Quarterly Curriculum November 2015 - January 2016

The winter quarter is ALWAYS a quarter of half days for us. There is just too much going on between Halloween just finishing up, Thanksgiving, Yule, Christmas, and New Years ahead of us. Plus a birthday. Plus a visit from family. All of this on top of our normal activities - 4H for Optimus Prime & Bumblebee, cloverbuds for Scooby-Doo, and therapy for Scooby-Doo. And then the fact that last quarter we were all such a mess we really need a nice, shorter quarter this year.

So, here it is, our nice, abridged quarter.

Optimus Prime & Bumblebee:

Schoolwork on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday.

Subjects:

Math - Addition, subtraction, time, money, multiplication, etc. 
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - Disney Time & Money (Bendon), Big Workbook Second Grade (School Zone), Strawberry Shortcake Addition and Subtraction (Bendon), Disney Addition and Subtraction (Bendon), Disney Princess Addition and Subtraction (Bendon), Disney Cars: Math (Bendon), Sponge Bob Multiplication (Bendon)
Number of Pages - 3

Spelling - Spelling words & units practiced in print and cursive.
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - None, just loose worksheets.
Number of Pages - 2

English - Phonics, reading comprehension, sentence structure, sentence parts, verbs and nouns, synonyms and antonyms, compound words, etc.
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - Big Workbook Second Grade (School Zone), Brain Quest Workbook: Grade 2 (Workman Publishing).
Number of Pages - 3

Other "Subjects":

Reading - Reading simple storybooks on their own.

Concept Weeks - I just realized I never added Concept Weeks to any of our previous curriculum. I mean, it was implied that we did them the subject just actually wasn't listed. So odd. I have no clue what I was thinking. Anyway, check out our Concept Week pages to see them.

Some final notes:

• Spelling units are still directly tied to what we are reading. This seems to work REALLY well for them
• For this quarter their Concept Weeks are exactly the same as Scooby-Doo's. We're going to see how this works. Obviously, their work will be harder than Scooby-Doo's
• Like last quarter, Optimus Prime & Bumblebee's schoolwork is diverging to better suit their needs. Optimus Prime is doing easier Math and harder Spelling and Reading. Bumblebee is doing harder Math and easier Spelling and Reading. I will no longer be holding back one child in the hopes that the other will "catch up" soon. We did that all last year and it made everyone miserable. 
• Under "Textbooks," the textbooks in red were done by Optimus Prime, the text books in green were done by Bumblebee, and the textbooks in black were done by both.
• Bumblebee did the Sponge Bob multiplication workbook twice.

Scooby-Doo:

Schoolwork on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

Subjects:

Handwriting - Practicing handwriting, letters, sounding out letters and words, numbers, and counting. 
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Alphabet Learning Workbook (Bendon), Thomas and Friends Numbers and Counting Workbook (Bendon), Let's Grow Smart Alphabet (Dalmatian Press), Let's Grow Smart Math (Dalmatian Press), Comprehensive Curriculum Pre-K (American Education Publishing).
Number of Pages - 5

Logic - Same/different, mazes, dot-to-dots, etc.
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - Fisher-Price Little People Kindergarten Workbook Volumes 1 &2 (Modern Publishing), Sesame Street Hip Hip Hooray for Friends (Sesame Street)
Number of Pages - 4

Art - Painting, coloring, etc.
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - Various books.
Number of Pages - 5

Other "Subjects":

Concept Weeks - I just realized I never added Concept Weeks to any of our previous curriculum. I mean, it was implied that we did them the subject just actually wasn't listed. So odd. I have no clue what I was thinking. Anyway, check out our Concept Week pages to see them.

Final Notes:

• The local elementary school has denied Scooby-Doo all of his therapy since we will not enroll him there in pre-k. He is, however, still doing speech therapy twice a week.
• Even though Scooby-Doo is only at pre-k age he will be doing kindergarten work this quarter as well as some pre-k.
• Scooby-Doo is doing the same Concept Weeks as his brothers this quarter. His worksheets are easier. Obviously. 
• For Fisher-Price released two versions of their Kindergarten Workbooks. One was released before the other. While they are similar they are not exactly the same even though they are both labeled Volume 1. The same is true for Volume 2. So, there are actually two workbooks named Volume 1 and two workbooks named Volume 2. He is doing all four workbooks this quarter. Twice. I'm hoping the repetition will be good for him and not boring for him. 

