Yeah, I am so excited to start adding the Unit Study portion of
Afterschooling this week. We are going to start off with a BANG. I have rented a few fun Geology
DVD's from the library and purchased a crystal growing set. The kiddos are very excited to begin.
We have been slowly easing back into the after school routine. It is hard for me to grasp all that we used to do everyday after school with the chaos of homework, chores, music lessons and every day needs of the kids. I think this has pushed our official start day back as I have been trying to remember how I got it all done. Never underestimate the power of structure. I know that being organized and disciplined is the key to success. Neither of which exist in my world right now. However one bad after school day and I realize that
Afterschooling is more then a program to begin in our home it is the key to our "
success".
As promised I want to share the many ideas that have been flooding my mind. In my last post I shared what I wanted out of
Afterschooling and the main focus for us will be "FAMILY". This doesn't mean that learning is going to be on any back burner. It just means that instead of always focusing on; what more can I do for the kids. I will be focusing on; how much we are doing for them. I hope that made sense. I will continue to strive to challenge their minds and improve their education but I will not be put out doing it.
So on with it.
1. Loving to read and reading lots is not enough. Comprehension plays a key role. I have put together a bin of worksheets that help further the understanding of what has been read. There are story element, book review, character development, story map and other worksheets for the kids to choose from after completing a book. They choose one for each book they have read and present it to the family at family night. Dad and mom are also participating in this.(finding these worksheets was easier then ever with search engines, just search Book Reports, Story Maps, Story Sequencing , you get the idea)
2. Scripture study every day. Last year we studied Who's Who in the Book of Mormon. That was fun and "easy" but this year I think I want to do a little more. I have some extra time each day now that I am home with one little and I figure that I need to occupy that time with good things. I have decided to study from the Scripture Study For
LDS Families, The Book of Mormon. It is an awesome guide to studying the Book of Mormon. It provides family discussions, stories and games. I will study during the quiet of the day and share what I learned as well as stories and games. This part of
Afterschooling only lasts about 5 to 10 minutes.
3. This past week has also shed some light on time (lack of) and I have decided that we will be sharing some of
Afterschooling with
Beforeschooling. So every morning the kids get dressed, do their chores, eat breakfast and the boys spend 15 to 20 minutes on music practice (Spencer the piano and Matthew the Trumpet. Matthew Piano with dad after dinner). How do I get them to do this voluntarily, two words "Video Games". If they get everything done they can play for awhile before school. It is better then an alarm clock.
I hit on Reading, Religious Study, Chores and Music
4. Math will consist of three things; homework, flash cards and computer activities. Flash cards are extremely important and so we try to get them in three times a week if not more. We also have fun multiplication and addition songs on the boys MP3 players and in the car (Multiplication Unplugged can be found on Amazon). Computer activities can be tricky. First you have to rely on updates from teachers so you know what they are learning. This way you can search games that enhance what they are learning in school (example: Last week I searched Telling Time Games). The other hard part is finding games that don't bore them to death. We will be doing computer activities two times a week for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. History will be continued through Core Knowledge books. The books consist of Historical information and stories separated by age group. We are working out of the Kindergarten, Second Grade and Fourth Grade book this year. I also want to start something new called HISTORY THEATRE. This will be a fun impromptu reacting of stories and events. I think we will do this complete with popcorn and cookies during snack time. History stories will be read 2 to 3 times a week and sometimes for a bedtime story.
6. A couple of other things I would like to incorporate are: Readers theatre; finding plays, assigning parts and reading together. Writing practice; this is a big need in our home so I am looking into ways to make it fun and not time consuming (any ideas).
7. Lastly Unit Studies. I was finally able to purchase my Unit Study at the
Homeschool Learning Network by using my
Paypal account. We will spend about 5 to 15 minutes on our unit study each day with Fridays and Saturdays set aside for the extras (field trips, experiments, crafts and what ever else).
My goals for the year:
Focus on Family Time
Focus on how much you are and not on how much you aren't
Bring music into our home and a love for it
Importance of understanding
responsibility and work
Spiritual Growth
Know math facts
Reading comprehension improved
A love for writing
A BIG ONE FOR OUR FAMILY: Better penmanship (I will achieve this with some sentences to be rewritten and probably some skittles)
So now it's just ready set here we go. I can't wait to share our trials and success throughout the year.
