After a {lovely and much-needed} break, today was our first day back at homeschooling!
I don't like to take a break that's too long because of a) brain drain; b) the kids get bored and need structure (and so do I).
We are calling Russell a first-grader again, purely for social purposes. As I said before, he's on a 4th grade reading level. But he fits in better with the younger kids for friendship and socializing, and since he has a summer birthday anyway, we decided to say he's in first grade. This pretty much only affects Sunday school and church activities (well, and the type of sign he holds in first-day pictures :))
Russell's curriculum this year: All About Reading Level 3 (which is a bit beneath his reading skills but it teaches some important things I don't want to skip); All About Spelling; Singapore math 1B and A Beka math 1; Writing With Ease for writing and grammar; Story Of The World for history; Everything You Need to Know about Science Homework for science; Awana for his religion/Bible.
He will also be going to a Classical Conversations community once a week, where he'll learn more history, science, grammar, art, math, Latin, and geography. We're really excited about it!
In addition, he'll keep taking piano lessons, going to homeschool gym on Thursday nights, Awana on Wednesday nights. We will also start going to a new Bible study on Tuesday mornings (with a homeschool class), and he will probably join a fall/winter swim team.
Meredith is in kindergarten this year! I can hardly believe it. She is very excited about it!
Meredith's curriculum this year: All About Reading 1 (second half) and 2; Singapore math Kindergarten B and probably A Beka; and she'll be using the same history, science, writing, and Bible as Russell (at a grade-appropriate level).
Meredith will also be going to CC once a week. I don't know yet if she and Russell will be in the same class.
Meredith will also be doing Awana (her first year of Sparks) and homeschool gym (her first year of that too!) and our Tuesday morning Bible study. She will also continue her violin lessons.
And Paige is doing three-year-old preschool. She currently knows the letters in her name; colors; counting up to 30 (I think, but maybe more); all basic shapes. This year, she'll work on: learning all the letters in the alphabet (what they look like and maybe how to write them); recognizing written numbers; some fine motor skills - an assortment of preschool things, really.
Paige will be in the childcare at CC once a week. She'll also do the Tuesday morning Bible study with us - she'll be in the 3-yr-old class. And she'll probably do Awana Puggles on Wednesday nights. She will also be starting swim lessons soon.
Daphne isn't working on anything formal, of course - just snuggles, reading with Mom, and learning one-year-old skills! But she's too cute to leave out of our school pictures!
We had a great first day!
