Lake Trip

 I've been very forgetful about sharing pictures with my mom, so here you are Mommy! For the last several years we have been giving the kids their Christmas presents throughout the year instead of at Christmas - this year that came in especially handy because we got them (and us!) a kayak. We are loving hanging out at the lake with it, and this week we had beautiful weather. We couldn't have asked for a nicer July day - sunny but not too hot, with a nice breeze. 

How We Work on Spelling - Sight Words

Our spelling approach has been two pronged, thanks to our oldest having serious problems with spelling. We have been using All About Spelling for several years, and really feel it is very effective, but because she was so far below grade level, we needed a way to give her a base of frequently used words to draw from, as soon as we could. So we started working on memorizing sight words. 

I started by printing a list of all the Dolch sight words, arranged by frequency of use. 

I then made a poster with a large chunk of the sight words on them. Hanging this up gave her access to the most frequent words during her everyday writing, and a visual goal to work toward for memorizing. Each week we would analyze five words using what we had been learning in All About Spelling. Then she would practice! Since I wanted to make it somewhat interesting, we have been following this schedule for the last several years. It has worked VERY well. 

Monday - Analyze new words, and write all words 2 times each. 

When we analyze words, we grab several different colors of markers. I write the words neatly, and then say things like, "Trace the vowel team that says long o in blue. Trace the silent e and its mate in green. Trace the rule breaker in red." 

Tuesday - Write all words 3 times each.

Wednesday - Page from spelling binder.

The spelling binder adds a little variety each week without me having to do any extra work each week. At the beginning of the year a few years ago I got on Teachers pay Teachers and printed out several spelling practice sheets that looked fun, then added a couple I made myself. I put them each in a page protector in a binder, and the kids use a dry erase marker to do them. Each one winds up requiring the words be written two or three times each. 

Thursday - Hands-on spelling. 

They consider this the most fun day of the week. We alternate between writing the words in shaving cream, jumping across the room while they spell out loud, writing the words in white crayon and then coloring over them with marker (they call it ghost writing), and writing the words in salt. Every now and then we will throw in something new, like painting the words, playing hopscotch with them, etc. 

Friday - Assess mastery. 

Sometimes we call this a spelling test, but usually we just call it finding out what our words will be for the next week. Any they can't spell for me on Friday get put on their list again the next week, then we add to it until we have five ready for the next week. 

When all the words on the poster had been marked, we celebrated! We made it a big deal too, because it was a huge achievement each time and took probably a whole nine weeks each time. Ice cream, or a date with a parent was usually their choice of prize. 

After Cadence had gone through the Dolch words twice with no pretests, we went through them one last time with a pretest on Fridays. Instead of just assigning the next five words, I would have her spell for me until she had missed five. At this point I stopped doing the poster, and just made her list in her notebook. After Dolch words we did nouns, then prepositions, then months/days of the week/address/land forms, etc., and now I just go through her schoolwork each week and find five words she's spelled wrong to assign to her. 

How We Work on Spelling - All About Spelling

 Here it is, the post I've been attempting to write for two years, and never had the time until now! Cadence has always struggled with spelling, but along about 5th grade we finally hit our stride in helping her cope with those struggles and overcome them. 

ReC way back in PreK, having an All About Spelling lesson. My baby!

We use two parts to spelling every week. She really needed the rules and phonics base that All About Spelling provides, and she also really needed a base of frequently used words she could draw from as quickly as possible. So we have combined All About Spelling with practicing 'sight words.' In this post I will describe how we use All About Spelling with multiple kids and low storage space. 

First let's talk about storage - 

I have all of our materials stacked up in a basket on baking sheets on a shelf. The magnetic tiles occupy two baking sheets, and everything else fits nicely into this basket. The whole thing, stacked like this, has its own space of honor on a bookshelf when we are not using it. 

Here is everything inside the basket:

I keep all the pieces we haven't gotten to yet in the blue lidded pencil box. 

Inside a half inch binder are all the paper and loose parts that come with each kit. The front pocket has the stickers for each level, along with notebook paper. 