Month in Review: July 2015

Final summer quarter post! Yay!

I have their curriculum planned out for the next three months but I won't get into that here. It'll all be up on their respective Quarterly Curriculum pages soon.

Optimus Prime has been doing great. So far no luck on finding chapter books for him so I think instead our fall quarter we will work on harder level 1 & 2 books. I'll have to buy some new ones. Bumblebee is still struggling so next quarter we'll jut keep with the level pre-1 books but we'll try out the harder ones. Hopefully that won't blow up in my face... They did their final two spelling units and finished their cursive handwriting unit. I think next quarter I'll combine cursive, spelling, and reading all into one unit. We'll see how that works.

Scooby-Doo is getting antsy to get back to doing schoolwork. I was worried he'd refuse to do it since he was enjoying his summer off so much but he's gone back to asking to do it. He's now jealous of his brothers again.

I can't wait to start our new quarter! It'll be nice to get back on track!

Month in Review: June 2015

Like I warned you in the May post, be prepared for some skimpy information and a distinct lack of goings ons!

So, Optimus Prime & Bumblebee continued to work on their reading. Optimus Prime is doing really good. I want him to start chapter books next quarter but I'm hitting a wall. I want ones that are easy enough for him that have large print, lots of pictures, and very few words each page. Also, preferably something that we have read before. The he could do a chapter or two each day. But I'm having a hard time finding what I want. Bumblebee is still struggling. My goal was to get him up to level 1 by the end of the summer quarter but I'm thinking that is not going to happen. We have some harder level pre-1 books. Maybe we'll do those next quarter? Spelling was units 39 & 40 and for Handwriting we still worked on cursive. The more I look at Optimus Prime's handwriting the more I think I might have to bring that subject back full-time... but just for him. Bumblebee's handwriting is very nice for his age and I think a Handwriting course would bore him to tears.

Scooby-Doo is enjoying his summer off being a kid. He's not even jealous that his brothers are doing schoolwork and he isn't.

More at the end of next month! I'm looking forward to going back to a full schedule!

Month in Review: May 2015

Gonna be honest - these three posts are going to be VERY bare!

For the month of May Optimus Prime & Bumblebee worked on their reading, spelling, and cursive. Optimus Prime read a mixture of level 1 & level 2 books and he did very well. Bumblebee read level pre-1 and struggled a lot. Where Optimus Prime had to read me a book a day Bumblebee only had to read me half a book a day. He is trying but he's not as good as his brother when it comes down to reading. For Spelling we did units 37 & 38 and for Handwriting we started the cursive alphabet.

Scooby-Doo still had therapy for some of May but other than that (and reading him library books) he had no schoolwork.

As upsetting as it was to take the month off it was also a bit of a relief. I want to try some new things next quarter and this will give me time to really plan things out.

Quarterly Curriculum: May - July 2015

This quarter we pretty much took it off. I was really upset about it but we had too much going on in our lives and we were getting ready to finally, officially, move. It was a very stressful summer and taking it off was the best choice for all involved. I was very upset about it but in the end it was for the best. Even if I STILL feel guilty about it all these months later. However, all was not lost. Optimus Prime started to seriously excel in his reading and we read an INSANE number of library books. Anyway, here's our meager curriculum for that quarter:

Optimus Prime & Bumblebee:

Schoolwork on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday.

Spelling - Spelling words & units
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - None, just loose worksheets.
Number of Pages - 1

Handwriting - Cursive handwriting
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - Brain Quest Workbook: Second Grade (Workman Publishing).
Number of Pages - 2

Other "Subjects":

Reading - Reading simple storybooks on their own.

