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!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
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.
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.
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°
More details to come! °Ü°
Thursday, February 12, 2009
7 and 8
I love LFBC. Have I said that already?
I do, I really do.
We are keeping on track.
How is that for an update? Keeping on track! Woo Hoo!!
What more can I say?
10 more day of school under our belts.
I do, I really do.
We are keeping on track.
How is that for an update? Keeping on track! Woo Hoo!!
What more can I say?
10 more day of school under our belts.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Week 5 and 6 of LFBC
Ok -- so it looks like we are doing week 6 of school over... it's just week 6 of this curriculum. Woo Hoo -- do you know what this means? I've been consistently doing school for a long time! LOL
So far so good with Landmark Freedom Baptist Curriculum. I still like it. I have set up report cards on the computer -- I put in formulas so that it will figure a final grade when all I do it enter in each week's weekly study guide score and weekly quiz score. Just like in school. My dh likes it that way. He wants to know everyone's "grades".
Milo is getting an A+ in Math. He is on lesson 74 of 100 EZ lessons. Now we are learning letter NAMES (not sounds) and reading them the "different" way. No more long sound marks, or joined letters. He is doing his lesson right now actually. He was to read the story and when he wanted to he was to ask ME a question about the story. So -- I started blogging while he was reading. He didn't think I was listening. :snicker: I wasn't really -- he was right. But he was leave his finger on the sentence and then ask me a question... I'd act like I was thinking... quickly and silently (that's the key) read the sentence and answer the question. He said "WOW, you are good Mom." Oh man... some day I'll confess -- but not today. He'd done reading now -- I'm so proud of him. Steady Eddie... never gives up! He'll finish this book some day. What I am so very glad about is that we are learning at this pace at home -- where there is no pressure to hurry or any feelings of being left behind.
Mansel's report card is widely varied. He is getting a B+ in Math. He just had a bad week where he left a lot of work undone... we'll put a stop to that. I'll hound him for sure. He'll bring that back up to an A soon. He really isn't doing so hot in English. He was wandering off and doing that subject in the cushy chair. Until that grade comes up and he shows me he is comprehending what he is learning -- he'll sit on the hard stool next to me. Today was verbs... he got it quickly... it could be a hurrying thing there too. We'll see.
Tori -- poor Tori. She a slacker. She's got a lot of rework to do. As I have been correcting I've been writing notes to them. They'll have to go back and make their corrections. I don't want them to leave the work wrong. So -- she now has to do all her work in pencil. She has a lot of rework. Some of the things I think I'll have to retype so she can re-do. MOST of it is just not trying. She was trying to do school while listening to her mp3 player. Well -- not now. AND she does her work in the dining room and not her bedroom. Just too many distractions (horse books) in that room. It's just school in general -- she's rather be doing anything else but school. When nice weather hits it's going to be even harder. I sure hope it will be an incentive for her to get her work done so she can go outside. I hope, I hope, I hope!
That being said... I'm all caught up with the grading and their grades are on the computer. THAT is a good feeling!
75 days + 9 more = 84... why not 10? Well -- I went shopping and left the kiddos home with Dan. They cleaned the house instead of school. I guess it could be counted as home ec... but I think I'll count it as a day off. ;)
148-84 = 64 dayS left. Now THAT is a good feeling. Ü
I've been talking a bit with Dan about our schedule. We essentially started over with school in November. Not the number of days, but the work. So I'm not going to promote them until they work is done... but I'll quit counting after 148. So I think I'll still take off April and August like we usually do. We'll just have to start our "school year" in November. We'll always be off... but I don't mind. Dan mentinoed that he would want some time off if he were a kid. So -- we'll stick to the 3 months on, 1 month off as before.
So far so good with Landmark Freedom Baptist Curriculum. I still like it. I have set up report cards on the computer -- I put in formulas so that it will figure a final grade when all I do it enter in each week's weekly study guide score and weekly quiz score. Just like in school. My dh likes it that way. He wants to know everyone's "grades".
Milo is getting an A+ in Math. He is on lesson 74 of 100 EZ lessons. Now we are learning letter NAMES (not sounds) and reading them the "different" way. No more long sound marks, or joined letters. He is doing his lesson right now actually. He was to read the story and when he wanted to he was to ask ME a question about the story. So -- I started blogging while he was reading. He didn't think I was listening. :snicker: I wasn't really -- he was right. But he was leave his finger on the sentence and then ask me a question... I'd act like I was thinking... quickly and silently (that's the key) read the sentence and answer the question. He said "WOW, you are good Mom." Oh man... some day I'll confess -- but not today. He'd done reading now -- I'm so proud of him. Steady Eddie... never gives up! He'll finish this book some day. What I am so very glad about is that we are learning at this pace at home -- where there is no pressure to hurry or any feelings of being left behind.
Mansel's report card is widely varied. He is getting a B+ in Math. He just had a bad week where he left a lot of work undone... we'll put a stop to that. I'll hound him for sure. He'll bring that back up to an A soon. He really isn't doing so hot in English. He was wandering off and doing that subject in the cushy chair. Until that grade comes up and he shows me he is comprehending what he is learning -- he'll sit on the hard stool next to me. Today was verbs... he got it quickly... it could be a hurrying thing there too. We'll see.
