Schooling Update

Haven't posted one in awhile so thought I would.

Ciaran - Working on reading phonetically fluently. He can sound out any clear phonics word and is working more at simply recognizing them or sounding them out quickly in his head and saying them. The Primary Phonics readers are working really well for him and we are enjoying them. He has moved into some doctor suess and level one readers as well. We are still doing Explode the Code and his is almost finished with Level One. I supplement with Phonics Pathways because Explode the Code moves very slowly. He still uses the Starfall website some as well.

For math we are working through Miquon's orange book. Lately he has worked on number lines, adding three or four numbers, completing equations like 2 + x =5, and filling in whether it is addition or subtraction. He uses rods and an abacus for the more complicated problems. He also really enjoys doing Leon's Math Games, he especially enjoys the movies and Math Dojo.

He is working on his letters and is much better at handwriting now. He holds the pencil right and can write his name small enough now to get a library card (our standard is when you can write small enough for the back of the card). He is consistently writing from left to right now as opposed to right to left (he was spelling correctly and the word looked right at the end but he started with the last letter). He has figured out how to adjust for being a lefty well.

His big deal was our visit to Body Worlds. He has been begging to for almost the whole time it has been here and just him and I went last week. He really enjoyed it and was fascinated. He listened to the recordings about each exhibit and asked good questions. I was surprised at how well it held his attention. He definitely has a science bend to him. I will not be surprised if he ends up a scientist, researcher or doctor based on the way I see his mind and interests working now.

Rhiannon is doing well. We are working on fractions now - dividing and multiplying whole numbers with fractions and adding fractions. She has grasped the concept of fractions quickly. We are gently introducing division at this time through fractions as well. She has been working on her multiplication tables and the patterns of numbers as well. She also just finished up a section on multiplying multiple digit numbers. We are working through the Miquon blue book with her.

For language arts she finished up Explode the Code Level 3 and is working through Primary Language Lessons as well. We have begun cursive work. She enjoys working on each letter individually but gets very frustrated when she tries to combine letters. I may look into a formal handwriting program for her this spring. We do regular dictations and narrations as well. She reads all the time and lately I have let her revisit some of her old favorites - she is currently rereading Anne of Green Gables and some of the American girl books. On vacation she picked up a series of books about the Presidents as Young Men, she really enjoyed those.

We are continuing our work in Botany - we will be dissecting a flower this week and making homemade soap with some herbs. For history we are in the Middle Ages we are just getting ready to study Charlemagne. History still seems to be one of her favorite subjects and one of the first she reaches for when given a choice. We really are enjoying the Story of the World series. For physical education she is taking a homeschool gym class one a week and every other week twice a week. She is also doing a rock climbing class and swimming when we can.

All is all school work is going well and they seem to be enjoying it and progressing along well. We fill in with field trips, nature walks, playdates, and crafts.

Peace,
Tenniel