Monday, March 16, 2009

Homeschool Highlights - Week of March 16, 2009

Days 126 - 130 (Only 50 more days of 1st grade for those that are counting down with me!)


Writing: Shayla finished Badge 1 of the Hide the Word in Your Heart Club! I showed her how we address an envelope. We will send it off this afternoon! You can see how proud she is!


Learning Through Play: We have not been playing as much as we had, so we played Fisher Price Memory Doctor today. It's a simple version of a memory game.


We also played a simple game. I take three cups and put a candy or something underneath one. Then shuffle them around. I'm trying to get her to track them. I think this would be good for visual processing disorder. Ok, ok, here, I don't know what it's good for, but it's just plain fun!


We went on a "magic carpet ride" through the house. I hope she enjoyed this one because it will probably be her last, she's getting too heavy to pull! As I pulled her through the house we discussed things we saw. (language, imaginative play). I got this idea from the Toddler Activity Book by Trish Kuffner. Even though Shayla is approaching 8 yrs. old, she still enjoys the activities in here.

Reading/Phonics: Shayla was becoming frustrated with the Abeka 1st grade reading and phonics program, although I thought she was doing great. So, I backed off the past two weeks. The first thing I did was changed our schedule. We would only do reading or phonics daily, not both. It simply took too much time and frustrated her. The second thing I did was have a game week.

We played Boggle Jr. She really got into this. She was even doing the four letter words correctly and before the buzzer went off. Then each time she "got a new card," she counted all the cards (math).


We spent time making words out of these magnets. This reinforced the blends that we have been working on with the Abeka program.


We spent time at Starfall. If you have not checked out this site, you don't know what you're missing. It's a great free reading/phonics resource for preK-early elementary age.


Social Skills: We attended Kings Kids Club at a local church. I was very pleased with Shayla today. We arrived early so we played with toys in the nursery until the kids came after school. During this time she got so involved in playing that I think she forgot where she was! She was making noises and laughing out loud! She wrote her name on the attendance sheet (a first)! During song time she did remove her fingers from her ears briefly. She also participated in the song movements appropriately today! (Also a first) She removed her fingers from her ears for storytime and snacktime. She also ate her snack today, which she had not been previously doing for awhile. She also used a spoon to eat her rice cream! Yay, Shayla!
Social Skills: Scout troop meeting. I was so pleased with Shayla, she broke away from not only me, but her older sister as well. Christy broke the scouts into their respective age levels. Morgan went with the cadettes and Shayla the Brownies. They were discussing different ideas for community service projects. Shayla did sit there with fingers in her ears, but by golly, she sat there and listened to all the kids. Yay!
*Note to self: I suggested the cadettes do something for the local crisis pregnancy center because many classmates at their public school are pregnant. If this idea is not accepted by the troop, we may do something independently.


Scouts at Home: We're continuing work on the Creative Composing badge.


Art: We learned about color patterning and made a Color Patterning Caterpillar for her art book.


She also colored a picture for a coloring contest.


Science: We have been reading about different classifications of animals. Today we learned about reptiles by reading library books and doing several worksheets.


We also studied amphibians and mammals this week. We read library books about some of her favorite mammals, such as elephants and giraffes.


Music & Movement: We danced and followed directions to Hap Palmer's Learning Basic Skills Through Music - Vol. 2. We have homemade manipulatives to go with these songs. They are great for listening and following directions.

Field Trip: We attended our local theater for the Children's Theater Foundation's presentation of James and the Giant Peach. Luckily, we had watched the movie several months ago, otherwise it probably wouldn't have made much sense. My hubby, who hadn't watched the movie before was clueless.

We also started using Kids Making Music. We talked about how the body is the best music maker. We made noises like clapping, slapping, snapping, etc. I hope to use these sounds to bring her out of her SM shell by making verbal sounds BEFORE whispering or speaking.
Phys Ed: Lots of outside time to enjoy this beautiful weather and 70 degree temps. It probably won't last long, around here!




4 comments:

Nekey said...

Sounds like a fun week. I love the idea of a magic carpet ride!

We have done the "tracking" game with the cups before too. I may remind my oldest of that one since I have heard I'm bored more than once already today. *gasp*

We have Boggle Jr. too. I think I will pull it out as well.

I just LOVE Starfall, don't you?

Anonymous said...

Fun week! And, I totally agree -- you've gotta get out there and enjoy the 70 degree March days while you can.

Thanks for participating in the Wrap-Up this week!

Jennifer said...

Hi Calina,
I thought I would reply over here instead of on my blog. We are putting our kids back in school. My oldest started in Jan, my second will start in the fall, my third already goes and my fourth will start K in the fall. So far it has been a good decision, although I see it being when they are all in school that I will still homeschool basically, just from 4-7 each night, homework galore!

That books 101 Best Foods is very good. Most of the foods I had heard of and could probably get at the store. Some of the foods were seasonal like pomegranates. Definitely a worthwhile read for someone interested in food.

Beth said...

Thanks for all the comments on my blog! It made my day! I responded to your question about what charter we go through on my blog, but I wanted to make sure you saw it. I go through Sky Mountain Charter School which operates here in So Cal. I have a LOT of freedom in what curriculum I choose, what I teach, and how I teach. No Christian curriculum, because it is public, but I am free to supplement as I want. I do meet with an ES (Education Specialist) once a month to turn in work samples and a very simple learning log for the month. As long as I have covered the core subjects and we have done "school" (which means anything remotely educational) on the required days, we're good. So far it's been a very good fit for us.