Weekly Review

For someone as obsessed with taking pictures as I usually am... I sure haven't taken any! (I suppose one can only take so many pictures of your kid working in a workbook.) Anyway, this week was full of interruptions and going-ons. Next week we'll have even more. Sooo... school has not been done every day and has been extremely random. Until the 20th... I expect it to continue being so.

In spite of this, things have been going well...

Writing

I've had Aidan working in her D'Nealian workbook because I thought it would be better to reteach her letters at an earlier age than later. The unfortunate side-effect is that she no longer will/can write because she's too worried about properly forming her letters. I believe I have erred here. I'm thinking I should have allowed her to continue writing using ball-and-stick and worry about the "prettier" letters once she was a stronger writer. She has gone from confidently writing full sentences to laboring over writing "dog." So, my plan is to continue with working in the workbook... but outside of the actual workbook... allow her to write as she chooses. I need to back off when it comes to forming the "pretty" letters. I have definitely been pushing too hard and I've made her stressed about it. Bad Mommy!

Math

Since subscribing to T4L Aidan has gone through every subject in the 1st grade curriculum. When she starts Singapore in January... she will have already been doing everything it covers so it will all be review. I'm not sure if I will be able to stretch it out the entire year like I had planned. We may have to just move into 2a in the middle of the year. However, I am hoping I can just continue to add supplementary stuff.

This week Aidan continued with money and using the abacus but also started working on place value and fractions. I will need to review place value more but she likes fractions and "got" them immediately.

Reading

First of all.... Aidan is reading EVERYWHERE. She has a little bag that she fills full of books and takes it whenever we go out. She is also reading everything and anything that comes into her line of sight that has words on it. Unfortunately, she shows off with her reading because she has realized that if she reads in the hearing of adults... they invariably will stop to oooh and ahhh.
(I'm working on correcting this)

A funny anecdote....a man was standing outside a store ... smoking. Aidan loudly asked "Why does that sign say No Smoking?" The man actually took his cigarette and hid it behind him. lol!

Anyway, my gentle reminders are finally seeing progress in that Aidan is slowing down and properly sounding out new words... so her stumbling and skipping has severely lessened. At some point I would think there would be a cap at how amazed I could be about her reading... but there doesn't seem to be. Every week I am shocked at things she is reading, at her proficiency, at her comprehension. Since last January she has gone from sounding out simple words to reading at a 3rd grade level. Also, in just the last week she started reading things closer towards the 4th grade level. By the time she actually turns 4.... ???

Science

We continued with plants and seeds and what all the parts do. I'm really lazy about science. I make great plans for lessons but never get around to it because putting together and implementing actual experiments... well?.... I'm lazy!! I'm working on getting John to help with the Science and perhaps doing the experiments on Fridays... since he's off anyway.   :-D

Other

Next week we will start reading about Benjamin Franklin. I picked up a few library books about him and we also own a few. So, the girls and I will be studying him for a little history lesson.

As for Ainsley... I ended up buying her a subscription to T4L as well. She has the PreK lessons and LOVES working on the computer. She is becoming a little left-handed master at using the mouse. I am also seeing a lot of interest from her lately with reading and sounding out simpler words. Aidan's interest really seems to influence her.