Field Trip!

Today we went on a field trip to a Lowes Foods in Cary with the Stripling Homeschool Warriors group. I think most of the families in the group are in our Stake, with a few in other Stakes nearby, I believe. We had a tour of the grocery store/nutrition class. Walked through and talked about the produce, bakery, deli, and meat sections and discussed what you can get there and what foods are good for you. They got samples of some dried apple chips (Rachel didn't like those) and slices of Clementine oranges in the produce section. Both girls LOVED the Clementines! I guess something else to buy for them. :) Last I checked, they didn't like oranges. . . . . In the deli section, they got samples of sandwiches. . .wheat bread with turkey and cheese. . .I just took off the turkey for them of course. Rachel ate it, but said she didn't like the bread because it tasted like turkey. . . lol. I guess the bread took on a turkey taste! They also got cups of some kind of red punch with the sandwiches. In the meat/seafood section, the guy brought out a couple of live lobsters and put them on a little cart for the kids to see up close and touch. . . . .ewwww! Rachel quickly touched it, Michaela was having no part in it!

They also got to go in the back where only employees are allowed and got to go in the big freezer where they store the frozen foods. :) I think that was the big highlight for Rachel because she's been talking about the cold freezer all day! After that, we did a quick walk through the frozen foods section, and the kids had to mention things they liked that they saw. That was pretty much it. . .they got stickers and a coloring page at the end.

This past week

I'm going to try just summing up the week in one post rather than do a daily run down of what we do each day. :) Last Friday, Rachel finished up the Primer level math book. As of today, she's in the middle of lesson 2 of her Alpha (first grade) math book. Been reading lots of books this week, and working out of a couple first grade workbooks focusing on blends and beginning word sounds. She wrote in her writing journal one or two times. Did a cooking lesson for Home Ec on Monday. Worked on learning how to spell some words correctly, among other things but don't want to list them all and make this overview of the week too boring! Guess I'll just mention the highlights. She'll be going back to school on Monday. . . .such a sad time for both her and I. :( She isn't wanting to go back. Who can blame her though? School sucks! That's why we want to homeschool! Homeschooling does keep me busier, but it's a worthwhile busy. Especially if it means my child not being dumbed down and progressing through the levels at her own pace without being held back, and the big one. . . wasting her time! Hopefully the next 9 weeks flies by!

With Michaela, still working on the basics, letter sounds, getting her comfortable with writing with a pencil so we can begin learning how to write the letters and numbers. :) Rachel had a workbook at her age that had her just tracing basic lines going in different directions and swirls. I need to find another one like that for her! I think that may help. . .at least worth a try! Something else to be on the look out for while at the stores.

Getting closer to starting that new math book!

She did 4 pages in math today! Three more and we graduate to Alpha! We continued reading in the Amelia Bedelia book. Did some workbook pages from a beginning first grade workbook, and did quite well actually! Guess I should just save all the undone pages from the Kinder workbooks for Michaela. They're too easy for Rach. We also went over a few words she misspelled in her previous writing assignments. I had her study them, write them over and over, and then quizzed her on them.

Michaela did alphabet flash cards with Rach again this am while I nursed. I also attempted to see if she could trace a line to see if she's ready to start learning to trace/write letters. She could kind of do it. . .needs a little more time and/or practice. She was more interested in scribbling on the page!

Short day

Just some math, writing in Rachel's journal, and reading today since I went to the store, and that took up some time. Rachel also did flash cards with Michaela again. They just love that! Their idea this time! Oh, and her next math book arrived today! Once again, arrives the day after ordering. . . . :) She can't wait to start in it. Just one lesson to go! The new book has more problems per page, and gets more into addition and subtraction. 30 lessons again.

Starting to get back in the swing of things

Not much going on the past few days with the trip and all, but that's to be expected. We were in the car yesterday, so nothing really got accomplished. Today we got back to work. :)

Rachel started out the day helping Michaela with alphabet flash cards. Michaela would tell her the letter, and then Rachel would introduce the sound it makes. She hasn't had much exposure yet to the letter sounds, just the names. Normally, I'd do the cards with her, but I thought that would be a fun thing for Rach to do. Rach got to play teacher and strengthen her own knowledge of letter sounds, and it kept both of them busy while I fed Alyssa!

For math, she finished lesson 28 that she started at Grandma's; and started lesson 29: introduction to subtraction. She's done about 2-3 pages in that lesson. She caught onto subtraction very quickly. :) There's 30 lessons in the book, so pretty much almost done! I ordered the next book today which is Alpha. I hope it comes soon!

For reading, we started reading Amelia Bedelia, Rocket Scientist? that Aunt Judy gave her for Easter. She was so excited to start reading it, so I let her choose that book as her reading assignment. It's long, so we're going to take a few days getting through it. It's above her level a bit, so we took turns reading, and I helped with the handful of "hard" words. At least this book has helped her start to recognize some newer, hard words.

Also read a chapter out of our History book.

