Monday, September 11, 2006

Back to School....Again!

After the first attempt at home schooling this year, Daniel and I were both grateful for a break. Since he had to take assessments for the new program, and we had to wait to hear from the placement teacher, we got a week off. It was really nice! I spoke with the teacher on Friday. She had good news to share. Daniel is at, or above, grade level in all subjects. Yippee! This was especially good to hear because it gave my confidence a boost. Since last year was my first attempt at home schooling, and we took off some extra time when Grace came home, I was keeping my fingers crossed that Daniel made adequate progress. Good job Daniel!

When we went to Barnes and Noble to pick up "The Sign of the Beaver" for Daniel to use for his Literature class, I made a stop at the bargain table in the children's section. I came across the coolest Preschool book. It is full of colorful worksheets and comes with an interactive CD-rom to supplement the book. It is designed to take a child from writing a straight line to writing their alphabet. It teaches reading and math readiness skills and quite a few other miscellaneous things. Justin's favorite part is that it comes with gold star stickers and a diploma and badge to wear when he is ready to "graduate". My favorite part is that the whole thing cost $8.00. Justin is looking forward to doing "Home School Preschool" each morning while Daniel does his lessons.

It was fun to see the boys enjoying their studies. They both learned some new things, and didn't seem overwhelmed and exhausted by the end. That seems like success to me. My favorite part of the day was when it was time for me to make lunch. Daniel went over to sit with Justin to help him with his new computer activities. Justin was so excited as he completed each thing, and Daniel seemed to genuinely enjoy "teaching" his brother. Very sweet!

4 comments:

smiliesar said...

One of the best ways to learn is by teaching someone else. I'm so glad to hear that Daniel is "playing" with his brother. That's a great help to you and a wonderful time for them to share.

darci said...

i love the last pic of the two boys..you can tell they are really enjoying hanging out together. that's so great! glad the H.S'ing stuff is going alright. darci :)

Anonymous said...

Blaine,


thanks for the info about homeschooling. I am intrigued with the idea of it for our future child. I was a preschool teacher and currently teach at an art museum, so teaching my own child appeals to me a lot. Of course, that time is way, way off, but it's good to see how others are doing it when the time does come.

Erin

Anonymous said...

Good for you guys!

Steph