Mid year check in, how's it going?

[Xahm]

We're about halfway through the school year (American), and it seems like a good time to assess how things are going. 

Here at our house, things are fine but sometimes hectic. We get math, reading, handwriting, history, and science done well and regularly, but we get stretches of forgetting about spelling. My oldest (5th) is doing a grammar focused year using Rod and Staff and it seems a bit eh, but she's putting up with it. I want to finish out All About Spelling with her so that I can use that time to do some more focused writing instruction, but I'm going to have to really focus on that this winter to get that to happen. She'll finish up Beast Academy sometime this Spring, and I think we'll do a more relaxed pre algebra and algebra before jumping into AOPS.

My second (3rd) is doing great in all areas but writing. He is a master at avoiding writing more than is absolutely necessary. I'm trying to balance doing enough writing that he develops some endurance and dexterity but but so much that he gets a really bad attitude that will make things harder in the future. I worry about whether I'm making things too easy, but we just did standardized testing and he did really well, so I guess it's working well enough. In the spring semester I'm hoping to find a way to incorporate more writing into something fun so that he gets a bit more practice. 

My third is a first grader. Learning comes very easily to him. His biggest thing right now is handling setbacks, especially when I'm not there. If he doesn't know a coach/Sunday school teacher/etc really well, he will just shut down over small problems, like not knowing which station to go to. Most of the time a simple question could fix the problem, but he doesn't ask or even say anything. I need to focus on some role playing with him. 

My last is a baby no more. He's turning four and ready to learn basics and be part of things. I'm trying to take ten minutes a couple times a day to focus on reading, memorizing poems, etc and giving him the opportunity to show what he can do. It delights him to no end to be able to learn new things.

The biggest trick is balancing flexibility with structure. We can fit everything in easily if all goes according to schedule, but there are so many good reasons to shift things around, and then things start falling apart.

How are things going for the rest of the elementary set?

[Clarita]

K'er really enjoys Beast Academy level 1. Plowing along in All About Reading level 2. Reading voraciously, there are times were we have to tell him to stop reading (like when he's walking, he needs to eat, or go to bed). I purchased yearlong Quill during the Cyber Monday sale, hopefully we can get more fun out of writing. It's like pulling teeth for him to let me write down his ideas or for him to try and write down his ideas or handwriting. Spelling he is OK with, we do Spelling Through Phonics because it doesn't have to involve much writing.

Pre-K'er (4.5 years old) is going through Kindergarten with Confidence. She enjoys it. We are doing some phonemic awareness activities right now, just moved into segmenting. She does Quill with big brother and much more into it than he is.

   

[Xahm]

11 hours ago, Clarita said:

K'er really enjoys Beast Academy level 1. Plowing along in All About Reading level 2. Reading voraciously, there are times were we have to tell him to stop reading (like when he's walking, he needs to eat, or go to bed). I purchased yearlong Quill during the Cyber Monday sale, hopefully we can get more fun out of writing. It's like pulling teeth for him to let me write down his ideas or for him to try and write down his ideas or handwriting. Spelling he is OK with, we do Spelling Through Phonics because it doesn't have to involve much writing.

Pre-K'er (4.5 years old) is going through Kindergarten with Confidence. She enjoys it. We are doing some phonemic awareness activities right now, just moved into segmenting. She does Quill with big brother and much more into it than he is.

   

That sounds really fun! It sounds a little like when my older two were those ages, except that the math you are using wasn't around yet. It's funny how quickly things are changing! My first grader is loving that BA has level 1 now. He would probably have been fine with it last year, but I was waiting until the whole thing was ready before starting him.

[Clarita]

3 hours ago, Xahm said:

It's funny how quickly things are changing! My first grader is loving that BA has level 1 now. He would probably have been fine with it last year, but I was waiting until the whole thing was ready before starting him.

I know! My MIL homeschooled my husband's little brother and she is often astounded by the options we have now. I learned my lesson about starting curriculums that aren't done yet. Things just happen on the maker side and you are stuck. 

[lulalu]

It has been a difficult year for us so far. Not because of school per se, but because we have been displaced from our home. We have enjoyed being the States for a time and buying more books, going to museums, etc. 

