Commence Drinking

In a fit of organization last week I decided that my hard drive needing cleaning up, mostly because that seemed easier than tackling the filthy mudroom.

My computer had been running slower lately and the C drive was almost full. So I set about burning DVDs of photographs. I am very nervous about anything happening to our photos so I always burn 2 sets, one to stay here and one to send off to my parents house. I figure the odds of both houses burning down at the same time are pretty slim. I double checked that the discs had recorded properly before deleting the files off my computer.

Great right?

I'm sure you can imagine my horror when I realized just tonight that the files I had copied to one of the discs were not the ones I meant too. The ones I had deleted. Gone, gone and gone. Six months of my children's lives gone!

Now a practical person (*cough* husband) might point out that my children are in fact alive and not dead and might just suggest that I need to calm the heck down.

Rubbish I say!

I need those pictures to gaze longingly at in the evening when my 2 year old is being a terror. I need to remember how cute he was at 6 months old with his bald head and T-Rex thighs.
In my sleep deprived state there is no hope I'm going to remember without visual aids.

Plus, I need them to show all his future girlfriends.

Know what else I discovered? Those automatic updates that my computer does to a remote hard drive? Doesn't include the folder my pictures are stored in. (bang head on desk - hard)

I was just about to commence weeping and massive wine consumption when I remembered that I once, years ago copied some files onto my computer at work ...and .....and..yes! there were the missing folders.

Therefore I vow, from this day forth, to never delete another picture again. Ever. Ever. Ever. It's too hard on my system. I will own the largest hard drive imaginable if necessary. People will point and laugh. I do not care I will. not. delete.

Will. Not. Delete.

But I think I still need that wine.

THE BIG PLAN! (Dun dun dunnnn)

Heading into our second year of homeschooling is very different than the first. Then I was anxious, unsure of what home educating looked like on a day to day basis. I scoured blogs for specifics. How long should a 5 year old be spending on math each day? Do they need a recess break? Does her love of super messy crafts count as meeting the fine arts requirement? Do I really need to chart her daily physical activity and ensure it adds up to 30 minutes? Am I going to miss something important and mess her up for life? Am I crazy to think that we can homeschool when I work part-time?


I knew that we didn't want to be doing "school at home" but I didn't know how to apply my views on education to actual daily life.


We muddled through, found our groove and so far I don't think she's any more neurotic than any other newly 6 year old.


Last September I had A PLAN. Each school day was planned out with which subjects would be covered and how *snort*. For a while I actually thought I could be that mother. The one who follows a strict daily schedule (up with the birds for rigorous exercise and Bible study, followed by a fresh cooked breakfast on the table by 7am - with a smile!?) and who's children follow along compliantly and then "rise up and call her blessed." *double snort*


So not me. By mid October the plan was languishing in a binder somewhere and we were just rolling with it. If Caley was interested in a social studies topic, we dropped science for a while. If she developed in interest is something totally off topic, we explored it. If the toddler was having a hellish day and nothing was going right? We stopped trying entirely. And you know what? It almost all got covered. Sure, she didn't learn to play the recorder and a few other things that were on THE PLAN. But that's okay.


This year's plan is much looser and I know that we won't get to it all this year either. I'm also more confident this year when it comes to the BC Provincial Learning Outcomes (PLOs). Technically we are supposed to meet each and every one of the 100s of obscurely written, classroom geared outcomes. A fact which caused me some stress last year. I've been straight up with our support teacher this year and told him that some topics we are just not going to cover Some PLOs won't be met. It helps knowing that the government is set to scrap the PLO system
entirely in the next 3 years.

This year it's more about goals for Caley than material covered. What skills I'd like her to have gained or worked on before beginning grade 2. Myself, I am going to try to work on getting up with a smile in the morning..*small snort*

So here is Intended Course of Action for 2011/2012 for a certain Miss Caley Joel, Princess and Frog Catcher Extraordinaire as presented to her loyal subject (aka support teacher) keeper of the sacred PO#.


P.E.
Goal – Caley will build self confidence in doing physical activities. To be confident enough to pick her feet up off the bottom of pool at swimming lessons and swim a few strokes. Learn to ride her bigger bike and skate short distances unassisted.

Materials and activities:
- Ballet lessons
- skating
- swimming lessons

Math:
Goals – Caley will be able to count to 100 by 1’s, 10’s and 5’s without prompting.
- Caley will learn to count by 2’s to 20.
- Caley will gain mastery in single digit addition and subtraction.
- Caley will learn double digit addition.
- Caley will learn to tell time.
- Caley will learn about place value

Materials and activities:
- Spectrum Math Grade 1
- Spectrum Math Grade 1 – Little Critter
- Dot-to-dot book
-My Path to Math – Place Value
- Sir Cumference stories

English:

Goals – Caley will continue to build reading skills. She will be able to read easy leveled readers independently.
- Caley will continue to learn phonetic rules through worksheets.
-Caley will begin to learn to spell and write independently.
- Caley will be exposed to a variety of books with rich vocabulary, and differing styles, fables, poetry etc.
- Caley will begin to learn grammar and proper use of words

Materials and activities:
- The Complete Book of Reading (Grades 1-2)
- Spectrum Reading (Grade 1) – continued from last year
- Spectrum Spelling (Grade 1)
- Various reading books, poetry, fables, myths etc.
- First Language lessons for the Well-Trained Mind





Science:
Goals - Caley will learn about forces though books and experiments.
- Caley will learn about the scientific process, experimentation and recording results.
- Caley will learn to identify living and non living things, to state what makes something living and what living things require.
- Caley will learn about different habitats.
- Caley will learn about how the earth’s position and motion relative to the sun result in daily and seasonal changes. She will identify the differences between the seasons and night and day.
- Caley will learn about the salmon’s life cycle and identify which season thing happen in.

Materials and Activities:

Forces and Motion, Magnets:
- Motion – How Moving Objects Interact
- Forces and Motion – Book, guide and student journal
- Move It! – Motion, forces and you
- Gravity is a Mystery
- Hands on Science – Forces and Motion
- Forces Make Things Move
- Energy Makes Things Happen
- Usborne – Science with Magnets
- All Aboard Science Reader – Magnets
- Magic School Bus Chapter Book – Amazing Magnetism
- What Makes a Magnet?
- Teacher Created Resources – Magnets

Living Things:
- Growth and Change in Plants
- Pebble Books – Living and Nonliving
- Pebble Books – Natural and Human-made
- How do living things find food?
- What’s Alive?
- Who Eats What?
- Living Things
- Plants in Different Habitats
- Animal Habitats
- Animal Habitats – Make and Learn Projects

Daily and Seasonal Changes:
- I Wonder Why The Sun Rises
- Discover the Seasons
- The Sun our Nearest Star
- What Makes Day and Night
- Sunshine Makes the Seasons
- Earth’s Seasons and Cycles
- Ocean Seasons
- Books on Salmon life cycle

Social Studies:
Goals- Caley learn about and recognize the continents.
- Caley will learn about Canada. The symbols, the national anthem and will be able to point to where we live on a map.
- Caley will learn the four cardinal directions and how the grid system works on a map.
- Caley will learn about money. The purpose of monetary systems, how money is made, and what Canadian money looks like. Caley will learn about responsible use of money, saving, tithing etc
- Caley will begin learning the history of the world beginning with creation/coalescence, and working through dinosaurs, the patriarchs, to the Romans. (This will probably take to the end of the summer)

Materials and Activities:

- My First Map Book – Last 10 pages
- Scholastic Success with Maps

Canada:
- Canada My Country
- That’s Very Canadian
- All About Canada

Needs vs. Wants:
- Do I Need It? Or Do I Want It?

Money:
- Canadian Money
- Just Saving My Money
- A Bargain for Frances
- Money Around the World
- Berenstain Bears- Trouble with Money
- Bunny Money
- Money – Beginning Math Series
- The ABC’s of Handling Money God’s Way
- Arthur’s Funny Money

Ancient History:
- Various Dinosaur books and materials
- Story of the World – Volume 1
- Story of the World – Volume 1 – Activity Guide
- Usborne – Encyclopedia of World History
- approximately a bazillion other books

Health:
Goal – Caley will learn about the things that contribute to a healthy body and safe environment.
Materials and activities:
- Horizons Health Grade 1

Arts:
Goal - Caley will learn a bit about the different instruments in an orchestra and their sounds. She will listen to music by Bach and learn a bit about his life.
- Caley will continue to learn body movement and positions in ballet lessons
- Caley will work on basic drawing skills.

Bible:
Goal – Caley will continue to learn about God’s character and his plan for us. Scripture memorization will happen through Awana Club. Caley will begin to develop habits of devotions and daily prayer.

Materials and activities:
- Leading Little Ones to God
- Positive Action Bible Curriculum – Enjoying God’s Gifts (1st Grade)
- Awana Club (weekly)
- Sunday School




Phew! What we lack in scheduling we more than make up for in volume of books.

Before and After - Magnetic Paint Edition

Could also be titled "How Homeschooling Took Over Our House."