Where Are We Going? And Where Have We Been?

It seems that we have all spent this year adjusting and exploring different educational philosophies to find one that works for us.  I can honestly say that we have not found one single approach that works well for us, but we have found elements of several approaches that do work.  Certainly each of the children are different and there are different things that work for each of them.

Madeline really thrives on structure, but it has to be self-imposed structure.  She has taken things that I have introduced and changed them to make them her own.  For example, the workboxes system was successful for a short time when I was in control of it, but it worked much better when she took control of it.  She decides which things she works on and in which order.  She loves the whole structure of everything being in its place and working through the boxes.  She even seems to enjoy moving the numbers as she completes the tasks.  She likes to see progress and she is eager to learn.  She does, however, go in spurts.  This applies both to her interest in formal "school work" and each individual subject.  There are days when she has absolutely no interest is sitting and doing anything formal, and then there are days when she can't get enough and works well into the evening.  She will also get excited about a particular subject and work for an extended period of time on it.  One day she may complete an entire unit in math, or she may spend an entire week learning about ancient Egypt or dinosaurs or the American Revolution.  Her thirst for knowledge on a particular subject can sometimes seem unending.  Whatever this system is that we have in place for her right now, which I have no name for, works for her.  She amazes me daily!

Isabella has really spent this year recovering for her experience last year and finding herself, in a sense.  She is really the opposite of Madeline in many ways.  She resists structure, either externally or internally imposed.  She likes to make her decisions minute by minute.  She is incredibly imaginative and creative. She is easily frustrated when asked to sit and complete more formal work.  She is a very hands-on learner.  We have tried several approaches with her, but mostly she has spent the year exploring the world her own way and the growth I have seen from her this year is incredible.  She has grown as an individual.  She has figured out who she is.  I anticipate that future attempts to control her learning are going to be met with frustration, and I suspect a more unschooling approach may be best way for her to grow.

Hailey seems to fall in the middle.  She enjoys "school-type" tasks, and does occasionally like to use the workboxes system.  She is still young, though, so play really is her primary means of learning at this point.  Most of the time she is just trying to keep up with her sisters.

So, as I prepare for the next school year, I have been thinking about what we will do.  Will we be using a curriculum?  What type of structure will we have in place?  I have been debating these questions all year.  It seems that in many ways the girls have answered these questions for themselves.  My plan is to continue to let them figure out their own path, but with some guidance and direction from me.  They do seem to all enjoy the Moving Beyond the Page curriculum, so we will continue with that.  Madeline will be moving into the 7-9 curriculum, which she is actually very excited about.  She has looked at the concepts that are covered and is interested in the topics and the literature that is used.  Isabella is slowly working through the 5-7 curriculum.  She has almost completed the first concept.  She really enjoys the creative aspects of the curriculum and it works for her as long as she is working at a pace she dictates.  Madeline has been using Singapore Math for the past 2 years, and she will continue with it this next year.  She should move into 3A as our new school year begins on June 1.  Earlier this year I decided that Singapore just was not working for Isabella, so she and Hailey have been using RightStart Math Level A sporadically this year.  I plan to continue to work with this curriculum with them.  They seem to like it and it is a good fit for Isabella.  It includes lots of hands-on learning.  We have been using both ABeCeDarian Reading and All About Spelling this year with Madeline and Isabella.  I am considering choosing just one for next year, although there really is nothing more I need to buy in either curriculum for the next year, at least not immediately, so I think we may just play it by ear and use what works.  I'm still considering pulling activities in for science and social studies for the Pandia Press curriculums R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey and History Odyssey because the girls have been really interested the lessons we have done from them this year.  Madeline in particular has enjoyed the extra history and Isabella has enjoyed the science.  I am also fairly sure that I am going to introduce Madeline to the Michael Clay Thompson Language Arts curriculum.  I think she will really enjoy it.  I am also considering getting Discovery Education streaming which I found a good price on at Homeschool Buyers Co-op.  What I do know is that we will not be having a set schedule.  They will be deciding what, when, and how they would like to learn and I will be providing them with opportunities.  We will be spending LOTS of time outside and with friends. I am hoping for many field trips this year.  We will continue to try to find the best way for each of them to learn and grow!

A Long Winter

Clearly it was a long winter since I have not written since January.  What have we done?  Well, Madeline completed Primary Mathematics 1B and move on the Primary Math 2A.  She was very proud of herself for finishing level 1.  Isabella is also proud as she has moved to the second half of the kindergarten math curriculum.

We have also spent lots of time reading books from Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series.  The girls really enjoyed the adventures of Jack and Annie!  We have several more to read, but we took a break to read some Greek mythology.  We found these two books to be good resources:

The interest in Greek Myths was brought on by this Magic Tree House book:

We are now about to embark on a journey into Ancient Egypt, also a topic we read about in the Magic Tree House series in this book:

We will be using curriculum from The Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and Mary for the study.  They have published "Ancient Egypt: Gift of the Nile".  Madeline is quite excited about the study.

I have ordered several of the books from this curriculum from our library along with some other resources and videos to supplement the curriculum.

We have done lots of activities as well, including dance classes, art classes, gymnastics, and most recently swimming lessons.

Well, I think that is all I can recall at the moment.  I am glad that spring is upon us.  We have started preparing our gardens for spring.  We want to be ready to attract Monarchs when they return.  We are looking forward to watching them!  

