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August 29, 2006
We still sit at the table for formal lesson time. For us it works better to start lessons soon after everyone's morning business is done. We find if we put them off until the afternoon, they may not get done at all. While we like to be relaxed, we don't want to be so relaxed that we never do anything! Our lesson time, which lasts roughly 2 hours, currently goes a little something like this:
- Creative Writing: Tabitha has a composition book and each day is given a subject for which she is to write 3 sentences. Her use of the given subject is completely up to her. Right now we're trying something a little different in that I will give her a running scenario that lasts for 3 to 4 days and then the last day she draws a picture to coorelate with her writing. We do have plans to purchase a more formal writing program in the next few months.
- Math 3: We're still using Saxon for our math needs. It one of those "love it or hate it" programs and for us, it works. Tabitha really responds to this method of teaching.
- Spelling: We use Sequential Spelling Volume 1 and it has done wonders for Tabitha's spelling. Tabitha is a strong reader with a phonics based background. But spelling did not come naturally to her. This program is not about memorizing a list of words and then spelling from memory. Instead, words build on eachother. So the first word in the list may be a simple "car" but the tenth words is "disregard" all in the same spelling list. I really feel this is a program we'll stick with for years to come.
- Science: We're using The Complete Book of Our Solar System which gives a tidy little overview to our sun and all nine (now eight) planets. We're only two chapters from the end and I'm planning on putting together a mini unit study on Pluto's new, non-planet status.
- Geography: Map Skills for Today published by Weekly Reader is a cute little workbook that introduces various map skills. This is the second book in the series and honestly, I'm not noticing much difference from Level 1. It's the same skills presented in a less babyish way. But Tabitha loves it and looks forward to it each day so I guess it's good for thier target audience. I most likely will continue the series as it's a small price to pay and she really does enjoy it. I imagine it will get more complex with each level.
- Grammar: We use an overview program designed to introduce grammar. It does it's job well though I'm thinking we're ready to move on to a more comprehensive program.
That is all for our formal time, Tabitha also has three electives, bowling once a week, violin once a week with daily practice, and hula twice a week. She has aspirations to take Tae Kwon Do in the very near future and loves to take various classes through parks and rec.
In non-formal learning, Tabitha spends a good portion of everyday reading for the sheer joy of reading. She enjoys doing research on various subjects of which she is curious, on the internet. She is very crafty and will draw or create a random intervals. Tabitha also has an interest in cooking and is often my helper and we've very recently started her on choosing a baked good recipe and having to make up a shopping list and then we bake together.
As for Miss Daisy, she is not one for the directed play I used with Tabitha. She will beg to be read to though and will sit for book after book after book after book. We use immersion with colors, numbers, and letters, meaning we our sentences are filled with the names of colors, numbers, etc. Daisy has always had a strong fondness for music, if not my singing, and therefore we are enrolled in Kindermusik once a week. Daisy also demonstrates amazing strength and climbing tendencies so we plan to start My Gym in October.
Updated October 07, 2004
Tabitha is now at the age to enter kindergarten if that had been the path we chose. But our home educating is going as strong as ever! The cumpulsory age of attendance is the year a child turns six on or before Dec. 2 and that is still a year away for us. So this year is no different than any other year as far as complying with the law.
Life is the ultimate learning experience. As such, we consider all opportunities as education. That said, Tabitha is a child who really likes to do formal, sit down lessons. We go with her interests, which means she and I sit at the dining room table for old-fashioned book work. We do not have a set time to do lessons, nor set days. There are times when we do lessons every single day for weeks with no days off, and then there are times where we'll go a couple weeks without any formal lessons. But even when we aren't sitting at the kitchen table, you can be sure our brains are not idle.
I've detailed below what we do at formal lesson time.
First we start off with Math. We've been doing Saxon Math 1 since November and are not far from the end. Currently we're working on adding double digits (no regrouping), subtracting 2, measuring line segments, making congruent shapes, telling time on the hour and half hour and counting coins using nickels, dimes and pennies, sums of 10 and subtracting from 10. So far we've worked on adding 0, 1, 2, doubles, doubles plus one and sums of ten. Also, subtracting 0, 1, the same number from itself (ex. 9-9=0) and subtracting half (ex. 6-3=3). We've also worked on odds and evens, counting by evens to 20 both forward and backwards and counting odds to 19 forwards and backwards.