But I didn't pack a lot of our school work when we left due to weight. So we have not done any Latin, piano, history, or classical Composition this year like I had planned. 

I picked up Fix It Grammar to fill our time. I have enjoyed it a lot. But I think R&S does a better job actually teaching the content so I will be glad to get back to that. I ordered CLE reading to fill our time too. We used up through 5th grade and then I decided not to continue, but picked it up as we had nothing for reading. I think the 6th has done a good job of teaching skills and might just continue using it through 8th now, but will need to think it through a bit. 

We should get back to our home at the beginning of the year, and then we can pick back up in our stuff. But I am expecting piano and Latin to take some time to review before we move forward. 

[LauraClark]

Overall going well here.

6th grader is a smart cookie-I really think he could handle more than he is being given. My big frustration with him this year (and past years too) is that his pace is a distracted snail's. If I didn't have any other kids and could sit one on one with him all day it wouldn't be a problem, but that's not my reality. So, I'm still trying to figure that out. We're going to switch math curriculum in January from R&S (which we've used from the start) to Saxon. I'm excited about that and think it will be a good fit. I'm also planning on having him start a Kay Arthur Bible study with me (probably not daily). Looking forward to that too.

4th grader is doing well. Today I didn't have time to do all of our reading together and asked him to start on it by himself and he did! Yay for independence (probably fully next year) in assigned reading!

1st grader is doing so well with reading-it's super encouraging. 

3 year old-I had planned to do a small thing with him each day, but that hasn't materialized. I don't think he would have been ready.  But, he's grown up a lot in the last month, so I might try doing that again. We do a weekly craft which he really enjoys.

Also, baby coming in mid-January (ish). Eeks! I have a feeling she's laughing at all my homeschooling "plans" right now. We'll see!

[Not_a_Number]

It's going well here!

My kids never have trouble academically, so that part is easy. DD10 is preparing for the AMC 8 again (she was frustrated with her score from last year, although she did very well for her age!), is working on both written and spoken Russian, and is playing fairly serious piano. And she's started doing programming again. DD6 is multiplying fractions, copying out Shel Silverstein poems, playing piano, and doing a bit of spoken Russian. We also read some fun history and science stuff together -- no output for those yet and we do those together as a family. And we watch Russian cartoons together for language exposure! 

Oh, a fun addition this year: we bought a "jigsaw puzzle" globe, and it's really amazing for keeping track where things are on a globe! I had no idea how much things would stick in my head if I had to find where to put the puzzle piece by first reading the country on it. So that's our geography for now. 

Figuring things out emotionally is always harder for us, but thankfully, we seem to be doing very well this year. It takes a LOT of work and self-control on my part (I'm going to post our strategies sometime; they took really hard work to come up with) and they require me really letting go of the idea that my kids will do well on any specific day/assignment, and in general letting go of the sense that I can control anything whatsoever... but we're doing very well. And the kids are learning some emotional management, too... which is good, because unlike academics, that's a serious struggle. 

And our pseudo-coop is thriving, which means DD10 has lots of good friends! I'm very proud of that. 

Edited December 6, 2022 by Not_a_Number

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

Our year (4th grade) is going well, overall. 

Composition: I feel like we ought to be doing more writing across the curriculum, but we just can’t seem to get it in. Biweekly he takes notes in history (5ish “key facts” per reading ) while I read aloud. He was completing a paragraph 2x/mo based on either history notes or our science studies, but since Nov he’s been working on NaNoWriMo, writing for 30-45min daily. He’s written Matchbook chapter summaries (2-3 sentences each), which we assembled into posters, for two novels. He has just begun reading biographies & filling in tri-fold reports as part of a Scouting assignment, which also works well as essay prep, so that’s getting us back to practicing nonfiction writing a bit. 

Latin: I was expecting Caesar’s English to be rocky, because it was a big jump in intensity - but it’s gone really well! We paused in November & will re-start in January. 

Spelling: Tackling AAS6 in the spring, once we complete Latin. DS doesn’t love it, but it gets the job done. We typically cover a lesson a day.

