Our summer is usually a mix of school forms, we don't believe you should ever stop learning just because there is a weather change.
Usually its some sort of nature study, since we garden most years. Since this year we won't be gardening (I can't maintain a garden when I can barely go outside) we will be participating in the Great Sunflower Project. Shelly posted it on our Homeschool group, and I went and did some research.
We signed up and Lauren is thrilled to learn about bees. She has always been very scared of them, she has never been stung, but still its always something she has feared. We talked about how learning about somethings helps us to be less afraid.
We have about 4 or 5 pots that will be happy to have sunflowers in them this year. So now our summer will be two things, The Sunflower project and math. And she has an excuse to plant her favorite flowers, which will make for a very happy little girl.
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homeschool. Show all posts
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Lets Get it done
I am proud of myself, We ate at home today, I followed my menu plan (I am really bad about those), but I NEED to stick with it right now since we just lost a days worth of pay.
Tomorrow we are kinda taking a day off of school to clean the kitchen and livingroom. My mother in law will be here on Tuesday and it must be done before she comes. Its not going to take us all day, but I will reward Lauren for what gets done since she will be doing most of the work. We call it Home Economics, since she gets to help cook as well as clean. I was never taught those skills so I feel that these days are almost more important in our school days.
I found a really cool step by step how to clean here
that we have been using. It has made it a LOT easier to get through even though it takes us more than 15 minutes per room.
Our goal is not perfection at this point, but rather comsistency.
Now Mother in law wont say anything about my house because of my health at this point, but I would rather have it very VERY presentable for her anyhow. She is coming to take me to my MRI's on Tuesday morning, I have to be in Downtown Detroit at 8am, that feels SO early since the original appointment was scheduled for 8:45am.
I will get the results at my May 12th appointment, It seems eons away but I have to remember I have to see the Neuro-Opthalmologist first, and I see him May 5th.
Tomorrow we are kinda taking a day off of school to clean the kitchen and livingroom. My mother in law will be here on Tuesday and it must be done before she comes. Its not going to take us all day, but I will reward Lauren for what gets done since she will be doing most of the work. We call it Home Economics, since she gets to help cook as well as clean. I was never taught those skills so I feel that these days are almost more important in our school days.
I found a really cool step by step how to clean here
that we have been using. It has made it a LOT easier to get through even though it takes us more than 15 minutes per room.
Our goal is not perfection at this point, but rather comsistency.
Now Mother in law wont say anything about my house because of my health at this point, but I would rather have it very VERY presentable for her anyhow. She is coming to take me to my MRI's on Tuesday morning, I have to be in Downtown Detroit at 8am, that feels SO early since the original appointment was scheduled for 8:45am.
I will get the results at my May 12th appointment, It seems eons away but I have to remember I have to see the Neuro-Opthalmologist first, and I see him May 5th.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Why Do YOU homeschool?
First off, our homeschooling has changed tremendously since August when our new year started. Lauren is still working at a Kindergarten/1st/2nd grade level but when I got sick, we became significantly more ecclectic only focusing on what she needed to focus on for the day.
I would love tobe a true unschooler, but I just don't have it in me. We must do SOMETHING that looks schoolish. I don't know why, but thats just how I am. Anyhow, yesterday while doing math (our focus has been the 3 R's only) we ended up stopping completely to review and practice making 3's. She has been struggling with making them the proper way. My friends say thats normal, my sister who is a teachers assistant at a private school says that they don't fuss about it at this age. ME, Not so much. Why allow her to continue making them incorrectly when she knows how to make them right and with practice and focus, she WILL make them correctly.
I know most places would have not even marked her down because her answers were almost all correct except for the backwords 3's. We don't do grades at this point, so we did the next best thing, I found a new cool website for teachers with a LOT of number printables, so she can practice. She then turned around and made birthday invitations with our phone number on them (which has a 3 in it) while I was at Therapy...and guess what the 3s were still backwords, so guess what her focus is til I see her writing her numbers facing the right way.
I guess I may be making a big deal out of it,but as DH and I were talking, we realize that that is why we homeschool. We can correct a problem for as long as it takes til its done the way we expect it. Its not going to slip through the cracks as often because its our expectations she has to meet not the state's or school district.
