We were able to have school all days of this week. Other than our babysitter coming on Tuesday we did not go anywhere this week. This morning our country church canceled church but by the time I heard it was too late to go to another service. This week will seem strange without church this morning. With the bad weather at the end of the week were able to accomplish quite a bit of school. We also took our Christmas tree down and stored the decorations. We usually take the tree down earlier than this but it usually takes me several months to find time to pack up the decorations. Here's what we accomplished this week.
Math: Finished lesson 10-the concept taught was adding 8 to a number.
Reading: Read several My Book House stories. We're almost finished with volume 1. Read Lentil every day, but did not do any Five in a Row activities with it. Reviewed the poems we had already learned.
Handwriting: I began printing readiness from www.donnayoung.org with Lamb 2. I am glad I found this website. Once we got our printer to work, I had lots to print! Even this printing readiness is difficult for Lamb 2 but it is possible. I have to sit right next to him and try to keep him on task-ANY distraction from Lamb 1 or 3 is too much. One day this week after he had done the paper in pencil then I had him go over the lines with a crayon. I don't know if it was because he was using a crayon or it was the second time he did it, or both, but he did much better with the crayon. I don't know for sure, but I think the problem is holding a pencil. I know he is holding the pencil correctly, I just think it is that difficult for him to hold a pencil. The more I work with him the more I know that homeschooling is right for him. Preschool/kindergarten in school would be very difficult for him. When it does truly get too difficult for him we just put it away and we'll try again another day. Plus I hate to think of how he can't even handle distractions from his 2 brothers, I can't imagine the distractions he would have in a whole classroom of students. And he is doing so well with Latin and things he can answer orally that would probably be missed in the classroom because the teacher would be so concerned about his writing. I keep reminding myself that he is only 3 1/2 because he knows so much that is easy to forget too.
Lamb 1 is up to Xx in reviewing his letters to make sure they are made correctly.
Phonics: Lamb 1 is doing very well reading in The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading.
Religion: We didn't begin a new hymn and we continue to review the commandments for catechism. We finished and reviewed the second set of Bible stories (which happen to be the same as what they are learning in Sunday School). I didn't get out the next set of posters yet, but hopefully this week. We have not worked on memorizing Bible verses-we need to get back to this too.
Latin: Continue to review from Prima Latina.
Music: We began learning the names of music instruments. The Lambs are doing very well on this. We own several of the percussion instruments-just child versions-tambourine, maraca, triangle, xylophone, etc. The Lambs have enjoyed getting out their instruments and playing them after school each day. I also purchased The Story of the Orchestra by Robert Levine and we will begin going through this book soon.
Art: None this week.
Science: We've been reading books about arctic animals.
History: We read and discussed the Preamble to the Constitution. This was above them, but I tried! I also purchased Geography Songs by Troxel. We used this while I was teaching. The Lambs are excited to use the CD instead of just my singing of the songs I remembered!
Our new activity: When I was teaching we attended a conference on Reasoning and Writing and we were given several copies of Language and Thinking for Young Children by Ruth Beechick-just as an extra from the instructor of one of the sessions. We gave them to the kindergarten and preschool teachers at our school and I believe they used them, but I taught 1st and 2nd grade and was expected to begin teaching Reasoning and Writing so I did not teach Language and Thinking. I noticed this book was in some homeschooling catalogs. We began going through it slowly this week. The whole idea is we should not feel guilty for not providing some activities for our children because we are able to provide some different but useful and practical activities for our children in homeschool. I did not spend much time on the stories part of this book because we read a lot already. We began the vocabulary and thinking skills section this week. We began with nutrition and consumer vocabulary-discussing juice, bread, sugar, and produce. We plan to go shopping on Friday and will expect the Lambs to help shop with their new knowledge. Other topics covered in this book are language games, memorization, learning about telephones (manners and safety), poetry, manners, and learning on trips. I think this is a good addition to our homeschool because even though I could teach all this without a book, it is a good reminder for me to make sure all these topics are covered. Although the classroom teaches phone safety, I doubt any schools have time to teach telephone manners. I do want the Lambs to learn manners and these practical topics.
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