I have to say that overall, this week went well. The 3 older kids completed math assignments every day (except Monday which was MLK Day.) I also had older son and daughter resume their Latin. They both seem to have retained something even after taking a month off. That’s a relief!
I started my middle son back on his phonics instruction. This week I just had him complete assignments in his Explode the Code workbook. It was actually like he took a step forward during our time off. That was certainly unexpected. I’m not sure what to make of it. He just coincidentally passed a developmental milestone? He was thinking about reading and it just finally clicked? Whatever the reason, he wasn’t hurt at all by the break.
There has been some other interesting “unschooling” learning happening too. My daughter learned to make chocolate chip cookies from scratch and has now changed her first diaper. She’s a natural at baby care! And she has been reading a lot this year. She’s finished all the Little House books and read the first 3 of the Anne of Green Gables series. Plus many of the Dear America books.
My older son has started working on a computer game with his cousin. They started over Thanksgiving when they had some time together. But now my son is actually calling my nephew to discuss the game. He has NEVER shown any interest in talking on the phone before. In fact, he was always quite awkward about it. So this has definitely been good practice for him. Not only has the game worked on his communication skills, but the theme of the game is planetary travel and my son has been doing lots of research on the solar system including Ptolemy’s geocentric model of the solar system vs. the Copernican model. He’s also tried out his math skills trying to calculate how frequently the planets return to exactly the same points relative to each other.
I am going to try to add another subject back this week. I also have got to decide on some Wii usage guidelines. The time spent on the Wii has gotten entirely out of hand since Christmas.
You can read more Weekly Wrap Ups at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
By Kristen H.
We’re getting back into the swing of things here, too. Three weeks off makes it hard to start back!
Sounds like you are really getting into a flow of things. What computer game is your son working on? Are they making it themselves? My son is interested in making video games, & I’m always looking for information for that. Glad things are going so well. 🙂
JoAnn
JoAnn, My son is writing his own video game. He uses Game Maker to make games. He has the pro version now, but there is a free version that is very good, especially to test it out.
I am glad things are getting back to semi-normal, i.e., with a baby. I have experienced this break thing not to seem to have had a bad effect. That is certainly a blessing!
We have also found that as soon as we stop formal schooling, learning increases. Knowing that the kids will keep on learning makes me feel better when we need to take a break. 🙂
Mind you, since the unschooling learning that happens at our home is very unbalanced, we keep on doing ‘proper’ school as well.
Have fun getting back into the swing of things, and enjoy as many breaks as you need!
Annie Kate