Winding down May 13, 2009

So, the school year is winding down, but we are still in full swing.  In fact, we’ll be working over the summer, but only on fun stuff like art and science.  We will be finishing up all the language arts and such very soon!  Hooray for that!  The boys are happy about it, too.  Gavin is trucking along in his 1st grade math very well.  He catches on to it so fast, it’s crazy!  And, Logan finished his 2nd grade math yesterday!  For someone who has had trouble with math, I’m so excited that he finished early!  Both of the boys are doing really well, and picking up in areas that they have been lagging in or having trouble with.  Still battling Gavin with the phonics, but we’ve decided that instead of formal phonics lessons, we’re going to just have him read and read and read.  He’s not too happy about reading because he doesn’t like it.  However, I’m going to be sneaky and have him just randomly read things throughout the day.  Hopefully, we’ll get him proficient soon. 

So, we are winding down a bit, especially with this nice weather outside, but that’s alright.  We’re also getting a bunch done, too. 

Where, oh where, has the time gone???? March 3, 2009

So, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything.  Life has just gotten away from me.  I feel like I might one day eventually slow down, but hey, what’s the hurry? 

Well, we’ve been trucking along with school.  After my dad passed away, it took a bit to get back into the groove of things, but we are getting there…again.  So, since it’s been so long, I thought I’d just give some quick updates, then make a goal to say I’m going to post much more often.  Really, I want to. 

Gavin:  Well, Gavin is getting really into things well again.  A little over a month ago, he finished kindergarten math!  That’s right, completely finished!  He just has a math brain, at least right now anyway.  He was so excited, and frankly, so was I.  He can move on to first grade math anytime, but we are waiting until he catches up on phonics a bit more.  Speaking of phonics, he’s pretty jazzed to do phonics now, not just because it means that he will be getting first grade math, but because he’s reading.  It’s still really hard for him, as he has to sound out the letters most of the time, but he does get the words.  He’s getting more and more all the time, though, and he likes it.  We are also making a ton of progress in language arts.  Since phonics and language arts have been his hard areas, it’s great to see him progressing and wanting to. 

Logan:  Logan is doing really well, too.  He’s also getting caught up on language arts, which is good.  He doesn’t like doing it, but we get through it.  He asked me today why he had to do some of the language arts, but I told him that it really is good to know.  It’s hard to understand that when you are in the midst of really disliking what you are doing.  But, he does it and remembers most of it.  He’s really come a long way with language arts and I’m really pleased with all the progress he’s made.  His other big triumph has been with math.  Wow, what a difference a semester makes!  We’ve switched from doing arithmetic to doing geometry.  He went from struggling and taking a few days for one assignment, to doing a whole unit in one day- by testing out of it.  He’s just got a good brain for the geometry stuff.  He likes it too!  It’s so nice to see him happy and not discouraged about math!  He’s been doing well with all his other stuff, too. 

So, while we’ve been really busy and things have been a bit hectic, we’ve been getting quite a bit done, too.  All-in-all, I think things are going well, and I love doing it!   

And, I really will try to do better with my posts.

Math-We-Love June 27, 2008

We started using the Math-U-See program this last week, and I’ve got to say that I’m so glad we found it!  It is just wonderful and the kids really like it.  They are really looking forward to doing math, and love playing with the blocks.  The whole concept behind the Math-U-See program is to learn it by seeing it, writing it, and building it.  It’s a multisensory approach, which I think is really great.  It’s so much easier to learn this way, because you get the information in so many different ways.  They also have the student teach the concept back to you, to show mastery of the concept.  Very good idea.  Steve Demme, who created the program, teaches on the DVDs, and makes me think of math differently, too.  He’s a really great teacher.  I wish I could have had him in some of my classes in school.  So, this has made it so much fun to do, and I think the kids will really understand the hows and whys of math. 

Math-U-See June 19, 2008

I’m so excited because I think I’ve found the math program that I want to use!  I really thought I was going to use Saxon Math, which really looks like a good program.  However, this looks even better!  You’ve got to check out Math-U-See.  This looks perfect.  A DVD to refresh my brain (because it’s been a long time for some of this stuff), manipulatives, the textbooks look great.  This really looks like it’s it.  I’m hoping to be able to attend their demonstration at our homeschool convention this Saturday.  I’ll report back. 

Placement Tests May 7, 2008

Well, I gave the boys math placement tests today, just to see where they are at.  Gavin tested right on the line between Kindergarten and 1st grade, and Logan tested at a 2nd grade level.   It was very interesting to see how they did, and what they already knew.  I got the tests from the Saxon Homeschool site, and they were very well done.  I’ve gotten a few things now from Saxon Homeschool, and I’m awaiting their sampler K-3 math book.  I really think that we are going to go with them for our math program.  Their stuff seems really comprehensive and well put together.  I’ve had multiple recommendations for them, too.  I’m very anxious to see their sampler.