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School year

Our school has been quite disturbed but we are now on the road to a more regular schedule. Here are the details of what we are covering for now with my almost 5 year old:


  • Math: Horizon K. We started earlier in the winter when I first started officially homeschooling my boy, but had to stop since i think he was not quite ready for it (we had covered more than 1/4 of Book 1 though). It is going much more smoother now. It is amazing what difference a  few months make. I really like the Horizon Math. It is a spiral kind of teaching, where different  concepts are  introduced at the same time but reviewed frequently which allow more gradual mastery, as opposed to saturation in one setting. Each lesson is of average length, sometimes we do 2 at a time. It is also a rather advanced program. In one review that i read, a math teacher was saying that it is a grade higher than the actual grade. For instance the K books (2 in total) would in fact be a grade 1 level. We have been covering counting to 10, then to 20, then to 30 etc...; time; addition; place value (1st, 2nd, etc...), middle, before, after, left, right; top, bottom;  comparison (taller, shorter etc..); sequencing; days, month; grouping; graphing;

  • Reading: BJU Readers grade 1 with Worktext. I had started with AOP Phonics and Reading K but he found it boring, I think because his reading skills are above level, so i decide to switch to a more comprehension type of reading program which will still strenghten the basic phonics and reading skills. I can't review it yet, since I am still waiting for the readers to arrive. (I know I am late, but lots of things have been happening here). I am looking forward to it though. I am going to be using the readers from CLE I Wonder just for added reading as well.

  • Other subjects We are just gonna go through, The World God Made (CLP) for science; History for Little Pilgrims (CLP) for History


I am still investigating materials for French and Art. for french, for now, since i am a french speaker, I just introduce words to them in everyday living, and for Art, they do a lot of drawing and we listen to a lot of music, mainly Bible and Worship songs as well as classical music. Zach is going to be taking violin lessons sometime in the Fall.
Of course Lots of reading is always on the program.I will be posting our reading list sometime soon
I am planning on introducing poetry as well, but they are not into it very much so I am going to do it very slowly. I am going to be using A Treasury of Children's Poems.
For character training which happens all day long, and for Bible, we are still using Leading Little Ones to God for evening devotion;The Lion children Bible and The children's Book of Virtues.
The plan is to have them memorize some Psalms but I have not been actively working on it yet. Also, for verse memorization, I have some verses on the wall pertaining to character that they are learning as they have to apply them in everyday life, verses such as Ephes.6:1-2;  Rms.12:10; Ephes.4:32; Mat.22:37-39; Phil.2:14-15.

I do not follow any particular curriculum with my soon to be 3 year old. He just tags along for school and I give him stuff to do from the internet or a preschool (2-5) curriculum I had gotten for Zach. He actually likes to do school more that the older one. I finds that the unformal learning that happens in play, reading and computer use,(even TV to some extent, we have to watch that one though!) is very beneficial. That's how Zach learnt his numbers, shapes, and even to read; right now we are takling division in the kitchen. Same thing is happening with Joho as he already knows his shapes, numbers, a few basic words and phonics. I really use the worksheets and workbooks as a way of gauging what they know and don't know and to make sure that everything is covered. I am realizing that I am trying to be a cross between unschooling and classical education, is that even possible?  go figure!

Have a great day!

 

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