April 14 - 20, 2013

Saxon Math 1 is done!

Henry

• Saxon Math 1: Lessons 126-130 (writing the number 114, identifying and counting hundreds, tens, and ones; writing the number 115, representing numbers to 500 using pictures; writing the number 116, subtraction facts - the leftover facts; writing the number 117; written assessment 25, oral assessment 13)
• The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading: Lessons 180-183 (compound words; the schwa; the LE ending; the ER ending)
• Zaner-Bloser Handwriting 1: Pages 111-115 (Vv, Yy, Ww)

Okay.  So now what?

Math - As I wrote about before, Henry is going to work his way through the first grade workbook of Math Made Easy.  This is going to be review, so I think he will get through it fairly quickly.  He already did the first five pages yesterday.  Granted, they were extremely simple concepts, but I don't think he'll take more than two or three months to complete the entire book, putting completion somewhere around the end of June.

Reading - We have 48 lessons left in OPGTR. At our current rate of 4 lessons per week, that would take us 12 weeks to complete, putting us at mid-July.  From this point on, the length of the lessons increases quite a bit.  I think I will keep our current one lesson per day schedule, but we are going to start doing school Monday through Friday beginning next week.  Five lessons per week has us completing the book before the end of June.

Handwriting - There are 24 pages left and Henry is completing one per day.  With a five-day week, he'll be finished by the end of May.

Based on all of that, it looks like first grade is going to begin in July.  July 1st is a Monday, so we'll shoot for that as our official start date.

In the meantime, I am going to work on developing Kindergarten Henry into First Grade Henry.  That means, as I wrote above, extending our school week.  I want to begin our Math Fun Fridays now.  We'll do the workbook lessons for four days, then have Friday for math games and books.

I have an eye towards some enrichment activities, too.  We've done the first few lessons from Getting Started with Latin and Henry (and Jane!) really like them.  We'll keep that up.  I also just came across an interesting (and free!) elementary architecture course created for kindergarten through fifth grade.  Henry has expressed an interest in learning how to design buildings, so I think he'll enjoy this gentle introduction. 

(And he lost his first tooth last week!)

Oliver

Oliver continues to progress.  Both Matt and I have noticed a definite upswing in his ability to listen and follow directions.  He continues to match and sort easily.  He remains highly interested in the letter portions of Starfall.  He is picking up new signs easily.  Overall, he's doing great.

Jane

Oh, Jane.  Jane wants to read, but she doesn't want to be read to.  Jane wants to count, but she doesn't want help counting.  Jane wants to write, but she doesn't want anyone to watch her write.  Jane is a cute little walking contradiction.  I get a touch of the vapors thinking about what she's going to be like in a couple of years.

Peter

Finally.  The glorious day has arrived.  Two bottom teeth have broken free.  It has been a long, hard slog.  Peter is also getting up on his hands and knees and rocking back and forth, so I think he'll be crawling soon.  He's also (finally) sitting up.  I guess it takes a lot of muscle control to keep that huge noggin steady.