Here is a short summary of our Weekly Lessons:
-Typing: Brief beginner lessons on typing and computer work. (C9,C8)
-Library: At least once a week to find biographies, living books, etc. (mid-week)
-Nature Study: Get outside, observe nature, record in notebooks (first of week)
-Science: Living books involving subject interested in; used in conjunction with Nature Study (C9,C8) Learn about body, hygiene, etc. (C4) (end of week)
-Field Trips: Fun adventures that help us learn more about the area we live in and reiterate lessons being learned. (at least once a month or more, on top of nature study, library, etc.)
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It is getting closer to the day we start! Everyone is excited, some are disappointed that we didn't start this week, but we are waiting for a couple of more materials that should be here tomorrow. I will try to keep updated posts as to how and what we are doing. As always, any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Daily Lessons . . .
Finally, I have our lesson schedule done!! This took a lot of research, reading, time, and prayer and I believe that this will work great for us this year. You never know what will have to be tweaked or changed as we go along, but that is one of the great things about homeschooling. :) This post will contain our Daily Lessons and a brief overview of each. Some of the texts for spelling, reading, math and copy work are from A2 LDS Version. Enjoy, and as always, any ideas or comments are welcome.
2009-2010 Daily Lessons:
-Piano/Music : 20 minutes practice on weekly songs, theory work, performance songs; 2x/week MusIQ
-Opening: prayer, pledge, song, date, weather, etc. Everyone will participate and take turns.
-Spelling: Word Lessons: A Complete Speller
-Reading: McGuffey's Readers , phonics
-Copy Work: Copy Work pages; scriptures, quotes, great works, etc. ; Drawing shapes, writing letters, writing name
-Family Read: Mom reads aloud a predetermined book each day (I'm sure more than once). Poetry, fairy tales, etc.
-Math: Math worksheets, math book explanations as needed, manipulatives, games, computer programs, etc. ; recognizing shapes, colors, etc.
-"Take Five": Once daily fun facts, sometimes projects
-History: Read history stories, map work, Book of Centuries, biographies, etc.
-Playtime: Just what it says! A little break, sports, imaginative play, etc.
-Leisure Read: Read, read, read! Biographies, living books, etc.
-Journal Work: Writing a brief account of the day and what we learned. (C9, C8) Mom will write while little one narrates. (C4)
I will include our once weekly lessons in another post.
2009-2010 Daily Lessons:
-Piano/Music : 20 minutes practice on weekly songs, theory work, performance songs; 2x/week MusIQ
-Opening: prayer, pledge, song, date, weather, etc. Everyone will participate and take turns.
-Spelling: Word Lessons: A Complete Speller
-Reading: McGuffey's Readers , phonics
-Copy Work: Copy Work pages; scriptures, quotes, great works, etc. ; Drawing shapes, writing letters, writing name
-Family Read: Mom reads aloud a predetermined book each day (I'm sure more than once). Poetry, fairy tales, etc.
-Math: Math worksheets, math book explanations as needed, manipulatives, games, computer programs, etc. ; recognizing shapes, colors, etc.
-"Take Five": Once daily fun facts, sometimes projects
-History: Read history stories, map work, Book of Centuries, biographies, etc.
-Playtime: Just what it says! A little break, sports, imaginative play, etc.
-Leisure Read: Read, read, read! Biographies, living books, etc.
-Journal Work: Writing a brief account of the day and what we learned. (C9, C8) Mom will write while little one narrates. (C4)
I will include our once weekly lessons in another post.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Lately . . .
I have been doing a bit of extra research and reading into the Charlotte Mason method over the summer, and the more I find the more I love it. I have been reading from this site, Simply Charlotte Mason. It explains Charlotte's method in an easy to understand and follow format. It also has living book references and archives. I also love the lesson plan guides. For those that are interested in starting this method, there are step by step instructions on where to begin and what to do next to build onto your lessons.
We have been working on getting our school space ready. Our basement is not quite finished yet, so the room that we will permanently be using is still under construction. Just a little more tape, texture, paint, etc. So for now, we will be using one of the other "unfinished" rooms. We got all of our bookcases, table and chairs, and cabinet moved in and I am starting to see that I will eventually need twice as many bookcases. I have finally been able to get our books, supplies, games, etc. put out and have been able to access what more we need. I think we are doing pretty good so far.
I also like many of the Montessori methods. But, like most of us, I find the products to be REALLY pricey, so I decided that I will try to make some of them myself. My first project was the Colored Bead Stairs. I really love these manipulatives and can see so many great uses for them in our math lessons. So I went to the store and found what I needed and spent about three and a half hours making them. They turned out great! When the older kids saw them and asked what they were for, I explained some of their uses and they were hooked. I figured out the price and I paid about a forth of what I would have to buy them outright!
Our "Bead Counters"
I found out, at my local library, that there are quite a few families locally that homeschool. They said that there will be a story time once a month for homeschool families so that we can get to know one another or meet others. I also got the invite, for the get-together a few weeks ago, but was unable to attend. Thanks for the heads up, but I would still like to meet some other homeschool moms in the area and maybe arrange group discussions or field trips. Anyone interested just leave me a comment with an email so I can get in touch. Thanks!!
We have been working on getting our school space ready. Our basement is not quite finished yet, so the room that we will permanently be using is still under construction. Just a little more tape, texture, paint, etc. So for now, we will be using one of the other "unfinished" rooms. We got all of our bookcases, table and chairs, and cabinet moved in and I am starting to see that I will eventually need twice as many bookcases. I have finally been able to get our books, supplies, games, etc. put out and have been able to access what more we need. I think we are doing pretty good so far.
I also like many of the Montessori methods. But, like most of us, I find the products to be REALLY pricey, so I decided that I will try to make some of them myself. My first project was the Colored Bead Stairs. I really love these manipulatives and can see so many great uses for them in our math lessons. So I went to the store and found what I needed and spent about three and a half hours making them. They turned out great! When the older kids saw them and asked what they were for, I explained some of their uses and they were hooked. I figured out the price and I paid about a forth of what I would have to buy them outright!
Our "Bead Counters"
I found out, at my local library, that there are quite a few families locally that homeschool. They said that there will be a story time once a month for homeschool families so that we can get to know one another or meet others. I also got the invite, for the get-together a few weeks ago, but was unable to attend. Thanks for the heads up, but I would still like to meet some other homeschool moms in the area and maybe arrange group discussions or field trips. Anyone interested just leave me a comment with an email so I can get in touch. Thanks!!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Great Finds . . .
For those that know me, I love a great deal!! I was at Target the other day, and decided to look through their $1 bins, as they have some good finds from time to time. They had some school supplies and I filled the cart! (not literally, breath honey) I found some great things and all just $1 each. Here's what we got:
Flash Cards: U.S. Presidents (basic info including dates served, DOB, Death, spouse, interesting facts, also has 4 cards for important D.C. monuments), Insects ( info includes size, color, description, habitat, diet, life cycle, and fun facts), United States ( 1 card for each state including D.C., info includes flag, capital, nickname, statehood, bird, flower, motto, and fun facts), Space (Great info and facts from the atmosphere to the planets, telescopes, meteors, space shuttle, astronauts, and more)
U.S. States board puzzle, U.S. states map 100 piece puzzle, Math Bingo, U.S. Presidents Workbook (goes in line with the flash cards, similar info but with activities), thesaurus, & spanish-english dictionary
There were other flash cards for math that I did not get because we already have some. There were also phonics flash cards, and other things. All for just $1 each! It has been really nice to just shop for the supplies that we need and want for our home school and not the long lists given by the public schools. We also don't feel like we have to make a big shopping trip for new school clothes. We'll just pick something up as we need it or want it. Kind of relaxing.
Flash Cards: U.S. Presidents (basic info including dates served, DOB, Death, spouse, interesting facts, also has 4 cards for important D.C. monuments), Insects ( info includes size, color, description, habitat, diet, life cycle, and fun facts), United States ( 1 card for each state including D.C., info includes flag, capital, nickname, statehood, bird, flower, motto, and fun facts), Space (Great info and facts from the atmosphere to the planets, telescopes, meteors, space shuttle, astronauts, and more)
U.S. States board puzzle, U.S. states map 100 piece puzzle, Math Bingo, U.S. Presidents Workbook (goes in line with the flash cards, similar info but with activities), thesaurus, & spanish-english dictionary
There were other flash cards for math that I did not get because we already have some. There were also phonics flash cards, and other things. All for just $1 each! It has been really nice to just shop for the supplies that we need and want for our home school and not the long lists given by the public schools. We also don't feel like we have to make a big shopping trip for new school clothes. We'll just pick something up as we need it or want it. Kind of relaxing.
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