Haley's "Spend-the-Night" with Grandma Lowder

I had a good time at grandma lowder it was fun. I love her I really do. I got to pick out my clothes.I had a lot of fon I really do love her. I love everyone in my family.

Multiplication Maniac

Today Haley has been skipping ahead a bit in her Singapore 2B book and has cruised through 8 pages of multiplication.  She really understands this and her accuracy is close to 100%.  I am so proud of her positive attitude about this and her progress!  Although we are NOT focusing on memorization (because I philosophically and pedagogically disagree with this method), she is beginning to "remember" some of the facts because of the understanding that she has been building since beginning to learn multiplication concepts early last year (at 4 years old). 

In addition to this, she has been reading a chapter book, Girls Acting Catty, and working through leveled readers and comprehension on Raz-Kids.com.  Her comprehension continues to grow as she is exposed to more and more reading concepts and comprehension-based questions and activities.

I look forward to getting back into the "Moving Beyond the Page" program on Thursday and Friday as we finish up the Weather, Environment, and Literature Unit ("Tornado") that we've been working on for the past month or so.


Overall, Haley is doing very well with her homeschooling.  We are continuing to work on her anxiety and attitude (led from her perfectionist fear that she will miss something).  We are also continuing to work on settling into a solid rigorous schedule that will work well for both of us (and little brother Zachary).

:)

Haley's Reflections-January 17th through 21st

Haley has done so much great learning this week!  She's flown through 8 out of 12 Dance Mat typing lessons.  She has completed several mental math addition lessons in Singapore 2B.  She's learned about mood and conflict as well as how to organize a paragraph based on a main idea with interesting details.  She has also worked towards the end of her unit on environment, weather, and geography in Moving Beyond the Page.  On Friday, we had a "FUN DAY".  She worked on BigIQKids spelling, vocabulary, and math lessons as well as her independent reading and typing lessons.  She is now going to try out her newly found typing skills to give her own reflections about this week's learning.

Haley's Reflections

A fish bone it was about was about when Asha died I was sad so was zack mom and dad.my dog bell wouldn't leave her I was sad zack was sad and mom and dad was sad.  I started a new math book.  I did fun friday.  I tride on five little monkey costumes and oh so quiet costumes.  I got mesherd for tap.

Friday, January 14th

After 3 days to play in the snow this week (and ice), we've finally gotten started back with our lessons.  Haley has been learning more about weather and environments this week.  She has explored with the globe, day and night (using a flashlight), weather around the world on the same day, and labeling flat maps (continents, oceans, equator, North Pole, and South Pole).  In math, she has started Singapore Math 2B and is working on mental addition and subtraction with larger numbers (up through the hundreds).  She is doing very well with this and works on multiplication and division review from the end of the 2A book independently while I work with Zachary on reading and math (Kindergarten-style).  Today she planned and wrote her own myth about how the turtle got it's shell and reviewed spelling words that she has previously mastered as well.  Her anxiety certainly gets in the way of her thinking, mostly during math and writing.  We are working through understanding that we use mistakes and challenges as opportunities to learn and are not expected to perfect!  We expect her to try, but would rather her miss everything, than whine and worry throughout the process and be "perfect".  We are hoping that this improves as she experiences "real" learning (that which she has experienced very little in the past year and a half of "school"). 

Ramona The Pest Podcast Summary/Reflection

Haley read Ramona The Pest this week by Beverly Cleary.  She enjoyed reading this book and has created a podcast to share a summary and serve as a method of reflection about the story.

Week 1: November 8th-12th

We began our homeschooling journey in a rather relaxed state for this first week.  Even so, Haley has accomplished a lot in such a few short hours.  Here is an overview...

Monday, November 8th
10:00AM-1:00PM
cooked muffins together (Haley read the recipe and rephrased the directions in her own words)
artwork on her own with water colors
Singapore Math (subtraction with regrouping)
Making a list to solve for the unknown numbers
3rd grade reading comprehension passage
reading comprehension game (main idea, infer, cause and effect, etc.)
Sallie Gal and the Wall-a-kee Man and summary in notebook
Prefix "sub"
non-fiction reading about horses and spiders (and notes in inquiry notebook)
piano practice
gymnastics and dance practice


Tuesday-rest day

Wednesday  (about 1 1/2 hours)
made a Nutella sandwich for Zachary and herself
Singapore Math multi-digit subtraction with regrouping twice in a row
Making a list to solve for the unknown
Reading comprehension Passage about The National Anthem
Sallie Gal Ch. 7 and summary in notebook
Review prefix "sub"
Analogies
Grammar (ABC order)
Phonics initial consonants (review)
piano practice
practice gymnastics
dance class

Thursday-rest day (Veteran's Day)

Friday
10:00AM-12:00PM (plus independent time to practice music, do art, and finish Sallie Gal book)
Singapore Math (subtraction across multiple zeroes with regrouping)
Math Problem Challenge
Reading comprehension practice about Carribou
Prefix "trans" means across or over and review of "sub"
Analogies (word analogies)
Science (Caribbou reading passage)
practice piano and violin
finish Sallie-Gal book and write summaries for each chapter in her reader's response notebook
practice dance and gymnastics
gymnastics class (tonight)
violin lesson (tonight)
phonics lesson (ending consonants)-review


What an awesome week!  In about the time that one day of school would have taken us!

I look forward to next week's continuation of this special journey!!! 

From Kindergarten to 2nd Grade in 15 months

Haley began 2nd grade at five years old back in August.  She has done very well!  Enjoys her select few friends and her teachers, especially her AIG teacher, Mrs. Mobley.  Although she is especially social for such a little smarty, she has yet to be challenged academically, even grouped with children 2-3 years older than herself. 


While Haley has been working hard (or not so hard) in 2nd grade, I (Mommy) have been working hard growing a little baby inside of my belly.  The severe morning sickness has led to a medical leave of absence for the duration of the school year.  Because of the long drive from our house to school (35 minutes), and then 40 more minutes for Michael to drive to his work, it has become infeasible to get Haley to school without my driving her.

So, all of these circumstances have created the perfect storm leading us to withdraw Haley from Rockwell Elementary and begin to home school her as of the end of the school day, November 5th, 2010.

She has done an amazing job this week, although we have taken it quite easy to help her to adjust.  I am thrilled about the progress that she is already making in just a couple of short hours of work each day.  We feel such a sense of relief, knowing that we have made the best decision for our daughter and for our family!  I look forward to "getting my sweet little girl" back now that she is not worn out from long rides and long hours at school!  Home schooling is a blessing and we intend to make the most of it!

More to come...