Please email your comments to: homeschooler@ourlosbanos.com.

1-29-08

Here are a few pics of what ds has been working on lately:

Ds made an owl in a Saguaro cactus for an Animals & Their World's craft. He is learning about the desert in science. He is really enjoying the One Small Square series of books. He also loves the DK Animal Encyclopedia.

Here is a picture of the tenement apartment building ds made for history. He is learning about immigrants. He loved the book we were reading (Shutting out the Sky :Life in the Tenements of New York, 1880-1924) so much that he said he wants it for his birthday this year! Middle brother also read little brother's book and went to look at the WinterPromise recommended website that has the interactive tenement apartment tours.

Here's a pic of ds enjoying one of the puzzles I ordered ahead of time for next year's Children Around the World program we are going to be doing.

I'm really pleased with the quality of the GeoPuzzles. The outside pieces (water) are big "baby" pieces and then the inside pieces are all in the shapes of the countries. Ds has already put all 5 sets together several times in the last few days since we got them. I like them SO much better than the global puzzle we ordered a couple years ago.

I recently also got in a bunch of other materials and books for next year's CATW study. I've been trying to keep big sister away from them! I've been working on scheduling them into the world studies curriculum I'm writing for middle brother and big sister. Both of them can't wait. :-) One of our favorite books that came in is

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats

You can see a preview of what the book contains here.

 

 

Today's Bible study for ds:

Doorpost's Plants Grown Up project: We are memorizing Gregg Harris's 21 Rules of This House. Today's rule was "When we have work to do, we do it without complaining." The verse we are working on memorizing is:

Proverbs 6: 6-8 Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.

To go with that I found the Disney Silly Symphony online The Grasshopper and the Ants. I love this old cartoon and it goes with our study perfectly!!!

 

1-9-08

It's January 2008 and time to get back to school! We all had a very nice and much needed vacation (well *I* needed one)! I'm glad though to get back to the structure of school. I honestly think the kids do better behavior wise when they have that structure, even though it's fun to have a break now and then.

Here's a breakdown of what each of the kids is working on/ using in our homeschool.

Ds (our youngest) 3rd grade:

Bible:

 Egermeiers Bible Story Book - We actually got this book when ds was younger but he wasn't "ready" for it. He has really enjoyed listening to it this school year.

 This is our 2nd time through this book. I read it out loud to ds when he was in Kindergarten or 1st grade (??). We are going through it again. I've noticed that ds is the kind of kid who really benefits from repeating materials/books. He seems to glean so much more from them a 2nd time.

  Plants Grown Up by Doorposts - We usually pick one verse to work on until it's learned and pick a project to work on. Right now our project is the 21 Rules of This House. We write and illustrate a card for each rule (one rule each day) and ds is reminded of the rules that apply throughout the day for different types of behavior. This book is great because it's designed for little boys up through teens and young adults.

We go through several different books at a time for Bible. The two above just happen to be what we are currently using. We also have a family read aloud of the Bible itself and sometimes ds listens in to read alouds for the older children, if the material is appropriate. I consider our spiritual studies to be the most important part of the day. You can have all the "knowledge" in the world and be a crummy person. I would rather my children grew up to work flipping burgers (no offense intended to anyone working at this type of job) and be GOOD, moral people with a wonderful relationship with God than anything else with fame/fortune.

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge...

Sometimes, I think, as a Christian homeschooler, I have forgotten about this focus of our homeschooling and made academics the "most important thing". I'm working on making sure that this year we don't neglect what I consider the MOST important thing to know - Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and His word. I believe what the Bible says. Pursue Him and all else will follow.

Science:

WinterPromise Animals & Their Worlds - This is a wonderful program with lots of hands on activities and terrific books full of pictures and illustrations. We focus on one habitat at a time and learn about the many different animals, plants, etc. that live in that habitat. I also use lots of fun extras from online that go with what we are studying/learning.

Real Science 4 Kids Biology - We are using this to compliment our work with WinterPromise. We are taking it very slow, since Animals & Their Worlds is our main program.