Next we do a book called "Gifted and Talented More Questions and Answers" for ages 4-6. Basically, Tabitha reads a paragraph and then there are questions designed to make the child think. For instance, today's paragraph was about Eskimos and the first question was based on the paragraph, the next three questions were based on what the child thinks occurs or a question relating to them personally to make a comparison. The fourth question was to draw an igloo picture and the last was to pretend the child and her family lived in an igloo and then make up a story on their life. The questions are usually very abstract and done orally.
Next is Reading Comprehension grade 3. It's workbook style and again, Tabitha reads a couple paragraphs and then answers questions. The difference is this book is much more traditional in that each question has a specific answer that can be found in the preceding paragraphs. Also, the answers are written. I'm using it as a way to not only hear her read aloud and work on speech inflections, but also help with the concept of research to find an answer.
Next are two more Gifted and Talented work books, one called Reading and the other is Reading Comprehension (both for ages 6-8). This series is really good for encouraging logic and reasoning skills which is why I buy them though it may seem redundant. Plus, Tabitha absolutely loves the activities. You will not find the answers in the activities, you must use deductive reasoning to figure them out. Other activities are more creative minded and requires to the child to use their imagination but their answers are based in reality.
Next we have a joke of a workbook put out by Brighter Visions entitled "Ocean Life." We're only doing it because Tabitha wants to finish it, but I shall not be wasting money on other books in the series.
Then we have a book on birds that is supposedly grade 2-3 but again, I won't be buying more in this particular series either. It's not uninformative, but I don't feel the material is presented well and the activities don't do a very good job of reinforcing what was just read.
Next we do yet another workbook from the Gifted and Talented series (I told you I like them). This one is entitled "Dinosaurs" also ages 4-6. We've enjoyed it immensely and Tabitha has really grasped and retained quite a bit of the concepts presented. The activities again encourage thinking skills and not memorization.
We've recently begun work on spelling. What I'm currently using is a rather mundane book on long vowels. I'm using it as a guideline to forming my own activities and it helps me form spelling lists as my mind goes blank when I try to make up a list. We're working on the different forms of long A including a-consonant-e and ai as in train. It's not just worksheets though, every couple of days we do an old fashioned spelling test based on the long vowel form we're working on. Tabitha does her spelling on the computer to help her become more familiar with key placement on the keyboard. At the same time, I use the spelling words to work on homonyms such as male/mail, tale/tail, whale/wail etc. So I will give her the definition and she has to type the correct word. By the time we finish the book, we'll have worked on 20 long vowel sounds and then we'll move on to the first book of diagraphs.
After spelling comes writing; actual formation of lower case letters. Tabitha knows how to write both upper and lower case but she has no sense of proportion of the lower case letters to the upper case. Also, she writes exclusively in upper case letters which I'm working on changing. My main reason for encouraging her to write lower case is so we can move forward with our grammar lessons which incorporate a capitalization problem into every lesson. Makes it difficult to grasp when all the letters are capital.
What we do next varies from day-to-day. I rotate a science experiment, creative writing, free research, cooking, and an art form, though I've put the story writing on hold while we work on technical writing. Kind of like not encouraging a habit I'm trying to break (writing in all caps). Today we did sponge painting, yesterday we did an experiment on air pressure. While she's doing the art, I either read to her or have classical music going in the back ground to get the right brain juices flowing properly. Free research is simply Tabitha choosing any topic she can think of and we research it together to find out what she wants to know. One day she wanted to know the names off all the shapes of pasta, another day she chose to find out how marbles are made.
We'll also be practicing hula dancing as Tabitha just started a hula class that meets twice a week. It is performance and competition based so practice on one's own time is necessary if the child wants to perform. I doubt I need to tell you that my little ham would like to go that route.
All told, our lessons take roughly two hours, sometimes less, sometimes more depending how into things we are or if hula needs extra practice.
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