Academic Year 2011 in Review (R-girl)
R-girl has done very well in the last year. She’s learning about doing lessons and how the schedule works. She definitely wants her “turn with Mommy” and gets upset when she doesn’t get her individual lessons. She has gone from dreading her phonics lesson to it being easy and liking it. She loved her math lesson all year long.
She hasn’t really shown as many tendencies regarding independent work as the other two have. She has show a need for more discipline in general. She is our wiggliest child and I’m having a hard time with balance (we’re homeschooling so we can deal with strengths and weaknesses and you’ve got to sit still!)
English:
- Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading and Bob Books have both been great choices. R-girl is working on long vowels and is trying to (and often succeeding) read words in other places. We love this reading program! It has given our children strong reading proficiency and confidence.
- Explode the Code has been hit or miss with R-girl. She happily works on some but not so much on other parts.
Math: MEP Reception was an absolute hit! It helped R-girl be interested in math. It gave her strong skills for going into MEP Y1. Beyond arithmetic, it introduced a lot of ideas like seasons, months, days, time, polygons, holidays, travel, small motor skills, etc. It is a well-designed program.
R-girl continues to love puzzles and Wedgits and Qwirkle and other logic building games and activities.
She finished the Kumon cutting book quickly, and has the best cutting skills of any of the children by this age.