A homeschool review

This is my first year back to homeschooling since May of 2008. Then we were doing geometry, geography, and other high school sophomore courses. Now, it's time to start over, way over. Samantha is in kindergarten. Andy went to public school until 2nd grade, so this is my first time teaching someone to read. No pressure, right? Actually we are having a great year and she is really excelling.

We are using k12 and let me start off by saying that there are things I like about them and things I don't. I like the fact that we have a daily and weekly plan. This is the first place I go everyday, because it is a clean cut list of what to do and what's been accomplished. You know I love that! The bad part about the list is that in order to check anything off you must go through several different web pages and the site runs really slow so it can be quite frustrating just to log what you've done for the day.

The phonics program is very thorough and consists of: sight word flash cards, abc memorization, individual sounds practice online and off, finger stretching sounds in words (this has really helped Samantha move forward), spelling first words, worksheets, reading first readers, rhyming, finding syllables, alphabetizing, ect. Most days we do 6-7 of these for phonics practice. Even though Samantha is a young Kindergartener, (her birthday is just 9 days before the cut off) she is amazing her k12 teachers with her reading skills and is far ahead of her age.

We are enjoying the language program. It is set in two parts, literature and language. There are several good books that came with the set and reading stories is always fun. There are detailed questions and answers and a worksheet that go along with them. The language is vocabulary, writing and poetry. The vocab is online and Samantha can navigate it herself, which is nice because there isn't a lot at the Kindergarten level that they can work on alone. There is an all about me book that the kids work on throughout the year for writing and keeping track of all their favorites (foods, books, colors, friends, days)

Their math program is online and off. A few different manipulatives come with the set. Lots and lots of practice involved here. It can get very mundane. Also the k12 standards and testing expect results beyond what they are teaching in math. For example, even though Samantha is on track and doing fine in math, she tested behind because they only have her working on numbers up to 20, but for the test, expected her to know up to 69.

For handwriting they use Handwriting without tears, which we love and will continue to use next year when we are no longer using k12.

Our elective subject is science. I don't like the format of the science program. It sometimes talks above kindergarten so you have to interpret everything. It is also only online and again you have to get through several pages to get anything accomplished, which is frustrating on their website. Having said that, my girls have really enjoyed science and learned a lot.

K12 only teaches about the calendar for a very short time, so we have our own classroom type calendar that we try to do everyday along with the Pledge of Allegiance. We definitely don't do it everyday, but we need goals right?

In summary, I think k12 is a little overwhelming and it also steals time that my girls would be making their own school choices like puzzles, books, our own flash cards, blocks, numbers and letters. We have to forgo those things many times to be able to check the box and accomplish a lesson. Also, many things about the program are tough for the girls to do together, even though they are only 13 months apart. Samantha is a quick learner and was advanced when we started the year, so I don't know if k12 has been better than anything else would have been for her. Next year we will have our own structured plan with things like; go phonics, mathusee, handwriting without tears, and hopefully the sonlight reading list, among other things.

Word Power

We have started doing school and the girls are loving it. Ella is doing it right along with Samantha, and even though she is two grades behind, she has amazed me. We are learning about the 5 senses and I was quizzing Samantha the other day. She could only remember seeing, feeling, smelling, and tasting, when from half way across the room Ella nonchalantly says, "hearing," and continues with her coloring. It was pretty funny.

We are learning to use all 5 senses to observe and describe things, but I am aware that each individual has a different view than another. I remember when Andy was still homeschooling and we were using Understanding Writing (love it btw!!), they showed 2 descriptions of the same motel. One described a cozy, rustic getaway, and the other a run down, old dump.

When I was in Home Depot lately scoping out the different paint colors I came across one called vintage antique. It reminded me of understanding writing and I had to giggle, but I did bring the paint sample home and I think I might have to use it. I love the color (a dark turquoise), but the name just seals the deal!