Thursday, November 13, 2008

Catching Up

I just realized I haven't been on here in awhile. I thought I would update you on our reads and then do a short post on what we have been doing.

All: Old Testament

Dawn: Vegetable, Animal, Miracle
Good Dog, Stay (sad dog story)
Secrets by Jude Devereaux (everyone needs a brainless novel sometimes, right?)
Lewis and Clark

Curtis: Prince Caspian (to the kids)

Isaac: Andrew Lost and Wishbone
Benjamin Franklin in encylopedias, internet and biographies

Jesse: Alma (Book of Mormon), Andrew Lost

Hannah: Skeleton Hiccups (she is learning to read on her own. I gave up teaching her)

Simeon: Being read to by Hannah and the boys. He's learned how to spell TRAIN and still obsessed with the Thomas the Tank Engine books.


We are just finishing up studying about Benjamin Franklin. I think he is one of my favorite founding fathers. He just seems like someone most people could talk to or relate to. I'm amazed at all he did...his brain never stopped working. For fun, while waiting in line for example, he would do a complex math problem. Every where he looked he tried to find something to make life better, easier, or find out how it worked. The stuff he founded, discovered, experimented on...what a blessed man!

Next week we will be learning about common life among the colonists. I think this might be a little more interesting for the kids, as opposed to me gobbling up all the information. I think some of the activities set out for the kids for Benjamin Franklin were a little more advanced for their ages. Which brings me to this question. We were supposed to study atoms (in relation to electricity). Guess who was most interested in that lesson? Hannah. 6 year old, barely starting to read Hannah. She understood the concept, drew the atom, and asked more questions about it. How do we know what may or may not be "on their level"? Is it our conveyor belt upbringing that limits us as teachers in thinking they may not be ready for a particular subject?

Hannah is the one that is surprising me the most lately. She wants to participate in our lessons, but only in a limited capicity: if it is interesting, she'll join in. She wants to learn how to read and I've tried to do the phonics method with her but it's not working so it's been suggested to teach her the sight word method, which she gets, but I hate to teach. Is there a good method out there for that? Should I just hold off and let her develop on her own, and I help her when she asks? Do I do a formal lesson plan?

I totally understand the "skydiving off the conveyor belt" muse. I'm right there with you!!!

1 comment:

Pirate Princess said...

Oh I KNOW you don't want this answer to your questions... but darn it, only YOU know the answers Dawn! Personally, if it's something I hate to teach, it doesn't get done. I just can't make myself do it and I fought it for years. Finally I figured out it didn't have to be full of guilt and anguish - homeschooling isn't all fun and games, but it isn't supposed to be miserable either, because if you are, then you put that into your teaching (no matter how hard you try not to) and it rubs off on the kids - and you don't want to do that. My solution has always been to find a way that we can all benefit. If we aren't enjoying the journey - ANY of us - chuck it.

That's what I do. That may not be sound advice for you or the next person. You really are the expert of your home... knee time always trumps well meaning advice. ;)

Hugs - I think you're doing fantastic! :)