Reducing Speed

Since the start of the new year, I have taken a very deep breath and really looked at my son to truly gauge how we are doing with our schooling. As I thought about how the mornings go, we are in sync. In a routine. That's good. But then I notice that he is not enjoying math. Learning the sounds and spelling of words is mundane. For both of us. And his handwriting doesn't seem to be improving. He's hit a plateau. That is not good. Time for a change. Put on the brakes and build in more fun. After all, the world is our classroom.

I stumbled upon Xtramath by checking a homeschooler email newsletter. That is awesome. It has allowed us to take a break from the worksheets but still work on math skills. And, by the way, it's free and open to anyone. It's not just for homeschoolers. Levels of math start at kindergarten and go to higher levels of math so kids can get extra practice and hone their skills. James loves the computer and he likes that he is doing it on his own. It's also timed. He will do math for about 10 minutes and then he is done for the day. He doesn't get as frustrated and he likes it.

James is reading really well. I am happy with this and he is naturally reading everything and he is now spelling entire sentences outloud. Here's how yesterday sounded:

James: H-I M-O-M-M-Y. I L-O-V-E Y-O-U more than you love me exclamation mark.

Me: H-E-L-L-O J-A-M-E-S. I L-O-V-E Y-O-U T-O-O.

James: C-A-N Y-O-U L-O-G M-E O-N M-I-N-E-C-R-A-F-T P-L-Z?

Me: N-O.

James: W-H-Y M-O-M-M-Y?

And so it goes. So I felt like we needed to change what we had been using. I found Explode the Code Online through the recommendations from other homeschooling moms. Explode the Code is great because, again, it has a computer-based option so James can work on  his own. Also, this program is used in the public schools and not just for homeschoolers so if your child needs some extra fun practice, this is great.

I love our handwriting curriculum but I felt we needed to "back up" a little. I started making handwriting sheets that James can trace. I used them before I ever bought curriculum. I can give him vocabulary words to trace or a bible verse or his name and address. And this is also free and can be used by anyone.

We have been going on almost every field trip that is planned through our homeschool group. If the field trip is geared for his age group, we are there! We have field trips planned as far out as May!

• Bi-weekly park play days
• Videri Chocolate Factory
• Valentine's Day Party
• Charlotte's Web play
• 8-week Legacy Co-op (Fridays)
• Schoolhouse of Wonder
• Museum of Life and Science
• JC Raulston Arboretum
• Animal Farm Days
• Easter Egg Hunt
• Visiting a state park
• Going to the movies
• Road trip or visiting the USS North Carolina

Since we are taking it a little slow on some of the fundamentals, I decided that taking more time to sit and read books together would be a great addition to our daily routine. Bedtime stories happens every night but reading together during the day is better. I ended up buying a history curriculum that has short stories in it as well as small projects to do together. It's available on Amazon too. The first thing James had to do was learn about his OWN history and called some family members to interview them. It will become a book for him to keep complete with pictures and all. His very own family tree.

I have made a conscious decision to take it slow. To let James guide me. I look to him to let me know when we need to speed up and when we need to slow down. And this will vary from subject to subject. We cruise along at reading and vocabulary. We go a little slower for math and handwriting. For him, "school" should be fun and playful. I want him to love learning; to forever be curious and ask questions. 

I leave you with a quote from Heidi St. John. She's a homeschool guru. If you like it, follow her blog.

If you are being held hostage by a burdensome curriculum or a program that promises to get your kid into college—and if you’re wondering if this was really the life that God had designed for you, I challenge you to look at those first homeschool moms. They set the bar—and they did it without expensive “all inclusive” programs. They did it by faith. They did it because they knew God would provide for their every need if they would only trust Him to guide and direct them.

These precious moms found out that God is faithful. He can be trusted. His mercies are new every day.

His yoke is easy. His burden is light.

- Heidi St. John's blog

Carolina Tiger Rescue

One if the coolest field trips to date! But I am appalled that there is a need for such a place. I recently learned that my fair state has another such facility to handle big cats and other exotic animals that people thought would make great pets. Geez Louise. What a great lesson for kids to learn. These cats are beautiful and majestic ..and serious predators! They aren't pets!!
Carolina Tiger Rescue
Www.CarolinaTigerRescue.org

Bits and Pieces

There is so much going on right now and I want to document it all so today's post is is formatted in my ever-favorite bullet points. I'm sure not to forget anything when I can think within a list.

