Spelling Switch-a-roo

I can't believe I haven't mentioned the fact that we switched our spelling!

Although I love the idea of Sequential Spelling, it just wasn't working well. Many of the words he had never seen let alone heard before. He was getting a little discouraged, even with "the motto." So, I sucked it up and bought the expensive (but highly recommended) Spelling Power.

I guess it is not THAT expensive considering you wear it out through high school with all of your children. So, when you take that into consideration, it's actually VERY economical. It's just a big upfront cost.

So, how do we like it you ask? :-)

I LOVE IT!!!

The author really took time to learn how to study spelling. As everyone mentions it is quite an instruction manual! My head was spinning after reading it all afternoon. But, it's really quite simple.

Here's how it works:
To begin you test to find out where your child should be placed. (one time only testing, but there are three different testing methods.)

After you know where to begin, each day you will do the following:

STEP 1:
~Find the group where you are at. Discuss the "spelling rule." Each list is grouped by sound, so they learn how the sounds are spelled.

~Then, test them on that group. You will only test until either 5 minutes are up or your child misses a specific amount of words. (usually it's 3 for us.)

---Your time is done, the rest is done independently by the student.---

STEP 2:
~Study the words missed using the "10 step study list." This is basically looking at the word to find out why you missed what you had missed, and trying to spell it a number of different ways.

STEP 3:
~Do an activity to practice spelling the words missed. These can be anything from typing them up, writing them in whipping cream, or writing them in a sentence. I've been having Superkid do a jumping jack for each letter of his spelling word. It's the act of doing something to help them remember how to spell their word correctly.

That's it. Then, when you do the test next you begin with the words missed to see if he/she learned them. It's really a neat concept!

So far it's really working well for us. Superkid seems to enjoy the activities and has been honest within himself when he is really struggling with a word, even when he's gotten it right - he's studied it to be more confident on that word. That's really neat to see.

I think it is worth the cost. Really. It not only is set up wonderfully, but it has taught me a lot about the why's and how's of spelling. Yep, it's a keeper around here.

Superkid tested in way higher then I though he would. And, as I test him (I decided since we're at the beginning age, we'd just start in A and make it a little easier for awhile.) He REALLY is a great speller!!! He's been tricking me this whole time acting like he doesn't know. I have been doing the "review tests" through level A and he's cruising through them. Pretty amazing!

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE homeschooling?
What else is better then watching your children grow and learn??

No baby, but we've got curriculum!

Took me awhile to post this since I keep packing my camera just in case baby comes. And, I'm telling you this has been the longest wait in my life! I was expecting WEEKS ago that he'd be here and yet here we are.

Anyway...

In the meantime to keep my mind busy I have been busy planning and with some extra finances I've been able to do some ordering too! How exciting to start out with lots of new things that will bless our school.

I have so much to say and I'm having a hard time figuring out where to begin.

First of all, I am SOO super excited for this year!! It looks like we are going to have a great time. Looks like lots of science experiments, but I think we can handle them. I've spent time looking over them and I think the will be doable. I LOVE the way the bible corresponds to the science study each week. I was able to spend awhile looking at our library system online and mark whether our library has each book or if I need to make requests. That will cut down on my weekly preparation. I also plan to do all of my copying at once so that will make each week a lot less stressful. Comparing the prep for ECC, I think I might struggle with the week to week plan vs. two-three weeks at a time. We'll see how all that works out.

"I Can Do All Things - Art" seemed very complicated at first, but I think I've got a handle on it now. I spent some time looking through it and it seems to make sense now. I was disappointed that it is more of a consumable workbook than I had thought. I was under the impression I could save this for my upcoming children. It's pretty pricey whether you choose to copy the whole thing (which you have permission to do) or buy a whole separate one. This would be a problem for larger families I would think. But, then again this is an optional program so it just might be something to opt out of. My son is very excited to have an art class this year.

Another thing I found kind of complicated when I first looked at it was the Singapore Math. Now that I have looked the entire thing over (and read MFW's booklet) I think we can handle it. In some ways it appears very simple and maybe too childish. But, then taking another look (and emphasizing those "Key Terms" MFW recommends) I can see how it all works together and is actually very challenging! I did buy under Superkid's ability so that we can adjust to the program before moving on to harder work. It is going to be an adjustment, but I think it will work for us.

In the midst of all of this I also went ahead and purchased some other things - all of which will last for years to come. You can see all that I'm talking about in the "What we're learning" spot on the right side of my blog.

Character Study - Ethics: An Early American Handbook.

This book is going to be such a blessing to our year! I had looked at this last year and I think it's awesome how God worked it into this years study. It is simply a guide with stories written in 1890 for the youth about the importance of character. I think this will give us many good conversations as we read through it.

English- Primary Language Lessons

This one is difficult to explain why I went ahead and switched to PLL from First Language Lessons. Although they are similar, I found that PLL was much more gentle and yet challenging at the same time. We are just finishing up first grade with First Language Lessons so it comes at a great time. Since PLL starts in 2nd grade.

By the way, it won't take long for us to "catch up" in these subjects. We'll be there before we know it. It's completely my fault I let life happen while some of our core learning slipped away.

Sequential Spelling

I have been looking at this for awhile. I spent a day at a friends house while she homeschooled and watched as she used this. I think this is such a smart way of teaching spelling. And very simple too! My son struggles with his writing and I think there is a tie to his confidence in his spelling. Once he feels stronger in his spelling skills I think he will be less inclined to complain about writing. We'll see...

Cursive Handwriting- Start Write

The other day it occurred to me that I hadn't really taught cursive. In fact Superkid has a hard time even READING it. I had waited since I didn't feel that he was excelling in his printing. After hearing from a few people that doing cursive actually helps in the handwriting department and thinking about how it makes sense since they are motivated to write. Plus you can't write "wrong" when you are writing in cursive because you don't lift your pencil. Anyway, I decided we'd head into cursive because it's beyond time to learn. Recently I had heard of Start Write and decided that it was a great investment. I'm still waiting for it in the mail, but the idea of it is great! Especially for my reluctant writer because I can give him copy work from anything he wants to write about. I plan to use this for his memory verses, narrations, etc. Overall I can see how helpful this will be.

Nature Study Books

Handbook of Nature Study

I already did a review of this one on my other blog. I think this is such a must for homeschooling!

Keeping a Nature Journal

This looks like a great book. It explains some common sense ideas on how to keep up and make a nature journal. So far we haven't been doing so good on this, but eventually we'll be better. This book is broken down by the seasons which I love, because it keeps you motivated throughout the year to spend time in God's world.

The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada's

Simply a great guide for the area we live.

Oh kay...

I think I've written a novel here. Hopefully it helped someone as they make their curriculum decisions. I know I didn't make sense in some areas. Maybe when my brain isn't mushy I can review this to fix my grammar and add the links, etc. For right now, I just want to get this up before I get distracted again. :-)