Not Back To School Blog Hop

 Get your homeschool posts ready!  Heart Of The Matter is hosting this year's Not Back-to-School Blog Hop!

The party starts on Monday, August 2nd with Curriculum week.  Head to Heart of the Matter for more information.

Homeschool: Week 1 Review

Last week was Abby's first week of First Grade!  

I had made a tentative schedule, but was unsure what we'd be able to get done on a daily basis.  I'm happy to report that it went pretty well.  There were the usual times, when I considered for a second or two sending her off on the big yellow bus, but we made it through. ;)

  This past week, Abby worked on Book 1 from Progressive Phonics (We did the first few books last year, but I wanted to review).    Sometimes she read the book, other times I would write one of the words and she would read it and we used the flash cards available at Progressive Phonics that go with the book.  I also made a phonics flip chart that we've been using with Progressive Phonics.  I got the idea from Homeschool Highway.  The Scribd download is on the right sidebar of her blog. 

I made mine a bit different, as I didn't feel like printing and laminating.  I cut index card into thirds and then followed her instructions on what letter goes in each group.  I hand wrote mine, obviously and used a manila folder for the base.

Abby also did the first 5 lessons in Horizons Math.  She was introduced to the 1-100 number chart, number line, sets, place value and ordinal numbers. 

The first Heritage Study lesson was about bodies of water, land, continents, etc.  Abby also learned what a KEY is on a map and how to read it.  I love this lake picture she drew after the first lesson.  I think it's cool that she decided to draw a lake on her own time!

We also started Handwriting Without Tears.  Abby is able to write all of her capital letters and numbers, but her formation needs serious help sometimes!  LOL!  If you have Handwriting Without Tears, let me give you a heads up:  The first grade teacher's book didn't seem to be in any order.  I was confused about where to start.  While on their site, I found a link CLASSROOM DOWNLOADS.  Not only did I print and laminate the letter and number formation charts, but the Teaching Guidelines for Grade 1 was exactly what I was looking for.  It gives a day by day layout of how to use the program!  Perfect!  We only do HWT on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so I tweaked it to work for us.
 

Abby worked on the numbers 1 & 2 and the capital letters F, E, D and P last week.  For the wet, dry, try method I found small chalkboards at a Deals dollar store.  They are 4x6 and are perfect.  I'm sure the ones for sale at HWT are better quality, but I just couldn't spend that much.  Mine were $1 each and no shipping :)

For Science, we used the Early Start Up Science workbook.  We talked about the difference between living and nonliving things and also body parts.  She labeled the major body parts and organs.

I will say that I was really excited to get the Earlybird Start Up Science set of books, but I am not loving them.  I'm thinking they are made in a different country, because they use a few words differently than I do.  For example, this week's lesson is about animals and where they live. It says, "A pig lives in a s--."  The child is supposed to fill in the blank.  Well, for the life of me I could not figure it out.  LOL!  I had to look in the back for the answer, because pen doesn't start with "s".  The answer is "STY".  I've never called it that.  I have said, "This house/room/car/etc. looks like a pig sty", but have never called the place where pigs live a sty.  How about you?

Anyway, I was talking to my sister and she and Matthew are enjoying their Evan Moor 3rd Grade Daily Science book.  I looked it over when I was at her house last week and I really liked the layout and topics.  They have a first grade edition, so I'll have to think about that.

We also had a fun get together at my SIL's.  Her and her husband went through the process of being foster parents and they welcomed their first little guy last Monday.  He was straight from the hospital and only 10 days old.  He is the most calm baby I have ever met.

It's just so heartbreaking to think about the situation he was born into and how often that happens...very sad.  

It was pretty funny when I found out later that Abby thought the baby was Mary's.  I think it's cute that she didn't think about skin color or the fact that Mary was never pregnant.  I explained to her that Mary is babysitting until he finds his adoptive family.  She obviously had no idea that some children don't have Moms and/or Dads.

On Friday, we met my sister and her boys at the mall.  It's been so hot outside, with heat indexes over 100!  We had a nice time hanging out and having lunch together.

So, that was week 1!  I will continue to do a weekly homeschool review post.  I know it's fun to see what other kids are doing.  I think I'll post these on Mondays to review the previous week.

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday: Cousins

This past weekend, Abby got to meet her cousin Samara for the first time.

I haven't seen her since she was a little over a year old and now she is almost 9.  Abby really enjoyed having a girl to play with at my sister in law's house.  It's usually just the boys and we all now how boys and girls like to play differently!  LOL!

For more Wordless Wednesdays, check out:

Go Graham Go

5 Minutes For Mom

J. Leigh Designz

And since this turned into a Wordful Wednesday, head to:

Wordless Wednesday: Furry Baby

 

For more Wordless Wednesdays, check out:


Go Graham Go
5 Minutes For Mom
J. Leigh Designz

First Grade!

We're back from Summer break! 

We had a nice break:  a few trips to the park before it got too hot, library trips, a visit to the Magic House, playing with our new kitties, walking the malls, etc.  It was nice to have the break from homeschooling and I was able to get my thoughts together for this school year!

 Abby at the Magic House.  They have a new Baby Hospital set up and it's so cute!

Today, Abby started 1st grade.  I have no pictures, because we were still in our PJ's!  Isn't that the best part of homeschooling? :)

Here's the schedule I have planned so far:

Monday, Wednesday and Friday:  Horizons Math, Progressive Phonics, Handwriting Without Tears and Heritage Studies.

Tuesday and Thursday:  Early Start-Up Science, Horizons Math and Progressive Phonics.

We will also start doing art/craft projects with my sister and her boys soon, gymnastics will start in August and we have lots of field trips lined up!

We are still using the Workbox System.  I will do another post later about how I have things set up.

Remember when I said, I was going to start exercising over my Summer break?  Well, that didn't go as planned.  Big surprise!  I did exercise about 6 or 7 times, but over a course of 6 weeks that won't get you very far.  LOL!  However, today I decided that Abby is starting first grade and I will start to exercise.  I put it on our homeschool schedule and I did it!  I really want to try to make it an everyday thing.  

Speaking of everyday, I have decided to focus on our homeschooling and will be posting here less often.  Yes, this blog is about our homeschooling adventures, but I won't post the day to day things.  When I did that last year, I found that taking pictures during school time was distracting and daily posts were time consuming.  I do have tons of links ready to start up my Links I Like posts and I always enjoy sharing pics!  So I'll be here,  just not every single day :)

Stay tuned for my Wordless Wednesday pic this week.  Abby has been having quite a bit of fun with our cats, *hint*hint*

Happy 4th of July

I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday!