Monday, May 28, 2012

2012 Summer

We are now in summer mode of school.

9:00 READ BIBLE (we are following a schedule with our church - hope to read through the OT once in 2 years and the NT twice).

Before 9:00 everyone is responsible for getting themselves up, making bed, straighten room, dress, eat breakfast, clean up from breakfast...  so - depends upon how fast they can do all that stuff - how soon they need to wake up.

9:30 MATH - for those who need to keep on keeping on with Math.  Milo will be doing Life of Fred slowly, using the Khan Academy to learn it a different way, if need be.  Mansel is still doing L.O.F. and so is Tori.

10:00 CHORES... we each have a zone....  After their zone is done - free time.

that's it.  I hope to do some "free reading" this summer... going to sneak in a little reading practice with Milo and Danilelle - don't tell them this is school... it's supposed to be FREE.  :)  We'll sign up for the library book program this summer - that will help motivate them for reading, I believe.

Let summer begin!!  (Actually - I'm looking forward to next fall - I love a new school year.)

Monday, February 20, 2012

We discovered Khan Academy last week.  Stan uses video to illustrate a math idea, then you can practice this concept, all the while earning points.  Milo and Danielle are slowing working their way through the videos.  Each student has to have an e-mail in order to keep the points separated... so Milo is using mine and Danielle is using Toris.... or the other way around... or maybe we've confused them who knows...

Great plan... THANK Khan Academy!

It's free.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

We really are enjoying the Rod and Staff English book that we are using.

I'm doing this orally and with the white board with Milo and Danielle.

I love it!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Library

I have come to realize we don't have a lot of "easy readers".  I went to the library yesterday and checked out 18 books... so- there will be a lot more "reading aloud" done by Milo this week.

I need to make this a weekly or bi-weekly trip!

End of Semester

Mr. Robinson has some very obedient children - I can't believe it.

If I'm not asking my children every day where they are at in school - show me what you have done - where is your report - what did you read today - flash cards... where are you flashcards... they are not doing school.

HOW do Robinson Curriculum users get it to work?

With this in mind... we are switching.  LOL I can't work one on one with some and not others and it's driving me batty.

SO - Milo is now doing this:

BIBLE:
Patch the Pirate devotions
Listening to the Bible; OT and NT selections each day

MATH:
Working on Math facts- he is now writing down addition and multiplication math facts in a chart - working on 0 - 12.  Getting better.

LANGUAGE ARTS:
Memorizing spelling rules such as Usually a is spelled a as in cat.
Latin root words - memorizing mean, and changing vocabulary words from back of cards
Rod and Staff English book with Danielle - 3rd grade level.  We do this aloud - with me writing on the white board.
Italic handing writing book C - practicing to write cursive.

GEOGRAPHY:
We are review countries of the earth in alphabetical order with our church.  Finding them on a map, review statistics.

READING:
Sitting through a read aloud with mom - above level.
Reading aloud to mom - at level.
Free reading 20 minutes a day - below level.

FINE ARTS:
Piano lessons once a week - with 15 minutes practice 5 days a week.

Everything else is gravy.




Monday, September 26, 2011

09/26/2011
Update on Milo's school year.

We are using the Robinson curriculum method this year.

We start off with math.  He is supposed to do 2 hours of math each day.  We at least try do DO math each day, in reality.  For math his goal is to learn the math facts through the 18 family.  He has mastered the 0, 1, 2, 3 families.  All parts of it.  Meaning, addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.  He is working on memorizing the 4 family now.  I think he is almost done - we reviewed on Thursday last week together and he missed about 6-8 of them.   We are using flash cards to help him memorize.  He makes 2 piles - get and miss.  The misses he does over again, and piles them get and miss, until he doesn't miss any more.  Some days he takes his "miss" pile and write them on a window with a dry erase marker, while saying it aloud as he writes.  Trying to make it a visual and auditory practice.

He is memorizing them by rote - not trying to understand them.  Just like scripture - we pump scripture into them as a child and then the understanding comes later on in life.  So for now - he is memorizing the math facts, and then he will begin Life of Fred math books after that.  Why go all the way to the 18 family?  Why not?  Most people go through 12, but if they are in the groove of memorizing, why not shoot for 18? Plus - that is what the Robinson Curriculum suggests.  I'm a rule follower.  ;)

Milo is required to do hand writing each day.  I usually have him write his memory verses.  He has a memory verse from his dad and from his Patch Club. We are trying to memorize Psalm 34 corporately at church.  So that is copy work.   Then after that we use rhymes and poems as copy work for handwriting practice.  10 and under do copy work around here, after that they are required to do 1 hour of free writing each day.  1 essay.  Any topic of their choice.

We then move on to reading.

Milo is still using the GEMM LEARNING web-site to do the FastForward learning program.  Through the end of this week.  After that he is done.    I am looking forward to his "final" test from them to see the amount of improvement, and the areas we still need to work on our own.

He also reads aloud to me from the McGuffy 2nd reader.  This is required reading for the Robinson Curriculum.  I started him almost at the beginning of the list, just because we can.  Ü  I don't want him missing anything in his reading, and causing him to stumble even further behind.  I can tell his reading speed has greatly improved.

We noticed that he is not retaining a lot from Sunday School.  He mentioned to me, "I don't remember what the teacher says when he doesn't ask us to narrate like you do mom."  So - so... I'm wondering if I am a crutch?  We have got to get him to the stage of learning on his own - not just when his mom is in the room.  I like self teaching.  So - how can he learn in Sunday School, where it is just a lecture.  Note taking?  He doesn't like to write, but maybe he can narrate by drawing a picture in a notebook while the teacher is talking?  We go to Sunday School for a reason - it's just as important as week day school is.  I may try that - narrate by drawing so he can review the lesson with us at lunch time that day.

I'm so thankful for the option of home school this child!  Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Monday, September 12, 2011

New School Year

Milo has started his 2011-2012 school year already.  Only 136 days left!

More details to come! °Ü°