Saxon Math: Why We Love It.

We are currently using Saxon Math 1 for Marco's kindergarten. I've been meaning to post on this subject since math has recently come up with some of my friends. Trying to decide on a math curriculum is not easy; especially if you and your child enjoy different methods of teaching/learning. Luckily, Saxon Math has fit us and here I am telling you why!

Saxon uses a spiral method of learning. Basically this means that concepts are broken down into pieces and presented throughout the year. There is daily review through worksheets and practice problems. The material is eventually mastered through this incremental development. The good thing about this approach for us is review. Constant review is what helps us really master all those math facts.

Another plus side for Saxon is the ease of use. I am not a seasoned homeschooler. Marco is my first and I'm still learning as I go. Because of this, Saxon is my logical choice. The lessons are scripted so that you always stay on track of the lesson. It is because of this that I never fail to ask the right questions and present the material in the best way possible. Other programs are merely made up of examples; Saxon goes further than that. They provide all the necessary strategies needed for you to truly teach your child. It's really a no-brainer.

The positive for the kids? Manipulatives. At this age, learning is made so much easier with the use of manipulatives. Saxon provides this in practically every lesson. The use of counting bears, pattern blocks, scales, geoboards, etc. make learning more hands-on and fun. It makes for a completely balanced curriculum. Anther good thing about the use of manipulatives is that they change. If you sit my child down with blocks to do math every single day...he'll get bored. But here, you are interchanging the use of blocks with other hands-on learning. It keeps boredom at bay.

Finally, how do I get 3 children ranging from 2 to 5 engaged in learning math for 15-20 minutes? Our math meeting time! Included in the lower Saxon grades is the meeting book. This is comprised of calendar time, counting, time, weather, money, and other concepts...each introduced slowly throughout the year. This is how we start math every day (or mostly everyday). The great thing about this is the flexibility. You really don't have to use the meeting book if you feel your children don't need it. I, however, find it to be a great way to really drill everyday concepts into my kids. It offers practice and goes along with the spiral approach to teaching/learning.

I can't promise you that your child will leap for joy at the mere mentioning of math; I know that my kids sometimes run and hide. But in the long run, it has given them a certain confidence about numbers and math concepts. It is the hour of our day that goes by the quickest and it is by far one of the easiest subjects for me to teach. I appreciate the repetitiveness involved with the calendar and counting before every lesson and the diversity in the introduction of new material. The kids appreciate the fun in the presentation of the lessons, the worksheets, and the independence they gain during our meeting time. Given the choices out there, I believe that for now, we have made the right decision!

Getting Sick.

Sometimes I wonder if there will ever be an illness-free winter. With all these kids, I really doubt it. We have been battling with colds for a while now (about 1 month), and just when I think that the kids are getting better...another one gets sick again. At least we're giving our pediatrician good business!

Christian was fully recovered from croup and just this week he started coughing again. Then on Thursday he had a small fever followed by a higher fever on Friday. I took him to get tested for the flu, and luckily he is flu free! He is slowly recovering and is sleeping a bit better.

Unfortunately, today was another trip to the pediatrician. Marco woke up crying because his ear ached and it turns out that he has an ear infection. After all the commotion of getting all 4 kids into the car to take Marco to see the doctor, we come home and only 2 hours go by before Isabella AND Anthony start complaining that their ears hurt too. Now we have to wait until tomorrow morning to make yet another trip to the pediatrician. Luckily they have weekend hours now for acute illnesses.

I'm hoping that after all this passes, we'll stay healthy for a LONG, LONG time!!

The Catholic Church.

I think this is an awesome video. The Catholic Church is the one, true universal church; founded by Jesus Christ himself.

The Science Winner Is....

Well, after much looking through, discussing, and setting goals, we have finally decided on our science curriculum. Lucky for me that DH is spear-heading this subject and he will be the one teaching. Because of that, I let him make the ultimate decision. So who did we pick? After carefully considering the contenders, DH chose Living Learning Book AND Harcourt Science. Somehow these two will be meshed into one big science study for the year. Once we work out the kinks in combining the curriculum, I will post our schedule so you can see what we are planning.

