One Month Down

The first full month of school is done! I can't believe how fast this past month has gone by. October is one of my favorite months and I am already in high preparation mode. I have a tutu to make this weekend and I will pull all of the Halloween decorations out of storage. Pinterest has become my best friend for the next few weeks :)

Not much afterschooling has happened around here. I was pretty sure we wouldn't get to too much work this early in the school year. We are adjusting to the new schedule and amount of homework being sent home. I must say that I am very impressed with the little amount of homework that is sent home with Monkey. Last year we were so overwhelmed with daily homework that any extra work was pretty much impossible. I am confident we can now alternate school homework days with afterschool work without feeling overwhelmed throughout the week. Tank is dying for more work at home as she blazes through her homework. I am still adamant that Kindergarten homework is ridiculous. She brings home a few pages of coloring or cut and paste work. However, she does it all joyfully so I will not cause any ruckus over it.

Monkey has already done reading level testing in his classroom and is at a solid 2nd grade reading level. According to him there are two other children in his reading group and I am really satisfied with the level of reading material he comes home with. Tank will most likely start bringing home simple readers next month, but is already demanding her own reading material. I despise most early readers so this is slightly a challenge for me. Monkey shares my distaste of easy readers and pushed through to quality books quickly. However, Tank struggles with phonics and needs some confidence building books. I may try out some Dick and Jane books as they are very repetitive, but filled with simplistic vocabulary.

Even though we haven't done any math work at home, Monkey and Tank have been having some very interesting conversations about math! They have figured out that place value understanding makes it very easy to add larger numbers. 20 plus 20 is easy if you understand that 2 tens plus 2 tens is 4 tens. Monkey has mastered this concept up to the thousands! I am so proud of my little mathematicians and love seeing the hard work I put in constantly reinforcing place value.

Other than that we have been doing a lot of this:

Our 2014 - 2015 After-School Curriculum

Monkey and Boots currently attend an excellent elementary school so I don't feel the need to supplement every single subject at home. I will keep the focus on areas that they struggle in or are excelling in beyond their classroom at the current moment. 

New Franklin Arithmetic

This is a vintage math program that is free through Google Books and I absolutely love the way it teaches arithmetic. Most of this book will be done orally and with manipulatives. 

Math is not a struggle subject for either of my children. I contribute this mostly to my love for math and making my children count everything they do. Math is a constant conversation in our house. However, Monkey lacks confidence in math. He struggles to remember facts or the process of figuring a problem. 

All About Spelling

This is a phonics based spelling program that focuses on the rules behind spelling.

Although this is a spelling curriculum, it is the workhorse of language arts work in our household. Monkey is a natural speller and can usually remember a word based on sight. He is very visual, but has a hard time remembering why a word is spelled the way it is. I want to take him through this program to learn the rules behind spelling, reinforce phonics to advance his reading, and practice handwriting (see what I mean about being a workhorse of language arts!).  Boots will work through this, but at a much slower pace than Monkey. Reading and spelling are definitely her struggling points. 

We will also read, read, and read some more. I read aloud classic novels and try to include some history and science as well. Monkey reads at least once every day. I am hoping to start Boots on some simple books soon as well. 

That is the plan for the year. Now ask me again in a few months what is actually getting done. Ha!

Linked with Weekly Wrap-Up

Start of a New Year

The beginning of the school year brings back some of my greatest childhood memories. New school supplies, new clothes freshly laundered and hanging in the closet, and new shoes to test out on the playground. I love seeing the excitement in my children's eyes when they meet their teacher for the first time and discover the classroom they will spend the year in. The first week is full of stories of reuniting with old friends and new blossoming friendships. Even the first homework assignments are completed with delight as my children can't wait to impress their teacher with their supreme knowledge.

I have two bright children: Monkey, who is 7 and in 1st grade, and Boots, who is 5 and in Kindergarten. 

Monkey has an August birthday that barely meets the cutoff. We decided to hold him back a year before beginning Kindergarten. I wanted to give him another year to mature as he can be overly hyper and highly impulsive. It is yet to be seen if this decision will benefit him in the long run or if we will eventually ask for a grade skip. Last year he attended a very academic Kindergarten program that worked great for his level, but he would have struggled to complete the necessary work the year before. I'm withholding any judgement until further along in his education, though. 

Boots is my tiny Kindergarten princess. She just turned 5 in May, but loves everything school related and loves to wow people with her math abilities. I am excited to see what this year brings for her. I love her Kindergarten teacher and am happy to hand off the messy activity time to someone else. 

Monkey and Boots enjoy school and I absolutely love the elementary school they attend. However, I want to be a partner with the school in my children's education. One teacher cannot target the strengths and weaknesses of each and every child. One teacher cannot give each and every child the exact review or acceleration that they need. I don't expect it and I think parents should give teachers a lot more credit for the amazing job that they do. This is why we will also be working through some extra school activities at home this year. I can't wait to document this journey with our family and friends.