Long Over Due Update

 We have been very busy lately and had a lot of changes around the house and with school. I was noticing that all of us, me included, were dreading school each day. 

We have decided in March that what we were doing was not working and we needed to make changes to reduce stress and make learning more fun. We needed to do something different. I had hoped we could use a one size fits all box curriculum but that was just not working. Instead we have picked from here and there and see if that worked any better. That way we could tailor things to each child. Before we were trying to stay with the same grade with the youngest three since they are 11, 12, and 12. However, some of our kids needed more help, and others needed to be able to go faster in some areas.

We are still doing So Happy to Learn but also use workbooks, and story books for a good part of their learning. 

We found a spelling program, Evan Moor Spelling Skills, we all love that all the kids can use but we are just doing different grades for the kids so it is meeting them where they are at.  For math, Willow is no longer using the Study Time Math program. It is a very good program, but it was moving too fast for her and she was getting very frustrated. She needed constant direction with it. We found a program called Teaching Textbooks that is on the computer and it will explain when she gets something wrong. It also grades her work as she goes along. If she misses too many she can just redo the lesson so she has a better understanding of what is being covered. 

Veronika and Gavyn are doing some work in Teaching Textbooks but it is not their main math program. We are focusing on learning their addition and subtraction facts with Easy Addition and Easy Subtraction. When they have mastered that, they will move onto Abeka math. 

For history, science, and geography I have put together a curriculum with read aloud books. For the month of April we are learning about Biomes and learning about South America. I am reading books about the rainforest, deserts, books about South America, and drawing animals that live in South America. So far the kids have drawn a sloth and a toucan.  We will be learning about the polar regions and forests and looking at map books to discover where all the things we are reading about are. 

Art has now become a daily activity. The kids are loving it! They are learning how to draw all kinds of things with Art for Kids Hub on youtube. This is where they learned how to draw a sloth and toucan. 

For reading and phonics Veronika and Gavyn are working with the Abeka program. They watch the video of the teacher for both classes, and then they read with me afterwards. It is working out very well. Willow is reading from the Pathway readers and has a workbook that goes along with it. 

All the kids have a handwriting program. Veronika and Gavyn struggle with fine motor so we are focusing on printing well and learning to stay in the lines and making letters the correct size before we worry about cursive. Willow is using Pentime for her cursive lessons. Pentime is more than just practicing letters but it has facts that she can learn as she is writing. 

Our day starts with Breakfast and the Bible at the house were we read from the One Year Bible for Children, read from one of our devotional books, read from Luther's Small Catechism for Kids, practice our monthly bible verse, practice our monthly hymn, talk about virtues and manners, we also review our monthly poem. Each child has a folder with their bible verse, hymn, virtue and manners, as well as phonics charts and rhymes which we use for both our Bible and Breakfast time as well as our classroom meeting times. 

Afterwards I head out to the classroom to get everything set up, the kids brush their teeth, use the bathroom, grab their lunch boxes, and head out to the classroom.  We start with a morning meeting where we say the Pledge of Allegiance, have calendar time, go over our phonics, practice the Rhyme a Week (we spend two weeks on the same rhyme), and practice our monthly poem. 

The kids then have a little break from just sitting by doing shelf activities. Each week I place different educational activities on the top shelf and they get to pick which one they want to work on that day. They have to pick a new one each day until they have had a chance to do each one. The activities are things like puzzles, logic clip it cards, matching famous landmark figures with the card that tells what it is, matching bird figures with their name cards, and so much more. The kids enjoy getting to have a time to "play" and do not even realize they are learning.  

Independent work is next. Veronika and Gavyn start working on their school books while Willow works on math on the computer using Teaching Textbooks.  

When the kids are all finished with their books/computer work it is snack time.  While the kids are having snack, I start reading our monthly themed books. This month we were learning about South America and Biomes around the world. So far the kids have learned about deserts and rainforests in South America and some of the animals that live there. Today in art the kids drew a sloth, yesterday it was a toucan, since those are some animals that live in South America. 

After the stories are over the kids go outside to play for about 20 mins before coming back for an afternoon circle/meeting time. We review phonics, bible verses, poems, and flash cards. We also work on conversation cards and answering with full sentences which is one of the things they all struggle with. 

Lunch is next, the kids bring their lunchboxes into the classroom and then get started on their independent work once they are finished, Willow works on her school books, and Veronika and Gavyn start working on their Abeka Phonics and Reading. 

To end the day the kids do art with Art for Kids Hub. We have only been doing this since the start of April but it is going so well and the kids are loving all the changes we made.