Handwriting Composition Books

 

I was really excited when I found these books.  We were using the regular spiral notebooks that we took all that time to recovered, but the lines were a bit confusing for them.  When I seen this notebook, I knew we would be better off.

So where did I find this little gem, you ask!  The Dollar Tree!  Can you believe it!  You never know what you are going to find.  This is working out nicely for handwriting.  We have 2 notebooks for the first grader, one for handwriting and another to write the date in every day.  I just picked another one up for the kindergartener. 

We are still having adjusting pains to figure out what we need to be doing.  I am really needing something that is effective and not overly time consuming for mommy or kids, because this momma does not want to constantly be after them. I hate to keep sharing our “new” plan. 

On my previous post, I shared the whole curriculum books from the warehouse store.  My only fear is the public school system has taken say fifth grade work and simplified it to be introduced in fourth and then more so to be shown in third and then so on until it is in first grade.  So it seems as though there is so much introduction for so many years that when it is time for it to be taught, it feels more like a review and the child is bored and never really got to the lesson.

My fear and as I read those books, is that they are introducing things a lot earlier than I really want.  I would hate to be introducing the structure of writing and hinder the love and desire to express themselves in writing.

I guess before I can really layout my curriculum, I really need to figure out the goals we have for first and kindergarten.  I read the new state guidelines and really for more over amount of education, you really have to go to decoding school on how to implement all that taught thinking they plan to do.

Any suggestions?

~trish

Grade School Workbooks from the Store

So it has been a few weeks since I have got back with you.  We are slowly moving back in line with our routine.  Trying out that new school really threw a monkey a wrench in sense of order.  Somehow after 3 weeks, we are finally looking some form of normal, well normal to us.

Of course, we are still finding what works for us.  The freedom that comes with being able to find what works best, also leads to a lot of time searching.  Daddy had a lot of issues of not “seeing” enough done, so I had to institute a worksheet attack on my kids.  Poor little things.  To provide a large amount of comfort, I picked up a complete curriculum from the big warehouse store for under $10.

I really like this workbook set.  I also have the one for Kindergarten.  Of course, I realize after writing in them it is 100%, A OKAY!  to reproduce. I like so many things about the book, except the reading comprehension.  I find that the writing within the reading comprehension section is weak, wordy, unfocused, and wandering.  I really like the way that the text is presented and it makes for a great work book.  Next issue, apparently it is now Out Of Print and there are not many copies available ANYWHERE. If I collect an entire elementary school set of them it would probably be well worth it and cost only $100.

Now here is my confession.  This is my opinion and is meant for only my own self reflection.  I feel like I am not being a “good” homeschool mom by using this as a core to my teaching.  They are great books and for the money, they are superb!  BUT!  I envision a homeschool mom knowing the special handshake, flashing an awesome homeschool club ID card to get into the most exclusive backroom curriculum stores in the figment of my imagination.  This is where they sell the hidden style of teaching and books to go with it, that really work.

Let’s face it, these kids are not going to teach themselves and we mommas have got to figure out what works for them, us, and the budget.  Expensive shine text books and programs do not make smarter kids. 

So currently, I am ripping pages out and sticking them under my kids noses to do.  Lots of writing and a bit more structured.  Now being almost 2 weeks into doing it, they are getting the hang of it.  And the daddy is getting compliant again, so it most be getting better.

Logistics – It really comes down to the logistics for me.  We are 2 months in, we haven’t really nailed ourselves down to a set curriculum yet.  (i.e., each week it is something new, it seems.)  How could this workbook work for us? 

• Well, the core of what we need to do with them is covered. It is keeping us progressing at level with minimal effort from me, so score! 
• It allows me to have a better view of what they really are understanding and not, so we can further work on it. 
• Although it takes up more of their time right now, it is freeing up my mental ability to work on more fun things for them.
• Plus, we still stay on track when the baby takes up my primary attention.

So it works for us at 1st grade and kindergarten.  I whole heartedly want to gobble up the other books and add them to my library, but part of me knows that it is questionable if I will finish up the year with them, much less use them again next year.

~trish

What is your take on these workbooks?

and that was enough of that..

I can tell you with much excitement, we entered the world of possibility and within two days, eagerly went back to what is right for us.  I really knew that it wasn’t our fit, the night before the first day. So with that, we are back to homeschooling.

The biggest problem that I ran into was that it was just about everything I was trying to do from home, except is wasn’t home.  See I want to be selfish.  And as a mom, this is my only time in life that I can.  Yes, they will grow up and leave one day, but I got 12 years before the first one does, so why make it any sooner.  Besides, in 10 years, I will never have these days again. 

So here are a few reasons why home is the best for us.

• I can delay the length of time that my kids think their mom is cool and knows everything.  Face it, give a kid a teacher and for some reason the teacher knows everything and the parent knows nothing.  If I am both parent and teacher, I am golden!
• Keep the siblings together constantly, creates a sibling bond that is tight. (I really assume that this bond is unbendable, but I have no evidence. Yah, they bicker, but they play so much better when they are not subject to being surrounded by other children all day.)
• Like it or not, you are back in the rat race of life.  I am selfish, I am not sitting in the parent pickup line for my kid!   They are mine and I want them now!
• I hate schedules and school calendars.  If the weather is right, I want to take a trip, not wait for a school break.
• Most of all, my house was just too quiet without them.

So we lasted 2 days in the system and then we came back home. And that was enough of that.  Like every day in homeschooling, you have some rough patches.  I often remind myself as I play teacher, maid, nurse, chef, driver, and mom that it is a ton of work and stress, but I would rather be miserable and stressed than to miss the blessings from these days that I have with them.

So on we march.

~trish