Homeschool Lessons Revisited...

Well, we got off to a great start in September with home school! Trey resumed his 4th grade coursework that he began back in the Spring, after a short Summer break. We've spent the last few weeks reviewing everything that he had completed before the break.

We had planned on working throughout the summer, and ideally, that's the plan we coulda, shoulda, woulda stuck to if it hadn't been for the remodel. BUT...you do what you have to and move on, right? So far though, he's doing a great job of picking right back up where we left off.

I can see that he's forgotten a few things over the summer, like some of his multiplication tables and some much needed Spelling skills. But overall, I have to say, my little man is actually maturing and handling his ADD very well. He is really working hard to stay on task and get his work done, and I couldn't be prouder of him!!

I've also started Lindsay in Pre-K lessons. She's doing great! She loves painting, coloring, arts and crafts, and doing her worksheets! Addie also works with her after school on writing her name and other letters of the alphabet. I made a bunch of file folder games (some of them are quite difficult), for her to work on while I work with Trey one-on-one. I'm telling you...this little girl is a firecracker!!! She's sooooo smart!

Here's a look into our learning objectives for the past few weeks:

Trey:

Week 1 -

• Review all previous coursework in all subjects except Social Studies.
• Complete Unit Study on US Consititution. Choose one Founding Father, Research, and choose a method by which to make a presentation to the family. (Trey chose James Madison, and the method of dressing up as the character and acting out a first person narration of his life.)

Trey doing research on James Madison

Week 2 -

• Review all previous coursework in all subjects except Social Studies.
• Continue Unit Study on US Consititution - Focus on Bill of Rights.
• TEACH Field Trip to the Four States Fair : Discussion about animals, how to care for animals, the process by which milk gets from the cow to the grocery store.

Week 3 -

• Begin forward progression of coursework.
• Math: Ordering #'s, Problem Solving
• Spelling - Focus on Consonant Diagraphs
• Reading - Skill Lesson: Theme / Main Ideas
• Science - Changes in Ecosystems
• Social Studies - Wrap Up US Constitution Unit Study
• Bible Lesson - Jesus as a boy, and Jesus as a Man
• Grammar - Pronouns - Personal vs. Possessive

Week 4 -

• Math - Rounding #'s, Critical Thinking
• Spelling - Focus on f sounds: "f, ff, gh, ph" spellings
• Reading - Skill Lesson: Context Clues
• Science - Changes in Ecosystems
• Social Studies - Unit Study on Christopher Columbus
• Bible Lesson - Jesus as our Savior, Plagues, Passover
• Grammar - Interrogative Pronouns (what, who, which)
• Cooking Class: Muffins

Trey's Yummy "Blueberry Blitz" Muffins!!

In addition to all of the schoolwork we've been working on, Trey was also eager to get started back into our TEACH Homeschool Group. We have several field trips planned, as well as Park Days and Bowling Days each once per month. We also have TEACH meetings on the 1st Thursday of every month, and while there, I get to chat with other homeschool moms, attend various workshops, and Trey gets to spend even more time with his friends.

For Lindsay...


Week 1 - we didn't do many structured activities because we were still trying to get used to the idea of how school worked. : ) We did review our Alphabet and Numbers, and worked on some painting and other crafts.


Week 2 - Lindsay still wasn't into the whole idea of going back to school just yet...but since she tagged along with us for our Field Trip to the Fair, she learned all about animals, etc. We completed a mini-book titled "At the Fair, At the Fair, What Will I See?"

Week 3 - I added her desk to our actual homeschooling area and we are learning school rules and etiquette such as raising hands, etc. I use Teachers Book Bag from Currclick for most of our activities.

• Language / Handwriting Practice: Letter A - "A is for Animals"
• Math: Animal Matching, Feeding Times, File Folder Games - Counting Bears
• Moving and Grooving: Animal Dance
• Creation Station: Animal Mix Up

Week 4 - We attended a play of Charlotte's Web at our local theater to wrap up our unit on animals. Lindsay also sat in on our Unit Study of Christopher Columbus. We have lots of Columbus crafts and activities planned, as well as the following:

• Math - Addition
• Language / Handwriting Practice : Letter C
• Moving and Grooving - Park Day, Buried Treasure Game - hide the treasure, use clues to find the "x" that marks the spot of the treasure!
• Cooking Class: Muffins
• Health/Manners: Healthy Eating Choices / Small Bites vs. Big Bites / Help plan snacks for the week.

So, as you can see, we've been very busy the last few weeks!! Thankfully, we've accepted another (really good) offer on our house, so hopefully the chaos will soon be over and I can again begin posting regularly on our homeschooling lessons. : )