So we just ended our first week of school. Surprisingly it went fairly smoothly. I never jump into school with both feet, doing every subject every day from day one. Besides, several of the curriculum I use only have 30-32 weeks worth of work, which allows me a week or two to ease into it. It takes the kids a few days for their brain to get back into school gear after a long break, so a gradual schedule works for all of us.
This week, all the girls did math, all but the 6 yo did grammar, and they all did history/geography. They 8 an 6 yo did handwriting as well. The 6 yo also did phonics. Next week, we'll add in science (for the 12 yo), vocabulary, and maybe Latin. Or I might hold off on Latin until the next week, I haven't decided yet.
The other advantage to a stair step approach of beginning a school year is that it allows me a chance to see what is working and what isn't, especially regarding our routine/schedule, and tweak it more easily than if I dumped everything thing on them at once. I guarantee nothing would be working right then for several weeks!
I'm also still looking into a couple of co-op classes for the fall, so this could be a very interesting semester. Especially since we are starting off in one of the best spots in history - the Civil War. Kids, stop rolling your eyes, it really is fascinating! I promise!
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4 comments:
civil war year stands as my absolute favorite school year in all 12 years, hands down.
Sounds like you had a good week. We didn't even start History or Science as I have more planning to do. My 11 yo is loving taking notes and her Dive CD. The boys did math, spelling, handwriting, reading. What do you use for vocabulary? Latin sounds neat, scared to do more than we have for now though.
Jeanie, I use Vocabulary from Classical roots, but only for my 10 yo and 12 yo.
Jeanie, if I were you, I would concentrate on getting the basics down with all your kids before the baby comes. Wait to add anything like vocabulary, Latin, after the baby comes and you have a good handle on history, math, grammar, etc.
Besides, if you use spelling workout for your older kids, it has a lot of vocab in it. Since I use Spelling Power, I'm supplementing.
Thanks,
I think I will wait for sure : )
The kids cannot wait to start History/Science this week. The boys did Language as well last week. I use Spelling workout for my 6, 8, and 11 yo's. They are all doing well with it. The boys actually do 2 sets a week as the books they are trying to finish are easy for them.
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