School Sessions: Chapter 3

We've had quite a few weeks since our last homeschool update. We're in the process of reviewing and conquering certain concepts (in addition, graphing, alphabetizing, and phonics). Charlotte has been a CHAMP... she even did schoolwork while we were on the East Coast for vacation visiting with family. We have a routine down most mornings, and the only time it's interrupted, is if we have a doctor's appointment or something else that's pressing. Journaling is one of her favorites still... in fact, we'll be in need of a new journal soon, because hers is nearly filled to the brim with entries and pictures. She often needs help with prompts (My favorite ______ is....) when writing... so one thing I'd like to work on her more, is coming up with her own thoughts/ideas or write about past/present events. I want her to be a little more "free" with her writing... She still needs my help spelling out most words that are 5 letters or more. But, I do enjoy the 15 minutes she takes each day to write in her journal, mostly because her pictures that go hand in hand with each entry, are HYSTERICAL. 

During most of her journal time, I'm usually able to tackle the day's laundry pile that's waiting to be folded... Or catch up on dishes. As much as I want to move our homeschool space into my office, being out on the dining room table for most schooling allows for me to be "nearby" whenever she needs my assistance.

In between Phonics/Reading and Math, we do some free reading (where she'll read a page or two of an easy reader book to Marley and I. Sometimes we do some activities out of her HIGH FIVE magazine. I completely recommend this magazine... I think it's worth every penny we pay... the activities are fun for her, she especially loves the stories. She memorizes the poems out of each month's edition, and enjoys the hidden picture searches (which are SUPER helpful for her poor eye sight).

The one thing that I've LOVED about homeschooling (a simple observation)... is that I have control over the snacks that she receives. I remember the items that parents would send to school on their "snack" days, for the kids... potato chips, cheese curls, candy, fruit snacks, etc... junk. I was the Mom who sent Charlotte to school with cheese sticks and the teacher complained that she had to open EVERY child's cheese stick, and that it wasn't the greatest snack option. Hmm... nearly everyday Charlotte has either a piece of fruit, kefir drink, yogurt, natural apple sauce, etc... and not once has she complained about it not being delicious... and she can totally open up her cheese stick all on her own.

The past few weeks' highlights:

- Watching it "click" when it comes to addition. She understands the concept of adding "0", "1" "10" and "20"... and finally figured out how to properly use a number line for addition.

- She's a rockstar with consonant blends (for beginnings and endings of words) for Phonics.

- She understands the concept of sentence construction (needing a capital to start off with, and the proper ending- be it a period, question or exclamation mark).

- Was introduced to the idea of "nouns"... and handled it well.

- Her attitude towards school... I LOVE her persistence and her determination to finish in a timely manner... the girl needs to play, and she realizes the sooner she gets it done, the more time she's allowed to play.

The past few weeks' lows:

- Not too interested in reading... loves writing... but reading isn't her favorite yet.

- Lack of socialization... we desperately need to get over this cabin fever.