Weekly Report 7/26 - 7/30

This report won't be anything spectacular but at least it's a start! LOL!

Bible - Both girls really enjoy the R&S Bible Stories and Coloring. I've decided to continue with R&S once we've completed this.

Math - My hopeful plan is to keep Squeak in 1st grade math until May. So I have 10 months to keep her occupied! We are still using Singapore Math 1a and MEP 1a. We worked through the 1st 30 lessons of MEP last month and have shifted back to SM. The past week, Squeak worked in the workbook and completed some pages in the chapters I don't plan on officially covering.

My friend in Florida is sending us some MathStart books - mathy story books. I want to check these out and use them to fill time as well.

Science - Earlier, we skipped ahead and completed weeks 20 and 21 on the human body. Squeak's latest interest is the human body. Today, we went back and started a 10 week long study of LIVING THINGS. This begins in Week 10 of Sonlight Science K.

I have a bare wall in our "school" that will be used to display all our fun projects. Here is Squeak coloring in the banner I made to put up on the wall:

We went through the characteristics that living things share and talked about God creating all the living things.

New computer is here!!

I hope to get back to posting more regularly now!!

We are still in "light" mode during the summer...mainly working on Singapore 1a, Sonlight Science, Bible Stories and reading. Miquon was good but Squeak didn't care for the worksheets so we are using just the rods. MEP was great and we spent June in that and got through lesson 30.

Squeak was given some Scholastic Brain Bank 1st Grade Readers and she's been reading them with little help. I suspected she could read but she doesn't read herself often.

We've hit the Science Museum twice this summer and participated at VBS at church. I was the nursery teacher and Squeak went to her group.

Piglet is talking a lot and always on the move! She is a nut!!

I'm working on creating a new folder in this computer to store pictures and will post some soon.

We are still here!!

It's been over a month since our computer crashed but I haven't made any effort to purchase a new tower yet.

I do have a bunch of pictures to post but I guess not yet!!

We are still working on our relaxed home schooling this summer. MEP is going very well and will make a great supplement to our math curriculum. I am still continuing to consider what to do about our spine. I bought Math in Focus 1b to compare to Singapore 1b. MIF definitely instills the mental Singapore approach but it seems a little watered down. I do like how it flows better than SM (which I consider a bit choppy). I think Singapore Math is better suited for stronger math students over MIF but the MIF textbook gives you a bit more hand holding without the use of a Teacher's Manual - which I like. It has more explanations on the pages. I need the hand holding, not Squeak!! So I'm torn. It does seems easy to compact the material though. We'll see...........

Still without a computer!!

We are still without a computer and I'm not in a super hurry to buy another tower! LOL!

But just another quick update post about the girls:

We began MEP Year 1a and I love it and so does Squeak!! I actually think we are going to use this as our core program with Miquon and Singapore Math to supplement. Because it focuses so in depth on problem solving, it doesn't seem to "move" concept-wise as fast as our state standards. I'll have to keep an eye on those while doing this program.

The girls are coloring and enjoying their Bible stories as well. The Rod & Staff set is really nice.

We've been outside and playing a lot at the play ground and at grandma and grandpa's house.

So, soon, I will be able to post some pictures because I have some old ones of Squeak playing with her c-rods.

Quick Post!

I'm posting via a Playstation 3- tapping out each letter!

We are getting a new computer.

Squeak absolutely loves Miquon! She's been advancing with the rod play with remarkable speed and ease. I have pictures of her using them that I hope to post soon.

Squeak's latest interest is the human body so we've been reading a lot about that. We also started Peak With Books. It's cute but definitely more suited for Piglet. Though Squeak listens to the stories, she is not challenged at all by the activities.

OK, have a great week!

We are still here!!!

We are officially on break until June 1st and my computer has been on the fritz until finally crashing a few days ago. So I haven't been posting much.

Despite being on break, Squeak and Piglet are doing more "unschooling" type things. Lots of reading (my voice has returned so I can read to them too).

All of my orders from Rainbow Resources have arrived including our Peak With Books books, the Miquon stuff, AL Abacus and some Kumon writing workbooks. This should keep my girls busy this summer for "inside" school stuff.

I am excited to start Miquon and MEP and decide if either or both will become part of our math regime! Potentially dropping Horizons. Squeak was playing with the C-rods today and was making connections between the rods and their sizes and building "stairs". I'm going to let her free play all this week and start some games with them this week and next week. MEP and Miquon also "slow down" tactics on my part as she is zipping along through 1st grade math.

So that is where we are now. I guess we need to decide on what to do with the computer. It's Windows that actually crashed...ugh!

My beloved backpack!

In 1995, I bought this backpack from an Eastern Mountain Company store in the mall:

It went to college with me and traveled around the world with me. I added those patches: the Israeli flag and Israel Defense Force (IDF).

I still use this bag and classify it as one of the best purchases I ever made!