Day 37ish

Ok, I lost track of monitoring our days.

We have been working at the three R's this month.

Focusing on Math and Writing the most.

When we started Elsie Dinsmore, I wasn't sure how it would go. She is a 19th century girl and I love her values, but the chapters are 20+ pages and not exactly easy Reading.

We have made it through three chapters so far.
what I love best about them is that Elsie is Homeschooled and expected to be perfect in her school work. I don't expect perfection, but I do expect her to do her absolute best....and I had not been getting that til now.

Elsie books from this particular series also have another benefit. Each chapter has a bible verse or two or three summarizing the points from the chapters lesson. Those are our writing assignments, Copy work.

Math is still coming from Horizons though, and she doesn't like it but is finally starting to get it. Elsie has much more work than Lauren so I remind her we could always add in the other subjects....I don't feel we are ready for those additions at this point, but we will be by the time she is actually Elsie's age (eight years old)

Elsie Dinsmore

Out with Stewart Little, In with Elsie Dinsmore....

We attempted to pick up Stewart Little this weekend, but instead found a much MUCH better book.

Elsie's Endless Wait.
An 8 year old heiress has never known either of her parents, but has very strong Christian Character and morals beyond what you would see out of even a modern day Christian, this book is Fabulous, and I hope that Lauren will see her Character and pick up on it, this 1800s little girl from the old south is a MUCH much better role model than those on TV today.

Mindplay Reading Assessment

I learned about this from a friend of mine, Thanks Amy, it is nice to get a picture of where our kids stand especially when homeschooled. These results actually shocked me, I was expecting her to place about 2nd grade in reading and comprehension not 3rd-4th grade.

PHONICS TEST RESULTS

COMPREHENSION TEST RESULTS

*TEST SUMMARY*
The MINDPLAY Online Reading Assessment is applicable for students from grades 2 through 10. It is intended for your information only. These results supplement, but are not a substitute for scores on standardized tests taken by your child, report cards, consultations with your child's teacher, or other educational experts. If you are concerned about your child's reading performance, please consult your child's teacher or a reading specialist.
AGE: 6GRADE: 1stPHONICS ABILITY: above averageCOMPREHENSION: above average
These results indicate that you are a strong reader for your age!
*TEST DETAILS*
PHONICS
Time on Task(hh:mm:ss): 0:15:4
Our test indicates that your phonics ability is above average. The following results show which phonics areas need improvement:
1. VOWELS (the letters a,e,i,o,u) Short vowel discrimination: Confusion with short vowels that sound similar. a/o/u; i/e Long vowels: Difficulty with the rules for making long vowel sounds. ee/silent e (meet, mate) Vowels combinations: Difficulty combining vowels. oo (too)2. CONSONANTS (all letters that are not vowels) Visual discrimination: Difficulty with letters that look similar. b/d/p/q/g3. WORD STRUCTURE (word endings, word order, syllables) Spelling: Difficulty remembering how certain words should look.
COMPREHENSION
Time on Task(hh:mm:ss): 0:12:57
Assuming that LAUREN tried hard, was not careless, did not make wild guesses or give up too easily, we estimate that LAUREN's reading level is above average.
Independent Reading Level*: 3rd gradeInstructional Reading Level**: 4th grade
* Independent Level: This is the level at which you can read by yourself with no help. You should choose books at this level to read for fun.
** Instructional Level: This is the level at which you should practice your reading strategies with help from a more experienced reader. to improve as a reader.
You will probably have difficulty reading materials beyond your instructional level unless you have a strong interest in or prior knowledge of the subject.

Pizza Hut Bookit program

That's right, its October, which means in our family the start of the school years reading program.

Pizza Hut puts on this cool reading challenge every year and for meeting your goals your child can earn a Personal pan Pizza once a month from October til March.

We did this for Kindergarten last year and it was a big hit. This year we are reading chapter books so its a bit more challenging.

I think we are going to make our goals based off of her comprehension of a book, Since she is in first grade and reading at a much higher level, I can not use the guidelines they present. We have gone beyond that since she was VERY young, and I feel basing it off of her normal is not a true challenge.

I think our goal will be three chapter books of her choice over the six months. We are starting book reports this year so I think we will end up lapbooking them for fun to teach the concepts of a book report.

I think we will focus on E. B. White as he has MANY books that are geared towards her comprehension and interest level.
He has Stewart Little, Charlotte's Web and The Trumpet and the Swan. We will do them in a different order as I want to save Charlotte's Web for last because she has seen the movie, but it will be a fun journey.

Day 26 &27 Money Math

We are doing money math, I found some really cool stuff online at www.learningpage.com that gave her worksheets...we have been using them while we wait for the MFW to arrive.

We are practicing reading, writing and math, but focusing more on the writing and math.

Lauren totally freaked out with a money worksheet til we got out 99¢ and actually worked the problems out in money.

I am finding that sometimes I have to be a little more hands on right now as she is learning LOTS of new stuff, but its so exciting too as she is REALLY learning and I see it in everyday life....she was totally annoyed with math til we started working in the kitchen and showing her where numbers were in weights, measures and everything else.

Day 25, Uphill Battle Both ways

ugh, The number 7, Thankfully because we are homeschooling she can not only FIX her struggles but also practice til its right.

Days 16-24

Ok I am really bad about posting the updates here, we have had a bit of an interesting month...lots going on but there is a lot of learning going on even that isn't being taught.

Yesterday Lauren did a math problem--a complex (at least for 1st grade) 3 step addition problem with out all of the facts, and it was RIGHT...

We were watching TV, I know a horrible waste of time...but obviously its not such a waste of time when learning is occurring.
The Sentence was, Actually, I have 6 big sisters and 3 little ones, Lauren looks at me and says That's 10 kids altogether....we were so proud, she has done Tom and Jerry Multiplication, and now Suite Life on Deck triple addition.

I try to show her math every chance we get because it surrounds us in every aspect of life, but often times I miss it as much as she does.

We have been working on seasonal worksheets this month and today she did some creative writing based off of a picture.

With no help from me, we have Three sentences, spelling errors and all... I will scan the picture in later this week.

The sun is shineing.
The apples are growing.
The ballons are floting.

Usually she asks for help spelling all words she doesn't know but this I wanted her to do with no help....she did pretty good if I do say so myself.