We're just wrapping up our first week of 2009/2010. I referred this being our Emeril year, and in keeping with that, I'll just say we started off with a "BAM!"
Eclectic Girl started off fourth grade even earlier than anticipated. Somehow her clock's time was changed, so when she thought she was waking at 6:45, it was actually 5:45! This week, she read Little Women, Abe Lincoln: Log Cabin to White House, If You Traveled on the Underground Railroad, half of Abraham Lincoln's World, Where Does Electricity Come From?, Waves, and portions of Electricity and Magnetism, plus she listened to seven chapters from her read-aloud selection, Sing Down the Moon.
EG started her study of cursive, using the Spencerian Penmanship materials, and resumed spelling, completing review and Step 17. Grammar consisted of three editing activities in Editor in Chief A1, and in Writing Tales 2, she finished the equivalent of seven days as laid out - working on the story "Moses and the Bulrushes."
In math, she resumed work on Caluladder drill (speed is still not her forte), and she reviewed some fractions concepts using selected pages from Key to Fractions Book 4. EG also started her study of decimals & percents with Life of Fred: Decimals & Percents. I was really impressed, once again, with her quick grasp of the concepts presented (though I shouldn't have been surprised).
The Story of the World Volume Four was begun, with reading and mapwork centered around chapter 1. She also read the history-related titles listed above, and wrote a summary of one section from the chapter in SOTW. On Thursday, we had physics lab with one of her best friends, who's a brand-new homeschooler! They worked on the first five activities from the TOPS Electricity module, and appeared to have a great time.
In between all of her schoolwork, EG also attended the orientation for Master's Academy of Fine Arts, where she was excited to have moved into the third, or oldest, rotation; the open house for a brand-new co-op where she'll be taking martial arts, creative writing, and math club; and went to the instrument fitting to determine what instrument she'll be playing in the beginning band class of the local homeschool band. (The winner was trumpet, about which we're all excited!)
Next week, stroke clinic (swimming) begins at the YMCA twice a week. EG has had a great week to start off the year!
Fabulous Boy kicks off his official entre into homeschool with "prekindergarten" this year. We covered lessons 27 & 28 in The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading, which he did very unevenly. It's perfectly clear that he both knows how to sound out words and how to read at least some common words, but it's equally clear that he's not going to be very serious about letting us know just what his abilities are. As far as handwriting goes, though, he's quite motivated, and he's zooming through his Handwriting Without Tears Pre-K book. He's suspicious of the crayon use with it, so while I'll have him finish it, we'll move on to the K level book by mid-year.
FB has requested a math workbook; silly Mom, separating math ability and writing ability! I'm on the look for an inexpensive complement to Right Start Level A. I may simply buy a couple of Kumon workbooks to appease him until he at least Kindergarten age. He's extrapolated the concepts to new situations and also is beginning to understand "parallel."
FB and I read lots of books together - too many to list. Next week, I'll begin being more purposeful about our selections at least once a day. FB also attended orientation for Master's Academy - his first year, and he's pretty excited. Next week his favorite tumbling classes start again at the Y, and a week from tomorrow, he'll resume swim lessons.
Both kids are using IEW's poetry memorization program. EG has learned the first three poems already, and FB has learned one and is working on the second. I originally bought this over a year ago and just hadn't implemented it, but I'm pleased with the return we're getting for a modicum of effort.
Last but not least, Purple Child finally ate food that didn't come straight from me. Really.
A great first week to begin the year.
2 comments:
Sounds like a fun first week!
I'm surprised I've never run into you anywhere, btw--we seem to run in a lot of the same circles (you're on MDC and the CHE list, too, yes?). I'm in Cherokee.
Gretchen/kokotg
Thanks! It really was.
Yes, I haven't posted on MDC in quite a while though (really, not much since the Purple Child came), and I do tend to lurk more on the CHE list. I co-lead LLL w/ Mel & I know Jen Dubos and a few other CHE peeps. :)
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