Some final notes:

• After JUST dropping Handwriting it was reintroduced this quarter in the form of cursive. 
• We alternated each week between Spelling and Cursive since I didn't have a full unit for either of these.
• Reading was done every day, including Week 13 a.k.a. the week off.
• Sign Language was dropped for this quarter. There was just too much going on.

Scooby-Doo: 

No schoolwork at all.

Some final notes: 

• He did not do speech therapy during the summer.
• This was his last quarter of pre-k. It would have been his 8th quarter of it. Next quarter he'll start with kindergarten. 

Quarterly Curriculum: February - April 2015

I never realized just how far behind in my blog I was, until I realized I hadn't even posted our curriculum for February, March, & April! Holy smokes!

I had really appreciated the light workload the previous quarter, but by mid-December I was getting itching to get back to our regular schedule so this quarter we did far more.

Optimus Prime & Bumblebee:

Schoolwork on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday.

Subjects:

Math - Addition, subtraction, time, money, etc. 
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - Scholastic Success With 1st Grade (Scholastic), Number Stories (Mead), Disney Time & Money (Bendon), Disney Princess Addition & Subtraction (Bendon).
Number of Pages - 1-3

English - Learning and reviewing first and second grade language and phonics concepts, etc.
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - Summer Link Math Plus Reading Grade 2 (Brighter Child), Brain Quest Workbook Grade 2 (Workman Publishing).
Number of Pages - 2

Spelling - Spelling words & units
Days - Everyday
Textbooks - None, just loose worksheets.
Number of Pages - 1

History/Geography - The 50 states, how humans have impacted the earth, the U. S. presidents, etc.
Days - Sunday, Monday, Thursday, Friday
Textbooks - 50 Great States (Let's Grow Smart), Down to Earth Geography Grad 1 (Teacher Created Resources), Hail to the Chief (Let's Grow Smart) .
Number of Pages - 2-3

Logic - Same/different, mazes, dot-to-dots, etc.
Days - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Textbooks - Random books.
Number of Pages - 3-4

Science - Learning about animals, the earth, the solar system, and insects.
Days - Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
Textbooks - Random books.
Number of Pages - N/A

Art - Painting, etc.
Days - Sunday, Tuesday
Textbooks - None, just projects.
Number of Pages - N/A

Religion - Current religions, mythologies, and holidays.
Days - Friday.
Textbooks - None.
Number of Pages - N/A

Other "Subjects":

Reading - Reading simple storybooks on their own.

Sign Language - Learning basic sign language to help Scooby-Doo communicate better, and to help us communicate better with him.

Some final notes:

• Handwriting has been dropped. It may be reintroduced in 3rd or 4th grade when we get to cursive, but for now it's gone.
• To begin getting ready for 3rd and 4th grade and the major changes coming then I'm going to begin phasing out workbooks and shift more of a focus to reading and writing.
• I'm also going to begin phasing Concept Weeks into our units. This quarter our Concept Weeks are the same as our weekly Science Units.

Scooby-Doo:

For this quarter I blended the last two quarters. There was be a numbers unit and a letters unit like usual, but the logic unit was be split into two - one covering just colors and shapes, the other covering everything else. The magazine unit also stayed for this quarter.

Numbers - Working on numbers 1-12.
Days - Every other day.
Textbooks - Various.
Number of Pages - 4

Letters - Working on the alphabet.
Days - Every other day.
Textbooks - Various.
Number of Pages - 4

Logic - Dot-to-dots, mazes, etc.
Days - Every other day.
Textbooks - Various.
Number of Pages - 4

Colors & Shapes - Working on colors and shapes.
Days - Every other day.
Textbooks - Various.
Number of Pages - 4

Magazines - Scooby-Doo is subscribed to a pre-k character magazine that covers letters, numbers, mazes, picture finds, reading comprehension, etc. We'll do one section a day, every schoolwork day.
Days - Five days a week.
Textbooks - Character Magazines
Number of Pages - N/A

Other "Subjects":

Story Time - Reading a book every afternoon, even on days off.

Words Review - Going over simple words with him to help his speech.  This will be everyday, even on days off.

Sign Language - Learning basic sign language everyday, even days off.

