The Boy

I can't figure my youngest out... he's almost seven (first grade) and has the most unusual reading technique. I know that he is a kinesthetic and auditory learner... which has made learning to read challenging from his visual and kinesthetic mother. Yesterday, Josiah and I were at a coffee store working on his reading book together. We had 1:1 time for an hour working through words. He got silly... asked him a question, he thought about it, and replied, "Umm... I got nothing." When sounding out letters from pictures, he had to add to the picture his own artwork. I got frustrated. Maybe 1:1 time for reading at a coffee store with frappe's doesn't meet his learning style. Today, we stayed home with his sisters. We had the same book out, I cleaned the kitchen, and he was all over the place on the couch but completed SEVERAL lessons - he worked about an hour and a half. I had music going on, his sister was reading out loud next to him, the vacuum on and off. It didn't matter. But he was reading all sorts of words AND spelling them. YEA!

Our Schlearning Year 2008/2009

According to the dictionary, here is the definition of socialization: "The process by which a human being, beginning in infancy, acquires the habits, beliefs, and accumulated knowledge of his society." My children will continue to be "socialized" as we school at home.

Here is a rough outline of what we will be studying this school year 2008/2009:
Math: We are continuing Singapore Math... I love it and the kids love it.
Science: We get the basics from Singapore, fun science learning books, but the kids mostly learn through zoo classes, Discovery Center classes, and classes through the American Museum of Science and Energy.
Grammar: "First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind" by Jessie Wise, "Beyond the Code," and other workbooks with practice sections. Mad Libs have been a great source of fun for the kids learning the parts of speech. I also have the children journal and write "books" with illustrations just to get them to enjoy the writing process!
Spelling: AVKO Sequential Spelling... I highly recommend this!!!
Writing: "Handwriting Without Tears" and "A Reason for Handwriting."
Reading: Phonics, "Explode the Code" and a variety of classic literature mixed in with the children's personal preferences - Marie loves the classics like "Black Beauty" and "Anne of Green Gables." Elizabeth loves the "Junie B. Jones" series. They all love the Narnia books and we are currently reading adapted versions of the Iliad and Oddysey.
Logic: Critical Thinking workbooks... I need more in this area for them.
History: "A Story of the World." We are still currently in Volume One and I have decided that they are enjoying it too much to rush through. We are going back through the book this year and doing many more of the activities. We all LOVE history!!!

We are also beginning a homeschool cooperative within our church which should be a fun outlet. It is a small endeavor and hopefully will not defeat us as did the huge homeschool coops we attended in the past.

The children will continue their outside activities in dance, gymnastics, fitness, and soccer. They have all been cast in The Nutcracker.