We started with the creative writing pieces on our first day of school. They did really well although we had to stop and they had to pick up later in the day. They would write all day if I let them. Today was the first day in the Easy Grammar workbooks. These are really great. The teacher's guides are easy to use and there are different games and activities throughout the book to help them memorize what they are learning such as prepositions etc. Marissa is right on level with what I ordered and the twins are breezing through theirs so I am a little concerned that I may be ordering another set before the year is out. Such as life! Handwriting is their least favorite for sure. I think I will be eliminating this for Marissa and letting her demonstrate it solely in her creative writing pieces and monitoring it for her writing is immaculate. The twins are getting ready to start to learn cursive so it is imperative I continue to teach the proper slants, vertical and horizontal lines and most important shape of each letter before we move onto cursive.
Last night I watched the MathUSee Instructional DVD to see how the twins were going to be learning their math with manipulatives. Every lesson is broken down into an instruction with the blocks to add a visual so basically it is like helping them develop a photographic memory when it comes to Math. Because Math is so sequential it is essential they master every component in order....MASTER being the keyword here! I am starting over with Math with the twins. The lessons are so brief that it will take no time at all to start at the beginning and review it. I like the books because they have several worksheets to pick from, reviews that include previous material, cumulative tests and also enrichment critical thinking work so that they are always challenged. The beginning is a little dry for them because it is review but I think it will be good for them to start this way, especially after summer. It was nice to see them enjoying counting with blocks instead of their fingers. I am hoping this program is a good fit for us. After reading the reviews it seems to be very effective. Marissa is working out of the Saxon Math books. I say BOOKS here because I ordered the 5th grade and it was not hard enough. I had to reorder the next grade up and all of the corresponding materials for that level. To say the least I am very eager to get the beginning of school under my belt so that I can get them on task for everything. Next year will be so much better because I can go to the convention and purchase everything I need there and be set for the year. I have learned SO much already. I am such a pre-planner that waiting over 6 weeks for those placement tests to come back killed me and then to see they were totally off on so much I was basically starting over. I guess I was really scared to take the leap and be responsible for my children's education when once I was forced to do it on my own, it turned out my choices were more challenging and enriching than anyone could have ever chosen for them. My motto proves right once again, "EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON!"
Science we read through the first section in our Botany book which they really enjoyed. The way it is written is really nice because it is almost like someone is talking to them instead of a boring typical text. We talked about all the experiments we would be doing inside to prepare for the big garden experiment in the Spring. They each have scientific journals that correspond with each lesson in the book that integrates hands on activities to the lesson to keep it fun and interesting.
For History we took turns reading through 25 fun facts about Ohio from the 1700s through 2000 including territory discovery, sports and even the invention of the Hot Dog which believe it or not originated from someone born in OH. They really enjoyed reciting these as I wrote them on the white board. Their favorite was the Ohio Michigan border dispute of 1836 because it proves OH and MI never have really gotten along, not just in football:)
We ended the day with learning how to draw a buffalo and doing a tissue paper Fall tree which they loved while listening to Skip Count music for Math. That CD and music book is very average. We will be headed to the library for some new music to learn and master for our music curriculum.
Tomorrow is another new day! But for now, signing off for more lesson planning:) Hopefully it isn't another late night!
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