Are we still talking about this?
Three weeks into school, and I'd like to re-evaluate cursive. Kara still doesn't like it. Too bad - we all have subjects we don't like. Something I've been thinking about, though, is the lack of creative writing in this curriculum. So, since it's not required by the county, I'd like to minimize cursive. Instead of 20 minutes of tracing/writing a day (isn't that a lot?), we're going to learn a new letter in 60 seconds, practice writing it 3-5 times, then we're going to do creative writing. Kara is really into it, and I'd like to encourage it.
** Mind you, this is a big deal for me. I'm a rule follower, task oriented, by the book kind of person. Deviating from the second grade curriculum was hard enough, but now I'm completely breaking away and doing my own design. Thank you, Sheryl, for encouraging me before I would even need it!
So, this week, we're going to try creative writing for 20 minutes, instead of practicing cursive (but still learn a new letter every day). AND, instead of 60 minutes of seatwork, I'm going to have her do more like 30 minutes worth and assign all the other worksheets earlier in the day.
You know, I just keep wondering, what will Kara be when she grows up? So far, all signs point to veterinarian. But, who knows? What cool things can we do during home school (since I'm only planning on doing it just this one year - who knows what the Lord will lead us to in the future), that can encourage her future profession? What if she's going to be a writer? Should I squelch her amazing imagination and tell her drilling cursive is more important? If she's going to work with animals, I say we go to petting zoos and the big zoos once a month, maybe more. And lets get extra books about it. What if she is going to be a mommy/homemaker, like I turned out to be? Let's have fun learning how to keep your own house and the fun/easy ways to clean, plan dinners, and shop at stores. (She's too young to learn how to keep a budget, but that will come.) Don't get me wrong, basics are mandatory. And there are plenty of healthy reasons to do drills and memorization. (They're built into all of her subjects!) But, we're going to try something different this week. I'll let you know how it turns out.
I hope you guys had a great Labor Day weekend! I finished stage 2 of cleaning the garage today. :-)
** Mind you, this is a big deal for me. I'm a rule follower, task oriented, by the book kind of person. Deviating from the second grade curriculum was hard enough, but now I'm completely breaking away and doing my own design. Thank you, Sheryl, for encouraging me before I would even need it!
So, this week, we're going to try creative writing for 20 minutes, instead of practicing cursive (but still learn a new letter every day). AND, instead of 60 minutes of seatwork, I'm going to have her do more like 30 minutes worth and assign all the other worksheets earlier in the day.
You know, I just keep wondering, what will Kara be when she grows up? So far, all signs point to veterinarian. But, who knows? What cool things can we do during home school (since I'm only planning on doing it just this one year - who knows what the Lord will lead us to in the future), that can encourage her future profession? What if she's going to be a writer? Should I squelch her amazing imagination and tell her drilling cursive is more important? If she's going to work with animals, I say we go to petting zoos and the big zoos once a month, maybe more. And lets get extra books about it. What if she is going to be a mommy/homemaker, like I turned out to be? Let's have fun learning how to keep your own house and the fun/easy ways to clean, plan dinners, and shop at stores. (She's too young to learn how to keep a budget, but that will come.) Don't get me wrong, basics are mandatory. And there are plenty of healthy reasons to do drills and memorization. (They're built into all of her subjects!) But, we're going to try something different this week. I'll let you know how it turns out.
I hope you guys had a great Labor Day weekend! I finished stage 2 of cleaning the garage today. :-)
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