I miss blogging, but to say that I am busy is an understatement!
My day begins about 5:15-5:30 when I crawl to the kitchen to make breakfast for David. I am not being a martyr here; I actually enjoy the quiet solitude of being alone with him. And IF he can stand to look at me that early...
He prefers to be at school at 6:00. (This I most certainly didn't understand until now!) So I have from about 6:00-7:00 for personal time, showering and dressing (I refuse to "teach" in my pj’s) devotions and talking to my mom on the phone. From that point on, the boys get up, get dressed, make beds, (run on Tuesday and Thursday), have breakfast, and begin their "Do Now" assignment.
"Do now" was my husband's brilliant idea that he shared from his classroom. We use it at home for journaling. Some days I have topics for them to write about, and other days, they can write about whatever they prefer. This is fantastic because it gives me 15 minutes to either put dinner in the crock-pot for evening or clean up any left over breakfast dishes.
From that point on, I can scarcely catch my breath! While I LOVE the Sonlight curriculum, there is a lot required from ME. Now to clarify, I love this because I find out a lot about what they know (or don't), and I can help direct their thinking. But since my boys are 4 grades apart in school--2 Cores were suggested--and that's a lot! Plus we supplement Sonlight with First Language Lessons for Samuel and Daily Grams for Zach. Most days, it takes a full 6 hours and that does not include their piano practice/lessons on Tuesdays or concert choir for Zachary on Fridays.
So I really needed to look at the curriculum and see what could be done; I think that I have come up with a different plan. Zachary's math is on CD-ROM so he needs no assistance for me for math, except mental Math. His Geography is also on CD-ROM and requires little assistance (but it is SO fascinating, I WANT to listen!). The problem really came with history. Zachary is a voracious reader, and the only thing keeping him from reading every book on the shelf for this year is me! Because the books are so AWESOME, I want to experience them with him. Many of the books are missionary stories, like Torches of Joy (which we are currently reading), which correlate with his Pacific Islands studies in Geography. So, I plan to read quickly enough to stay ahead of him so we can converse, but give him free rein to read. That alone will provide more freedom for both of us!
Samuel, like any second grader, needs more assistance, but his history and geography become a family project as we read about ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Iraq. He can now name and point out all the countries of the Middle East.
I have had some difficulty placing him where he should be in Saxon Math. So each day, I give him another assessment test; if he aces it, we move to the next lesson. So far, he has aced everything. It is my nature to want to require every single lesson, but the beauty of homeschooling is that the repitition is unnecessary if Samuel already has the content mastered!
The local homeschool group is SO active; I could be busy every week if I wanted to just with that. For now, I have chosen a dissection class for Zach on Thursdays and several field trips over the next 2 months. They will be a great resource for me, I think.
So what does Seth do? That must be the question most often asked. He listens in--a lot! He is begging to start school, but I am just not ready to add another thing yet! He plays on the computer, plays with his train, and waits patiently for Samuel to finish so they can play together.
My plan was to update my blog every Wednesday night when David takes the boys--bless him--to Awana. That just didn't work this last week because we made Grandparent cards for Art on Wednesday morning, which set us back a couple of hours. So when David took the boys to church, I did much-needed household chores!
I know this is terribly long. I know there'll be days when I think that I must be crazy, but for now I am happier than I have ever been in my life!
My day begins about 5:15-5:30 when I crawl to the kitchen to make breakfast for David. I am not being a martyr here; I actually enjoy the quiet solitude of being alone with him. And IF he can stand to look at me that early...
He prefers to be at school at 6:00. (This I most certainly didn't understand until now!) So I have from about 6:00-7:00 for personal time, showering and dressing (I refuse to "teach" in my pj’s) devotions and talking to my mom on the phone. From that point on, the boys get up, get dressed, make beds, (run on Tuesday and Thursday), have breakfast, and begin their "Do Now" assignment.
"Do now" was my husband's brilliant idea that he shared from his classroom. We use it at home for journaling. Some days I have topics for them to write about, and other days, they can write about whatever they prefer. This is fantastic because it gives me 15 minutes to either put dinner in the crock-pot for evening or clean up any left over breakfast dishes.
From that point on, I can scarcely catch my breath! While I LOVE the Sonlight curriculum, there is a lot required from ME. Now to clarify, I love this because I find out a lot about what they know (or don't), and I can help direct their thinking. But since my boys are 4 grades apart in school--2 Cores were suggested--and that's a lot! Plus we supplement Sonlight with First Language Lessons for Samuel and Daily Grams for Zach. Most days, it takes a full 6 hours and that does not include their piano practice/lessons on Tuesdays or concert choir for Zachary on Fridays.
So I really needed to look at the curriculum and see what could be done; I think that I have come up with a different plan. Zachary's math is on CD-ROM so he needs no assistance for me for math, except mental Math. His Geography is also on CD-ROM and requires little assistance (but it is SO fascinating, I WANT to listen!). The problem really came with history. Zachary is a voracious reader, and the only thing keeping him from reading every book on the shelf for this year is me! Because the books are so AWESOME, I want to experience them with him. Many of the books are missionary stories, like Torches of Joy (which we are currently reading), which correlate with his Pacific Islands studies in Geography. So, I plan to read quickly enough to stay ahead of him so we can converse, but give him free rein to read. That alone will provide more freedom for both of us!
Samuel, like any second grader, needs more assistance, but his history and geography become a family project as we read about ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Iraq. He can now name and point out all the countries of the Middle East.
I have had some difficulty placing him where he should be in Saxon Math. So each day, I give him another assessment test; if he aces it, we move to the next lesson. So far, he has aced everything. It is my nature to want to require every single lesson, but the beauty of homeschooling is that the repitition is unnecessary if Samuel already has the content mastered!
The local homeschool group is SO active; I could be busy every week if I wanted to just with that. For now, I have chosen a dissection class for Zach on Thursdays and several field trips over the next 2 months. They will be a great resource for me, I think.
So what does Seth do? That must be the question most often asked. He listens in--a lot! He is begging to start school, but I am just not ready to add another thing yet! He plays on the computer, plays with his train, and waits patiently for Samuel to finish so they can play together.
My plan was to update my blog every Wednesday night when David takes the boys--bless him--to Awana. That just didn't work this last week because we made Grandparent cards for Art on Wednesday morning, which set us back a couple of hours. So when David took the boys to church, I did much-needed household chores!
I know this is terribly long. I know there'll be days when I think that I must be crazy, but for now I am happier than I have ever been in my life!
Comments
How big is Seth? Walker is 36 inches and this outfit is an 18 month that was meant for Truman, it has about 8 inches of strap left so both of my boys will be wearing it for a while. Actually, Walker has shorts made out of the same print with a shirt with Cowboy appliqués on it. Now, I think it is fine for a 4 year old to wear. Walker will be 3 on Monday and I still intend to put this one him next year with the straps moved. I got it at a clothing show in February, but I hosted so I know the people. I bet that you could get one made.
www.jigjogkids.com
It is the Robbie overall. They come all the way to a 4T, and if you give them Seth's measurements they can work with you on the size. Like I said, Walker is wearing the 18 month and he is 3.
Let me know if you have questions or if you order. I love to know stuff like that.
Michelle
Thanks for sharing...it helps so much to read about how your day goes and how you are adjusting to each new obstacle.