You know you're a homeschooler when your five year old copies a passage from BROTHER ANDRE' OF MOUNT ROYAL without thinking about it and shows you her handy work. You know you homeschool when you three children under six are all at the kitchen table reciting math facts. Only a homeschooler would visit the ELECTRONIC ZOO and then visit the library to find books on the animals in the middle of summer. Some of what I am saying is meant to be funny, but, all of it has or could happen in our family school.
My day usually starts when my 3 year old and 5 year old climb into my bed and wake me up. My husband is usually not home at this time because he works rotating shift. I am not a morning person in the least so these 7am wakings seem to start the mad rush of getting everyone fed, dressed, and ready to start the day.
We have a routine devotion to studying about, living to serve and praying to God. It's much more then just religion class it is a essential part of our Catholic home schooling lifestyle. In history we study BIBLE HISTORY and the lives of the saints. In reading we use THE CATHOLIC NATIONAL readers and other biblically based texts. In religion we study daily fromFAITH AND LIFE, SAINT JOSEPH FIRST COMMUNION CATHECHISM and SAINT JOSEPH PICTURE BOOKS. In science GOOD SCIENCE helps us relize what God did in creation. Even our math series from Rod and Staff leads us closer in our walk with Christ.
Math is one of my daughters favorite classes. It is common to see her do as many as four workbook pages. Rod and Staff comes in handy here since they offer black lines in adition to teachers text and student work book. She loves the dot to dots and skip number pages offered with her first grade text.
Phonics has been one of those subjects for me that I can't seem to decide what works. I've used Weaver's 123 Read, Rod and Staff's phonics, and now most
recently I started to use TEACH YOUR CHILD TO READ IN 100 EASY LESSONS for both my son and daughter. This program by far is close to what Ruth Beechick sugest in THE THREE R's. I whole heartedly believe a child should learn letter sounds before or at the same time they learn how to write them. The names of letters can come later or even done at the same time. I also believe you should not use a picture or song to help remember the sound. These therories come after my daughter was depended to much on these things to read. After deprograming her from these earlier phonics lessons she reads much better.
There are a number of text I use to round out my program here is a list of them.
Preschool studies: Saint Joseph picture books and color books, Seton's Kindergarten Science, Totline 123 series, What Your Kindergartner Needs To Know, Readiness, Set Go!, lots of story and picture book, and older Child Craft Books(my set is from 1972?). I try to remember to do lots of hands on fun things at the preschool/kindergarten age. I also limit school time to no more then a hour including 20 minutes of read aloud time.
First grade:All of the above and also; D'Nealian handwriting series, Catholic National primer and book one, easy readers, computer programs such as Jumpstart and Reader Rabbit, Map Skills, What Your ___ Needs To Know series, Macamilian English, MCP's Phonics and Science, what ever cool web sits I find. In first grade I have had a hard time keeping school fun and hands on, but here to this is my goal. I like to go off on interest of the child type projects. Time wise we spend no more then three hours a day in formal school plus 20 minutes dad or mom read aloud time.
!! Hi to all who have come to my pages. Thanks for coming. We are expecting baby # 4 in June. I have been having a bad cause of morning sickness. It seems to be inhanced when I sit at my computer so please forgive me if there are no up dates until after Christmas on these pages. Please keep are family in your prayers.!!!
Links to other sites on the Web
Kolbe Academy Home School
HOMESCHOOL CENTRAL
Kids Domain
BOBCAT education link site
CatholiCity
EWTN
A few more sites.
School Express
Keeping It Catholic
Family Farm Ideas Exchange
Catholic Traditions: Welcome
Byzantine Peace Offering
please come back still in creation mode!!
If you would like to add your site to my links or have a question about our site please e-mail me.
© 1997 baobi@juno.com
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