Everything paper that comes with each level is hole punched and filed in the right section of the binder. The exception is completion certificates - I keep those on a shelf in my room. When it is time to do a lesson, I just flip to the level that child is on, and get started. It is easy to pull out a page if they need to write on it, or leave it in the binder if they are just reading through a word bank.

The rule breaker jail goes in the back pocket for easy access, since it is used in more than one level. Pieces that will need to be cut apart for use later I keep in a page protector at the back.

Because of the way we do our card review, I keep cards we are done with in the bottom of the basket, to be pulled out a couple times a year for reviewing the mastered cards. 

On to how we use it!

I'm sure everyone uses this program slightly differently. That's the beauty of curriculum, right? It's there to serve you how you need it! Because this program is parent intensive, we only use it three times a week instead of daily. We also break up the lesson over those three days so it isn't overwhelming. 

Day 1: Lesson Day 

On lesson day I put the basket and tiles on the table, bring a kid to the table, and jump into the lesson book. We skip the card review and go straight to the review with tiles and new teaching sections. We work through the new teaching, write only three to five dictation sentences, do the writing station in the older levels, and then put our sticker on the chart. 

Day 2: Card Day

Card day this year is in the van waiting on siblings to be done with piano. I keep all the cards for the levels we are currently using in a bag with pencils and paper, and the kids sit on the floor of the van beside my seat while we do all the card reviews. 

Day 3: Dictation Day

Since dictation is also often done in the car or a waiting room, I just grab the book we need and head out. I have a notebook and pen in my purse they can use if they don't have any other school work with them to write on. I keep track of which sentences they have successfully completed with a tiny check mark - if they struggle with a word I underline it so we can practice it several more times at the end of our practice, and start with those words again the next time to make sure they remember them. We usually stay about a lesson behind in our dictation, but that is ok, because... 

Summer!

Ok, yes, I make my kids do spelling in the summer. At least the older two, because they are struggling spellers. The poor dears. During the summer we only do a new lesson every two or three weeks, and spend the rest of our spelling time reviewing the cards and dictation sentences so they don't lose ground. 

And there you are - that is how we make All About Spelling a perfect fit for us!

Eclectic Homeschool Curriculum Choices - 7th Grade, 4th Grade, 2nd Grade, and PreK

 I have always wanted to do a curriculum choice blog post, just because they look like fun! My older two students don't fit neatly into one grade level, so their conglomeration of curriculum might seem a little strange. But having said that - so far this year has gone amazingly well, and I am so thankful that for the first time ever we have been able to start our school year with things planned out and just go. It has been very strange and wonderful!! 

Cadence - 7th Grade

Cadence works mostly independently. I sit with her while she does math, and she also likes to join in everything we do as a group with the little kids, but her own work she mostly chugs through on her own. 

Math: Math Mammoth 7 This is a pre-algebra course, and the last in the series, and I have no idea what to do about Algebra next year. I am open to suggestions! I am not sure she is up to jumping into Art of Problem Solving next year, unless we went back to their Pre-Algebra - which I would be ok with if that's what we wind up needing to do. 

I have also gone through the free math resources on Teachers Pay Teachers and printed a fun activity for each Friday, to sort of break things up. She has a bit of an anxiety problem with math - she is good at it, but it takes focus, so this helps keep things light for her. 

Language Arts: Sonlight Eastern Hemispheres (F)  This has been easy and fun for her, a very nice fit with the rest of her schedule this year. 

Excavating English from Ellen McHenry's Basement Workshop This one has been fun. We have enjoyed all of her products that we have used, her style of writing is very well suited to Cadence's sense of humor and the topics she write about line up well with Cadence's interests. 

Root Word Worksheets from K12Reader Straightforward root word vocabulary. 

All About Spelling Levels 4 & 5 I am beyond thrilled at Cadence's progress in spelling this last year! It has taken a lot of hard work to get her spelling and handwriting to a point where she can share her gift for writing with others, but I am so thankful it is getting there! I hope to do a post on how we have addressed spelling with her, and how we use AAS, soon. But - no promises, I tend to go a couple years between blog posts!