Math: DS got a little burnt out partway through BA 5C, so we’ve gone sideways into Algebra Lab Gear for a bit. We’ll start back in January & hopefully still finish off the series by the end of the school year. 

History: Chugging along. We both are glad to be back to History Odyssey; Quest just wasn’t a good fit here. We still won’t finish the level in one year, as I’m expanding coverage of the early US, but we should be able to cover all but a few chapters. 

Science: RSO Physics is going well. For once I’m not having to modify much, both because this level took a step up in content & because it’s an area he doesn’t really have any background knowledge of. 

Extracurriculars: This will be DS’ last year in competitive soccer. He likes it, but not enough to dedicate 3d/wk to it year-round; he’ll return to Rec in the fall. Violin seems to be an ideal mix of challenge & reward; he’s very happy there. He likes his art classes & group tennis lessons. Scouting is where he’s choosing to dedicate the most time going forward - he’ll cross over to BSA next spring & is adamant he wants to become an Eagle Scout.

[Xahm]

2 hours ago, Shoes+Ships+SealingWax said:

He has just begun reading biographies & filling in tri-fold reports as part of a Scouting assignment, which also works well as essay prep, so that’s getting us back to practicing nonfiction writing a bit. 

Is he working on Super Nova or something else? DH is theoretically working on Super Nova with my older 2, but they aren't exactly enthusiastic and I don't think have even talked to the counselor yet. I'm looking forward to my oldest crossing over end of February. I think merit badges will be great "unit studies" for her to work on. 

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

7 minutes ago, Xahm said:

Is he working on Super Nova or something else?

Yes, Supernova! 

Honestly, if they aren’t enthusiastic I wouldn’t push it - Supernova is a lot of work & is intended for Scouts who want to actively seek out additional Achievements. Their Mentor needs special certification & technically has to be involved before any of the work is begun. It’s a whole thing. 🙃

[Xahm]

3 minutes ago, Shoes+Ships+SealingWax said:

Yes, Supernova! 

Honestly, if they aren’t enthusiastic I wouldn’t push it - Supernova is a lot of work & is intended for Scouts who want to actively seek out additional Achievements. Their Mentor needs special certification & technically has to be involved before any of the work is begun. It’s a whole thing. 🙃

Yeah, I think if any other kids in our pack had done it, my kids would be excited, but the only ones who did did it at a camp or something and I only know about it because it's in Scoutbook. Our old Advancement Chair didn't make a big deal over it like I would (new chair). I think if I could get them to talk to my friend and ask her to be their mentor it would spark their interest, but everyone is busy.

[hollyhock2]

I only have one elementary student left, 4th grade dd. She is doing well in most areas, but we have made a few changes. We began the year doing nature study, but once the snow hit, she wasn't as interested in going on walks (don't blame her) so she requested human anatomy. Very happily doing The Human Body book from God's Design. I dropped LLATL Orange because I was basically supplementing in every area (spelling, writing, grammar) so there was no point in continuing. Now she's just doing the supplements, which makes more sense. TT math is going very well for her, as it did last year, but it's taking a very long time for her to master her multiplication facts. She'll learn them all and then promptly forget them, so I guess we will just keep doing flash cards and reviews and online math games forever. 🙂

[Ting Tang]

Well...  the only student for whom everything is going great is my 2nd grader.

I made changes for my Kinder kid, and I feel good about those.

My 4th grader is struggling with Singapore Dimensions Grade 4 math, but he'd probably struggle with the concepts in other curriculums. I am just not sure if the way they are presented is great for him. We just started fraction work.

My 5th grader is totally unmotivated, and that is about all I can say about him.  I should send him back to school, but I just keep hearing about all the illness.  

[Not_a_Number]

7 hours ago, Ting Tang said:

My 4th grader is struggling with Singapore Dimensions Grade 4 math, but he'd probably struggle with the concepts in other curriculums. I am just not sure if the way they are presented is great for him. We just started fraction work.

Let me know if you want suggestions. (Although perhaps in a separate thread?)

[alysee]

I cant remember what I I thought I'd do but a newborn arriving just before school started and my bored ADHD brain has changed a lot I think since planning. 

