We’re getting a slow start this week, there were kids home to play with on Monday so I skipped that and then I got bogged down in blog difficulties today and somehow it all got away from me. There are times when this scares me half to death, I keep thinking that we’ve got to keep moving forward, we can’t fall behind.

I think I just need to keep hold of the fact that she has almost finished the second grade outline I set out this past summer, and we have time before I need to shop for student loans online; we have time to let her be a kid, have fun, and discover the world at her own pace. Later today I will try to get us on a slightly more organized path and then we finish the week up with some fun activities and a little Time 4 Learning.

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We’ve come so far in this month, she is back doing math on Time 4 Learning and is really enjoying it, amazing what a little mastery will do for a kid. I hear all the arguments against drilling and memorization, but honestly I don’t think a little hurts, at least not my kid.

We have done some great field trips to the zoo for the opening of Teton Trek, to the Pink Palace to see a movie on mummies, and more planetarium show, pumpkin patches to pat animals, pick pumpkins and play with other homeschoolers.

We did a Magic School Bus science kit on Going Green. We created a mini compost tube, compared the decay rate of plastic, styrofoam, and leaves, made paper, and so much more. She loved checking on her experiments each day, and writing up conclusions at the end.

I’ve seen her joy and love of reading expand as she has more time and opportunity to do it for enjoyment. She has plowed through several Animal Ark books, as well as non-fiction on bats, vampire bats, cheetahs, penguins, hippos, puffins, tigers, whales, dolphins, weather patterns, and so much more.

Artistically we are seeing her get back into the pattern of experimentation and constant creation. During first grade her production of art work had dropped off to nearly nothing, a huge change from the constant barrage we had from the time that she could first hold a crayon.

Guess this is it for now, I won’t promise to update too soon as we know I probably won’t. Oh well, I’ll either keep posting sporadically here, or eventually wrap this into my other blog. Who knows…

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So we had a little math meltdown over carrying & borrowing (aka regrouping). I was watching her last week doing addition on Time 4 Learning and I noticed that she seemed stressed. We talked, did some problems on paper, and off she went relatively happy.

Monday I had to go out and my Mother helped her. The poor kid was dissolving over subtraction, not because she doesn’t understand borrowing; but because the computation process is too slow. Unfortunately, Time 4 Learning doesn’t have a built in process for catching poor performance and generating more practice, instead she stumbled through a section and then came the quiz! My mother quickly stopped her and got her playing a game and doing problems on paper.

Public school sucks realization #101 – it’s not important that you get the right answer, it’s only important that you know how to do the problem. I mean honestly does anyone think this really works?!?

We have stopped using Time 4 Learning for math right now (still using it for everything else); and are using flash cards for basic addition and subtraction facts, and tomorrow will start Kumon Grade 2 Addition. I liked the single topic focus and the fact that there was no huge program commitment to start. If she runs with it we may just work it for the rest of the year and see where we are then. She’s already a much happier camper and that’s all I really care about.

If you live near a Dollar Tree and you have a youngster learning addition and subtraction I suggest you run and look for the Teaching Tree Math Adventure game. It is a really simple 2 to 4 player game with about 36 math problems and a poster game board. Our girl just loves it and it was a simple matter to cut card stock into rectangles similar in size to the existing cards and add more problems (we’re up to 136). There is also a state fact game (The Amazing State Race) and a money game (Shopping Cents), both simple but expandable and lots of fun for kids.

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So we were lazy yesterday and just hung out till early afternoon, then we buckled down and did a little Time 4 Learning. I think the easy math is starting to get on her nerves a little; but she also doesn’t seem comfortable skipping the lessons and just doing the quizzes, so…

In contrast when we got to the Language Arts unit she just plowed right through it laughing and giggling all the way. She was once again entranced with the creative writing segment at the end and worked with it for over an hour, adding a few more chapters to her penguin story. I think I’m going to have to look at a better method of binding this creation.

Today is definitely zoo day, we haven’t been in over a week and I think we are both going through withdrawal. We’re focusing on the Slow Loris this time, I’m not sure what attracted her to it; but who am I to argue.

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So I had big plans yesterday for finding out where we stood with math; but first I had to deal with a handyman who was going to fix a leak in my roof. Thank goodness the leak is in the garage because he really did do his best; but there are just no guarantees.

Then we finally got down to business on Time 4 Learning and boy did she devour the math. She was just plowing through it and while I’ll want to keep up with some review, it’s obvious that she could, and probably will, do a lot more than what they call 2nd grade. Of course, to me, what this really means is that there is a ton more time for the fun stuff.

She did a Language Arts unit as well and loved the part where she got to do creative writing. She did it not once but twice, without any prompting. Then she went and created a cover for her two stories and turned them into chapters in a book! It’s good to see her having fun with all of it.

I’m not sure if we are doing our zoo trip today or tomorrow, as we have a few hot ones on the way. Not that it really matters, whatever day we go, I’ll use the other to introduce her to our first science and social studies units. She’ll be thrilled when she finds out that she gets to take the Solar System kit out of the box!

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It was hot, the recorded high 97, and it was humid, and we had to wait in the blazing sun; but we had fun! If Disney’s A Christmas Carol Train Tour is coming to a city near you, it is definitely worth it.

We listened to an audio book for A Christmas Carol I bought at Dollar Tree last year on the way there and on the way home. From comments she made during the wait and in the train it’s obvious that she catches everything, even when I don’t think she’s paying attention.

There was so much to see and so much to hear that I wish we could go back multiple times, without the heat & lines of course. Based on the stills and scenes we saw today the movie is going to be visually stunning. So much work that you never think of goes into making these motion capture animations.

They had information on motion capture, Charles Dickens, the actors & actresses, the costumes, the artwork, and just to much more to even imagine. There were even copies of Dickens’ letters, original book printings, play books, and music scores. Then at the end you got to try out the touch screen face morphing. I can’t wait to get our free downloads.

After we finished in the train we went down to see the special trailer included with the experience. We are just so addicted to the Disney 3Ds, I can’t even begin to explain it. It was so much the story I know and love, with just enough newness to leave me anticipating November 6th.

Now we have to get back to the grind just a little and figure out where we are with Time 4 Learning and math. Then maybe a trip to the zoo at the end of the week, she interested in the Slow Loris.

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So yesterday, we really only managed to make it to the library and get our new library cards. There are so many little things you have take care of when you move. Our girl did get her own card for the first time though and used it with glee.

Today we are going to travel to see Disney’s A Christmas Carol Train Tour. I figure it’s close enough to travel to and it’s a good lead in to reading the book. It was a Christmas tradition in our house when I was young to read A Christmas Carol aloud every Christmas Eve.

Tomorrow I must get her online and work through some of the Time 4 Learning stuff. I know we are going to have to make some adjustments to get things hard enough that she’s really challenged and not just repeating stuff she’s been able to do forever.

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