Grammar Ace This is not super in-depth, and we are nearly finished with it, so I am on the hunt for something a little more in-depth for next semester. I got it because it was recommended to go along with Sonlight's Language Arts. We did not buy the DVD, because all the videos are on YouTube. We only do two lessons a week. 

On Cadence's daily list I write any cursive letters I've noticed she has been forming incorrectly, and she copies them. We also choose 4-7 words I've seen spelled wrong in her schoolwork the week before that she practices daily. She alternates weeks of doing a chapter of Excavating English or a page of root words from K12Reader. 

Social Studies: Sonlight Eastern Hemisphere (Level F) With James This came in handy when the library shut down because of COVID - I had already bought most of the books used on Amazon, so they got a head start on the read-alouds as their bedtime stories with Tony. They have enjoyed this so far. 

Election Unit Study from Sonlight With James

She is also doing a unit on Europe that I assembled myself, since it is not included in Sonlight's Eastern Hemisphere. The younger three are covering Europe at the same time, although not as in-depth. We have also started using a morning basket after worship time, so she is enjoying sitting in on the younger kids' topical learning as well. 

Map work this year has been fun for Cadence and James. A couple times a week they take the map in the playroom, shut the door, and quiz each other... loudly... vehemently... There is a lot of, um, "PE," involved in this process. 

Science: High School Biology from BJU Press Distance Learning Online This has been amazing for her. She came to me after the first week of school, threw her arms around me, and thanked me profusely for getting this for her. She said it's the first time in her life she's learned something new in science every. single. day. She loves it. I am really glad we went ahead and invested the money on the videos. I knew she needed a high school level science this year, and but also knew she would need a teacher, especially for pronunciation, and I just don't have the time to teach her science in addition to math right now. This turned out to be the perfect solution, and she is thriving at this level. Science has always been one of her deepest area of passion, and she has always been naturally very good at it. I am glad we are finally meeting her at her level. 

Art: Art this year has been very laid-back and informal. She's done some YouTube tutorials, some drawing from books, and is also going through the Creative Companion that came with James' language arts course. 

Music: Piano

Foreign Language: ASL 1 She is taking this from Epic, the charter school they are currently enrolled in, for high school credit. I have no idea what the curriculum is called, but I do know she loves it! She always saves it for last so she has something fun at the end of her day to look forward to. 

We are also doing a little Spanish as a family. It is slow going. But we keep trying!

Bible: Cadence is an avid reader, so she has read all the devotional books we own, loves to read Christian Heroes Then and Now, Voice of the Martyrs, etc. For her morning Bible time she reads a chapter or section in the book of the Bible she's working through, and journals her thoughts and questions in a notebook. Tony goes through the journal after bedtime and writes back to her. It has turned out to be a sweet, special way to strengthen her understanding and faith, as well as bonding with Tony. 

"PE": This is in quotes for a reason! PE around here is very laid back and informal. She has learned a lot of basketball with Tony being home for COVID. We have done several archery classes, and she occasionally practices in the backyard. She conquered her fear of heights enough to climb the tree out front once. Some evenings we go on walks, or bike rides, or a quick visit to the lake to run wild. But mostly she runs, plays tag, plays in the sprinkler or pool, rides her bike, and other kid things. She spends a lot of time outside creating pretend worlds for her siblings or imaginary friends to play in, using fallen tree branches, pine needles, whatever she can find to work with. When it is super cold and wet outside we break out some exercise videos from Cincinnati Children's Hospital called "Healthworks Youth Fitness" and all do them together. 

James - 4th Grade

James also works mostly independently. I sit with him for a small portion of his language arts, and am available if he gets stuck in math, but that's about it. 

Math: Beast Academy 5 We are doing the online version this year, and it is really working well. I love that Beast Academy stretches his math brain, he adores it, and I love that doing it online relieves my math brain. 