Math:

RightStart Level D - Ds generally likes the pace & content of this math program. We used to do several math programs at once, but have been taking a long break from that to focus on his reading and writing. Now of course, since I've written this, Ds has talked about pulling Singapore back out. *roll eyes* He calls it his "fun math". We'll see.....

Drill is done through Math Facts in a Flash, an online drill program made available to us through our charter school.

English:

Shurley English Level 3 - I like it that ds can analyze a sentence correctly for the different parts of speech. Shurley English has been the BEST english program so far for that aspect of grammar. It's also been very helpful for ds to learn and better retain capitalization rules and other similar things he needs to know. The writing portion however is a bit too advanced for him in that it moves way too fast and doesn't go well with his learning style. We gave it a good try but it was producing more frustration than results. That's why we use the other writing resources listed below whenever Shurley schedules in any composition lessons/practice.

Sequential Spelling Level 1 - This is the ONLY spelling program I've found that works for ds. I have tried just about everything. It's soooooo easy to use and it's actually seemed to help some with ds's Dyslexia-type issues.

Evan-Moor Paragraph Writing - Click here to look at the ENTIRE book online for free at Google Books. I really like the fact that everything is laid out "form-wise". Ds doesn't have to worry about coming up with a topic or how to start things. He has a difficult time organizing writing assignments, so this frees him up to actually concentrate on the writing itself.

Writing Strands Level 3 - Even though this book is written to be used independently, ds needs me to go over the instructions with him. It's very gentle and goes step-by-step, so he really likes it when we use it. I usually pull it out when Shurley English has a writing assignment he just can't wrap his mind around. Eventually I will pull out our Institute for Excellence in Writing materials, but for now, I like having our lessons scripted.

Handwriting Without Tears - Ds is a lefty and was using Zaner-Bloser for cursive but his handwriting started deteriorating FAST. I do not like the "looks" of HWT's cursive, but I do like the results I get from ds's handwriting practice. When I asked ds what he was looking forward to starting up again after vacation, the first thing he said was handwriting!

 Sometimes we use the vocabulary words from Shurley English and sometimes we use Vocabulary Cartoons. Ds remembers more of the words from Vocabulary Cartoons than any other vocabulary program we've tried. The words are fun and easy to learn. They are also memorable!

Barton Reading and Spelling System - This is what we use specifically for Ds's Dyslexia type "symptoms". He has not been officially diagnosed yet, but we're not waiting for the LONG process we started with our charter school to be finished (6 months and counting and NO testing yet - UGH). Since starting the program we have noticed results. Ds is reading more with fewer reversals and letter confusion. He still has a lot of work to do though. We do this program 2-3 times a week, depending on the week. It takes about 20 minutes a session. Right now we are taking a break before starting level 3 because I accidentally turned in the letter tiles from the last level (I didn't realize they carried over to the next level) to the charter school!

I originally ordered WinterPromises's 4th grade language arts program, but we decided to retain ds in the 3rd grade for extra time to mature in certain areas. It's on the shelf and I may pull it out for next year, depending on whether we stick with the materials listed above or not. Right now everything is working out very nicely so I'm of a mind that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". ;-)

Reading: Ds is assigned chapter books or simple readers that are usually related to or part of our science or history program. It is only RECENTLY that he will read through chapter books. WinterPromise has a real knack for assigning books that he likes. He has actually asked to read way ahead just because he wants to find out what happens. That's music to a reluctant reader's mom's ears! He also reads his own choices every day. Currently some of his faves are Berenstain Bear books and authors like Stephen Kellogg.

History:

WinterPromises's American Story 2 program - Ds loves the books and activities that come with this program. WinterPromise does a good job with selecting books that appeal to his age and help him retain what he's learning.

Extras:

Latin for Children Primer A - We are doing this wonderful Latin course very slowly. Our priority is the 3 R's (and Bible), however, Latin has helped ds in other subjects (especially vocabulary wise) and he enjoys working from this program when we have the time. I'm actually considering dropping it until next year or so to give ds more time to focus on his writing and reading.

