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Nov. 30, 2006
Autumn
Life this autumn has flowed quickly. Consequently, it has been nearly three months since I wrote.
Do you ever feel your homeschool journey would be more enjoyable if...? Educational pursuits are both a joy and a thorn for us. It seems we always struggle with lack of schedule. Between my dear husband's work hours and the public school schedule of the older children this is unavoidable. Often finding the portion of time I need to have by myself each day means staying up very late after being up early to see the older ones off. How do you spell "Sleep deprivation!?" We have also found many character-building opportunities trying to keep children from banging, bumping, yelling, arguing, laughing out loud, dropping toilet seats, slamming doors, etc.--basically staying quiet-- so Daddy can sleep. It's amazing how fast someone sleeping can become a foreign idea to an active child.
On the up side, we just completed Dorian Holt's unit study, A World of Adventure (AWOA). Designed to take one year, we stretched it out over nearly 3 1/2 years (Don't ask. Lots of interruptions, and several educational goose trails!--actually, two years is not at all uncommon.). We are now starting A New World of Adventure (ANWOA). The first read-aloud is Armstrong Sperry's Call it Courage, and this term's science is entemology--yea bugs! After spending time in Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation, and Age of Exploration, we will now focus on the Americas.
Another up side of our homeschool is that my boys are finally learning to read. My three older children (g17, b16, g13) are avid readers. The 16 year old didn't like reading instruction. I quit trying part way through 1st grade when he really bogged down. He did like his phonics program, so we continued that. In late second grade I found him on his bed reading something, so I knew it was time and we picked reading up again. My two younger sons, now 11 and 9, were much slower to catch on. Over the summer, my 9 year old finally took off. He still spends time each day reading to me, but he will also read on his own and is gaining rapidly in fluency. He has passed my 11 year old son. However, the 11 year old is also finally gaining some fluency. He doesn't enjoy reading yet, I don't find him with his nose in an unassigned book, but he doesn't balk about doing his part when we are reading the Bible, he reads directions for himself on food or toy packaging (mostly), and he is gaining self-confidence as he sees more and more success.
The problem with delayed readers is finding materials at their reading level that interest them. Most easier material seems babyish. However, we did just stumble on a series my boy and I are enjoying reading together: Adam Sharp. We get these books at our public library. Adam Sharp is an 8 year old secret agent. He gets called out of class by the "Gifted and Talented teacher." There is no G and T program at his school; it is a cover for IM-8, the agency for which this Bond-like character works. The books are 6 chapters long and on about a second-grade reading level.
This is the song that never ends. There is always more to write about. However, with drooping eyes (it IS after 1:00a.m.) I must sign off.
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Dear God,
Thank you for my husband and each child you have entrusted to my care. Please help me be a better wife, and a better mom to each of my brood. You know their needs; help me to sort those out from all the noisy wants and desires. Help me to bless each member of my family all day.
In Christ's name,
Sharron
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Dec. 1, 2006 - Untitled Comment
It sounds like you are a very busy mom! I know how you feel about the lack of free time. All my kids are fairly young (9, 7, 7, 2 and 2) and are not fully reading yet. Thanks for the encouragement to keep pressing on in this area. I recently heard about a set of books for boys that are an easy read, but exciting and Christian based: The Sugar Creek Gang (6 books) by Hutchens (last name).
Have a great weekend!
Heidi