out loud*
*he grins*
I explained to him that the bag is not doing the ripping, but that he can rip the bag. It was cute. The beauty of homeschool, let that imagination soar!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
The Tortoise beats the Hare
Right now, we are moving at tortoise speed this year. It does make me feel better that Luk is four years old, and I have noticed that each day we do school he does better. It is true that with his phonics his maturity makes it more tolerable. He is doing really well with math. I struggle with the balance of Logan being in the picture. He is very much a momma's boy, and this leads to wanting to grab and interrupt school. He is not satisfied doing something else. I have been trying to do school while he is eating, and that has helped. We don't do school during nap because Luk still naps and it is at the same time. So, we are trucking along just in slow mode.
We need have a great Co-op lesson last week about Harold and Purple Crayon. The kids read the book, watched the movie, made crayons, learned more about primary and secondary colors, and had purple snacks.
We need have a great Co-op lesson last week about Harold and Purple Crayon. The kids read the book, watched the movie, made crayons, learned more about primary and secondary colors, and had purple snacks.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Boy, oh Boy!
Cute right! You see the little one, the one with the pacifier, the one that looks like he has an innocent smile... that's Logan. Unlike his older brother, Logan is Mr. Clingy. The boy has to have me or dad holding him at all times. He has a sensitive heart. He doesn't seem to do things in a mischievous way like Luk. He is truly a kindred spirit. Precious, really! However, it is making the days go by very slow, and it is pretty exhausting on me mentally and physically. This week has been particularly hard as he has been extra clingy. I'm not sure how that was possible, but trust me it is. We are officially a week behind in the school scheduling, and I don't think it will be only time I say this.
Luk is a smart kid and wants to learn, however he is still only four. What does this mean exactly? Because I think with Luk's intellect and drive to learn he is not too young, but what it means is that when baby brother cries or starts to laugh; Luk wants to laugh or hug or kiss or whatever to his little brother. Since Logan is pulling up and walking while holding on to things Luk is very intrigued by what Logan is learning to do. Oh well. It is really the beauty of brotherhood, brotherly love, and pure sweetness. So, with that we are a week behind, but I'm okay with that. Luk loves his brother. Logan is a healthy explorer that wants Mama (all the time). Mom is realizing that it was good to start now because Kindergarten may not officially end until age 6. =D
I love seeing the difference in these two boys. I really couldn't have asked God for a better big brother. Luk is pretty perfect. Logan is 10 months old, and we learn something more about his little heart. It is really exciting. Going with the flow these days, I have to, or I would go crazy. ;)
SO... starting to homeschool... how do you juggle the clingy boy and the older brother that just wants to be involved with baby brother? I don't know 100%, but for now. We go with the flow, and we do one thing at a time. Phonics and Math are usually the must do for me. Logan is content for 10 minutes run into the classroom and do whatcha can like a spontaneous spelling test, LOL. Also, we do computer school with ETC and other software when it just gets too much with little Logan.
Those that do things during nap time, that's cool. However, Luk still naps, and they nap at the same time. Mommy needs that time. I'm not giving that up... EVER!!! =)
As I have finished reading Mary Beth Chapman's book "Choosing to SEE," there is one thing I have to remember. We are not home yet. So, if school doesn't get done like I planned, that's okay. I will be content knowing that I hugged longer. I will post more on this book later. Until then...
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Switch-a-roo? Mommy Thoughts
I'm thinking we need to switch up the daily schedule for Luk. There is the subjects that he has a natural understanding of, which happens to be Math, Science, and Critical thinking. The daily schedule is usually Bible, Spanish, Phonics, Math, and Critical Thinking. The off days are Bible, Science, Geography, and Handwriting.
Phonics... Luk knows it and does it, but he hesitates. I'm trying to build-up his confidence. I want to keep Bible first thing, but I may move Phonics up and send the rest down on the list. On the off days, I'm having him do phonics games to see if it builds his confidence (Today, we are watching "Talking Words Factory"). The other switch is on the off days with handwriting. It seems that putting it at the end of the school time is not working out for him. He gets sloppy with his writing. So, I am moving Handwriting after Bible time.
Luk loves reading. I'm hoping that doing this small switch will get his attention better. He read the BOB Book 1 "Mat," yet when he read it for Daddy he just didn't do it with the same confidence. Time and practice will hopefully bring out the same confidence he has for Math, Science, and Critical Thinking.
Just to let it be known. I'm not overly concerned. I know he is four years old. Just some thoughts going through my mind as a beginning homeschooling momma.
Phonics... Luk knows it and does it, but he hesitates. I'm trying to build-up his confidence. I want to keep Bible first thing, but I may move Phonics up and send the rest down on the list. On the off days, I'm having him do phonics games to see if it builds his confidence (Today, we are watching "Talking Words Factory"). The other switch is on the off days with handwriting. It seems that putting it at the end of the school time is not working out for him. He gets sloppy with his writing. So, I am moving Handwriting after Bible time.
Luk loves reading. I'm hoping that doing this small switch will get his attention better. He read the BOB Book 1 "Mat," yet when he read it for Daddy he just didn't do it with the same confidence. Time and practice will hopefully bring out the same confidence he has for Math, Science, and Critical Thinking.
Just to let it be known. I'm not overly concerned. I know he is four years old. Just some thoughts going through my mind as a beginning homeschooling momma.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
What's happening this weekend?