The reasons behind the decision? We both really loved the colorful text of Harcourt and the amount of activities and experiments to choose from. DH is a big fan of testing (he sees this as a fact of life) so the end of chapter reviews were a big hit for him. Having a workbook available is also something he is looking forward to using. The downside for Harcourt was the lack of depth he was looking for, therefore, Living Learning Books fit the bill in this area. Altogether, I think that a combination of narration with workbooks will fit us fine and keep the kids happy.

So there! Just another reason why homeschooling is the BEST!!! You can mix and match until you are happy!

Science: A Review.

I just received my copy of Harcourt Science in the mail. I am trying to decide between using Living Learning Books, Harcourt Level 2, or NOEO Science for our first grade year. I suppose this is my review for those science curricula. I have been shopping around for just the right fit for our family. Since we are using a classical method of teaching, we really want to follow through with it in our science program meaning that we want to cycle through biology, chemistry, and physics using a format that uses living books and narration.

Worksheets definitely have a place in our home too, mainly because I think they are useful and my kids enjoy them. But, spitting out facts in order to fill in the blanks is not what I want our science curriculum to entail. I like notebooking and narration because it makes you think. "What was this experiment all about? What is this book saying? What is my interpretation of this experiment/nature walk/book?" Of course, I know that thinking this way takes training and I won't be expecting a complete synopsis from a 6 year old.

Living Learning Books: I really like that this curriculum follows the classical method and is as close to what the WTM is suggesting you do for first grade science. The lesson plans are all written out for you. They include a list of reading materials, additional book and video suggestions and a list of materials needed for projects. Also part of the program is the student activity pack, which comes with coloring pages, narration pages, and more. The curriculum is then broken into 3 different sections. The study of animals is first and comprises of 20 weeks, the human body is second with 10 weeks of study, and lastly is the study of plants with 6 weeks of study. This gives you a whole year of material to study, with science taking place twice a week.

Overall, I like the flexibility in choosing the books used for each unit and that the suggestions are there for you to use as opposed to having to hunt for books all on your own. I also like that projects and experiments are already set for you and all you have to do is collect the materials needed. This program seems flexible enough to use as-is, supplement for those wanting greater depth, or use as a light program.

Harcourt Science: As I have been looking through this book the past few days, I realized how important colorful pictures are when teaching science. Marco actually stole the book from me and took it so that he could look through it! This book is divided into units covering life science, earth science, and physical science. There are no lesson plans that come with this book, but a separate student workbook is available. I'm sure that with a little planning, creating your own lesson plans would not be a problem. Beginning every unit is an experiment that is meant to tie in all the chapters within the unit. There is also an investigation or experiment at the beginning of every chapter. They are all simple enough to do with household items and a great way to begin the study. Ending the chapter are "links", or ways to incorporate the science lesson into different subjects. These "links" offer ideas and things to do for math and social studies. There is also a chapter review that is typical of textbooks, followed by further activities and suggestions for expeditions (such as visiting a preserve or park).

Overall, this is a colorful textbook that appeals to children. It is great for hands-on in that there are plenty of experiments to do and choose from. The downside is that this is your typical textbook, offering a lot of information on many things, but nothing in depth. You would have to supplement with some living books in order for your child to gain more insight into any particular subject. For example, after reading about the life cycle of a bird(an example used in the book), your child might want to know what birds eat or where they live. This book would not be useful to you if more detailed questions arise. It is a very general text, but covers an appropriate amount of subjects. In this book you will find the following units: Living Things Grow and Change, Homes for Living Things, Exploring Earth's Surface, Space and Weather, Exploring Matter, Energy in Motion. This is a great text to accompany any first grade life science curriculum or second grade earth science curriculum. It can easily be used as a stand alone for the family who wants to do basic science without getting into too much depth. The amount of activities in the book are more than enough to keep any homeschooling family occupied and having some science fun.

