We've unoffically started our homeschooling again. I struggle because I feel like I'm caught in two realms of homeschooling. I'm facinated by those homeschool moms that have their kids excelling in music and sports and they graduate at 16 and all that. I think it's really cool they're able to do all that. But, how the heck do they do all that! Anyways, I'm caring less and less about being like that. It's just facinating! Then I love the homeschool style where mom's do all these crafts and experiements with their kids and they read tons of interesting books and their kids know big words! I very much love both styles, and I find them facinating, really! But, I seem to have a little of both in me, and a bunch of neither, hahaha!
So I'm very excited, because I've had time to muse on everything through our break. I'm gonna stick with what I feel is important. I've kinda been feeling pulled to do this thing or that. But I'm gonna go back to what I want to be teaching, and teach it how I find it interesting. So for the last two days (yeah... a whole two days...) we're doing just that.
I knew the kids needed to be doing more writing and spelling. A lot of what they're learning in their English books isn't applied unless they're doing writing so they understand it. I was feeling like English was rather like banging my head against a wall, they just didn't really care about all the stupid rules. Now we've started a journal. Writing would frustrate me before, because I was constantly spelling out words for them, then they'd loose their train of thought and we were all frustrated. So, I avoided writing. Anyways, my approch I'm trying (I'll hafta give it longer to see how it works) is to let them write, and sound out all the words. Then after, they read me the story (cause I can't make it out!) and I write out the correct spelling and they copy the wrong words 5 times. I also printed out a list of gr 2 spelling words, so I know the ones they should be tested on, and we'll continue with out Friday spelling bee's.
Math. I've just gone back to doing more pages of sums. I really feel they should know their addition facts inside and out. Today the kids each did 100 addition facts. Levi got 99%, and finished in 5.5 minutes. Kayla got 100% and finished in 6.5 minutes. I'm so proud of them!! I doubt I could have done that at thier age... Levi said he wants to start doing subraction math minutes. The other thing I found exciting (in a sick yet competitive way... I probably need to grow up a little bit! ha!) I was asking some of the kids school friends what they were doing in math, and they haven't started multiplication yet, or carrying over numbers on addition or subtraction. Levi can do both, and has already started on basic multiplication. Now, the reason we're just doing math minutes right now, is because I don't feel that faster is better. I want them to have a really solid base. So we're making sure the basic's are nailed. Next we'll focus on our skip counting (3,4,6,7,8, and 9) then we'll go back to their work books.
Anyways, this is all very exciting to me! Homeschooling is not easy for me, but we're learning and trying new things!!
So, what works for your family? I'd love to hear, I always need more ideas... no crafts though... I'm terrible at crafts. If you love crafts, invite my kids over, cause they don't do much here... Much to Kayla's dismay.
Later all! I'm off to get ready for my new little nephew to come over!
again, I didn't spell check.. sorry
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