Wow! Our first week is done! I spent MONTHS agonizing and planning...and here we are...DONE WITH OUR FIRST WEEK! It seems like such a milestone!
We had our first day of co-op on Monday and my girls LOVED it! P said it was the BEST THING EVER! A, ever the sweet, sensitive one said that she loved co-op, but favorite part of the day was getting to be with my grandmother.
I was upset on our first day of school because the girls didn't know how to write a two word sentence (they can write longer sentences, but they don't understand that sentences need verbs. I love that our writing program begins with simple 2 word sentences and then shows how to add to them--teaching that you NEED a verb!).
I found these cards in the Dollar Store. We spent some time playing with them. Matching up one noun with one verb and discussing which were sentences and which were not.
Spelling and Word Study went MUCH better than I thought. I actually thought that since we did a field trip on Wednesday, we would have spelling tests on Saturday...but the girls were ready on Friday and both aced their first Spelling tests!!
The girls never used dictionaries in school, but I had them look up and write down the definitions for their vocabulary words and they both did very well on an oral quiz today!
We took notes on Main Ideas and Supporting Details. Then, we started our Reading Comprehension workbooks, which was a bit of a struggle. I had thought we would move on, but I think we will spend a bit more time with this.
A and I are going to start "Drawn into the Heart of Reading" next week by reading a biography about Laura Ingalls Wilder. I am planning on a little curriculum shopping spree this weekend to get an Evan Moore History Pocket "Moving West" to help A understand Laura's time period a bit better. P will do her Literature Discussion with co-op and is really enjoying "A Mouse Called Wolf" by Dick King-Smith.
I had wanted to get our feet wet before adding to the "Core Subjects". Now that our first week is done, I am beginning to look at Science and History curriculum. Jason and the girls made a list of Science kits they want to try and both girls are taking Science at co-op, so I think I will focus on adding a History and Geography curriculum. I am reading everything I can on "Story of the World" and "Mystery of History". I am excited to do some Evan-Moore History pockets with the girls! I love the idea of having a Timeline on the wall of our Learning Area.
We made peanut butter Rice Krispies treats to celebrate our great week!! And now we are walking to Homeschool Park Friday to meet some friends and spend the afternoon playing and chatting!!
I am really enjoying this time with my girls!! In one of the blogs or on-line forums, someone said that the first year of homeschooling is like bringing a baby home from the hospital. I am starting to see how true this is!
When my girls were small, we spent a lot of time doing things together. Then, they started school. They were away from me for 6+ hours a day, had homework, dance class, gymnastics, soccer, ice skating, Brownies, etc. and we had less time together. (And, in all honesty, the time we did have was stressed trying to get homework done before a lesson or trying to make dinner while they did their homework when they were tired and cranky.) Now our time together, so far, has been happy and fun and peaceful. We are learning together. We are growing A LOT. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity with my children.