NOEO Science: This will be my shortest review since it is the only science curriculum I haven't been able to look through and compare. After reading other's reviews and visiting the NOEO website, I have concluded that this program is very similar to Living Learning Books. It follows a classical model in that you cycle through biology, chemistry, and physics; all of which get progressively more in depth/difficult as your child advances in grades. They incorporate narration over worksheets, they use living books over textbooks, and science experiments seem to also involve much observation. Their curriculum comes with lesson plans all made out so that you don't have to do the leg work. If you purchase their set, they include all the books needed for the year as well as science kits used for experiments. From what I have read, the thing this program lacks is more hands-on involvement. It seems that they do just enough to catch the child's interest, but some more kinesthetic learners might need supplementing.

Overall, this curriculum gets very high marks from the majority of its users. It follows the same outline as Living Learning Books and incorporates the same principles of classical studies through the cycling of topics and use of narration and notebooking. Their schedule is intended to be done 4 times a week for 15-20 minutes each time, or it can be done twice a week with longer 30-40 minute lessons.

Ski Weekend.

This weekend we took a little getaway with some friends up to Sugar Mountain. It was our first time skiing and we were hoping for all of us to have lots of fun. Let me tell you!! Skiing with a bunch of little kids is NOT easy! You have to have all the gear: skis, ski boots, jackets, gloves, hats, ski socks, snow pants, and even (if you go all out) ski goggles.

So imagine this scene: 6 kids all 5 years old and under (4 of ours and 2 friends), 4 adults (1 of which is very pregnant...no not me) and all the above mentioned ski gear for all the kids and adults. You do the math and then see what you get. Oh! And add to that going from the parking lot up a hill to the actual ski place. OK, so getting there was not fun. BUT...

I loved skiing and so did the kids! DH did not enjoy it at all, so next time he'll do the tubing while we hit the slopes. Granted we only stayed on the bunny hill, but I really loved trying something new. I think Isabella was the most excited about skiing, although both she and Marco did exceptional!! Anthony on the hand was a bit frightened and only managed to make it half-way down the hill. Christian was very good and took a good nap while I had him in the Bjorn and I was fortunate to have friends around to take turns holding him.

On a side note, let me add that if it wasn't for our AWESOME friends, the trip would have been horrible! Thanks to all the grown-ups who helped our little ones learn to ski, because we surely didn't know the first thing! More pictures will follow as I get them downloaded from our other camera.

Marco all geared up!

Anthony resisted the skis.

Up on the magic carpet to go for another turn down the hill.

Isabella with friends learning to ski.

Sleeping.

Ahh, sleep! The thing once taken for granted is now the most elusive thing in my life. My latest adventures in sleep include getting a 6 month old to sleep through the night and training our 2 year old to stay in his new big boy bed. It's amazing what being sick does to kids. Their clocks get all messed up and then they become accustomed to having you sleep with them. Such difficult habits to break!!

But today is a new day! I am closer to conquering the sleep monster and have been working diligently at not letting the only time I have to myself dissappear. This, of course, is nap time and bedtime. Anthony is now cozily sleeping in his bed for his naps. It took about 3 days to train him and I won't have none of the "read me a million books Mommy!" It's nap time and you must stay in your room and on your bed because I said so! Bedtime is still in the works. At least he is not getting out of bed like he was at the beginning of the week. Now it's just ignoring the noises and keeping him from waking up his siblings.

Babies. They make you do the darnest things! They are cute, cuddly, and so innocent. Having him sleep in bed with me for one night won't hurt, will it? But then one night becomes two and two becomes a week and so forth. Now I'm begging to turn back time to when he was comfy sleeping in his crib next to my bed. A time when I was being good and letting him put himself to sleep. A time when my darling little baby was sleeping for 7 hours at night without so much as making a small noise. Now I've turned into a tortured mom. Letting your child get used to put himself to sleep is not an easy task. Luckily, these things last only about a week (maybe two!).

Until then, if I seem to be half asleep...I probably am. Bear with me as I continue my attack on the stealer of dreams, the disruptor of sleep cycles. And I will win; for my own sanity I have to win!