I haven’t done a homeschool post in a while.
Here’s what we’re working on…
RYAN
Reading
Still plugging away at the Lindamood Bell for reading comprehension. It’s very slow going. I also use these books from Continental Press. They were suggested to me by Dr. Catherine Moran at last year’s IHM Conference in Virginia. Dr. Moran was very kind and took quite a bit of time with me. These books are both affordable and useful. I am having better luck with them than I have had with the much pricier program. He is now reading early readers on his own and is able to narrate back to me pretty well. His phonetic skills are fine. They used to be better (he read on a much higher reading level) but since he started having seizures he has lost some of the fluency he once had. I plan to work more one-on-one with him this summer when I can devote more attention exclusively to him.
Writing
We use Daily Grams and lots of copywork. Mostly from the Bible (he loves that) and from his history and religion studies.
Math
Math-U-See works really well for Ryan. It is the program I recommend when speaking about homeschooling and special needs since it can be used with all three learning styles. Ryan is currently using Epsilon which is a repeat of last year. He was scoring solid C’s last year and I really didn’t feel he had a firm grasp on the material. So I elected to have him repeat it and I’m so glad I did. He really has learned the concepts this year and is doing reall well. He isn’t just spitting some numbers out on a test but he is actually figuring out the problems on his own and working hard to make sure his work is always correct. This is one of the beautiful things about him being home. When he was in school they would not repeat material he had not mastered but simply moved him along to the next thing so he would keep up with the class. Except he wasn’t keeping up with the class. And little old me with no education degree thought that that was nuts.
Religion
Ryan is preparing for his Confirmation this year (May 28th, please spare a prayer for him) and he has chosen Saint Matthew for his patron. I am using Seton’s Confirmation Prep Book as well as Sacrament of Confirmation from New Hope Press. They are both great books to use as spines and I supplement with lots of Bible reading and saint stories. Also lots of prayer :).
Science
We are using God’s Marvelous Works as a spine to explore creation. This book works well because it’s all about things you’ll find easily on nature hikes and in your backyard. Birds, bugs and plants. Katie is working along with Ryan and her help to him has been invaluable. They seem to be enjoying this year in science.
History/Geography
Old World and America. If someone had sat down and said I am going to take the history of the world and make it as dry and uninteresting as possible this is the book they would come up with. What’s up with that? Seton sent it to me and the only reason I use it is that the chapters are short and there are some line drawings with help Ryan. He needs a visual but is easily distracted. He actually likes this book, so I use it and supplement with read alouds and movies.
KATIE
Reading
Faith and Freedom Readers are great for Katie. She also has zipped through the Seton reading comprehension books for her grade. She’s reading Mark Twain now and enjoying it a lot.
Writing
Stories with a View (very cool book), lots of copywork, Language of God, book reviews, written narrations, etc…
Math
Katie, like her mother, is not a math enthusiast. So repetition, repetition, repetition…..
Saxon has worked wonders on her skills this year.
Religion
Religion 5 from Seton is an excellent book. We also use Concise Bible History, daily Bible readings and she reads lots of the Vision Books.
Science
See above
History
This year I have been using From Sea to Shining Sea as a spine and this book I like. Right now Katie is delving into the Civil War and using lots of living books. I’ll be posting them in the sidebar very soon. We’ll be in Lancaster again in July and we intend to make a side trip tpo Gettysburg which will help wrap things up nicely.
ERIN
Erin is using CHC as a curricula this year. The gentle approach works really well for her and she loves the hands-on type of activities they provide. She is making a really nice scrapbook for the Tour A Country history/geography. It coming out beautifully and you can be sure I’ll be posting pictures.
KELLI
Also using CHC for kindergarten. I don’t do all of the activities but we manage quite a bit and she is learning to read quite nicely now.
(Can you tell I’m getting tired of typing?)
KEVIN
Pre-K. Mostly we are just doing a lot of hands on letter-type of activities. I have these large cardboard letters (I’m sorry I can’t find a link) which he paints and then glues pictures of things beginning with that letter. He has a letter notebook where he practices writing and colors pictures from this site which has a lot of alohabet activites. Kevin is my first boy Pre-K and it’s very different. The girls were all so excited to sit down and do "school". Kevin could care less and wants nothing to do with writing, counting and sitting down in general.
Other things that I didn’t include are spelling and maps work which we do on a weekly basis. Also Ryan is performing in Twelfth Night with our homeschool group, he has a tiny part, so we are going to be reading that this spring. I’ll just read a loud to everyone from Tales from Shakepeare by Charles and Mary Lamb to keep everyone in the loop.
I hope you find this all interesting. Now I should probably go teach some of it. 🙂
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