Language Arts: The Good and the Beautiful Level 4 Side note: This publisher offers levels 1-5 of their language arts completely free to download. We do not use the brand new version that just released this fall. So this is very grammar heavy, but that is ok for him, because he enjoys the grammar flashcards a lot. He's just a flashcard/memory work sort of fellow. He also likes the Creative Companion that goes with it, and includes art, geography, and more writing. 

All About Spelling Level 3 This is the one subject all the kids have to do with me, because it is scripted to the teacher. So on Tuesdays I pull out all our stuff and go down through the kids. 

Welcome to Mooville Writing Unit With ReC We have used a unit from this company before and felt like it was very well done, so we are going to try this one after Christmas. It involves a lot of imaginative work, lots of creative writing, mixed in with the structure of the writing process. I think it will be good for James and ReC both to have that balance, they both tend to get stuck in fact mode, or regurgitate stories they've heard from others. 

Dance Mat Typing I have mixed feelings about this - it's free, it seems to be doing a good job, and the kids mostly enjoy doing it. The videos are corny and sometimes strange, though. I think soon I am going to start looking for other options, it has just been very much on the back burner. 

James also does cursive and spelling words in his daily list notebook just like Cadence. 

                                       

Social Studies: Sonlight Eastern Hemisphere (Level F) With Cadence 

Election Unit Study from Sonlight With Cadence

United States Geography and Government This is mostly work I have assigned to him, map work, memorizing the states and capitals, books, videos, worksheets I've found online, etc. All the kids enjoy watching "Tour the States" and he has easily memorized most of the states and capitals from it. 

James is also joining in with all the group work we do in our morning basket or as a family unit. He also has quite a bit of geography and social studies included in his language arts program. 

Science: Confession time. I have no plan, no curriculum, nothing, for James' science. He joins in with Cadence's sometimes, he joins in with the little girls sometimes, but mostly he reads, experiments, watches BrainPop videos, listens to non-fiction, builds with his snap circuits, Lego forces book, etc. Last year we did an actual science curriculum with him, and I discovered that it actually took him away from the science learning he initiates on his own just for fun more than it taught him, so we ditched it for this year. And he has learned every bit as much this year as last. So I think we will continue this way for another year at least, and then see from there. A couple times a week I let him on the computer to do things like code.org, chesskids.com (I am aware this is not science, but that's the sort of loosey goosey person I am, to lump things all together like that :D), dkfindout.com, or a couple other websites that we've found. 

Art: Same as Cadence

Music: Piano

Foreign Language: Spanish as a family. Again - a little, painstakingly slow Spanish with the family. 

PE: James' PE doesn't need quotation marks, because he actually has been setting goals, taking classes, and being very deliberate about his physical education. He practices archery consistently between lessons (which are few and far between because we have skipped most because of COVID), has been taking golf classes (which he loves), and works hard to perfect his basketball, football, baseball, etc. 

ReC - 2nd Grade

ReC does about two-thirds of her work with me. She has a list of things each day she can do on her own, but on occasional days where her anxiety has zapped all her energy, she might need me to sit and keep her company even for those things. Usually she practices her math facts, does her handwriting, typing, piano practice, and Waterford math on her own, and everything else with me. 

Math: Waterford Early Learning from Epic This is the only program through Epic that we consistently use and love. I really love the way it teaches early math concepts, helping them understand why math works the way it does. I do not know if this is available for individuals to purchase, but if we have to leave Epic before Harmony finishes 2nd grade math, I will be finding out!

Horizons Level 2 ReC really needs a lot of fine motor work, so I decided to get this as a supplement to her online math. Writing out the problems has really helped cement the concepts as well. I don't know that this would be my first pick for a core math program. It is really colorful, with a variety of fun ways to practice what would otherwise be boring concepts, so ReC enjoys it. It is spiral, so every lesson covers everything you have learned so far, which is also nice in some ways, but my hang up is that it doesn't really encourage problem solving or mathematical thinking. People who love Saxon but want something more colorful would probably find this a perfect fit. 