Singapore Math 1A Complete!

Well, it certainly took longer than I expected for Madeline to complete 1A, but she has done it.  I kind of think there were parts that I should have skipped because it was almost "busy work" for her, but I did not want to find later that she had "gaps" in her skills, so we did it all. She was so excited to finish, and then she enjoyed going back through the book and looking at all that she has accomplished.   And now it is on to 1B!

Here is Madeline showing off the last page in her book... complete!

Where are we going?

Well, it seems that the answer to the question, "What curriculum will we use?" is a map that is always changing. It seems like there is a never-ending quest to find materials that are a good fit for the girls' learning styles. My ideas for what we would use this year have changed several times this summer, but I think I have settled on some appropriate materials for the year (subject to change at any time, of course).

I ran across a curriculum that is designed for "gifted and creative" children, Moving Beyond the Page, that addresses that is based on the standards, and is very hands-on. I will be using the 5-7 curriculum materials for Isabella and the 6-8 curriculum materials for Madeline. The girls seem to like the lessons so far, and the material seems to be appropriately challenging for them.

In addition to this curriculum, we will be using ABeCeDarian Reading. This program is a nuts-and-bolts, how to read curriculum. To me, it seems, it is a combination of the best of every program I have used. It has "making words"-type activities; is very methodical in the teaching of phonics, like Sigfried Engelmann's work; and includes writing activities as well. I even like the handwriting portions as much as I like the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum. It is really the type of curriculum I would develop myself, if I was so inclined. We are all happy with it. The girls have seen success with it, and even Hailey asks to learn to read when she sees her sisters doing it. We will also be using LOTS of library books at their reading levels for independent reading, and probably some guided reading.

I think we will also continue to use the Write Source materials for writing. I like the direct instruction in the 6 Traits of Writing that the program provides, and Madeline enjoyed the kindergarten program last year. We will also continue with journaling, and we will encourage both Madeline and Isabella to continue to write down their wonderful stories.

As I posted previously, we are using Singapore Math, and we continue to really like that program. Isabella especially has made huge progress in the past month with it. We will continue with it.

We have experimented with a few art programs this summer, and have been happy with all of them, for what they offer. The Atelier Homeschool Art program has certainly held the girls' attention and lead to lots of spontaneous art being done in between the lessons. The geeArt program has also been enjoyed. They just do not seem to be a complete program, and since we are almost 1/2 finished with the Atelier program (Level 1), and we just started this summer, it will probably not get us through the whole year. I just heard about a program that is suppose to be fabulous, called Artistic Pursuits, which I think I am going to check out. I am also going to use ideas from Discovering Great Artists

and Great American Artists for Kids, both by MaryAnn F. Kohl and Kim Solga.

We are also planning to purchase a used piano or keyboard so that the girls can learn to play. If that doesn't pan out, we might go back to taking a music class, as we have in the past.

Physical education gets covered through the many classes that the girls are involved in. We have dance and gymnastics planned. Madeline would also like to take a karate class, and she and Isabella have played soccer in the past, so we will see what happens later this year.

Well, I think that is what is "mapped" for now. I'm sure it will be adjusted and changed as the year goes on, and I am sure the girls will add their own ideas to it as we progress through the year.

A New Math Curriculum

We started our academic year (which we have chosen to begin June 1) with Everyday Mathematics, which I have used with Madeline for a few years, and before that taught in a couple of different schools. I have been pretty happy with it. It is a well researched program. Plus, since it was out of the University of Chicago, and I am partial to anything from Chicago, well, I was happy to be using it.

I found, this year, however, that it was just not moving fast enough for Madeline. We started the 1st grade curriculum back in March, actually, and she was just wizzing through it. She was not really needing to practice the skills past the initial introduction, and she was transfering the skills to new situations without any effort at all. So, I went in search of a new curriculum that would move faster and challenge her.

Well, after looking at several different curriculums we have settled on Singapore Math. I have had several other parents tell me about their successes with it, and I found some great reviews online of the program as well as information comparing it with other programs. It appears to be a solid program, and it seems to fit our needs. The research studies supporting it are impressive.

I ordered Primary Mathematics 1A for Madeline and Earlybird Kindergarten Mathematics A for Isabella. I actually debated on whether to start Madeline in 1 or 2. She was on the border when I gave her the placement test. I figured that any new program has its own quirks and new language to learn, so I decided on 1.

The Earlybird Kindergarten Mathematics A seems to be a really great fit for Isabella. The activities are definitely at the appropriate level for her, and move at an appropriate pace. I also ordered Essential Math Kindergarten A for her for some extra practice, and I am happy with that as well. She has enjoyed the activities from this program: coloring, cutting and pasting, some writing and drawing lines for matching. She even used a ruler (with some help) to draw straight lines.

Madeline has moved at quite a fast pace through Primary Mathematics 1A, but it has been appropriate for her. It has held her attention well, and she often wants to keep going, even after the lesson is finished (actually we have been completing more than one lesson in a sitting). The curriculum moves quickly, which is what we were hoping for, and there are some activities available in the curriculum that will provide review if we get to a topic for which she need extra practice. I suspect that we will be beginning Primary Mathematics 1B before the summer is out, however.

I will keep you updated on our progress.