Tori -- poor Tori. She a slacker. She's got a lot of rework to do. As I have been correcting I've been writing notes to them. They'll have to go back and make their corrections. I don't want them to leave the work wrong. So -- she now has to do all her work in pencil. She has a lot of rework. Some of the things I think I'll have to retype so she can re-do. MOST of it is just not trying. She was trying to do school while listening to her mp3 player. Well -- not now. AND she does her work in the dining room and not her bedroom. Just too many distractions (horse books) in that room. It's just school in general -- she's rather be doing anything else but school. When nice weather hits it's going to be even harder. I sure hope it will be an incentive for her to get her work done so she can go outside. I hope, I hope, I hope!
That being said... I'm all caught up with the grading and their grades are on the computer. THAT is a good feeling!
75 days + 9 more = 84... why not 10? Well -- I went shopping and left the kiddos home with Dan. They cleaned the house instead of school. I guess it could be counted as home ec... but I think I'll count it as a day off. ;)
148-84 = 64 dayS left. Now THAT is a good feeling. Ü
I've been talking a bit with Dan about our schedule. We essentially started over with school in November. Not the number of days, but the work. So I'm not going to promote them until they work is done... but I'll quit counting after 148. So I think I'll still take off April and August like we usually do. We'll just have to start our "school year" in November. We'll always be off... but I don't mind. Dan mentinoed that he would want some time off if he were a kid. So -- we'll stick to the 3 months on, 1 month off as before.
Friday, January 9, 2009
2nd Semester Has Began!
I talked with Necole, my supervising teacher, recently – she is inspiring!! °Ü°
We are finishing up week 4 of our new curriculum. I'm so glad we switched.
Milo is still working on 100 Easy Lessons. He has started picking up “non-school” things and reading them. Bob books and some books that Dani got for Christmas. So I would call him a very beginner reader. But alas, a reader!
He is on week 4 with the Landmark Freedom Baptist Curriculum. It has been interesting watching him do this workbook style math. He really likes getting A+ on a test. This week he missed 1 question. Oh boy was he disappointed. He is is not a natural at math. He is really working hard at this. I am making him memorize his math facts. I want him to not count on his fingers. I didn't do that with the olders... so right from the start... I'm making him memorize them. So far so good. He started the “6” family this week.
Mansel is also working on week 4. Doing Math, English and Literature. I had an “a-ha” moment with him this week. Last year we did Creation to the Greeks with My Father's World. All kinds of books were read, hands on projects. I learned a TON. Well – Dan asked the family a question from that historical time period. I TOTALLY knew the answer. None of the kids did. WHAT?? What were we doing that whole time?
I think I have read somewhere... doing history with younger kids is nice... but not necessary. They won't remember it chronologically anyway. In fact... the reason you do it in a cycle anyway is because they may not remember any of it. I'm finding that our kids really are not remember a lot of stuff from last years history. The stuff we drill – like reading... doing it every day. Math facts... drill and kill... they are remembering that – but retention – well – it's lost quickly, actually. If we go for 3 months with no math...there needs to be a lot of rework done. I think waiting on history and science is a better use of time, then trying to do it from the beginning and doing it again during the middle years, and then finally doing it all again in high school. I'm still convinced playing with rocks and sticks until they are 6 is the way to go, and we will really make sure they getting it when they are in junior high and high school years.
I'm having Mansel write everything in cursive now that we have started the 2nd semester of third grade. He is using Getty-Dubay Italic handwriting. I find that trying to write in cursive slows him down and his handwriting is more readable. He really wants to write FAST... but then it gets sloppy! I'm looking forward to him slowing down and practicing his cursive.
Literature is probably my favorite subject. I'm wishing it were the kiddos favorite. It's not really – so I'm having him do 1 lesson of literature a day. Test day will be on Friday.
English is going OK. One funny thing... he keeps calling nouns “nuns”. LOL That can be funny. The English lessons are short, so I'm having him work for up to an hour on English, and then quitting. If he gets more than one lesson done a day – then fine. We'll test when ever. If he finishes this sooner than the rest, lucky him.
Spelling – this seems to be a sore spot in all of our lives. I'll just say I've schedule time every day for him to work on spelling. So – maybe you can pray for him a little in this area.
Tori has a time for spelling every day too.
BUT – I'm having her do 1 subject a day. One weeks worth of Science on Monday, with a test at the end of the day. English on Tuesday. Literature on Wednesday. History or Geography actually, on Thursday. Friday – it's bible Memory day. I'm really not happy with her gumption to memorize God's word. So she gets 1 entire morning to work on that.
Math is coming along. Well – rather slowly it's coming along. I sat down with her today and re did an entire test. It only took us 4 hours. That's not bad. I'm not sure what she is paying attention to – but it's not her math. Her hair looks good though. (Rolls eyes!!) We'll keep at it. We home school – she'll be graduating a little late is all. He is starting to scribble way too often. Ack... my poor eyes.
That's a brief update on us. We are all healthy and well.
Finally over the chicken pox, and guess what... having the chicken pox didn't slow our school work down! Yee Haw... that was what I wanted! School work that could be done even when mommy was being nurse, or baker, or candlestick maker. Well – you know what I mean.
Right now I'm at a public school gym, sitting on the floor, watching Mansel learn how to play basketball. Gym class. Ü He has been watching Tori play basketball with the middle school girls. I told him he was going to play like a girl. He was appalled. I reassured him I was KIDDING!! He's not... he is doing fine.
But my buns are cold from sitting on this cold hard floor.
I'll be back. I need to reconfigure how many days we have done so far. Well -- goodness gracious... I hadn't counted since November 3rd. We've done quit a few days since then. Week of Nov 3rd we finished 44. Finishing up the week of Jan 5th we have done 31 more days. So that is a grand total of 75. WOW!! Only 73 more days left.
Make it a good one!!
Thanks for keeping tabs on me Necole. You are a great friend.
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