Language Arts: Language Arts for a Living Education Level 2 ReC is a naturally good reader, so I wanted a language arts program for her that focused on mechanics rather than learning to read. This has been a very good fit so far. There is basically no reading built in, instead it focuses on writing, grammar, and spelling. It has been excellent for her fine motor skills. The lines are wide and primary ruled, and she is working hard to form her letters correctly for her work. 

Readers from The Good and the Beautiful Level 2 Side note: This publisher offers levels 1-5 of their language arts completely free to download. We have not used this as much as I envisioned, simply because she finds them easy and somewhat boring. She can read pretty much anything she wants now, so she just reads on her own instead. It made me glad I had planned to have her read these on the computer instead of printing them out, since I feel like this year that would have been a waste of money. Last year we used the readers from BJU press, and she and Harmony both loved the stories in those, so we may go back to that next year. Or maybe just keep letting her read books. Probably the second one!

All About Spelling Level 2 After having two struggling spellers, it is strange to me that my child who struggles more in everything else finds this subject easy. I go ahead and go through the lessons with her because we have them, but she doesn't really need them. 

Handwriting: We have used Handwriting Without Tears, writing together in her daily to do list notebook, and are going to start A Reason for Handwriting soon. She loves to write notes for people and give gifts, so I think she will enjoy the transition into writing for other people. When we have used up the pages we have left in this book, I will probably have her do some pages from Draw. Write. Now.  She also does typing about once a week. 

Social Studies: With Harmony and James This is the other subject I don't have a curriculum for. I do have a plan for this one though! Last year we started going around the world to each continent and doing units on them, and we did not get to Europe because of COVID shutting down the library. So we are finishing that up by doing Europe. We are also doing a lot of United States geography, biographies, and government. This lines up nicely with James' work for this year, so we do a lot of it during our morning basket time. When she is finished with the United States goals I've set for her and taken the test I made, then we will do units based on her interests, much like we do for science. 

Science: Waterford Early Learning from Epic This covers all the science required by the state through the end of second grade, so technically we could just do this. But where would be the fun in that, when science is so awesome?!

How Great is Our God Science Devotionals These were fun, and provided just the right amount of science for a morning basket read for ReC and Harmony. They had a wide variety of topics. The devotional parts were good as well, and there was only one in both books combined that I felt like I needed to edit as I read to make it fit what the Bible says. 

Indescribable Science Devotionals The other in the series with the one above. 

We are also doing lots of units with library books, worksheets, writing assignments, experiments, and projects based on what they find interesting. We did oceans over the summer, weather at the beginning of the school year, and are going to start on the human body after Christmas. These are much more in-depth than the other science things we do, and the whole family enjoys them. 

Art: With Harmony Art with Nana on Youtube, and step-by-step drawing practice from books and printables

Music: Piano

Foreign Language: Let's Learn Spanish Grade 2 This is what we are working through as a family. We pull it out during our morning basket time and do the pages verbally, letting the kids look at the coloring pages. Then once a week after our reading on the couch we pull out a page for each of them and let them color or fill in the blanks at the table. The four of them are all sharing the same book, I give the pages that are coloring only to Harmony and that have a lot of writing to Cadence, and James and ReC get the in-between pages. We have done the Kindergarten and 1st grade books, keeping track with ReC's grade each year. 

"PE": ReC loves to play outside most of the time. She also does work on her core anytime I remember. Her favorite is climbing the tree out front. Her anxiety sometimes gets in the way of exercise by making her very tired, and sometimes spurs on a wild frenzy of exercise. Our goal for her is always to help her level out a bit. 

Harmony - PreK

PreK is very relaxed at our house! We are not using any curriculum. She plays on ABC Mouse while I do math with Cadence because it keeps her occupied so Cadence can focus. I have made it my goal to use up all the things I printed for the older kids and didn't have a chance to use yet, so she is going through the alphabet that way. Each time she wants to 'do PreK' I sit down with her and play games, cut and glue, practice writing letters, signing the letters, and learning the letter sounds. She has an inherent understanding of math the way James does, so we don't really work on that too much except for fun. Unless she asks for PreK, she spends her day playing, listening to stories, being read to, being outside, pretending, playing play-doh, etc.