Weekly Wrap Up 19 - First Week Back

 

This was our first week schooling since Christmas. Our lovely break is over and we are back at learning and having fun!

This week didn't go as I had planned. I had two extra rug-rats because my brother went out of town on a hunting trip and needed a babysitter for the girls. My brother is a single father that has primary custody of his two toddlers, which are both girls and this is so funny to watch. Seriously he is great but seeing my brother play bubbles and paint nails is so cute and funny to me. I remember when he used to steal my Barbie's and pull the head off just to play with it as a ball...

So with two additions and the running that comes with them because they are in a pre-school program to prepare them for kindergarten, let’s just say it interrupted our homeschooling schedule a little. 

We enjoyed having them stay all night. Lexi loves playing with them for a while but then she is ready for her alone time. She is a great help when they are around and the girls love playing at my house because they say "Kayla lets them paint", lol. This is very true.  

We have a few changes for this school year. I posted earlier in the week about our new schedule (read about that here) that actually looked pretty good this week even with all our un-expected guests and running to and from town. 

Zachary has had a huge first week back. We finished Math U See right before we stopped at Christmas and we - yes both of us - had become a little bored with MUS so I started looking around for Math that was different. I'm not saying we will not use MUS again but for this time and place we needed a change. Personally I love MUS we have used it for almost 4 years and so this was a pleasant but unforeseen change! This was actually one of the first math curriculum's I bought when we started homeschooling Kyle 8 years ago, Horizon Math from Alpha Omega Publications. This is a wonderful change for Zac. He loves and I mean that with a capital L!!! 

We also have added a language/grammar program for him. I thought it was time to start teaching him more basics about his writing. He is still a struggling writer and reader but its coming along and I know that he is smart and with his willingness we are going to beat this!! SOON!! I was actually debating if I should get this for him when I was ordering Lexi and Kyle's levels and I thought it was just an extra $14 dollars so why not. I'm very glad I got it. He's actually enjoying this too. Great choices so far. 

 * ANOTHER HUGE CELEBRATION *

Zachary finished his first All About Reading Reader! I'm so very proud of him. He has worked so extremely hard on reading and I'm just so happy for his accomplishment!

I haven't felt that well this week because my family has been fighting cold/sinus issues and Zachary made me a beautiful necklace to make me feel better. He also took the picture of me not ready for a picture, but hey this is a real homeschool mother. 

Lexi's additions are very similar to Zachary's. She has new math because like Zac she finished up her Math U See right before Christmas too. She needed a change badly because she doesn't do the "math topics" well, I guess saying this isn't her favorite topic would still be an understatement! We choose Horizons for her as well. She is doing Grade 3 book 1 and I see this getting done actually very soon. She hasn't put it down! I woke up late Thursday from having the girls gone and having a little cold I'm battling and she was sitting at the table with her breakfast doing a page of her math. SHE NEVER EVER DOES THIS!!!!! So I was very pleased. She enjoys the different topics each day. It’s not a drill it’s a spiral approach which I think is highly agreeing with her! 

She too has Growing with Grammar Level 3. She is doing great and enjoying this. She is totally in love with anything reading writing. I posted earlier in the week how we will alternate her using LLATL and other lessons. She is going to start that routine next week. We did not start with her LLATL this week. Two changes is enough for one little person especially when it’s our first week back from break.

We reviewed All About Spelling so that we could kick in gear with finishing Level 3. Level 4 arrived last week for the extra push we all needed.

Growing with Grammar Grade 7 has been wonderful for Kyle. He is actually somewhat okay with this book. He said "Mom I don't like language things but this isn't that bad." That was a semi compliment to my choice of product! I know odd but I'll take it. He is being challenged in this but he actually has done really well. I have always battled picking and choosing Language/Grammar publishers and curriculum. If you have read my blog any amount of time at all you know my fights with this! I think God finally answered a prayer for me, I am very happy with all 3 books I bought and the product price and the teaching elements within for each level. 

I posted a few weeks ago about the deal I found for the Simply Charlotte Business Math. It’s the Pet Shop Store and along with Kyle's other math he will add this in once a week or twice whenever he feels like he would like to do it. He completed the first step this week, by making a Logo for his business. 

 

He has started LLATL and completed lesson one which was on The Boxcar Children that he had just completed reading.

*****

Overall we got introduced to our new books this week. We didn't really follow our schedule the exact way I had it laid out simply because we had to many disruptions to be able to. Next week we will be more on track and I am very happy with the progress our first week back from break gave. 

Getting back into a groove is always hard but I have been pleasantly surprised by the willingness they have shown.

Thursday after we done our basic learning out the door we went. Zachary had requested a certain thing for his birthday and we had to wait until Daddy was off to go together as a family. We enjoyed playing for hours and hours at Bo's Family Entertainment. They had changed things a little which made me a little unhappy but Zac wanted to play and we promised him for his birthday gift to go there per his request.

 

I hope you had a blessed week...