Week One at Island Christian Academy

has mercifully come to an end! Nah, not really, it wasn't that bad! In fact, we did a six-day week. Since it's Harry's birthday Tuesday, and it's a crummy weekend weatherwise, we did Monday's lessons today so we can Tuesday off and still stay on pace!

Let's see some highlights from what we covered:

Bible: We're using a combination of God's Story & Me which is 52 weeks of active devotionals for kids, as well as Gotta have God. This week we studied Creation and the boys are learning that all things come from God. We also read about Noah and the flood, and the importance of trust and faith. Both boys did well with the concepts and REALLY look forward to Bible time.

In Math it's all review. We're using Saxon, which overall is known to be a solid curriculum, but for now it's just basic stuff he already knows. I have to say my instinct was to double up on lessons, but I'm glad I didn't. Although it's review work for Skip, the summer tends to fry his brain, so just reinforcing what he already knows isn't necessarily a bad thing. For Harry, we focused on writing, recognizing, and grouping for numbers 1 -5. We also reviewed circles & squares. For Harry some is new, some is not, but he's does well when he gets into school mode. Generally he'll be gung-ho for the first 20 minutes, then lose interest, but he's realizing there is plenty of time for work & play during the school day! I think Skip's favorite part of Math however, is the "Math Meeting Book" which teaches them to read a calendar, write out dates in full, graphing things like weather conditions (how many days in each month it is sunny or rainy, etc.) patterns, and counting skills. It's a pretty neat little concept! As the year goes on, it will include learning to count out money to match the day (On the 22ND for example, he'd come up with coins to equal 22 cents), and a few more I can't recall without the book in front of me.

In History & Geography it's all very basic as well for the first three weeks or so. We are using a Bible based curriculum by Alpha Omega. There are 10 books in all and he's on book 1. The Theme is You Are Special and we covered topics such as "You are God's Child". "God Made Me" & All About You". Harry was able to do about 50 percent of the work - I just photocopied Skip's worksheets or found a similar page online. That seems to work well. It will be a few weeks before they get into anything new but as I said, it's good being able to get back into a school routine with work that isn't overwhelming.

We also do daily penmanship using Horizons, and Journaling. I found a great "fill in the blank" type journal specific to his grade level (one) and it's been great! Today it was "I like my home because" He gets to fill it in the way he likes, but can ask me to help with spelling if he wishes. I don't want to discourage him from expressing himself on paper by correcting the spelling or grammar, so I just let him go at it. Today he did ask for help spelling a work. I only plan to check it once a week to be sure he's actually writing "something", but haven't done that yet! A small corner of each page is reserved for pictures to go with what he writes. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't! During this time Harry practices writing letter or strokes in an notebook. Not too much resistance from him!

Science, which is also by Alpha Omega and starts with reviewing some basic concepts. Skip is on book 1 of 10 in the first grade series, and it's entitled You Learn With Your Eyes. We're half way through the book, so we're right on track. Since much of the work has had to do with colors and shapes, I've used this time to provide similar work for Harry. He has pretty much knows the 10 basic colors: red, blue, yellow, green, pink, purple, brown, black, white & orange. He sometimes confuses pink & purple, but getting better. The boys really enjoyed the class on blending colors. We used water and food coloring to create four basic colors, then blended them to create new colors. They then recorded their findings in their Science Journals.

I've been able to have them work together in learning the colors by making up simple games. For example, I'll hold up a purple triangle, and ask Harry to give me the color, and Skip the shape. Another game is similar - I hold up a colored card, and they try and see who can be first. Harry has to say the color, Skip has to hold up the word card for it -(i.e. purple or black) . They enjoy it very much and seems to be helping both in different ways!

During Hands-On (my term for what most would call Art) one day Mike took them outside they built firetrucks from a kit. THEY LOVED IT! On Monday they're gonna go outside and paint them. We've also done a flag art craft (emphasizing colors) but it didn't compare to working with TOOLS!

Skip uses Saxon for Phonics, and he's been reviewing the letters N,O,I, P,T. Pretty easy and basic, but he's learning keywords to help recall the sounds they make, and learning about coding words (long vowel, short, etc.)

All of our Reading Material has fit in with the topics we're covering in other subjects. We've read several versions of Noah's Ark, F is for flag, A book about shapes, and my favorite, Caps for Sale! We usually snuggle up on the couch in the classroom for this, so they look forward to this time. Harry manages to hold his own, and I do try to fit in a book every few days specifically for him.

We have not yet gotten around to ordering the Rosetta Stone for Russian. Quite honestly, my intent is to use in the evenings when Mike is home, as more a fun learning time for all of us. Why? For one, I forgot initially. Biggee! Then I realized that while the weather is still warm, the boys HATE to come indoors until they absolutely have to - which is when it's time to start their bedtime routines. So, I rethought it, and decided to wait until the boys are comfortable with and used to their school routine. I figure by early October, the won't be going outside after dinner because it'll be dark (we eat late!) and our nites will be long enough to introduce this concept!

As for field trips, we're visiting the all new Ocean Explorium on Tuesday for Harry's birthday, and will use the experience to reinforce some Science concepts! My goal is at least one outing every other week.

All in all, it was good, if not long, first week. Harry seems to need to have about 50/50 play/learn time, so we've adjusted our schedule several times, trying to get it to where it works for all of us. As it is now, Harry is done by 12:15 when we break for lunch, and immediately after that he naps while I do phonics with Skip. If Skip had work he didn't finish during the morning, he does so after the phonics.

All things considered, I'll give this week an "B+". Hey, you know, gotta leave some room for improvement!

Week one in Pictures.

First day of school breakfast: A donut from Dunkin Donuts. I suppose it won't win me mother of the year, but they loved the treat!

The day begins with pledges. hands on their Bibles, they wait to begin the Bible Pledge.

Pointing to the letters during the Alphabet Song

Color Song...

Hard at work...well trying to find his pencil at least.

Creative play...playing with the farm set.

Finally, a guy project!

Admiring their work.

This day they were actually downstairs BEFORE 8:30, waiting for me..

"Me" Collages - Can you guess whose is whose?

Practicing Shapes on the Magna Doodle

When Devin & Matt came to visit and they went out to the trampoline, we called it "GYM"!

Learning about blending colors to create other colors.

Recording their findings.

From 12:00 to 12:15 when Harry's day ends, they clean! The weekly "Helping Hands" chore assignment board can be seen above Harry's head!

We've doubled our enrollment

...since the first day of school last year that is....

And so now with TWO students instead of one, Island Christian Academy has begun it's 2009-2010 school year.  Today was our first "official" day of school (we've been having informal, abbreviated sessions for the past two weeks) and it was a huge success.  Started only three minutes late, ended only 20 minutes or so late (for Skip that is  - who has two classes in the aft. while Harry naps).

Some expected tweaks will need to be made to the schedule to accomodate both Harry's attention span and Skip's dislike of writing (move journaling, penmanship & spelling around so they're not back to back to back) but otherwise it looks like we'll be in good shape.  Our day begins at 8:30 with Prayer, Pledges & Bible Lessons  - which both boys do together. From then on, they usually are NOT doing the same things.

Harry very much enjoyed the media area and couldn't wait for his chance to watch a DVD (even if it was a Shapes and Colors one rather than the Thomas the Tank he was aiming for) and he  REALLY enjoyed the "creative play" area outside the doorway. I set up bins with "quiet" toys such as lacing cards, puzzles, wooden fairy tale themed blocks we brought home from Russia, a magnadoodle, and even a few cars and city street play mat, plastic farm animals, and a few more.  I thought he'd go for the cars, but instead he chose the farm animals, and played with just those the entire time!

As for actual curriculum, Harry began reviewing the colors & shapes he already knows, as well as several letters.  During Social Studies he initially asked to play in the creative area again, but once Skip & I got underway, it caught his attention and he ended up joining in. 

THe first month or so will be review as far as Math & Phonics, and this year we've added a full curriculum of Science & Social Studies, as well as Penmanship & Spelling. Art & Music are scheduled a few times a week, and for the most part will be a group effort.

