Year Two....No Longer the New Kid in Town

 It's only August and already the school bells are ringing.  The school year hurried to start this year and like the one before, this year greeted us, not with hurried mornings to beat the inevitable chime of the school bell announcing the start of another year's journey, but with the bright, smiling faces and the smells of a shared meal with fellow adventures, some experienced and confident but mostly, new and somewhat nervous of the journey they chose to take.  While others felt content to leave their child's learning to the capable hands of hardworking teachers and stay part of the norm, that is, institutionalized learning.  Many felt compelled to take on the challenge of doing the same and perhaps even to exceed in the comforts of their own home. 

 

Whatever the reasons are for many, we were all united today in our resolve, eager, willing and yes, excited to start. And with the help of our dear advisory teachers to guide and hold our (the parents) hands, we again ready to start another year.....the second year for us of learning at home.

 

 

 

  

Unlike last year, my anxiety has turned mostly to excitement and eagerness to start.  Having more experience, I learned to determine and prepare for the learning styles of the girls over the summer. So this year,  I'm starting with a fresh perspective and new curriculum choices which I'm hoping will get the okay from Ms. Wendy.

 

Over the summer, I came to realize that I have to cater to the girls learning style to make their learning more engaging and effective.  After researching the different styles, I came to realize that each girl is the same in some ways but very different in others.

 

So far, I figured that Myka learns mostly by hearing and seeing (or auditory and visual) while Mer learns by moving and hearing (or kinesthetic and auditory).  That of course still  needs to be observed to be confirmed but so far, that's what I think they are.

 

Last year's biggest challenge for me (and for the girls) was Language Arts.  I promised myself that I would not let this time be another year of frustrations so I researched what I could and learned that this subject is in most cases, best handled individually to cater to the children's learning styles.  So this year, Language Arts rightly became Grammar, Phonics, Spelling & Writing.

 

Aside from the 3 R's, our additional subjects will also include; the Bible, Science, History, Home Economics, Social Studies, Personal Development,  Tagalog and perhaps even Music and Art (aside from their class in school). 

 

It's a daring agenda but one that I now have the confidence to take on and I'm hoping that this time, we will all be enjoying the ride!!

 

 

Here's our current list of books and/or curriculums for this year (which might still change following our first meeting with our advisory teacher):

MATH: Math U See (for both - though I will be exploring other options for Mer since she is not warming up to this curriculum) 

GRAMMAR:  First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind - Level 2 (for both for now

 but Mer will definitely change later either to Level 3 or to a different one completely)

PHONICS: Lexia (computer program) plus Explode the Code for Myka

SPELLING: Myka: All About Spelling - Level 1,  Mer: Not sure yet

WRITING: Writing with Ease - Level 2 (for both for now)

SCIENCE: REAL Science Odyssey - Life - Level 1 (for both)

HISTORY:  History Odyssey - Ancients (for both)

HOME ECONOMICS:  Beginning Crochet (per the girls request)

TAGALOG: Tagalog Grammar Books and hopefully, Rosetta Stone

SOCIAL STUDIES: As Assigned

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT: The Care and Keeping of  You - The Body Book for Girls

ART: Let's Make Some Great Art

MUSIC: Guitar (through Justin's Online Guitar course)