First Day of School!

We decided to homeschool when Austin was about one and a half. Since then we've done a little bit of preschool at home, a little bit of preschool away from home, some math, some phonics.... Now it's time to make an official start.

I've spent many, many hours reading about homeschooling philosophies and researching curricula. From the moment I discovered the classical approach I knew it was for me. The emphasis on reading, writing, and thinking; the centrality of history and language; studying subjects in depth even at a young age...so much appeals to me. Not to mention the priceless opportunity to weave God's wisdom and beauty into every subject.

So what exactly will we be doing with our time? Here's what we're starting with; I plan to add more subjects in a few months after we (hopefully!) settle into a nice routine.

• Both Austin and Esther will be using Bible Study Guide for All Ages, the Beginner version. What I love about this program is that it is designed for the whole family to study the same parts of Scripture together; they have different worksheets and activities for various ages but everyone can work together. There are 416 lessons in the complete program, enough for three or four years!
• Esther will do Confessions of a Homeschooler's Letter of the Week curriculum just as Austin did a few years ago. She knows her letters pretty well but I think she'll benefit from practicing writing and scissor skills and the like. And it is just fun.
• Austin and I will continue to work through Phonics Pathways. We started it ages ago and for awhile it was rather rough going. But at some point everything clicked (I can't take much credit for it) and he became a reader. We'll finish the book, though, just to make sure he gets all the main phonics rules. And like we have for five years now, we'll read read read. Independent easy reading for him and chapter book read alouds. We just started Little House on the Prairie, having read Little House in the Big Woods and Farmer Boy in recent months. We have also read James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory just since returning from vacation. I'd love to hear more ideas for good read-aloud books!
• We will use Letters and Numbers for Me, the Handwriting Without Tears kindergarten level book. Austin's preschool used the HWT preschool book last year and I really like the approach.
• We will finish Saxon Math K, which we started last year and are about halfway through. Then we'll move on to Saxon Math 1. I love math, of course, and it is a joy to see Austin enjoy it so much so far. The kindergarten level has seemed like play to him, I think: teddy bear counters, pattern blocks...so many colorful pieces to touch and manipulate. One of my great frustrations in my crowded LAUSD classrooms was that using any kind of manipulative was so difficult to manage. Either you didn't have enough pieces for everyone or kids stole the pieces or you just plain didn't have the manipulative you wanted. Not a problem at home!
• I don't feel like we're ready to dive into studying history yet so we're going to work through this simple geography book. It covers basic map skills and teaches about the oceans and continents. It's just worksheets, really, so I'll try to supplement with more fun, hands-on stuff. Maybe learn more about the places mentioned in some of our favorite books. Pretty low-key, just a little bit a few times a week.
• Science will be similarly light for now. Just exploring our environment. I found a great website with about 75 ideas for simple pre-k/kindergarten science activities. For example, this week we're going to dig in the dirt, talk about what it's made of, maybe make some mud, shake dirt and water up together and watch the sediment settle. I think the kids will love it. And when you think about all the big concepts that could potentially come out of the conversation (erosion, decomposition, insect habitats, etc)...pretty cool.

Here are my adorable little students!

And the little ones who are along for the ride.

 

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