Week 1: 2008-9

We started our new school year this week!  My plan is to have 10 months of school to go with the 10 Christian Light Education (CLE) LightUnit workbooks.

The first 5 month semester of 2008 is as follows:

1. June/July

2. August

3. September

4. October

5. November/December

The second 5 month semester in 2oo9 will simply be January - May.

I printed out a monthly assignment sheet for each child, 2 weeks on the front & 2 on the back.  That way, when the assignment sheet is complete, the month is done and you're on vacation.

8th Grade

Amazingly, Ginger was done with everything from "Week 1" by Wednesday and has done some of next week's work already!  Apparently an independent workbook approach is what she needs now...this was not the case for her in 1st grade and I've been trying to stay away from workbooks ever since.

She is using CLE for Language Arts, Reading, Math & Social Studies.  In math she has passed 6 pre-tests (meaning she doesn't have to do the lesson).  At some point she'll get to new material but this is encouraging for both of us!  And yesterday I gave her the first section spelling test in Language Arts -- she got them all right.  That has never, ever happened before. 

For science she is using Total Health and for writing, Wordsmith.  So far, so good on both of those!  In fact, she stayed up until 11pm last night working on this coming Monday's Wordsmith assignment with Momo!

6th Grade

Momo only has 4 subjects right now as I haven't been able to order the rest (waiting for the next billing cycle!).  She is using CLE for Language Arts, Reading and Science.  Yesterday as a part of the science lesson she had to make 10 observations about a tree using as many senses as she could.  I never thought that kind of lesson would be in a workbook.  I'm learning new stuff this week myself! :) 

Momo is also using Famous Men of the Middle Ages with the excellent Student Book and reading Story of the World 2.  I still have to order Lively Latin 2, Sentence Composing for Middle School and a few other things to complete her year.

3rd Grade

My 8yo (he needs a new "name") started Minimus for Latin and is loving that.  His CLE subjects are Language Arts & Reading -- I'm making him (and his older sisters) write everything in the workbooks in cursive.  I can't believe the improvement in all of their cursive in a few short days!  He's done a review pages from each MUS Delta chapter he did last year and will start Lesson 5 on Monday.  For SOTW we only read, no projects.  I still need to buy his My Pals are Here 3 for science and Writing Tales 1.

Our afternoons have been take up with a daily 2 hour chess class!  8yo & Momo both want to join the chess club in the fall.  Ginger is enjoying the class but isn't interested in the club.  I told her we'd find her something else that involves people.  Our family has a serious lack of social interaction and I'm looking to change that in a positive way.  We do volunteer weekly at a local dairy.  Ginger with the petting zoo animals and I in the organic garden, with the other kids helping us both as we're able.  But often it is just our family working alone...which, while pleasant & easy, doesn't develop the ability to interact with others!

Kindergarten

My 5yo (who also needs a new "name") is using The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading and doing excellently.  We've just gotten to blending 2 - 3 letter words and he has to work at it.  But work he is and I am being 100% positive.  No tears over learning to read allowed in this house ever again!  Still, it is hard not to compare him to my 8yo who taught himself to read at 4.  5yo is also using Earlybird Math 2A (he did 1A/1B last year) and HWT My Printing Book.  His printing is actually quite nice, even though he isn't able to read anything he writes!  In August we'll start Five in a Row with 3 other families.  I'm very pleased with what I've chosen for his school year.  Technically, he would be eligible for 1st grade (late July birthday) this fall but I know I've got great materials for right where he is developmentally!

3 year old

Beanie is just kind of hanging out, nothing formal scheduled for him...yet!  He is a talker & a drawer though...he likes to do his "homework" and "reads" to his stuffed animals.   This week he and 5yo played a lot of Playmobil together.

He also likes to "play" chess.  The other day we had the board set up and were playing...well, I was reading something and occasionally moving one of my pieces.  At one point I looked up and all my pawns were lying down on the board.  I asked him what happened.  He said, "Your pawns got offended and they all died. I win!"  

I'm mentally gearing up to potty train him, but keep saying "I'll do it next week."  

All in all, it was a relaxed, great start to the new year.  And we still have 5 more weeks to complete month 1!  Now, I've just got to order the rest of the schoolbooks...