We started our new school year this week; Emily began 2nd grade while Savannah embarked on Kindergarten.
I know, it is June, not your typical month for starting a new school year. However, since the temperature is rising quickly and dramatically, the girls aren't playing outside during the day, they go down towards evening. It just felt like a good use of time. Hopefully, this will leave us with some extra time for field trips when the weather starts to get a little cooler.
Plus, when the boxes of new books arrived two weeks ago, every day and sometimes several times a day, Savannah would ask me to "start school today Mommy! I want to work in my new math book!" She is crazy excited about her math book, of all things.
It was precious, to watch the girls look through each of the books as we unpacked the boxes of new school supplies. They were excited about every new item that came out of the box.
And as contagious as their little squeals were, I was experiencing a bit of what Brian called syllabus shock, but I called a reality check. For some reason, 2nd grade seems so much more serious than 1st grade did. And Kindergarten is so much bigger than preschool with its colors and shapes and letters. She is starting real math and learning to read! Heavy stuff, my friends!
I'm really excited about what Emily will be learning this year. I'm using Veritas Press with her again this year and we are studying Ancient Egypt. How can that not just be the coolest thing ever? To be living in Egypt, 8 miles away from the Great Pyramids, as you spend a year learning all about Egyptian history and culture. We will be creating a timeline during our year and plotting events on a map.
Her other subjects include math, linguistics, literature, beginning drawing, cursive, bible, and grammar. My only deviation from the Veritas Press curriculum this year is the math program we are using. I know many hardcore homeschooling families adore Saxon Math. I used it growing up and Emily used it last year. However, the repetition and black and white worksheets were frustrating her and halfway through the year she declared math as her hated subject.
When I did Kindergarten with her, we used Horizons Math program and she loved it. After much reading online and deliberation I decided to try it again this year. I just think 1st grade is to early to decide that you hate something and that is my responsibility as the teacher/parent to try to find something she will enjoy a little more.
I do think that not everything children have to do should have to be fun or having flashing neon lights and play music. There are aspects of life that we do because they are good for us or because we ought to do them, not necessarily because we enjoy them or we particularly like to do them. But I do think if something is an acceptable solution it is good to try to make something less tedious. Neither Brian nor I are (or were) particularly good at math, I do not expect my children to be math geniuses. But it is a necessary evil and we've all heard that a spoonful of sugar, or in this case, color on the worksheets, does help the medicine go down. As far as I can see, it is the same information, just presented a little differently.
Ask me again in three months... :)
I know, it is June, not your typical month for starting a new school year. However, since the temperature is rising quickly and dramatically, the girls aren't playing outside during the day, they go down towards evening. It just felt like a good use of time. Hopefully, this will leave us with some extra time for field trips when the weather starts to get a little cooler.
Plus, when the boxes of new books arrived two weeks ago, every day and sometimes several times a day, Savannah would ask me to "start school today Mommy! I want to work in my new math book!" She is crazy excited about her math book, of all things.
It was precious, to watch the girls look through each of the books as we unpacked the boxes of new school supplies. They were excited about every new item that came out of the box.
And as contagious as their little squeals were, I was experiencing a bit of what Brian called syllabus shock, but I called a reality check. For some reason, 2nd grade seems so much more serious than 1st grade did. And Kindergarten is so much bigger than preschool with its colors and shapes and letters. She is starting real math and learning to read! Heavy stuff, my friends!
I'm really excited about what Emily will be learning this year. I'm using Veritas Press with her again this year and we are studying Ancient Egypt. How can that not just be the coolest thing ever? To be living in Egypt, 8 miles away from the Great Pyramids, as you spend a year learning all about Egyptian history and culture. We will be creating a timeline during our year and plotting events on a map.
(Some of the books we are using this year)
Her other subjects include math, linguistics, literature, beginning drawing, cursive, bible, and grammar. My only deviation from the Veritas Press curriculum this year is the math program we are using. I know many hardcore homeschooling families adore Saxon Math. I used it growing up and Emily used it last year. However, the repetition and black and white worksheets were frustrating her and halfway through the year she declared math as her hated subject.
When I did Kindergarten with her, we used Horizons Math program and she loved it. After much reading online and deliberation I decided to try it again this year. I just think 1st grade is to early to decide that you hate something and that is my responsibility as the teacher/parent to try to find something she will enjoy a little more.
I do think that not everything children have to do should have to be fun or having flashing neon lights and play music. There are aspects of life that we do because they are good for us or because we ought to do them, not necessarily because we enjoy them or we particularly like to do them. But I do think if something is an acceptable solution it is good to try to make something less tedious. Neither Brian nor I are (or were) particularly good at math, I do not expect my children to be math geniuses. But it is a necessary evil and we've all heard that a spoonful of sugar, or in this case, color on the worksheets, does help the medicine go down. As far as I can see, it is the same information, just presented a little differently.
Ask me again in three months... :)
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