Tuesday - Thrusday

Tuesday was kinda hectic with packing going on, so we only got a few workbook pages done with some reading from Lehi in the Wilderness. Wednesday we were driving ALL day! Today, she's been doing some sewing on grandma's sewing machine. :) Also, started the next lesson in math. This lesson combined the hour hand with the minute hand on the clock. She LOVES trying to tell time! I'm surprised at how good she's doing too. The clock has also helped her to get better at skip counting by 5's. She still struggles with the 2's. Brandon gave me the go ahead to order her next math book. I want to order it on Saturday so it doesn't arrive while I'm away. Last time I ordered from them, it arrived the next day! She also did some reading from a Madeline book my mom had laying around. I wanted to do more, but we tried to go to this place called "Kid's Planet" but it was closed, then went out to eat, to the grocery store, so there wasn't as much time today. Is there ever enough time while at grandma and grandpa's? :)

Great day!

We had a late start today since we kind of slept in! Today Rachel started out with math. Finished a whole lesson in one day! Usually it takes two days for her to finish a lesson. Today was telling the hour on a clock, and addition review. I looked through her book, and she has three more lessons to go, and then it's onto the first grade math book! Haven't ordered it yet though. Brandon was all like, "So, when do we have to order that?" and "How much is the next book?"

Brandon took the day off today, so the girls then went out to play for a break while he worked in the yard, and I got some things done inside. I had Rachel come in and read Last One In Is a Rotten Egg! out loud to me while I made lunch. After lunch she had some computer time with Reader Rabbit while I got Michaela down for a nap.

Next was another science lesson, onto lesson two. . . .it was an overview of most of the systems in the body, talking about what each one does in general, and the main parts involved. I love that her book leaves out reproductive system since it's geared towards younger children. :) All the others are mentioned in it though, I believe, if I'm remembering all the systems and not forgetting one that may have been left out. One more lesson to go and we're done with the first unit, which is pretty much an overview of the whole text. The other units have more lessons in them. I'm planning on skipping two units and going right to the Digestive System unit next. We have a nutrition class at a grocery store with our homeschool group on the 28th. There's a lesson in that unit on nutrition. I thought it would be nice to have the trip coincide with our science studies. Then, we'll go back and cover the units we skip over. Luckily, the lessons don't have to go in order to make sense. Each unit is basically a more in depth look into one of the systems.

The last thing we did in our school day was I had her write a paragraph in her journal about her day today for writing. After she wrote, we analyzed it, I wrote under it what she was saying so that she'll be able to read it when she's older. lol Then, we talked about how she needs to put a space between her words so that it doesn't look like a jumbled mess of just letters running on together, so people can read it; and talked about how to spell the words she misspelled.

I plan to do some things with her tomorrow, but we'll be busy packing to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house and doing laundry, so not sure we'll do as much as usual.

Rachel had a half day today at her public school

So, I took full advantage when she came home! She read If You Take a Mouse to School to me as I folded a couple loads of laundry. Pretty much read it by herself, except for a few harder words that I helped her with. I'm impressed with her reading progress.

Then we worked on some math. With her in school from 8:30 when she catches the bus until the bus drops her off at home at 4:30, we just don't have the time to really supplement her education as I had hoped when I first put her in. So, her math has suffered since I haven't been keeping up with it, and she isn't learning in school what I had been teaching her last spring. She didn't know 4+4, and others today, which she had memorized before starting public school. She used to just rattle the answers off, but today I had her do the next page in her math book, and she just cried with frustration because she didn't know it. It's as if she's had a "summer vacation" and forgotten the material she used to know in June by the next September. So, I had her do the one page. Looks like we'll definitely be working on math this track out! Relearning addition facts! I seriously hate the fact she's in school! At least she's gotten better at reading, gotta give them that much! Other than her reading, her being in school has gotten her no where but behind. I want her out of there after kindergarten so bad. She also wants out, she hates school with a passion. She's excited when we do homeschool work here at home.

Also broke out our science book for the first time. We're starting with The Human Body text in the Life Science series. Rachel was sooooo excited about this book! She looked through it, and wanted to talk about the whole book right there! We did lesson 1, and talked about how God created life, and how we're in His image, and everyone is unique.

Tomorrow is the last day and then we track out for 3 weeks. I plan to have her continue practice her reading so hopefully she'll go back reading even better, work on her math, definitely doing science since she most likely won't let me forget about that one after today, continue writing in her little journal I got her for writing practice, and I'd like to re-introduce history. I want her to work on some sewing lessons as well. That's a rough idea of what I hope to accomplish, anyway!

Michaela's Preschool Progress as of 1-14-08

Last time I tested Kayla and wrote down what she knows was January 14th. At that time, she could recognize the letters: A, B, C, D, E, H, L, M, O, P, R, S, W, X, and Y. When shown 'G,' she didn't recognize it, but did say "grandpa." lol She knows all basic colors except for gray. She also knows quite a few numbers and shapes, but I haven't officially recorded which ones she knows yet. I'd say she knows most of them, from what I recollect off hand. We have since been working on all of these. I want to test her again soon and see if there's any progress. Things I'd like to start working on with her are the letter sounds, and maybe writing with a pencil. She can make great O's with a pencil! :)