Final Notes:

• Scooby-Doo's is still doing speech therapy, however he is only doing it two days a week now.
• We're still working on sign language to help his communication.
• Scooby-Doo was just diagnosed with Autism, so things may change in regards to his schoolwork and his therapy.

That was it! I'm glad I got this out of the way!

Month in Review: April 2015

This month Scooby-Doo took a step back developmentally. I'm not worried about it since that is a normal pattern for him. He takes a step or two ahead, then he takes a step or two back. It's like a security blanket for him. So, for this past month, he refused to do any schoolwork on his own and some days he even refused to do any schoolwork. We did it anyway, even though he didn't want to, to keep with our schedule. Sometimes, with kids with autism, schedules and rituals are very important. So, we did (and, more accurately, some days I did) letters, numbers, dot-to-dots, mazes, shapes, etc as well as some fun magazines. Next quarter I was planning on continuing on with pre-k, however, I've been thinking maybe he's a bit bored with pre-k work. So, starting next quarter he'll begin kindergarten even though it is a year (plus a quarter) early. He also went to his therapy twice a week.

Optimus Prime & Bumblebee were pretty busy. Between Reading, English (largely phonics and making up silly stories), Math (money, addition, and subtraction), Spelling (long e words, verbs, short i words, long i words, location words, and beginning both short u and long u words)), Art (painting), Geography (well, actually, History this time around - we started and finished a new book that covered the presidents), Religion & Mythology (we covered Kuan Yin & her festival, Sif & the full seed moon, Gaia & Earth Day, and Danu & Beltane), Science (with units each on ants, butterflies, bats, and salmon using Magic School Bus books and lapbooks), and Logic (more coloring and activity books).

Lastly, we planted a garden.

I know, that's the short short version, but I'm busy trying to write up a new schedule so it'll have to do...

Month in Review: March 2015

Another busy month! Actually, truth be told, I think all of our months are pretty busy...

Scooby-Doo had his therapy. He also reached another big step developmentally. He always sits on my lap for his schoolwork, but he has started sitting on his own! My little baby is growing up! He worked on his letters, numbers, colors, shapes, mazes, dot-to-dots, etc.

Optimus Prime & Bumblebee had a pretty packed schedule. In English we covered sentences. Sentences, non-sentences, statements, telling sentences, asking sentences - I'm sure you set the idea.We also covered following directions and classifying. In Math we covered basic addition and subtraction, followed by addition and subtraction with double-digit numbers. Then we started a new book that covered calendars, time, and money. We'll finish it next month. In spelling we finished short i words and started long i words.

Art was painting. Geography focused on people - on how people settle on the planet, natural resources, how people change the planet, how people adapt to where they live, how people evolve, etc. Science was four units covering Animal Habitats, Food Chains, Decomposition, and Spiders. We used Magic School Bus books and did lapbooks as well. Religion covered Matronalia & Juno, St. Patrick's Day & Saint Patrick, Ostara & Eostre, and Solitude Day & the Goddess. Logic was pretty easy, we just did coloring & activity books. They had fun with the mazes, word scrambles, coloring in the pictures, etc. Super easy? Yes. Lots of fun and a nice break from traditional schoolwork? YES! Plus, we did reading, reading, reading!

Like I said a pretty packed schedule all in all!

Month in Review: February 2015

A nice, normal month! Of course, everyone was sick, making it harder to get work done, but we made it.

Scooby-Doo worked on his letters, numbers, and colors. He also worked on dot-to-dots, mazes, picture finds, and his magazines. He went to therapy twice a week. Also, BIG BREAKTHROUGH, he has started using his markers and pencils on his own!!! He always makes me hold his hand while he writes, sort of like a safety blanket, but he's been starting to write completely on his own.

Optimus Prime & Bumblebee had a FULL schedule. In English we covered handwriting, abc order, beginning and ending sounds, rhyming words, capital letters, plurals, action words, predicates, nouns, antonyms, synonyms, etc - all basic English class stuff. It was a lot of review, but review never hurts! In Math we covered handwriting, counting, addition, money, calendars, time, graphing, measurements, counting backwards, addition, and subtraction. Again, basic math stuff that was largely review. In Spelling we finished long e words, worked on verbs, and started short i words.

