So, taking their advice, I decided to take it slowly for Andrea. I did make some changes to Andrea’s course of study. I took away readings that are too “heavy” for her and substitute with another “lighter” but good readings. Since then, school was easier and the children enjoyed the read-aloud stories better.
Course of Study
Bible:
• New Living Translation, Contemporary English Version
• Mother Stories from the Old Testament
• Mother Stories from the New Testament
Recitation:
• Scripture, Poetry, Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes
Reading/Phonics/Spelling:
• Word Mastery (Florence Akin)
• McGuffey’s First Reader (William Holmes McGuffey)
Penmanship:
• Copy work from Scripture and Aesop’s Fables
• Cursive handwriting (she asked for it and did very well)
Languages:
• Bahasa Kita Bahasa Indonesia 1 (Departemen Pendidikan Nasional)
• Chinese (online course at Livemocha.com)
Math:
• CIMT-MEP Primary Year 2
Indonesian Social Studies:
• Ilmu Pengetahuan Sosial Untuk SD Kelas 1 (Dep. Pendidikan Nasional)
Citizenship:
• Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan Untuk SD Kelas 1 (Dep. Pendidikan Nasional)
Geography:
• The Seven Little Sisters Who Live on the Round Ball That Floats in the Air (Jane Andrews)
• First Lessons in Geography (James Monteith)
World History:
• Fifty Famous Stories Retold (James Baldwin)
Natural History/Science:
• Among the Farmyard People (Clara D. Pierson)
• The Burgess Bird Book for Children Ch 1-36 (Thornton Burgess)
Poetry:
• A Child's Garden of Verses (Robert Louis Stevenson)
• Favorite Poems of Childhood (edited by Philip Smith)
Literature:
• The Aesop for Children (Milo Winter)
• The Stories Mother Nature Told Her Children (Jane Andrews)
• The Sleepy Time Tales (Arthur Scott Bailey)
• Beatrix Potter’s Series (Beatrix Potter)
This is why I love homeschooling, it's individual, and I can adjust it to suit my children's learning style and capability. No homeschool is exactly the same... and that's the beauty of it.
Eveline, your blog is great, you seem to be a wonderful mom and great planner.
ReplyDeleteLast year, when my oldest was five, I over scheduled big time! LOL
This year, she is almost six, we are much more relaxed, and she is learning way better. I still have AO year 1 in mind, but I´m biting my nails and waiting for her to be seven. We are doing NATURE NATURE NATURE, music appreciation, gentle very gentle lessons for reading, lots of math games. I´m informally reading books about children of other lands, we always read Bible, she is starting with narration, for copy work, very little I require, at different times in the day, not everything in three monotonous hours in the morning...in other words, if it helps, it speaks very high of you to have these high goals, but if you relax, the goals will stay high, believe me, and they will learn at a nice pace much more even than you think. That´s my unsolicited two cents, ha ha ha...I hope not to have offended you. I think you are a wonderful mom, wise to pick the best for your children, committed to deliver and with high expectations.
Warmly,
s
@Silvia
ReplyDeleteNo, you didn't offend me, not at all. In fact, I want to thank you for your wise advice for me. I was afraid that I would overscheduled, too. But our homeschool are very relaxed. This is the 2nd month so I'm still kind of "trying out" but I'm ready to pull back and wait for another year to start AO Y1 for my daughter. We do a lot of reading aloud, and arts. I even hold the math as she's too advanced and switch to a "lighter" one. I'm adjusting here and there... LOL.
That's the beauty of homeschooling, right? You can adjust it to suit your child's need.
I did what you did, I´m getting ready for AO year 1 next fall too :-), maybe we could be partners of accountability for each other. I was so excited like you. Now I'm relaxed but always with a schedule in mind. I like your plans, I like to do like you, in my opinion it is MUCH better to overschedule and then make it lighter, than not to have a good plan.
ReplyDeleteMy oldest just turned six and I'm excited because I see her narrations with not the AO books but other whole books are great, she is not complaining anymore about writing some, she loves her math (more with games than paper), and I am still learning about AO to start next year. Many moms start when the children are seven or very close, and find a HUGE difference. I'll let you know.
Enjoy the nature walks, the field trips, music, dance, read lots of good books, play math, cook, crafts, and she will be ready for the schedule readings soon.
Best luck, keep posting.