I figure it will be a few weeks before I have an established schdule in place, but all in all, I'm encouraged by the way it went today!

Pictures to follow tomorrow. They're downstairs, I'm upstairs. I'm tired. I'm going to bed....and rest up for another fun-filled day!

tic. toc.

Time is simply flying by, and in 10 hours the 2009-2010 school year will be underway officially! With almost all the preparations completed, there was just one more thing to do: Read a few books before the kids went to bed:

The Kissing Hand & the Night before Kindergarten!

Guess we're ready now!

Let the School year begin!

I can hardly believe that tomorrow we are starting our second year of homeschooling! A year ago I was so nervous about this undertaking, but slowly realized I did indeed have it in me! Over the course of the year I became more and more confident, and know can't imagine sending the boys off to public school! I remember last fall when Skip was struggling (in my eyes) with the foundation one needs to learn to read. He was getting it, but oh-so-slowly (again - in my eyes).  And then one day it clicked and he was sounding words out on his own. I remember feeling so proud of our accomplishment! And I remember thinking that I would have missed it all had I not chose to homeschool! The same with so many other little things. Learning to count by 5,s then 2's, etc. I was there to witness them all! 

So as we head downstairs to school in the morning, I have a peace. Peace that comes from knowing you've made the right decision. No, scratch that. The peace that comes from knowing you've taken the only path there is!

Gearing up for a new school year.

Funny thing is I started this blog LAST year, and things got SO crazy right after we began classes (Two trips totalling almost 4 months in Russia from Sept til February) and then adapting to life back home with Harry) that it never took off. I figure I better start now, or else the year will fly by! I hope to post at least weekly, to show what we're doing, learning, discovering.

Skip "officially" begins Kindergarten this year, although we're using a Grade 1 curriculum. I did ALOT of research over the summer and ended up with a variety of different publishers. We've got a combination of Saxon,, Lifepac, Alpha Omega, and more. Harry will be doing a Pre-K curriculum, using mostly Hooked on Phonics and "Sing, Spell, Read". Both boys will begin Russian lessons as well, using Rosetta Stone for Kids. I'm excited to be starting my second year of homechooling, and not nearly as nervous as I was last year!

I've been busy getting the classroom ready, and while I still have a few more things to do - the majority is done. The thing is Mike & I are planning to remove a temporary wall in the room - which will open it up to the french doors, giving us less storage, but much more space to work with. The wall went up about 9 years ago, and was never intended to be permanent, and has outlived it's intended purposes. THAT however, is a winter project, so for now, I made the most of what I had to work with!

Harry was more than happy to try out the headphones in the new "Media" area. Since I'm gonna need more "quiet" time to work with Skip this year - on subjects like Math, Phonics & Reading, I wanted a space for Harry to be able to sit and watch some educational DVD's. My intent is to have him watch one-half hour a day (or more if I absolutely have to) and then try and get him to use the other new "area" which I set up for quiet, constructive play.
A look at the boys desk area. Mike hasn't finished resurfacing Harry's new "old" schoold esk yet, so in the interim, he'll use the table at the back like he did last year. It's not ideal, but for a few weeks, it'll do!

The calendar wall on the right, "Helping Hands" weekly chore chart, center, and on the left is Harry's HOP posters to mark his progress in Letters, Shapes & colors.

Another shot of the media area. The couch on the left gives us a comfy place for reading, and is a nice spot to sit together for Bible class. The bulletin board for this month reads: Read your Bible, Pray everyday & you'll Grow, Grow, Grow. It's a line from one of the boys favorite VBS songs this past summer.

View from the entrance to the room.

The temporary wall that will hopefully soon be removed, now serves as my storage area.

This is the other "area" I created for Harry to have room to play quietly while on work with Skip. It is right outside the doorway into the room, and lets me see what he is doing at all times!

And finally, our bulletin board right outside the door. It is where we display their work, and generally is changed every month. Since we're starting so late, this will be the Aug/Sept. design. It says 2009 - Sailing back to school.