In Art we painted, in Logic we had random pages that covered a variety of topics (like Math, English, Spelling, etc). In Geography we worked on the 50 states and finished an entire book on that topic. We also started up our old Geography book which we'll finish this quarter. We talked about people patterns.

In Religion we covered Candlemas along with the goddess Brigid, Valentine's Day along with Saint Valentine, the Chinese New Year along with the Goat (this year's animal), and The Chinese Lantern Festival along with the story of the Jade Emperor and the Crane.

 Science covered four different units. This quarter we merged our Concept Weeks with Science to move us towards a schedule where we do more Concept Weeks and less classes and subjects. So, we covered Stars  the first week, Space Rocks the second week, Germs the third week, and Desserts the fourth week. We read Magic School Bus books that covered these topics and then I made lapbooks filled with worksheets, coloring pages, and activities for them to give us a further look into these topics. Lastly, we read a LOT of books, and they read me a lot of books too!

It was a BUSY month! But, it was nice to dive back into things!

Long Break = Big Changes

So, I know I've been pretty absent for these past two months. The reason why was a lot of big changes going on in our house and in our homeschooling that kept me from blogging. I've been pretty busy, busy, busy.

These changes are going to be reflected on this blog pretty soon.

Optimus Prime & Bumblebee are at the point in their homeschooling that they are ready to move on and do different things. Even though they are in the same grade they are at different levels in some subjects and they have different interests in general. I've been trying to keep them on the same schedule, but that is starting to hold them back in areas where they are ready and eager to excel. It's time to let them move on into new territories on their own. This has effectively doubled my workload as I now have to write up two different curriculum's for them in some subjects!

Scooby-Doo is going to be preschool age in August. He still goes to therapy, and the school district is willing to let him sit in at preschool for an hour a couple of days a week, so his schedule is going to be VERY busy outside of our home. Likewise, he'll be officially starting pre-k here at home, so my workload just doubled! I wanted him to t-ball this year, but he is STILL too young according to the slip. They probably would have made an exception if I had asked them too, but with us packing and getting ready to move I had to make the tough choice to not sign him up.

So, changes in the blog and curriculum. What are they? I'm beginning to combine subjects for Optimus Prime & Bumblebee. Geography will be combined with History, Mythology, and Religion. These subjects really overlap so much already, and there was some overlap in our curriculum as it was, so now these subjects will be completely combined. Likewise, Reading will be combined with English, and after our summer quarter so will Spelling. This will help me to make Spelling and English units based on books we are reading.

Optimus Prime will be moving ahead in English/Spelling/Reading. I've been holding him back for too long waiting for his brother to catch up. He needs to start moving on to chapter books. Likewise, Bumblebee will be moving ahead in Math. He's been held back too long waiting for his brother to catch up. He needs to start multiplication.

Concept Weeks are going to be retired for Optimus Prime & Bumblebee. Or, I guess, it would be more accurate to say that they are going to be assimilated into History/Geography/Mythology/Religion and Science. All of our previous Concept Weeks have been based on these subjects, so from now on units in these subjects will be weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. For example, this summer in Science we'll be covering weather and the earth for a month and a half, followed by birds, fish, and water mammals for a month and a half. In History we'll cover ancient Egypt for a month, followed by ancient Greece and ancient Rome for a month each. When we cover these History units we will also go over the geography of the region as well as the religious beliefs and myths of those regions.

Another big change is retiring our workbooks for Optimus Prime & Bumblebee. This isn't to say we'll never do workbooks any more, but for most subjects they are going to disappear. Math will still be largely workbook based, but Science and History will largely be reading and lapbook based and English will be based entirely around books we are reading.

Everything is getting combined and shaken up.

Scooby-Doo's workload is going to change too. We'll start covering more things than the basics. Counting, the alphabet, colors, shapes, same or different, mazes, dot-to-dots, picture finds, etc are all important but it's time to start expanding his horizon in his schoolwork. Yes, I do read to him a lot (when he's in the mood for it, which is NOT everyday) but he really loves worksheets, so I'm going to take advantage of that and start introducing other subjects into our curriculum. I haven't planned out all the details yet, but I've begun playing with some ideas (like giving him Concept Weeks) and should know what I'm looking to do by the end of next week.