Scheduling and Planning! Hearts in Training is a blog that I enjoy looking at for ideas. She discussed her school year, and how she plans it. Well, I (of course) fell in love with. So, I am attempting the calendar. I love the idea of light school weeks during the month of December, and the focus of schooling year round. There are a few things that I am taking into consideration as I await our Math, Science, and Bible curriculum to come in the mail. Those thoughts pertain to the Phonics, Handwriting, Geography, and Critical Thinking books I have.
Explode the Code Thoughts:
Luk is very inquisitive, and I plan on going with the flow. The calendar (planning and scheduling) will always just be a plan, a goal. If I see that there is something that needs tweaking it will happen. Also family thoughts, Luk is a kid that wants to know everything. I am already gearing myself that Logan may or may not be that way. Luk is four, and I am feeding his knowledge as he wants it. As Logan gets older, we will see if he is the same way.
Reson and I have already been discussing how we have to remember that Logan may not be ready for school until he is five or six. So, as we are getting started with Luk, my prayers are that the Lord keeps me mindful of what my boys' personal needs are, and not what I force upon them.
Any thoughts on weekly planning??? This is what I was thinking about:
*This is without me seeing what the Math, Science, and Bible lessons look like. May change depending on length of each lesson.*
As I begin to see Luk's acceptance will determine if more will be added in a day, but for now these are my random thinkings, and they will probably change as we get closer to August. Here is the beauty of Getting Started!
Explode the Code Thoughts:
- do a lesson a week
- intertwine the phonics games
- sight word recognition
- start Book 2 (lowercase letters) goes with ETC's lowercase writing
- remember that he will be writing quite a bit with ETC
- off days for a more in-depth focus on HWT
- do a lesson a day (1-2x/week)
- part geography with critical thinking questions
- neighborhood trips (real life to the map/diagram)
- love it, but putting it off until he understands the Maps, Charts, Graphs
- beginning this in the second half of the year
- a country study for two weeks
- remember that the Maps book has a good deal of thinking questions
- off days a more in-depth focus
- have Luk create some critical thinking projects
Luk is very inquisitive, and I plan on going with the flow. The calendar (planning and scheduling) will always just be a plan, a goal. If I see that there is something that needs tweaking it will happen. Also family thoughts, Luk is a kid that wants to know everything. I am already gearing myself that Logan may or may not be that way. Luk is four, and I am feeding his knowledge as he wants it. As Logan gets older, we will see if he is the same way.
Reson and I have already been discussing how we have to remember that Logan may not be ready for school until he is five or six. So, as we are getting started with Luk, my prayers are that the Lord keeps me mindful of what my boys' personal needs are, and not what I force upon them.
Any thoughts on weekly planning??? This is what I was thinking about:
MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY |
Bible Phonics (Lesson 1 pp 1-3) Math (Lesson 1) Maps, Graphs (Lesson 1) | Bible Science (Lesson 1) Maps, Graphs (Lesson 2) HWT Spanish | Bible Phonics (Lesson 1 pp 4-6) Math (emp. Lesson 1) Science (emp. Lesson 1) | Bible *Library Storytime* *Park* | Bible Phonics (Lesson 1 pp 7-9) Math (emp. Lesson 1 or 2) Critical Thinking Science (emp. Lesson 1) |
As I begin to see Luk's acceptance will determine if more will be added in a day, but for now these are my random thinkings, and they will probably change as we get closer to August. Here is the beauty of Getting Started!
Friday, March 12, 2010
Sight Words, Counting, & Money
We don't have a formal school day in the house. With me finishing up my degree, Logan nursing exclusively, our schooling is on and off for Luk. I will be finishing school in May, and Logan "should" be a bit more independent, or possibly less clingy. This is my dreaming. =) However, the little bit that we are doing now consists of sight words, counting, and money.
Reson and I decided on teaching Luk sight words and phonics. Along with him keeping up with his letter sounds, I have been working with him on words like: see, I, the. It is the words after "I see the ____" that he is sounding out.
I plan on buying the "BOB Books" because all the words are readable. In this particular book, there is some toughies like "elephant" or "monkey", but Luk still seems to understand that he has to sound out each word and their letters. So, I am okay with that since he is aware of it.
When he gets his jar full, we go through teaching him that 10% goes to God, 10% goes to his savings, and then we give him the choice to buy something for himself. When he goes to buy something, we make him survey the entire toy section. We want him to think about his purchase before he makes it. In the end, I have to say he picks out the better value. If I am right, he picked the wrong thing once, got upset, and realized that he needed to be smart with his money. A friend, who is homeschooling her daughter told me how she taught money starting with pennies ($0.01) then dimes ($0.10) because the learning of the tens place, then she went back to teaching nickels to represent fives. That is what we are currently doing.
I was going to post the site that I use to determine the curriculum standard for Luk, however they are now charging to look at that information. I will try looking for another site.
Reson and I decided on teaching Luk sight words and phonics. Along with him keeping up with his letter sounds, I have been working with him on words like: see, I, the. It is the words after "I see the ____" that he is sounding out.
Luk seems to love numbers, so we have been working on counting. He can count to 100 with a little bit of assistance. We are trying to make him understand the tens right now. In the beginning he would say "19, 210." He can count to 30 completely alone, but again remember after 39 is 40 seems to be tricky for him. He wants to understand why that is. He has the personalty to want to know everything at once, so we are having to create our own baby steps for him. He knows basic addition and subtraction, but is not familiar with their signs + and - or =.
We are doing the Dave Ramsey plan in our house. So, Luk is learning that he earns money for doing work around the house. When he helps cook, do laundry, vacuum, clean, etc he earns work money.
I was going to post the site that I use to determine the curriculum standard for Luk, however they are now charging to look at that information. I will try looking for another site.
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