Week 2

Another week of homeschooling under our belts.

Monday started with our coop. Gosh the kids love the opportunity to do the hands on stuff that they would miss at home.

The literature is quickly becoming a chore as the older two are suppose to write the full definition, then a sentence for 16 words chosen from the story. The catch here is my oldest has always struggled with writing, he has a problem with fine motor skills and this is becoming a weight on him. I have adapted the assignment that he is to just write the correct definition and sentence. They begrudingly completed their assignments.

My princess struggles with comprehension (I did so I fully understand how frustrating it is for her) so her literature worksheets where she has to answer questions relating to the story is a struggle. I did find a different version of the story that has been simplified a little so I will have her pick up from that book

Science is their favorite, their teacher "Miss Rebecca" makes the class fun for them and they adore their science. She does not assign to much, strickly reading the the chapters, however, I have found some sheets that I have the children fill out and put in their binders for each chapter, to keep them honest in their reading.

I have been assigned to the kindergarten, when I first was given what was wanted done, I tried to figure out how to incorporate it, however...I have 5 kids ages 4 and 5, four of them are boys, and none are ready to do the work that was originally schedules, so we are doing a change of plan. I am setting up "themes" for the next few weeks (On Monday...dinosaurs) This is causing me to backtrack and redo a lot of the planning I had already done.

One of the things originally scheduled for the littles was "Wishbone" classics. I purchased a set of 13 of these, but the chapters are to long for the boys. And altho' most little ones this age can maintain interest in chapter books, to have it only read once a week they lose interest quickly as they lose the continuity of the story.

All is not lost with the wishbone books though. Beowolf is from the same history era as they are learning in coop this year, so I have the kids reading "Be A Wolf" ... an adaptation of the classic (in reading the info in the book, it is more designed for this grade level anyway). So far they love it. So I am incorporating that into their assignments at 3-4 chapters a day which seems doable to them.

I had never heard of these books before, but have quickly fallen in love with them. There are a lot of the classics retold as if a dog (Wishbone) is narrating the story. Intresting perspective, and fun for the kids. Along with "Be A Wolf", there is a "Romeo and Juliet" version that I will have the kids read prior to reading the version assigned for coop.

Friday was a bit different for them, as their Papa handled them while I went to Helena then Missoula with my mother and sister. We went to thrift shops (I found my favorite things...books) and had lunch. It was a joy to spend the day with them, which I have not done in years. They are already planning a trip to Bozeman...just to go to thrift shops. I will go just to be with my mom again.

Today...Planning dinosaurs. My kids lessons already planned out bar the coop assignments.