Lastly, our Two Week Review post is getting retired. I'm still going to give updates on how they are doing, but it'll be a monthly post instead of every two weeks. Also, this will retroactively start this current quarter! In the next few days I'll try to get our February and March post up so you know what we've been doing.

Like I said, big changes!

Two Week Review: January 11 - 24

Our final two weeks of this super easy schedule!!! Thank goodness... Of course, we also spent these two weeks sick, making it hared to get things done, and it looks like our week off is going to be spent sick as well... Hopefully we'll be better in February...

So, I have nothing to talk about. I'm just so happy this quarter is OVER with that I'm going to breeze through everything.

Scooby-Doo finished his magazines. He loves them a lot, but I think he'll be happy to see a return of worksheets.

Optimus Prime and Bumblebee learned about Ancient China & Chinese Mythology (both are in the same post like our Native American units). They also had their easy math pages, number review, spelling, made some color books, did some dot-to-dots and mazes, had story time, practiced their reading, etc.

A very nice, easy final two weeks. Which was probably good since we were so sick.

Next quarter, here we come!!!

Two Week Review: December 28 - January 10

These two weeks were pretty much the same as the last two weeks. I can't wait for our workload to increase in a month here, I'm going crazy with this super easy schedule!!!

So, Scooby-Doo adjusted to his autism medication. We went back to the doctor's and he thinks we've found the right dosage. He's still been working on his magazines. Some days he is really into it, other days not so much. I think he was happy to have a lighter workload for a bit, but I think he's ready to move on to more pages. Now, I'm not sure he actually wants to DO those pages, but he likes to sit on my lap while I talk to him about them.

As for Optimus Prime and Bumblebee for our Concept Weeks we covered Horses and Volcanoes & Earthquakes. We also did easy math pages, number review, worked on their letter book, did some fun dot-to-dots and mazes, and read some Scooby-Doo and Thomas the Tank Engine stories. And, of course, they practiced their reading. I think Optimus Prime might be ready for chapter books soon!!!

Another nice, easy two weeks. They might like this easy schedule, but I am BEYOND ready to move on!

Two Week Review: December 14 - 27

Like I said last post, we took Scooby-Doo to the doctor's office to begin testing for autism. The doctor told us that yes, he does have autism and after the holidays are over he's going to look into a child psychiatrist for us. He also gave us a prescription for him to take to help his panic attacks. Meanwhile, I'm not sure how this will effect his speech therapy. After the holidays I'll talk to them about it. We just worked on his magazines for his schoolwork. Colors, letters, numbers - things like that.

Optimus Prime & Bumblebee had finished up their magazines, so we did schoolwork based on the formula of their magazines. They had some basic math and started work on a letter book. They also had some dot-to-dots and mazes, and we also read a bunch of stories. For our Concept Weeks we did Prehistoric Life and Elephants.

A nice easy two weeks. :)

Quarterly Curriculum: November 2014 - January 2015

I'm posting this earlier than I normally do because I'm already working on next quarter's schedule. This quarter was VERY slimmed down both because of all of the holidays and because I was adjusting to a new medicine which was making me very sleepy. So, next quarter I want to bring back our full work load. This break was nice, but I'm already ready to do more and am full of ideas! So, here is our (current) super easy holiday schedule!

Optimus Prime & Bumblebee:

Schoolwork on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday.

Subjects:

Magazine - We have some character magazines that cover handwriting, basic math, art, logic, and reading comprehension. We'll do one magazine a week.
Days - Everyday.
Textbooks - Character magazines.
Number of Pages - N/A

Spelling - Spelling words & units.
Days - Everyday.
Textbooks - None, just loose worksheets.
Number of Pages - 2

Other "Subjects":

Reading - Reading simple storybooks on their own.

Sign Language - Learning basic sign language to help Scooby-Doo communicate better, and to help us communicate better with him.

