Homeschool III

We started school at 8:30 today. We always begin with a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a song. This week and next we are practicing “Give, Said the Little Stream” because the girls are singing that in Sacrament Meeting on the 19th.

After the opening Eve and Marie hit their books and do ‘self study’ while I help the younger ones. I helped Sara with her reading. She learned to read using ‘Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons’. Now I use our Hooked on Phonics that I received free from Rush Limbaugh about 6 years ago to go over phonics rules and strengthen some of her weak spots. We went over her language arts (I’m using Abeka right now) and her math (Abeka). If she completes her work neatly with good handwriting then she gets out of doing copywork.

I then did a reading lesson with Abby, again using ‘100 Easy Lessons’. Today I didn’t do any math with her. I’ve been doing a unit study with Sara and Abby on light and shadows. We locked ourselves in the bathroom (only room without a window) and made shadow puppets on the wall. I also traced their side profiles for old-fashioned portraitures. They giggled at how they looked! Earlier this week we made a shadow clock (nail stuck in a board) and traced the shadow of the nail at the top of every hour. The next day we went out at the same time to see if the shadow 'told' the correct time.

At about 10am I checked Marie's science test that she took today and then we did a lesson from Math-U-See. She just wasn't getting the concepts through the Saxon or Abeka that I tried. Math-U-See has really helped her and given her a boost in her math abilities. When Eve finished the last of her subjects we continued our unit study of North American explorers. We are using this book from Evan-Moor as a guide. When we are done we will make lapbooks from all the information we have gathered and compiled into fun mini books. Eve and Marie learned about John Cabot today, made small paper compasses, and also made hard-tack to taste what most sailors had to eat on their journeys. That took so much time we didn't get to our root words study. I'm using "English From the Roots Up". We have really enjoyed learning about the English language and making connections between words. I check Eve's work and help her with any questions she has with her school and then we are done!

Eve and Marie are required to do language arts, math, science, handwriting or copywork, and spelling each day. All the girls also take piano and violin lessons so they have to rotate practicing those as well.

At night I read aloud to them. Currently we are reading "Where the Red Fern Grows". We have to read in the evening because Joseph loves to hear the books too.

That pretty much sums up a regualar school morning at our house. We usually get done in time to pick up the living room and kitchen before lunch. Some days we get everything on my list accomplished some days we don't.

Debbie just plays with her toys and dolls and is pretty good at keeping Laura occupied while I'm helping the younger girls. When they're done they run off to play outside.