Art - Various activities and projects, most of them associated with our history or science programs

Ds (Middle child) 8th grade:

Bible:

Ds listens to the Bible read out loud as a family activity every day. In addition to the Bible he is also reading or listening to the following books:

English:

Kiss Grammar - We are currently using this free grammar program, but will be switching to Shurley English level 7 as soon as it gets in.

Sequential Spelling Level 1 - This is the ONLY spelling program I've found that works (for us). Ds2 is going through this at an accelerated pace. Even though he is an 8th grader, he still needs work with his spelling. He will be going through all 7 levels of Sequential Spelling in the next 2 years.

Write at Home - Ds2 never really cared much for writing. He is a science and math kinda kid. Last year I decided to give Write at Home a try and have found it to be so worth it. It's nice to get a writing coach's input and have HER deal with him. Actually both writing coach's we've been assigned (for ds....dd is another story) have been wonderful. They have really pointed out weak spots while at the same time been very encouraging and positive. Ds looks forwards to his writing coach's comments and actually enjoys his writing assignments! His attitude toward writing has really changed and I'm seeing good results so I plan on keeping him enrolled through high school (barring any unforeseen changes or attitudes, lol).

Jensen's Vocabulary - We have a variety of vocabulary programs and books, but this is the one that Ds2 likes right now. I like how it uses Latin and Greek roots.

Tapestry of Grace Year 4 English assignments- Sometimes Ds2 does writing assignments from TOG when he finishes his Write at Home assignments quickly and needs something else to work on for awhile. He also reads the TOG literature selections. Ds completes about 2 complete books (novel size) a week. He usually reads from 2 - 6 books a week.

Math:

Chalk Dust Pre calculus - We really love Teaching Textbooks, but their pre calculus program wasn't ready in time for us to start it last August. Ds2 likes Chalk Dust. He will be starting Life of Fred Calculus when he's done with Chalk Dust. From there we'll see if he knows calculus well enough to take the AP test or not.

Chemistry:

Apologia Advanced Chemistry - Ds has always loved the Apologia books -this one is no exception. He did give an AP chemistry online course a try but it moved just too fast for him. We went back to what works and what he could take his time to absorb at a slower pace. He is also supplementing with a Chemistry textbook.

History:

Tapestry of Grace Year 4 - After seeing the great results, I think TOG is a terrific program - one of the BEST for high school and middle school. Despite that fact, we will be leaving it for WinterPromise next year. I want all 3 kids to work on the Children Around the World program with the high school (and younger) level supplement I'm designing.

Art:

Various lessons and training for Photoshop, Illustrator and Painter using a Wacom tablet. More details about the software used are below in dd's homeschooling section.

Extras:

Latin - Latin for Children Primer A - Ds2 is using this program with his younger brother. He will change programs to one that is appropriate for high school next year.

SAT Prep - Gruber's Complete SAT Guide - Ds2 practices for the SAT daily. Sometimes he works from this book and other times he uses the interactive learning device shown below.

Franklin SAT-2400 Princeton Review Pocket Prep for the SAT

Volunteering - Ds2 has recently started volunteering at a local skilled nursing facility.

Dd (Oldest child) 11th grade:

Bible:

Dd listens to the Bible read out loud as a family activity every day. In addition to the Bible she is also reading the following books:

Walking through the Wardrobe: A Devotional Quest into The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by Sarah Arthur

Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy *This is one of dd's favorite books of all time.

Lady in Waiting by Jackie Kendall & Debby Jones

English:

Tapestry of Grace Year 4 writing assignments - Besides the assignments in TOG, dd also writes lots of essays for scholarship entries. For literature she also uses TOG's selections (so it's not just for history). This year she is reading lots of good classics like Our Town, The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice and others. She also does a lot of "free reading". I would say she averages about 2 complete books a week. She is usually reading out of 10 different books at a time: (4 for history, 2-3 Christian books, a novel (free reading), and something for literature). She also manages to squeeze in some of her younger brother's books during lunch and sometimes dinner.