Some final notes:

• I got none :)

Scooby-Doo:

Schoolwork 2-3 days a week on any day

Magazines - Scooby-Doo is subscribed to a pre-k character magazine that covers letters, numbers, mazes, picture finds, reading comprehension, etc. We'll do one section a day, every other schoolwork day.
Days - Five days over two weeks
Textbooks - Character Magazines
Number of Pages - N/A

Other "Subjects":

Story Time - Reading a book every afternoon, even on days off.

Words Review - Going over simple words with him to help his speech.  This will be everyday, even on days off.

Sign Language - Learning basic sign language everyday, even days off.

Final Notes:

• Scooby-Doo's is still doing speech therapy, however he is only doing it two days a week now.
• We're still working on sign language to help his communication.

Two Week Review: November 30 - December 13

A Two Week Review post on time! Go me! ;)

So, Scooby-Doo. He still has his therapy twice a week. I sat down and talked to one of his therapists about the possibility of him having autism... and she said she suspects that he does. She also said his speech therapist suspects the same thing. I have a doctor's appointment set up to begin getting him tested. Meanwhile, for schoolwork he's still been working on his magazines. We had quite a few stories these past two weeks, along with some look-and-find and numbers. Actually, the layout of his current magazine means we are pretty much just did stories for these past two weeks. The next two weeks will be different.

Optimus Prime & Bumblebee finished up the stack of magazines we had on hand. The next six weeks we'll be doing schoolwork based on the same formula as the magazines. We also practiced reading and did our two spelling units (which were the final long o unit and a unit on family words). Lastly, I had to rework our Concept Weeks so we could do our Native American one and our Native American Mythology one back-to-back since they overlapped so much. So, there is just one post up for those two units. The unit was a bit above them, but that's okay. You never know until you try!

Two Week Review: November 16 - November 29

Well... I really don't have much to say...

Scooby-Doo is still working on his magazines and going to speech therapy. For magazines, these two weeks we had some matching, some coloring, some number review, a maze, and letter sounds. All of this stuff is very easy pre-k stuff, but some of it is a bit above him. My husband thinks Scooby-Doo might have autism, and working on these magazines with him I'm seeing it...

As for Optimus Prime & Bumblebee we did magazines as well, plus some reading and spelling (these two units were more long o words). We also had two Concept Weeks, covering Thanksgiving and Mythological Creatures.

I'm starting to get a new idea for Science next quarter... I'm going to have to think on this...

Two Week Review: November 2 - November 15

We had a fun two weeks, however, this post is going to be VERY short!

Scooby-Doo is getting a break this quarter, just like his big brothers. We worked on a magazine of his and covered a story, a maze, a picture find, counting, and letters so far. Next two weeks there will be more. He also had his speech therapy.

For Optimus Prime & Bumblebee we covered Yule in our first Concept Week of the new quarter, then we covered Texas in the second Concept Week. And for our regular schoolwork we worked on Scooby-Doo and Thomas magazines. Yes, it was easy work, but that's kind of the point for this quarter. The magazines cover basic Math, basic English, and Reading Comprehension, as well as some fun logic stuff and some arts and crafts. Are they getting too old for these magazines? Yes. But they enjoy the light load of schoolwork when we do it, and soon the subscriptions will expire and they won't get to do it any more. So, for this quarter we're going to have fun with them and with our Concept Weeks. They've been practicing their reading as well, but no new breakthroughs there. Lastly, we had Spelling. The first week we covered animal words, the second week we moved back to rhyming words with long o words.

Two Week Review: October 12 - October 25

The final two weeks of the first quarter!!! I can't wait for our one week break (and Halloween) before we move onto a lighter, easier second quarter...

Scooby-Doo is kinda, maybe warming up to his new therapists, but he's still very quiet. I don't like that, but hopefully it'll change soon. At home we're still working on the same old, same old.

