Tuesday, May 10, 2011

An Update on What We Have Been Up To

Ok - I admit it!  It has been WAY TOO LONG since I posted on this blog!  We just get so busy doing normal life that I sometimes forget to share! We are really winding down on Kindergarten!!  It is EXCITING to be so close to finishing our first year of homeschool!!  It's a lot of fun too when you realize you have just completed the last page of a workbook!!

Seth has had an awesome Kindergarten year!  He has learned to count to 100, knows all the sounds of his alphabet, can read 3 letter words, and even has started recognizing some of the blends such as ck, double letter sounds, ch, and st!  He can do simple addition and subtraction with the help of math manipulative (such as counting bears).  He has also learned almost 100 sight words!!

We have learned this year, and I am a FIRM BELIEVER, that the best learning comes just from living life! Here is a picture of Seth learning how to read a ruler while he was out playing in the shop with his dad.


I had an opportunity to attend my first Homeschool book fair and convention!!  And it was an added bonus that my mom was able to go with me!!  I really enjoyed seeing all the different options that are available to homeschooling families!!  What an encouragement that was!  And no, I did not get overwhelmed.  I researched beforehand and knew what I wanted to specifically look at and I spent a lot of time in prayer that morning before I went and asked for God's leading and guiding!  And man He did!!!

I have decided to continue with My Father's World as our core curriculum!  Their first grade material just looks so awesome!!!  In fact I have already started reading over the teacher's manual and my mind is already flooded with ideas!  It will be a fun time this summer planning for this!

And Aaron has been choosing to participate more and more in "school".  Of course it is very much when it is his idea!  (which is still ok for now...he is still quite young!)



But I did find some good, cheap, simple workbooks for Aaron for pre-k next year! I am hoping that he will think they are fun and they will help him to want to get involved more and more with school.  But it will be very relaxed still...I may be totally wrong, but I have a feeling that he is going to be one of those "late bloomers" when it comes to school.  But he may surprise us all!  I am just telling myself over and over in my head to take it slow and easy with him!  That is the beauty of homeschool!  He will do a lot better if he is not forced or rushed!  I know without a doubt that he is super super smart!  He is going to excel!  I just don't need to push it!

Of course he will also participate in a lot of the activities with Seth, especially when it comes to science, art and even reading time (I plan on making the read aloud time suggested in the MFW manual a time when all 3 of them will be read to!)

Oh, and speaking of reading...have you heard of Hank the Cow Dog??  I have been reading about these books for a while and have thought my boys would love them!  Well I bought the first 5 books at the fair and I bought each of the kids their very own little stuffed Hank!  We are all excited to start reading about Hank's adventures!!!

Seth's 1st grade year is going to be a fun year!  I have no doubt about it!!

Oh and did I mention that our little princess turned 2??
I found SO MUCH stuff about princesses and raising your Godly little princess at the book fair!!  OH MY!!  When she is a few years older I am going to be in BIG trouble!!  LOL!! (but it sure will be fun!!)