Here are my thoughts as we have only one week left before we begin our third and last term of this school year (we have three terms of 12 weeks each, you can see our schedule here). I do think we are going to go a little beyond the ending date I have there just to finish some more of our history up but other than that we are right on track for the most part.
Here's how our 2nd term has gone:
Math- Biggest A seems to really enjoy doing math. We are going to finish about 3/4 of his book from R&S this year. He will have mastered a lot of his math facts including long division, multiplying and dividing fractions. He also has learned how to accurately measure things around the house from windows for curtains and measuring in baking and cooking. I also have him helping at the grocery store to add in some living math where I can.
Bible- He finished his study on John and recently started the book of Acts. Even though he has learned a great deal with R&S BNRS this year, I will not be returning to it next year. We have something else in store but will explain that in another post later. I felt safe going with a workbook for checking for reading comprehension this year but do not enjoy it at all. I may decide to only have him do certain parts of it in term three and just add more discussion and narration. I am feeling more led that way anyways...
Read Alouds:
We have done too little reading aloud. This next term we are going to read more instead of making sure the workbooks get done.
Grammar & Spelling:
We got rid of R&S English. My ds just wasn't retaining anything. R&S has a lot of oral drill and unfortunately my ds is a visual learner with some auditory processing issues. He has been working in his Language Lessons for the Elementary child though and I have been having him do a grammar worksheet here and there for review and to aid in retention.
He is zipping along in his R&S spelling another one of his strong subjects. Next year will be less listy and more dictation.
History:
This has been a difficult subject because I tend to over plan and if I don't have a plan, well we just dont do it. Weird I know. We are moving along nicely now, but the beginning of the term was hard. I do know we'll finish this book (using it as a read aloud with a few projects thrown in here and there) and it will give a great biblical overview of the ancient times.
Science:
Biggest A loves science..he is a self started when it comes to this subject and in this term I just have let him go. I haven't sat him down to fill in a workbook or even made do anything really scheduled. He is drawn to the sciences and I am trying to provide whatever I can to encourage that. He's been on a "weather" kick for most of this year so we bought him a few things for Christmas that he uses daily. The weather kit we bought has a ton of projects including making your own rain gauge (that he checks everyday) and a weather journal (that he writes in everyday). We also got him this weather pocket guide that he takes it with him wherever we go to check on cloud formations and the like. Right now he is showing an interest in how magnets work so we are going to start looking into that. We are also reading through Apologia Astronomy and notebooking from that.
All of our extras just have been done here and there, nothing really scheduled so I want to make sure I get them in more next term also (if I could just pull away from all of the "workbookish" stuff we'd have time ;) I am going to spend the next week scheduling in a composer study, some poetry and more art! We NEED it this time around! I also know that with Spring on its way, we are going to be spending A LOT more time outdoors so my review of our next term will look much different than this one (can we say nature notebooks anyone?)
Time is FLYING this year! I am already working on our plan for next year! I am so excited to share with you what we are going to be using (God willing) and a back up plan soon to come should that not be economically feasible ;P
6 comments:
Did I tell you I dumped the workbooks for the last unit for the kids. That means Buttercup finishes up Acts this week. She's workbook free for the rest of the year. DragonFly has just been reading his BNRS aloud to me instead.
Okay, I'm going to tell you that Acts is a really tough unit in BNRS 4. I might just have Albert trace the movement of the characters on that washable map and not worry about the workbook.
It sounds like a great term. I look forward to see what you are planning for next year. :)
No idea what BNRS is...
But I LOVE the delight-directed science study your son is pursuing!! I have one of those self-driven researchers here, too. Always thinking...always questioning...
It took me a couple years before I could finally chuck the workbooks that got in our way. There are some that still work for me, but the others which just drained the life out of all of us got kicked to the curb!
And I know how you feel about the economic factor of homeschooling. I have wishlist items up the kazoo! :D
Haha...sorry about that Laura Lee..BNRS is Rod and Staff's Bible and Reader Nurture Series...their bible/reading program :D I just assume everyone knows about it.lol!
Thanks for the heads up Daisy...I am seriously contemplating what the rest of our year is going to look like in trying to get us ready for next year ;)
Looks like you have covered alot this term and have alot of exciting things planned for next term! I so understand the workbook thing. It has been a little monkey on our back this year too! You feel 'secure' with it, knowing it is a sure thing that is planned out... yet sometimes it takes so long to get all the workbooky things done, there isn't enough time for reading aloud, projects, arts and crafts etc. The workbooks are shedding around here too!
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