CTC Math is the same for all of my kids.

We've added Bookshark Science recently and I don't love the worksheets BUT it's getting done so it's a win in my books.

We quickly dropped IEW for my 5th & 7th grader and added BraveWriter Building Confidence and a few Arrows. We started IEW Level A for my 4th graders and they are really loving it. 

I even changed the preschooler. She started Jump Math K about 6 weeks ago. She flew through Handwriting Without Tears My 1st School Book and Kickstart Kindergarten. For reading we decided to stick to Phonics Pathways even if it isn't colorful. Every page she finishes she gets a sticker. We are also doing ReadingEggs. She is highly motivated to read so I'm having to slow her down a little so she doesnt get frustrated once it gets harder. 

Edited December 9, 2022 by alysee
Add preschool

[Ting Tang]

17 hours ago, Not_a_Number said:

Let me know if you want suggestions. (Although perhaps in a separate thread?)

Thank you so much!  Today went a bit better with the fractions after a Math Antics video.  I will create a thread if things don't get better!

[countrymum]

We've changed it all!....well almost

1st Grade

We are using Math with Confidence 1 instead of RightStart B.  It's going very well now. We also went from AAR to Abeka phonics. This is a good fit too. Also Abeka cursive dropped in favor of BJU handwriting 1....perfect now;)

4th Grade

We dropped RightStart E in favor of Math Mammoth 4....It's taking a long time still, but I think we're getting somewhere. She is taking ownership. Also we dropped Language Lessons for Today and Memoria Press Fable (incedently I like this program) in favor of Rod and Staff English 4. It is happening every day now!

6th grade is simular to 4th

We went from RightStart G to Math Mammoth 6 and dropped Language Lessons for Today and Memoria Press Fable in favor of Rod and Staff English 5. It's going;)

Merry Christmas all!

[Brittany1116]

Nothing huge to report. We use a lot of the same things year after year because we like them and they work, so I don't usually have to change things but I do sometimes wonder if it's enough or too much depending on the day. 

1st grader finishes CLE math 1 this month. He started it late in Kinder. He likes the CLE reading program and is a voracious reader. He quickly picks up the new rules in LA. He is also doing art and intro to science.

7th grader is still working on Saxon Alg 1. We have thrown in some Kahn to spice things up. I am trying to train him to write down every step of every problem because he sometimes makes careless errors like forgetting a negative sign, just because he tries to do it all mentally. He likes IEW because he likes the format and structure. He's loving CLE Am His and all the reading I have pulled to go with it. Everything else is just chugging along, nothing to comment on. 

I think I found a coop to join next year. Ours fizzled out over 2020 and me not being on Facebook makes it harder. We meet up with people often but I'd like a group dynamic for them again. 

[AnneGG]

We’ve finally hit a groove with the school routine this year. It feels so good.

I feel like I’ve become a lot more realistic this year. I’ve also become very comfortable with sticking to basics for the skill subjects and adding to it as I go. In previous years I’ve had a whole curriculum map and aligned a million supplements and spent hours finding books to match on top of that. My planner is basically just a record keeper this year. It feels weird, but also great. Haha. 

[Green Bean]

We started late but I have had to make changes already. Saxon and BJU Math were just not cutting it here. I moved the older 3 to Teaching Textbooks Pre-Alg and Alg 1. I gave up my classical ed plan for them, too, so they can all finally finish in 3 years! My time will be strapped for a while, but the kids are very motivated.

For Little Man, I gave up trying to add in anything 'gravy' this year. With the time the 3 olders are taking and his lack of attention still, it was just not happening. I'm okay with it as he watches copious amounts of Magic Schoolbus and the like! I also added OPGTR in addtion to his BJU Phonics and English 1.

And that should be (better be!) all the changes we make.

Edited December 15, 2022 by Green Bean

[Xahm]

My ten year old spent last week complaining that her cold prevented her from concentrating at all, and she tried to continue that this week. Yesterday I told her she needed 5 more good school days before she gets to go on Christmas Break, and it was amazing how she found the ability to focus. 

[Nm.]

Idk

Edited December 28, 2022 by Lovinglife123