homeschooling week 19

We've passed the halfway point of homeschool with our Sonlight Curriculum. Actually I just realized that if I wanted to return it (which I don't) that deadline passed last week also. With Sonlight, if you get halfway through it and decide you don't like it, you can return it and get your money back. Is that awesome or what?

So we're halfway through. @ loves it. I love, love, love it. We have a pretty good schedule and I've gotten comfortable enough with the schedule and the curriculum that I don't go crazy if the day changes and something else needs to get squeezed in. We can get to it later or if I'm organized I remember to pick up what I need (the sound cards, a pencil, a spare bit of paper) and we can do it wherever we are going. How great is that?

History:
This week we are concentrating on World War II. I'm somehow trying to get across the gravity of the thing. The damage of it all. But somehow still be 5 yr old friendly. Today is Pearl Harbor Day and so we'll watch a bit of a video. Screening it now to see where to stop at. Later this week I'd like to show him a few picture of German Jews with their Star of David patch. The Holocaust pictures, even the ones of the kids with their serial number tatoos are just way too grim. We've read a wonderful book called Twenty and Ten and we'll review it a bit this week too.

Geography:
@ is able to identify and name the 7 continents. We're working on the oceans. Oddly he has a hard time finding the United States. He can use the Compass on the map to help find where countries are. He is able to find our nation on the map and where we live.

Math:
I like Singapore Math. Each lesson involves talking through the problem and writing to solve the problem. Presently he is in the middle of the Early Bird KB book. We're combining number bonds to make addition sentences. We're going to skip the end of this book because it wants us to work US Money. We'll do a bit on local money but I'm not planning to push it hard.

Language Arts
@ started his 10th book today, Rob's Cap. He struggles with b,p,d reversals and it seems more pronounced the more we add. I like that the curriculum had us take a break in adding letter for about 3 weeks so that we could concentrate a bit more on sorting things out. It takes time and I'm not worried but we were ready for a slow down. We need to get more into his handwriting material but its a point of oppoosition so we're taking it easy.

Science
We seem to stay ahead on science. The experiments are good but we have a hard time doing some of them here. We have no heater so its hard to show how a balloon place over a heat vent rises fast. We tried the inverse with the fridge door but that didn't work terribly well. Seeds on a wet napkin in a jar don't always grow here- sometimes they mold. But take that same seed and throw it at the ground- chances are it'll grow. Little things about living in the tropics are a drawback. But then we also live in the tropics on a volcanic island. Want to study dirt, growing, volcanoes, earthquakes? we're all over it. Ocean currents, wildlife, habitats, flooding, beaches? Check!

We've taken lots of hiking excursions and trips to the marina. Through the first of the year we're going to be doing lots of christmas decorations and lessons about Advent and Hannukah. Then in January we'll do a good bit about Chinese New Year.

We're also getting in bits of art projects, some music, some P.E., and language lessons. Those aren't things I worry alot about. @ likes to dance and sing, run and play, and he's always eager to help with crafts. We've tried to make sure he gets opportunities for that and we don't necessarily need to call it school. He told me a few weeks ago he's going to be an artist.

If/ When you want to know more about Sonlight, just let me know. I'd be happy to help you get a discount by mention me as a referral- little something for you, little something for me.