Optimus Prime & Bumblebee are also same old, same old. English covered y as a vowel (Why is it only sometimes a vowel? That really bugs me...), days of the week, compound words, contractions, syllables, haiku, prefixes, and suffixes. In Math we did another addition and subtraction dollar book. Optimus Prime struggled but he had an easier time with it this time around. I guess doing that addition book did boost his confidence! Spelling was short o words and in Art we finished our books (pictures soon). In Religion we covered the goddess of winter the White Woman (also known as Holda) as well as going over the origins of Halloween and why we have some of the traditions we have.

In Geography we learned about ecosystems and food chains in one unit and why and how people live in certain environments in the other unit. In Handwriting we did handwriting, in Logic we FINALLY finished our picture find book, and in Science we finally finished our science book. We covered animal adaptions, defenses, and locomotion. We covered food chains and how the males, females, and babies have different names (like how with chickens the male is a rooster, the female is a hen, and the babies are chicks). We also read lots of books too to practice their reading. Optimus Prime is still working with Levels 1 & 2, Bumblebee is still working on Level 1.

I'm looking forward to a week off, a new schedule, and Halloween!

Two Week Review: September 28 - October 11

Scooby-Doo STILL hates his new therapists. And, to make matters worse, he's shutting down verbally. I'm pretty annoyed here. I'm seriously thinking that I might withdraw him from the program. Hopefully he warms up to them in the next couple of weeks... For schoolwork it's the same as always. Numbers, letters, logic... I think next quarter we're going to do something different.

As for Optimus Prime & Bumblebee, there is not much to report but they are doing good. We did Sharks for our concept week. In English we covered consonant blends, silent letters, hard and soft letters, short vowels, long vowels, and double vowels. For Math they had different workbooks. Optimus Prime had a first grade/kindergarten super easy addition book, Bumblebee had a first grade/second grade addition and subtraction book. They both did very well. Optimus Prime was so happy to have such an easy book to do! I'm hoping it'll give him a confidence boost for his next book. In Spelling we finished off long a words. In Art they still worked on their book and in Religion they learned about an Eskimo sea goddess named Sedna. That myth they really liked.

In Geography we started a new unit where we covered man-made vs nature-made changes to the Earth. For example, things like man building a damn, or erosion occurring naturally. Handwriting is still handwriting, Logic is still picture finds. (I think they are starting to get bored with them.) In Science we covered body parts of bees and clams, as well as the life cycle of the butterfly. And in Reading they practiced their reading. Like I said, nothing much to report! A nice two weeks, all in all.

Two Week Review: September 14 - September 27

Well, Scooby-Doo is in speech therapy. I'm a bit pissed, sorry, ANNOYED at the school, but that's neither here nor there. Long story short, they were mad at me for not dropping him off. Apparently having all new therapists in all new offices with all new phone numbers meant I was supposed to wander around the school looking for them, not they call me (since, they have my number) to set up appointments to get it started. Moving on. Scooby-Doo HATES his new therapists. Hopefully he'll warm up to them. Otherwise I might have to consider pulling him out... He's only going twice a week this school year. I wish he could go five days a week, but that was a three hour round trip and I can't do that everyday again this school year. We're still working on his schoolwork here at home, however he's completely clammed-up speech-wise. I'm hoping it's just temporary...

For Optimus Prime and Bumblebee English was a bunch of 1st grade standardized-style practice tests. I hated them, they hated them, thankfully they are done now. Then we moved onto a new workbook and started beginning and ending consonants. Nice and easy. In Math did one of those character addition and subtraction workbooks from the dollar store. It was a little hard for Optimus Prime, but he managed to get through it. Next two weeks he'll have an easier one. Spelling is still long a words, Art and Sign Language are the same as always. In Religion we learned about the Greek goddess Nemesis and the Indian goddess Daena. Geography was more land forms and regions (such as swamps). Handwriting was practicing handwriting (like always!). In Logic we FINALLY finished off our picture find book from last year! The next few weeks will be some easy review books. In Science we are still doing science - learning about the parts of animals, what a mammal is, invertebrates, spiders vs. insects, etc. I'll be both happy and sad when we finish this book... Reading is the same as always, nothing new to report there. Optimus Prime is still in physical therapy. It doesn't seem to be doing much to help him...