homeschoolish update

We're using Explode the Code to help teach Sugar to read.

It's working marvelously.

She's reading.

Now to work on fluency.

Handwriting is a big deal to me.  It just is.  I like handwriting.  I like to be able to read other's handwriting.  I want my kids to have not only legible handwriting but handwriting that is nice to look at.

Sugar pretty much could not care less.

All of last school year (you know, the 6 days of it that we did) (kidding, there were more days than that) I had Sugar using the rubber pencil grip because she held her pencil all wonky.  It helped her to hold her pencil properly but her handwriting was horrid.

(in my critical handwriting opinion)

One day early on in this school year we couldn't find the pencil with the rubber grippy dealio so she went without it.  Her grip on her pencil is still wonky but her handwriting without the rubber grippy dealio is so much better!

I prefer the handwriting to look nice over how she holds her pencil.

We quit doing Math back in...oh...October.  We were struggling.  She was.  I was.  We were.  So at the advice of some veteran homeschoolin' mamas I quit.  Let her do it on her own.  And this week I finally decided to get our Math books back out (we're using Singapore) and she has blown through about two weeks worth of lessons in two days.  It's like it's clicked for her.  Or maybe it was the M&Ms I decided to use for a manipulative that made it more fun...

Science is us going to the library and Sugar picking a book.  Never fails that it's some sort of sea creature.  She loves dolphins and whales.  I haven't been super structured on her science.  We had been using our  Sonlight curriculum from last year for science but she was sooo not into learning about clouds and tornadoes and rain.  So we've bagged that for now.

Emphasis on for now.  I don't want you guys thinkin' she'll never learn about that stuff.  She will.  But one thing I'm learning about my kiddo, when she's into learning about something, she's into it.  Absorbs it.  Loves it.  Right now it's sea animals.  So we're going with that.

History is something we're just kinda pluggin' away at.  I admit that I think she'd be way more into it if I was on the ball about doing the projects listed in the book.  Sometimes they just require a whole lotta supplies that I don't have or want to mess with buying.  I know.  Lazy.  But the projects make the words come to life, so I need to just suck it up and go to...WalMart.  *shudder*

Spice sits right along side us and works in her own little books.  She asked the other day to be taught to read.    I just need to do it.  She's showing interest and that's like 90% of the battle.

Overall I feel that we're doing well this year.  The main thing Josh and I were concerned about for first grade was teaching Sugar to read.  Anything over and above we considered a bonus.

So, that's our update.  Sorry if some of it was a repeat from last time.  I can't remember if I posted an update or if it's in draft.  I didn't look.

Questions?  I'm sure someone's got'em.