Well, That Was Fun!

We finished our first "official" week of homeschooling. I must say that despite a few difficulties, it was so much fun! Ryan learned that he loves "doing school" and he has already memorized the Pledge of Allegiance, Abby is learning to sit still and do quiet activities of Mommy's choosing, and Mommy is gradually being conformed to the image of Christ while at the same time watching the joy of accomplishment on Ryan's face.


The hardest thing so far has been being disciplined enough to actually stop the household duties and just do school. I hope that as we settle into our new routine this will be a little easier. I thrive on routine, and, frankly, so do my kids. The second hardest thing was trying to keep Abigail occupied and somewhat quiet while I helped Ryan. I made a list of things that she can do at the table somewhat independently, and I gave her one to do each day. It's gone fairly well this week, but I can tell this is going to be an ongoing struggle until she is more able to entertain herself or she begins to do school with us.

I thought it would be best to start with some review of things he had already learned to make sure we were starting with a solid foundation. I'm so glad we did because it gave me a better picture of where he really is in his learning. I started by going back through Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons again (I love this book!), and Ryan just flew right through 20 lessons the first day! He didn't want to stop, so we just kept on going. By the end of the week we had finished lesson 45, so I can tell this review was probably too easy for him. However, I'm pleased that I decided to do it because his confidence has really grown this week, and that has been lacking.


We also reviewed some basic math by practicing addition up to 12 with 0 and 1 addend. He likes the flashcards, but he really enjoys the little worksheets I print out for him from a free customizable program I found online. Lastly, we worked on writing numbers and letters, not Ryan's favorite thing to do at all. Still, I saw improvement in just this first week.


One of the best things that I saw this week was that Ryan sat down with his reading book and was teaching Abby. I was a little surprised Abigail participated, but she was repeating the sounds he told her to. It was precious. Also, instead of taking his usual Hot Wheel or small toy when we go on a car trip, Ryan chose to take his reading book yesterday! It thrills me to see him so charged up about learning. Only the Lord knows how next week (or next year) will go, but I am very pleased with our first week.