fin
tub
bib
hat
What do these words have in common? These are the first words Ellyn read! It is so fun to be there while they are learning these new things. One of the hard things is figuring out their learning style and then trying to find the materials to teach them the best way they learn. And of course Andy and Ellyn has completely the opposite learning style. But, God has been good to show me the best curriculum for them. I found this great reading program for Andy last year and he is doing so great. He is very much the hands on learner, doesn't hear phonics (so the phonics programs I kept trying would not work) but he is very visual. He loves art, science and riding his bike. Now Ellyn, she gets the phonics that is why she is reading so much earlier than Andy did. So, I am using a phonics program for her and it is working great. I am going to stick with the same company for Ellyn for at least a few years.
For Andy this year we have been using Rocket Phonics. When he is done with this program we will switch to a new company for his language arts and spelling, we will use the WRITE! programs.
For Ellyn I am using a phonics program from Christian Liberty Press for kindergartners, it seems to work so why change. We will get her the first grade reading program and spelling.
It is this time of year when homeschool parents begin to plan for the fall. One reason is Curriculum Fairs happen in the spring. A time for parents to look at different vendors and see what they have to offer and a time to spend money on books! It is also a time to remember why we are homeschooling and that we do like it and we do like our kids. Most days I do, but there are some days where I am pulling my hair out and thinking about public school. But then I have a good nights sleep (usualy a Coke and chocolate) and then I am fine. And we go on.
This weekend is our local homeschool conference. I am so excited to hear some great speakers, look at books and hang out with other homeschoolers and realize we are not alone in this.
2 comments:
Keep us posted on your progress with the homeschooling. That's something I wish I would have been able to pull off.
How did you go about getting a sense for each of your kid's learning styles?
well, like pretty much anything i want to learn about, when trying to understand learning styles: i read a book. many of them. when we first started homeschooling i read how important that it is we understand our kids and how great it is that we get to pick which books for our kids to learn out of. once i figured out Andy his sister was so easy. she is the opposite of him. there are some great websites that have fun tests that you can do, questions that help you as a parent narrow down the learning style. homeschooling is fun, but so much work. it is something that you have to be committed to, or you will end up hating the kids and the process.
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