Grade 1 (2011/12) -Update

Updated from the original post on May 2011

The school year is in progress and as suspected there are things I didn't like about our original plan and things that just don't work for S.  So here are the current changes. :)

Again I will continue to update as we progress through 1st Grade! :)

LANGUAGE ARTS
- Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons - DONE (Oct 2011)
- Various reading level books - read alouds and reading together
- Explode the Code (1, 1.5, and 2)  (didn't work for us)

-  Learning Language Arts Through Literature (looks like a better fit)
- Spectrum Reading (gr 1) - was a grasping at Straws move.
- (no spelling yet) - eventually Spelling Workout (probably start in Jan)
- writing practice - some cards to family and various workbooks (working on this)
- (no Grammar yet) - Growing with Grammar 1

MATH
- Singapore Math US Edition (1A and 1B) - (love this making great progress!)
- Various online computer games

HISTORY/GEOGRAPHY
-K12 Grade K and 1st History - not loving this thinking of doing my own material

SCIENCE/HEALTH
- K12 Grade K and 1st Science - not loving this seeking to do my own material


LANGUAGES
- Sign Language at home
- Possibly Rosetta Stone (French or Spanish)

ARTS/CRAFTS/MUSIC
- Artistic Pursuits
- Piano

EXTRACURRICULAR
- Swimming
- Soccer
- Possibly Dance Class
- Daisies (??)
- others as interests permit!

I will continue to update as we progress through this first year! :)

Computer Technology

As always I browse the net when time permits.  I look for ideas to embellish our materials, I look for ideas to provide more coverage in our schooling.  I don't teach to test, and I don't teach because the schools require certain things.  We cover a variety of subject material and I like it that way.

We follow the core materials of Language Arts (Reading/Phonics/Spelling-Vocab, Literature, Grammar, Creative Writing), Math, History/Geography/Social Studies, and Science.

I still haven't found an art program that makes me happy, or a music program that works - though both my girls have recently decided Piano is the way to go.  This week, I'm searching for Computer Technology and general computer stuff.  My oldest is more adventurous than my middle and I need to get them on similar pages or paths at least! LOL!

My oldest began exploring more of the computer when she was about 6 or 7 in Brownies.  She created a blog, learned about word processing, and learned about searching the internet safely.  So now I need to take her a little farther and see where we can go.   Dh tells me to teach her to program spreadsheets.  I feel she needs to start with basic computer languages.  I'm torn so I search the internet and look for what others are doing.

My middlest has her favourite games and loves the idea of a membership renewal of some sort 1x a month.  She haunts Jumpstart.com, toontown.com, webkinz.com and acouple others to name a few.  She's not keen on wordprocessing, but that may have been because she was not reading yet and she hasn't had a word processing program on her computer (need to fix that!)

So ya that's where I'm at this Friday afternoon.  Looking for a place to further the computer technologies part of their education!