I am JUST a mom, mildly freaking out...

Perhaps it is bad timing, perhaps I am becoming a 'crunchy mom', perhaps I am growing less content in following the rules or perhaps I have little trust in others.... I don't know... But, I stumbled accross a documentary earlier in the week that changed, or rather questioned my decisions regarding the birth of our third child (which can really take place any day now).

Pregnant in America  --- It was featured on Hulu or I probably would have missed it. Pregnant in America is a motivational, and inspirational documentary made by film maker Steve Buonagurio about the birth of his daughter Bella. Shocked by the greed of U.S. hospitals, insurance companies and medical organizations, Steve and his wife Mandy set out to create a natural home birth in a world where everything is anything but natural. The film is as much educational as it is entertaining and prepares expecting parents for their uncertain journey of being pregnant and having their baby.

Considering the birth is immenent I am totally freaking out and questioning just about every aspect of pregnancy, birth and delivery.

Snowflakes for Sandy Hook

Jack's Class, much like all elementary school classes across the state have made snowflakes for the Newtown, Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Gingerbread Houses with Daddy

Kindergarten Yearly Goals Preview

Religious/Moral Education:

• Understanding of sacrifice (Jesus' AND others)
• Discussion of basic doctrine / exhibiting basic morally sound social skills
• Knowledge of Bible stories / Moral Story

Mathematics:

• Understanding place value
• Visualizing Patterns

History/Geography/Social Science:

• Map skills
• Neighborhood/State characteristics
• Jobs/Roles
• Changing of times

Language Arts:

• Phonics - letter sounds and blends
• Proper letter formation
• Proper sentence structure in speech

Science:

• Hands on experimentations involving
• cooking,
• weather,
• change of seasons

Foreign Language:

• Focus on common vocabulary building in (3) languages
• French
• Spanish
• American Sign Language

Arts:

• Exploring fine arts of print work and musical compositions
• Creation of unique art and music projects
• Physical creative movement
• Development of gross motor skills
• Understanding rhythm and beat

Others:

• Life Skills
• Sorting objects
• Household chores
• Motor Skills
• Pouring liquids and small grained objects
• Making straight lines
• Folding and cutting
• Memorization
• Address,
• Telephone
• Full name

Language Arts Year Plan Preview

Language Arts – YEAR PLAN

 Student will:

 1                    Listen critically to interpret and evaluate a poem. Complete sentences orally and in writing.

2                    Identify and use complete sentences.

3                    Recognize that a sentence begins with a capital letter and end with an end mark. Write sentences correctly.

4                    Recognize the importance of writing with capital letters correctly. To trace and write capital letters.

5                    Complete assessment on sentences.

                                                                                                                    

6                    Identify the parts of a sentence. Write complete sentences by combining a naming and a telling part.

7                    Identifying the naming parts and the telling parts of a sentence. To add naming parts or telling parts to incomplete sentences.

8                    Add sentence parts to form complete sentences. Write complete sentences about a topic.

9                    Identify and write rhyming words.

10                Complete assessment on parts of a sentence.

Year Plan Layout Preview

Week One:

Religion – Self, unique & special

Math – Counting/ Numbers to 10 (1A)

Reading – sight words, Kissing Hand

Phonics – Initial sounds (1)

English – Exploring language

 Week Two:

Religion – We belong to God’s Church (1)

Math – Counting/Numbers to 12 (1B)

Reading – sight words, Peter Rabbit, Goldilocks-retell

Phonics – Short A vowel (3)

Spelling – Short a (at, sat, cat, ran, an, man, dad, ham, bag, pass)

Handwriting – Different lines/circles (12-19)

English – Exploring language

 

Week Three:

Religion – We go to Mass (2)

Math – Graphing (1C)

Reading – The Nap/Oh Cats – story events, predictions

Phonics – Rhyming (1)

Handwriting – Numerals (19-22)

Spelling - Short a (can, map, has, ram, pan, sad, rat, lad, clap, bat)

English – Complete sentences (1)

 

Week Four:

Religion – God’s Word (3)

Math – Addition/Subtraction – Ways to make # (2A)

Reading – What did I see/I Went Walking

Spelling – Short I (it, sit, hit, pick, sick, kick, pig, wig, fig, kid – squid)

Phonics – Short i (3)

Handwriting – L, I / straight line letters (22-24)

English – Identify complete sentences (1)

Science – Senses (A1-1)

Social Studies – Families of long ago (1-1)

Planning ahead...

Always be prepared and always plan ahead when homeschooling.

I have decided to post "previews" of all my curriciulum and planning tools.

Each year I am composing or modifying an outline for the entire year for each grade level (Pre-K, Grade 1-2, Grade 3-4 and any others based on requests), split between subject areas and topics. All very broad, but helpful in planning each indiviual month and enabling scheduling of lessons.

Each month, I am composing a breakdown of monthly activities, events and even weekly themes. This will be broken down by subject area.

Each week I will lay out the specifics. A lesson for each day for each subject area, along with 2 or 3 alternate activities to teach the same skill. I will create 2 different layout options for ease of use, both covering all the general subject areas (language arts -reading/comprehension, phonics, spelling, vocabulary, grammar; mathematics; science; history/social sciences; religion or social skills; handwriting or fine motor skills; arts - physical activity, music, computers/electronics, arts and crafts, library science;)