First Day of Learning!

We started our learning adventure (I'm starting to really resent the word "school" for some reason) this week and the kids were pumped. We started our day off like everyday with breakfast, prayer, our character cards and verses and then we continued our reading in Matthew. I needed to read some Biblical passages that were short to keep everyone's attention span and so after Rob and I discussed it, we thought the Gospels would be best. Hence, I started reading in Matthew. I love breaking down the character of Jesus especially since the character we try to instill in our kids is of Him.

 

The kids love the shorter readings and we have Bible folders in which they annotate (tell back and draw) what they've just heard. Avonlea loves narration and her comprehension is fabulous. Lincoln can tell you back what he's heard, but every morning likes to draw this one particular tree that he likes to draw. (?) Norah loves anything about art...watercolor, drawing, pasting and she loves having her own Bible folder where she can annotate what we learned as well.

Avonlea started "second grade". I hesitate to place a grade with any of our children. They are each excelling in certain areas and needing more work in other areas. Avonlea is at a second grade level for math, spelling and grammar (all A Beka), but is reading and comprehending at a fifth grade level as well as doing Apologia Science. She's writing at a third grade level and her vocabulary always astounds me (We don't do any formal vocabulary as those old, vocabulary matching and fill-in-the-blank vocab. books still haunt me to this day. Vocabulary needs to be used and exercised through daily usage and the reading of good, twaddle-free literature that isn't watered down.).

 

 

Lincoln started "Kindergarten". Again, I hesitate to label, but he's doing his math and phonics through A Beka as well as Apologia Science with his big sister. He's really acquired a love of books this past year (even though he can't read but simple sentences), and learns so much just looking at them, asking questions and listening to us read to him. This boy is all about science, let me just say!

 



Norah, preschool.

 

Isaac just toddles around and soaks up the fun. :)

(...when he's not napping, of coarse!)

 

 

I love when this happens. Avonlea clearly has a gift for knowledge and teaching. I can see it so clearly already. She really enjoys teaching the littles and is quite patient with them as well. Sometimes, when they don't want to work with me, Avy jumps in and their attitudes do a 180 degree turn. It's really precious to watch.

 



 

I got Norah one little A Beka workbook for basic letter formation and recognition, but everything else is just hands-on fun while we learn the letters of the alphabet and their phonetic sounds, shapes, numbers, counting, etc. She loves having our craft bin next to her desk in the schoolroom so she can whip out crafts as I'm finishing with the other two. She's so into imaginative play and loves dressing up, dancing, playing with playdough, listening to ballet music (hey, gotta plug in the Bach, Rutter, Mozart, etc. where I can, right?), playing with her pet bunny "Oreo" and just being a girly, 3-year-old girl.

 

After our morning of learning, we stopped for lunch and enjoyed a picnic in the shade. We had French bread slices, cucumbers, apple slices and some water.  We made cookies later on in the afternoon after history.

 

Thanking the Lord for another fun year of learning ahead.

 

Do you have pictures of your first day of homeschool?

I'd love to see what you're doing with your "little disciples"!