I am just glad that we have the privilege to educate our children the way we see fit and to focus on correcting what we feel is important. I know in other parts of this world that isnt the case. Even other parts of this country are a lot more challenging.
I would love tobe a true unschooler, but I just don't have it in me. We must do SOMETHING that looks schoolish. I don't know why, but thats just how I am. Anyhow, yesterday while doing math (our focus has been the 3 R's only) we ended up stopping completely to review and practice making 3's. She has been struggling with making them the proper way. My friends say thats normal, my sister who is a teachers assistant at a private school says that they don't fuss about it at this age. ME, Not so much. Why allow her to continue making them incorrectly when she knows how to make them right and with practice and focus, she WILL make them correctly.
I know most places would have not even marked her down because her answers were almost all correct except for the backwords 3's. We don't do grades at this point, so we did the next best thing, I found a new cool website for teachers with a LOT of number printables, so she can practice. She then turned around and made birthday invitations with our phone number on them (which has a 3 in it) while I was at Therapy...and guess what the 3s were still backwords, so guess what her focus is til I see her writing her numbers facing the right way.
I guess I may be making a big deal out of it,but as DH and I were talking, we realize that that is why we homeschool. We can correct a problem for as long as it takes til its done the way we expect it. Its not going to slip through the cracks as often because its our expectations she has to meet not the state's or school district.
I am just glad that we have the privilege to educate our children the way we see fit and to focus on correcting what we feel is important. I know in other parts of this world that isnt the case. Even other parts of this country are a lot more challenging.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
It's Official
Shunt is being replaced, Surgery scheduled for February 1, 2008, DH says the world is going to end based off off the fact that when the original went in it was 9-11.
Ironically, I am more nervous about leaving Lauren overnight than I am about having major surgery in which I know I can not have pain meds til the next day.
Its an added inspiration to get our schedule really worked out though so that my mom can do things with Lauren while I am in the hospital without needing to wonder what to do when. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, and we have a mere 28 days to get it, so I am going to have to be EXTRA diligent.
Its a good thing that God had already laid it on my heart to head that direction.
Starting on Monday we will begin our new Home school schedule, it will be a lot simpler than I had originally planned.
We will simply be doing the three R's plus phonics.
When I feel up to it, we will start the Weaver curriculum. I do not want to start something just to have to shelf it again until a later time.
When we decide what curriculum we will be using next year, since she has been working on both K and 1st stuff, we may be able to start her in some second grade material at that point as well.
Ironically, I am more nervous about leaving Lauren overnight than I am about having major surgery in which I know I can not have pain meds til the next day.
Its an added inspiration to get our schedule really worked out though so that my mom can do things with Lauren while I am in the hospital without needing to wonder what to do when. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, and we have a mere 28 days to get it, so I am going to have to be EXTRA diligent.
Its a good thing that God had already laid it on my heart to head that direction.
Starting on Monday we will begin our new Home school schedule, it will be a lot simpler than I had originally planned.
We will simply be doing the three R's plus phonics.
When I feel up to it, we will start the Weaver curriculum. I do not want to start something just to have to shelf it again until a later time.
When we decide what curriculum we will be using next year, since she has been working on both K and 1st stuff, we may be able to start her in some second grade material at that point as well.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Omnivorous and Endangered
Who would think my five year old would know what Omnivorous means? We are having so much fun learning about the rain forest. So far she has done her first graph based off of a picture. She had a lot of fun sorting the Mammals, Reptiles, Birds and insects off of the cover page in The Great Kapok Tree.
She also colored a picture of the rain forest, has read the books twice, we have several more rounds to go. Today she learned that an Iguana is Omnivorous and grows between 4 and 6 feet, that The Emerald Tree Boa kills his prey by squeezing and grows to 8 feet long. And That the Green Tree Boa is endangered, and eats small animals and birds.
She also colored a picture of the rain forest, has read the books twice, we have several more rounds to go. Today she learned that an Iguana is Omnivorous and grows between 4 and 6 feet, that The Emerald Tree Boa kills his prey by squeezing and grows to 8 feet long. And That the Green Tree Boa is endangered, and eats small animals and birds.
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