Uh, I meant, montly update. Yeah, that's it.

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 15:36:00 -0500

I always intend to update more frequently. Sigh.

We're moving along splendidly with regards to school. The new organizers have proved invaluable. (If you plan on making one, I suggest stapling the velcro pieces to the plastic sleeves instead of gluing them. This is how half of ours are fastened by now.) The memory boxes have been a perfect fit. I don't know how I managed to keep all that straight without them. They're well on their way to being filled with stuff like poetry, prepositions, presidents, nursery rhymes, speeches from history, pronouns, and Latin lists.

Kidlet by kidlet:

Faith, aka Squeaky
This kid is a riot. Lately she tells us every letter and number she can find is an "A" and dances with excitement at her cleverness. I'm pretty sure it's from similar things each kid has, with an initial on it for easily discovering who's metal water bottle was left in the middle of the floor and thus spilled everywhere. Faith will help herself to any bottle left in her reach. Which causes a sib to take it from her, point to the letter, and help her find the one with an "A" instead. (Her first name begins with an "A")
She's also learned how to call her biggest brother a booger. He encourages this. While waiting for our food at In-N-Out Burger last week she was gleefully yelling, "Boogah-boogah-boogah-boogah-boogah," for all the restaurant to hear. The brother was quite pleased.

Grace
Grace can't get enough school. She just barely turned four! She's a fluent short vowel reader now, and is branching into long vowel words with increasing confidence. She can legibly write any letter of the alphabet, count to fifty with ease, and loves workpages. I mean, really, really, loves, workpages. She's using a kindy level Comprehensive Curriculum workbook right now. It doesn't always move fast enough for her, but her love of workbooky activities keeps her moving through it.
She picked a Robert Louis Stevenson collection of children's poetry from the library this week. She's absolutely mezmorized by him. (Note to self: Put this book on the Christmas shopping list.)
History stories really strike a chord with her too. The Liberty's Kids episodes completely captures her attention. It's a really great series put out by PBS, you follow a few kids through the Revolutionary times.
She's more than a little miffed that she can't join scouts herself until next fall. She does get her fill of scouts going to her three older siblings meetings and occasional leader meetings with me too.

Honor
This little guy is soaring academically. His reading has taken off like a rocket, his pencil-phobia has disappeared, he loves his spelling book and thinks First Language Lessons is a blast. Math has always been a favorite of his, and comes very naturally, but he's been unimpressed with it lately. He's playing around with place value and measuring for now. I hid the addition book for now to keep him from burning himself out on it.
He's a Tiger Scout now and has had a few meetings so far. He has a great pack that I'm thrilled to be a part of. They're organized, approachable, and focus on the boys' involvement. He still practically swoons all over himself when he gets a chance to hang out with "the guys" in big brother's troop.

Joy
This girl is a very motivated learner. She'll start her school as soon as her brekkie is done, and fuss at me if I didn't get my part of the preparation done ahead of time. She is flying through First Language Lessons 3 now. At her present speed and comprehension I think we'll skip FLL4, and put her in the more rigorous grade 5 book that Justice used when she's done with FLL3. I asked Justice his opinion of how she'd handle that book and he agreed with me.
She begins Classical Writing: Aesop this week and is looking forward to it. It will roll all her dictation, narration practice, outlining, and composition writing into one program, as well as pull in vocabulary and review bits of grammar. I think she'll do great. She's spent the first month of school working on those skills individually, straight from a book of Aesop fables. The first few lessons from CW will have her working with fables from Aesop as well, which ought to help her transition.
She's also beginning typing, using the Dance Mat Typing game.
In her scout news she's a Junior Girl Scout this year. She's had a few meetings and been to Build a Bear with a bazillion other Girl Scouts in the area. I haven't made it too many of her meetings to be a part of them, unfortunately. Her meetings were moved to the same night as Justice's, and start a half hour before his. That translates to me seeing her first twenty minutes before I have to take a boy to their meeting.

Justice
This guy is flying through the academics, as is his trademark approach. He breathes history some days. Well, between Spiderman and Batman. Or whichever Marvel character is the kewlest of the week.
He's racing through English From the Roots Up, and could probably move even faster than he is. There is a prize at the end (we told him we'd buy a full Latin course for him when it's done), but he really does enjoy that book.
He's very strong in grammar, and loves busting adults with it. His stories in Classical Writing are increasingly more interesting and creative. The grammar and vocab have been a walk in the park for him, so he moves through it faster than intended.
The spelling series he's in this year really makes him work with the spelling rule. I can see him applying it all across the board in other subjects. He'll *tell* you that he doesn't really like spelling, then brag that his highest marks are in spelling in his next breath. (I refrain from mentioning only three of his subjects are even markable. )
Math is still his nemesis for the most part. Life of Fred has changed that to a point. I -love- that five year old Fred. Those books are written with a quirky sense of humor, right up Justice's alley. He still does his regular math text on the side and is struggling with it a bit this year. He's making strides though.
His scouts hasn't changed. We all went on the last campout with them. That was fun. In a tortured sort of way (I'm not a camping fan). He really enjoys his meetings and has made some great relationships there. Of course he learns the usual, lashing, knots, flag folding, first aid, etc. They made water balloon catapults using nothing but wood and ropes awhile ago. By the time we left I was having to defend Girl Scotus to *Joy*! "Well, yeah, they DO do fun stuff. But they DON'T make CATAPULTS!" *stomp*

Silver Moon Learning - Homeschool Blogger

Uh, I meant, montly update. Yeah, that's it.