February/March Math

Grace and I revisited the quality of numbers block in hopes to bring more meaning to the numbers. She has tried so hard to keep up with Shelby that math was loosing all meaning and she wasn't making the connections within the processes. I saw some light bulbs go off when we took one number at a time. Numbers 8 thru 12 will be in Aprils math section.

Shelby is really digging math right now and would love nothing more than to have page after page of problem worksheets. In the last week she has all but mastered both borrowing and carrying along with place value. She is begging for multiplication and division.

Lydia is slowly warming up to division but still struggles with the multiplication facts. We recently got some computer games and I am seeing some improvement.

We made Muka-wa-tum-bi-shi and mixed in a little multiplication and division, the best way to learn math in my opinion. We do a lot of cooking together.

Grace works on a number spiral. I am going to do the quality of numbers with her soon, they are still very abstract to her at this point.

Brain teasers and fun math work sheets to bring a "game" quality to this subject. Shelby is working on 2 digit addition today. Whole to part activity. What IS 10? 4? 3? We still need to do more activities surrounding the concepts of multiplication and division.

February/March Language Arts

This is a photo of Lydia's book report on The Jungle Book. It was shorter than I would have liked, but contained all the elements so I didn't require a re-do. She will be required to turn in longer reports from now on.

Shelby makes up a story based on a painting titled 'The Owls'

This is Shelby's first honest to goodness chapter book. She hasn't quite completed it, but her re-telling so far has shown great reading comprehention.

Shelby has been sailing through Language Lessons for the Very Young. We are wrapping up a study on consonants and vowels and diagraming sentances along with a review of parts of speech. We are going to take a break and memorize another poem.

"The Cow" Robert Louis Stevenson

The friendly cow all red and white,
I love with all my heart:
She gives me cream with all her might,
to eat with apple tart.
She wanders lowing here and there,
And yet she cannot stray,
All in the pleasant open air,
The pleasant light of day;
And blown by all the winds that pass
And wet with all the showers,
She walks among the meadow grass
And eats the meadow flowers.

Grace--L

Grace-K

**Grace**

Grace has really enjoyed getting back to her letter practice and had sailed from J to P this month. Every time we do a letter, I have her pull several "J" books from the shelf and we read them together. We usually pick out words that start our letter and then make a word list. We then practice reading the words, sounding them out. I also have her make a couple rows of the letter for handwriting practice. I am trying not to push her into Shelby's lessons, even though it would be easier for me to do one lesson with the both of them, but she just isn't ready for nouns and verbs and subjects and predicates. So for now, we are sticking with the alphabet, fairy tales, nature stories and old testement stories at bed time. She had really been pushing me to "teach" her to read, but I keep telling her that I'm sure she will pick it up on her own and be lounging in a tree this summer reading the days away. She is still doing well with Dick and Jane and Shelby is helping her with The Adventures of Frog and Toad.

Grace--J

February/March

Wow, I can't believe it is almost spring! This whole month has been a blur of sickness, crashed computer, lost camera, new dog, garden plans, crazy weather....whew. Anyway, I have officially decided to smoosh February and March into one update post on each of the subject areas. With someone new sick about every day in February, it doesn't really even count anyway:)

***Linda, Thank you for being so patient with our unusual style of reporting. I am so drawn to unschooling, but still feel the need to lay basic groundwork that I know my style can seem scattered at times. I am hoping that by next year we can do full blown unschooling with a Waldorf home life and holiday celebrations. All the girls seem very motivated to learn and experience. I really enjoy watching them grow in this way.

Change of Teeth

Shelby looses fer first tooth at age 7 1/2!

From the Waldorf perspective this is a time of sign of heavier academic readiness.

January Language Arts

Singular and Plural (above)
Subject and Predicate

I word list

Grace and I are back on the alphabet wagon. We finished up with H today and she showed off her handwriting with this beautiful H display. She also pulled a couple of H books off the shelf and clapped when we reached a word that started with H

I asked Shelby to go and get all the books that she could remember reading since Christmas. She almost cleared the shelf. Here are a few of her favorites...

I was content correcting Shelby's spelling mistakes as they happened. She is a really good speller for her age, BUT she is now requesting to be tested! Who IS this child!? So here we go...weekly spelling tests:)

Lydia is practicing letter heading and addressing envelopes in Intermediate Language Lessons We are going to give this workbook a try this month and see if we like it as a supplement.

Practicing abbreviations....I missed the 'Teusday' misspelling, but have since corrected her.
This is Lydia's current chapter book. It is taking her longer to get through this one because I have her reading the Iliad and the Odyssey at night:)