• James just completed the Math-U-See Primer. I am not sure if I want to go ahead and buy the Alpha level yet. Until I figure it out, I am printing out worksheets on www.education.com and using those to review and continue learning. James likes mazes so I am printing those plus worksheets for subtraction and telling time. If he progresses well, I will start looking for worksheets on money.
• I absolutely LOVE the All About Reading reading program! I had to buy the Level 1 since James completed the pre-reading level in February. He is continuing to learn the sounds of letters but when he reads them, he tried to guess the word without looking at the individual letters. He does the same thing with math. He tries to figure out the word based on his own knowledge instead of reading the word. He reminds me everyday to color in a star on his progress chart. :)
• Our co-op semester is coming to an end tomorrow. It's been a great year! James has made some really great friends...and so have I. It went by so fast this semester and we will miss seeing our friends every Friday.
• I have taken the bull by the horns and planned my first field trip. We are going to the Morehead Planetarium & Science Center next month. We will being seeing two Planetarium shows: Earth, Moon & Sun and Solar System Odyssey. During our co-op this semester, James was taking an Outerspace class and I thought this would be a great time to go. I still remember visiting the plantetarium when I was in school. This will be James' first trip to the Planetarium.
• No Tech Tuesdays are back!!!! Since discovering Minecraft, James has been obsessed with playing it and watching the Youtube videos of guys who SHOW you how to play it. He has actually spent more time watching the videos and learning about playing than actually playing it. Soooooo, he needed to take a real break from screens. This past Tuesday was our first one and it was the BEST day. We talked more, read more books and had a very nice day. I think it's very freeing to be without the entertainment of the computer, TV  phone and make your own entertainment. He wanted me to read to him ALL the Shutterfly vacation books I have made (there are 6 of them). He ran around the house pretending to be someone. I wasn't sure who exactly. He could have been a Transformer or a Minecraft character. But what I do know is that he was having fun!! He also says "I love you" more.
• The Action Bible is still a HUGE hit! James enjoys storytime every night with Daddy. He grabs his Action Bible and they read. They were reading about Sampson this week. I think James liked that story. The best part is that James is comprehending and remembering the stories. We reading a story last week and Passover was mentioned and I asked him if he remembered what Passover was and he responded, "It's when the Angel of Death came. The people put blood on their door so the Angel would not take their first born.". Wow!!! 
• Minecraft! Nana and Pop-Pop bought the Minecraft gift card as an Easter gift. He LOVED it! Now he is playing more than watching. I like that. Is Minecraft the Ultimate Education Tool?
• With our schedules being so hectic right  now, James is spending a lot of time with Chris at work. He goes with him to make deliveries. James loves being with his Dad. He also spends some time with MawMaw & DiDi each week as well. I don't know what we would do without my parents willingness to help us out on the super busy days. 
• We have made all sorts of friends this semester. Lots of play days at the park, birthday party invitations, and soccer is back in full swing too. We have field day to look forward to and trips to the beach. We get so busy with the day to day schedule that we are ALL looking forward to some family time away from the daily grind. 

Happy Springtime!!! It's here!

Strawberries! Strawberries! Pick your own fun!

 Chris, James and I went on a field trip with some other homeschoolers this past Monday morning. We went to a local farm called Vollmer Farm that opens their farm to the public so folks can pick their own strawberries. And right now in NC, the strawberries are perfect for picking! In fact, May is strawberry month. It didn't take us long to fill a 5 pound bucket full of delicious Sweet Charlie strawberries. If you are in North Carolina, check out www,ncstrawberry.com to find a farm near you. And if you are not at your computer, there's an app for that (for iphone only)! Look up "North Carolina Strawberry Farm Locator". And if you are so inclined, you can "like" them on Facebook at NC Strawberry. Heck! While you are at it, "like" Carolina Strawberry Festival, Wallace! The festival is happening on May 14th, 2012. We just might have to plan another field trip!

While we were at the farm's store, I grabbed a pamphlet about strawberries. It included recipes and I decided to try the Strawberry Bread recipe. It's in the oven right now! I took the liberty (I usually do) of adding some slivered almonds to my bread. I love nuts in bread and I just happened to have some. I mixed them with the dry ingredients right before I added the wet ingredients and mixed it all together. James even helped me put all the dry ingredients in the bowl. He couldn't believe that I was making strawberry bread for the first time! Ha! Now let's just cross our fingers that he will actually taste a bite. Happy picking!