Homeschool Happenings

Homeschool has been going well. I think sometimes my kids miss some of the larger social aspects of school but I haven't done my part to get them out and around other kids very much lately. After our terrible time with the flu last year, I am finding myself very content to be homebodies throughout cold and flu season. As soon as we move, I am looking forward to getting the kids involved in some good activities where we can make friends. I also hope we can see some of our friends there more often. Abby talks abut Jen's daughter Rosie sometimes. I guess she's the only other little girl her age who she knows is homeschooled. I want to definitely have some play-dates this Spring. Here's a wrap-up of everything we have done in January/February:

After the break, Abby started the 1st Grade level of the reading program I bought her. She is flying through the lessons and has almost finished the whole thing! I am so excited for her. After 5 more lessons, she will be through with it and she will have a very nice foundation on which to build. She's reading things all around her - headlines on TV, boxes and labels at the store, the funny papers - and I have learned to play it cool. She tends to shun the spotlight and would rather I didn't make a huge deal out of it all the time. An educator friend told me that we should continue to read aloud to her for years to come but to make sure we're reading 1-3 grade levels above her. This has opened up a whole world of great books. Baxter got to read Old Yeller and I just finished Little House in the Big Woods. Now it is his turn again with Where the Red Fern Grows. When I think about how far she has come in these few short months, I can hardly believe it. Homeschooling her was definitely the answer for us and although it has been hard at times, it was worth every bit of effort.

We have also started a few new lessons since Christmas. I bought them the complete Hooked on French program. Since I speak a little, it's been fun for me to share my love of the French language and culture with them. Right now we are focusing on Anatomy, using the Dr. Seuss book Inside Your Outside. We have learned all about the brain and nervous system and now we're learning about the heart and lungs. Before this, we did a unit on sewing that was really fun. Abby has really enjoyed learning how to sew. We made superhero capes for all of our friends in Yoga Sprouts. It was a great lesson in how to follow directions, units of measure, stitch techniques and their purpose, how a sewing machine works, and so much more. Ford did a little hand-stitching and hasn't been that interested - but he loves his cape! I wanted to share our little project with you and here is the blog where I found the simple design and directions that we used: kcquilts

Here are a few pictures from our Yoga Sprouts class on "Superhero Day" - Ms. Rachael really looks spiffy in her cape, don't you think? We made the girls capes in turquoise/pink combinations with either key lime green or purple ties. We chose either black or dark green capes with red corduroy letters for the boys. I will post more when I get my camera back from Atlanta!