 Writing Strands Creating Fiction - Dd has "grown up" with the Writing Strands books (among others) for writing instruction. Whatever we did must have worked. She got the highest score possible for the SAT essay portion! *I must admit some of her success is also probably due to the Write at Home essay course she took last year. ;-)
Dd LOVES Writing Strands. She also loves to write.

SAT Prep - Gruber's Complete SAT Guide - Dd is using this for vocabulary practice.

Math:

Math-U-See Trigonometry - Dd is not a fan of MUS, but it's working out for her. She didn't like Chalk Dust at all and thought it was "too hard". As soon as she is done with MUS she's going to use the Life of Fred books.

Anatomy and Physiology:

 Anatomy and Physiology for Health Professionals - Dd wants to be a nurse so she's using this college text. We do have Apologia's Advanced Biology (which is basically anatomy & physiology), but dd hates Apologia. Originally I had intended this book to only be a supplement but it turned out to be dd's main text. She also likes the Cd-rom that comes with interactive quizzes, games, etc. that help her learn the material even better.

 The Anatomy Coloring Book

Anatomy and Pathology by Anatomical Chart Company

She also has the following materials for labs this year: a microscope with human slide sets, a fetal pig anatomy lab, a cow eye, sheep pluck dissection set, a sheep organ set, a blood typing kit and human X-rays.

Art:

Dd is using a variety of books, materials and programs for art. She has done work with Photoshop, Illustrator and Painter on the computer using a Wacom Tablet and has worked out of many different drawing and illustration books. Here are just a FEW of the books she has been working out of our learning from:

She has also worked from the Paint Today kit and the Sculpt Today kit.

Here are the computer programs she uses:

The above programs are used with a Wacom tablet. This makes it easy to paint and draw on the computer. When you combine a tablet and Painter, it's like you have real media at your fingertips. You can use digital oils, acrylics, chalk, watercolors, markers, charcoal, colored pencils, gouache, inks, pastels and more.

Currently dd's faves to work with are Illustrator and the Manga Studio. She also likes an old fashioned tablet and pencils. ;-)

German (3rd year):

Holt's Komm mit! program - We tried most of the homeschool marketed language programs and found that a public school program worked out the best. Dd has been using the Komm Mit program for 3 years now. She really enjoys the videos and all the extra materials. The only problem with the program is that it's expensive.

 Dd has gotten to the point where she can read "real" books in German now. She is currently reading Tintenherz (Ink heart) in German. She was so excited to find this book at our local library. I can't find any 4th year German programs, so next year dd is just going to read books in German, work on her grammar some more and use an English/German dictionary for words she runs into that she doesn't know. She will also watch PAL Dvd's of familiar movies in German (like Shrek, etc.).

She is also looking forward to earning enough money someday to go and visit family in Germany. Her aunt has been writing to her in German and these emails have been the highlight of her day when she receives them.

History:

Tapestry of Grace Year 4 - Dd is really enjoying TOG this year. She is so relieved that we switched to TOG from Sonlight. Sonlight's high school program just about killed her "love" for homeschooling. We all liked Sonlight during earlier years (and some of that enjoyment was tied to all the massive tweaking I did and activities I added in), but we just couldn't get into the higher level programs. *She does want me to add in a comment that while she didn't enjoy it, she DID still learn a lot.

She is learning and retaining SO much more though with Tapestry of Grace. I attribute that to better book selections, activities, and a stronger foundation in the "basics" of whatever is being learned. TOG digs deep and in such a way that students (at least mine) know what's going on. Then when they read fiction from that time period or that's related, they already understand the why's, etc.

Extras:

Volunteer job at a local skilled nursing facility

She is learning conversational Irish on her own (because she LOVES Ireland). - Don't ask me why, LOL....it's just one of her things.

She is also learning knitting.

Phew....this was just going to be a "little" post about what they are working on!