In an attempt to keep everyone somewhat up to date with our homeschool adventure, I will, with unpredictable regularity, give a recap wrap-up type thingy.
The arrival of Large & Medium’s math program and grammar curriculum last week helped me to get a better grasp on what they need to do each day. Rather than try to completely build their curriculum based solely on the Oceans Unit Study we’re doing, I decided to use Rod & Staff for their grammar. It is very old-school, but I kinda like that for some reason. Homeschooling for us so far is very much a “try it and see” approach. I’m eclectic in my fashion (or huge lack of), my hair (it’s normal to wear it styled differently every day, right?), the non-decoration of my home, so why should our school be any different? I found the complete set consisting of teacher manual, student textbook, student workbook, and test booklet for Medium, and the student text book for Large, all on the blessed Ebay. So far, what we've tried, I've liked, and I know they're learning, which is the whole point. For their math program, I went with Math U See, bought brand spankin’ new off the website, since the levels I needed were never on Ebay. Boo. It wasn’t cheap, but for each kid I got a teacher manual, student text/work book, and the best part for the math-challenged such as myself, an instructional DVD.
We have yet to establish a consistent daily routine but we’re only two weeks in, so I’m OK with that. The only thing that is very regular is I start the day reading a chapter from Proverbs from The Message translation, turn on the Keurig, and down my first cup of Donut Shop coffee with two sugars & some milk while the boys do their morning chores. After that things aren't quite established. We try to do Bible as our first subject of the day, but since they aren’t always up and ready at the same time, sometimes I start whoever IS ready on a subject while the straggler finishes breakfast.
I usually settle Large and Medium into Math & Grammar as their second subject of the day. The one working on math gets the TV on, DVD at the right chapter, books ready in the living room while I start the other on that day’s grammar lesson at the front room table. Small has no established routine whatsoever , so I might start him on a simple addition page, a computer math game, a spelling lesson, toys in his room….whatever I decide or he starts playing with first. The math kid and I watch the DVD together, practice a page on scratch paper, and then he works on a sheet to try the lesson on his own while I start my second cup of coffee and go back to check on grammar boy. Unfortunately, this time which requires focus and concentration from both grammar boy and math kid, is usually peppered with constant interruptions from Small, who isn’t old enough to work independently for a long enough amount of time. He is accustomed to the routine of school, and to suddenly have so much free time again, like back in the good ol’ days of preschool, has just rocked his little world.
Brothers are home, but can’t play? Mom is teacher, so he can’t ask out-of-the-blue questions when she’s sitting in the living room floor with brother? Man! Not Cool! I must whine and roll around in the floor to pay her back!
After yelling asking for the umpteenth time for him not to interrupt, I make sure both grammar boy and math kid have finished, then they swap subjects and places. Sometime during the rest of the day they read from their novels while Morgan reads to me from his Bob books, I teach that day’s ocean lesson, go over the Spanish word of the day, and they play outside or on the trampoline in the shop if the weather is too cold or wet. We have lunch, they do afternoon chores and “to earn” chores, and I sit on the couch eating a late lunch trying to make my eye stop twitching relax a little. Around now it will be time to pick up Girlie from public school, start dinner, and dreamily await my hubster’s return to the nest.
So. Are they ACTUALLY learning? What have we accomplished since we started two weeks ago, and with all of our books a week and a half ago? Well….
Large read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, completed 11 math lessons, 7 grammar lessons, wrote two short essays over ocean topics, took several ocean quizzes, and has started a Star Wars class for his brothers. (yeah, he enjoys this waaaaaay more than they do).
Medium is working his way through Moby Dick, has completed 10 math lessons, polished his lowercase cursive and learned the uppercase, breezed through 15 grammar lessons, two short ocean writings, two ocean quizzes, and has been given the requirement by his brothers that he wear pants during school time. His preference to skivvies-only apparently disrupts their thought processes.
Small has completed 7 spelling lessons, is reading the Bob books (little readers), completed a review of letter writing upper and lower case, 11 math pages, 3 mazes, two color by number ocean coloring pages, and eaten countless boogers. We’re still working on losing THAT particular habit.
All three have learned 8 Spanish words, about life in a tidal pool, the different depths & zones oceans have (sunlit zone, twilight zone, abyssal etc), can name and label the 5 major oceans, the causes and effects of tsunamis, different ocean landscapes, watched Planet Earth & YouTube videos of sea birds diving deep to catch fish, and watched Planet Earth’s Coral Reef video.
See? See? They’re learning, right?
Downing hot chocolate from the Keurig several times a day, taking longer and longer playtimes outside, riding bikes to Grandma’s for a cookie or Nana’s for a better lunch than whatever I’m offering have become their new normal.
And I’m thinking that is pretty Sweet!
