We finished our last week of school for 2014!! In some ways, it's still hard to believe we are homeschoolers....and in other ways, it's hard to imagine that Raymond went to public school up until June this year!
Raymond got some cool "extra curriculars" to start the week with archery with Mr Jesse (and Daddy) and then geometry and angles (aka billiards) with Daddy! Yes, he does stay in feeties most mornings and I'm okay with that. Love that cute boy in his feeties.
Daddy is a great teacher for Evelyn. They really connect in the way they think and he has that patient & calm teaching style that is perfect for her! She is SO close to reading. The flip hasn't totally been switched yet but she can write all her letters & knows most of the sounds! In this pic, they are working on writing and reading rhyming words.
Evie is doing great at writing her name each morning with all capitals & then upper/lower combo. She has great handwriting and finally got that lowercase "y" correct!
All the free Frozen & Christmas themed printables have lasted to keep Annabelle occupied. Her fave words at the table are, "what else can I do?" I will have to get some more piles ready for January! :)
These sticks from Celeste are coming in real handy now. And the sight word puzzle. Evelyn is SO close to reading 1st reader books. We just have to continue lots of reading together, lots of sight words like this and writing and I know it will all click.
I am very proud of the amount of snuggles & quality time I've gotten with the kiddos. Wintertime is so perfect for lots of couch time for books & moving & snuggles and I am really enjoying it! Just look around the house and you will be able to tell how much time I've spent "just being" instead of rushing around doing!! I know the kids just want ME more than anything... and I'm trying hard to give that best present of ME especially in this season.
Good job, Daddy - following through on doing science with RR for me. Here they are doing some electricity learning again. This concludes Unit 1 in RR's curriculum. We have done very little desk work on science but when we did the Unit 1 Review and "Test" - he aced that. Science is learned all over the place! This unit was physics & chemistry. Unit 2 is geology & botany I believe.
All of Annabelle's birthday presents have come in handy the past 2 weeks - keeping the girls occupied in the mornings.
I seriously LOVE when the kids all play together, work together or just BE together all working on separate things. I try not to even talk about it or interrupt at all - because whenever I do - it all breaks down :) I just sit quietly and observe and thank God and take pictures to remember!!
.jpg)
RR did a great job on this village!
We enjoyed doing mazes together this week with the chalk. His maze was actually pretty complex & tricky and I actually gave my best when I made mine - but he still zoomed right through it.
I was real proud of myself this day, too. I had run that morning and was just so tired but the kiddos wanted ME so badly and wanted me to play tag and so I did it. They were SO happy and just squealing and smiling so big. God, help me give them these moments EVERY DAY. I LOVE hearing them laugh and seeing them SMILE SO big. It's such a SIMPLE thing to give them - help me give it more!!!!! There's not a better sound & sight then seeing them ALL happy and laughing over a small thing like tag or tickle.
The kiddos love word searches and we had fun at the cubscout POlar Express themed Christmas party!!
RR doing his line, "well what do you have??" After the cubscout party, the kiddos & I went to help with the Manna Ministries boxing up of donated cans. I was real proud of their good attitudes & willingness to work. We talked on the way home a lot about giving, serving and how we give money to Manna and all that. It was a great great night and great conversation. I am loving these ages and really being able to mold their hearts and talk and teach them!!
Raymond had SUCH great behavior at the beginning of this week especially. When Evelyn slept late one day, he asked if he & Annabelle could watch a show and I said no (we don't do TV on school day mornings) and instead of badgering me, he just went back upstairs. When I checked on them..... he had got out markers for ANnabelle & they were just coloring. He said, "she was beginning to wake up Evelyn so I had to find something for her to do". What a big boy, initiator move there!! Very proud of that. He normally isn't like that in the mornings :)
So what REALLY seems to help Raymond a lot is a "schedule". I told him I would only write down what he is doing each day if he promises not to rush through it and just try to fly through to check it off..... but when it comes down to it.... he really DOES seem to help him to SEE what the day is going to hold. Every day is SO different in homeschooling unlike public school so that transition out of security/routine has probably been hard on him.... and if this makes it easier, then I will do it. It's working great so far!!! I recognize that I was really beginning to resent his attitude of "what else?"... "what next?" ....and it's nice to not have to hear that question!!! I really did NOT want to give him a schedule so he could learn to have NO control and just TRUST ME.... but seriously?? he isn't perfect and God is so patient & gracious & willing to work WITH me and my perosnality and teach me slow. Let's take the marathon view & not the sprint!
WE HAVE LOVED having Daddy with us in the mornings!! Wow it really helps me a lot! :) This graphing/dice game was a hit with all 3 of them. We will use this for fractions later on with RR, too.
We got to the beach this week!! And had a great time!
And did crafts at the library afterward. This about sums them up... Mr rush through..... Ms Sugar...and Ms Spice :)
ANd again,.. LOTS of snuggles & couch time this season. HEre's the ROoks' nightly couch choo choo pulling into the station :)
We tried to read ALL our Christmas books in one night. We couldn't make it!
More snuggle time. Best lessons, ever.
Best Christmas present ever. It's 6 years old and going strong. They have been playing so good on this and TOGETHER. I love it! Like I said, I can't draw attention to them, interrupt or even thank them for playing so good - I just have to become invisible and enjoy the moment however long it lasts. I am SUPER thankful especially that they got train-re-inspired this week because at the end of this week I got one of those pinched nerves in my neck and just didn't feel like doing anything but resting with heat on me so it was perfect timing for them to be into the train and occupying themselves without complaint. Another gift from God!!
In history, we moved on from Native Americans & early explorers and are now reading Rush Revere & the Mayflower and learning about the pilgrims and 1600s!
Raymond cruises right through our desk work each morning without a problem - Math, Spelling, Handwriting, Grammar, Language review. He has a great rhythm of that down and excels through all of them! He is doing great at his piano scales and we read lots of "extra" stuff as I find interesting things in music, art, social studies, etc.
Homeschooling is soo great and 2015 will be even better!!! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment