2012-2013 Curriculum Choices

So, it's that time of year.  The time of year where Spawn is super excited to start homeschooling and I'm ready to run to the hills screaming in fear.

Well, maybe not.  Although, the thought has crossed my mind.

I'm having those thoughts that apparently every home school mom has at some point.  You know the ones.  I can't do this.  I must be crazy.  

Terrified.  At least I have a month left.

So since I'm working on the paperwork that my district needs, I figured I might as well lay it all out here, right?

So here's the plan for this year. 

Spawn is 9.5 years old and going into 4th grade but is working at a 3rd grade math and reading level, per our elementary school.

Math: Saxon Intermediate 3  

We started with this not long after he got out of school, very laid back about it.  We're a few lessons in and it seems that it works for him.  He's understanding concepts better now and he enjoys it, for the most part.

Reading:  Read Alouds/Reading for comprehension.  No real curriculum for this, going for fluency and learning techniques so he remembers what he reads.  We have a recommended reading list for 3-5th grade from the state, so we'll be working on books on that list.  

Spelling:  A Reason For Spelling C

Handwriting: A Reason for Handwriting C or D

Grammar:  Easy Grammar

History/Geography:  Story of the World Vol. 1.  He wants to learn about the ancients and the founding fathers, so I'm not sure how that's going to work.  He's a bit over ambitious. :D

Science:  Still undecided.  Most likely Apologia.

Health:  Horizons 4th Grade Health Program

Art:  He's signed up for a 11 week program through a homeschooling group we are in, and then after that we will be using HomeArtStudio

Music:  He learned the recorder last year in school, so I think this year we'll be taking it to the piano.  We'll also study some composers and pieces that they have written.  We're going to rotate music and art throughout the year.

Physical Ed:  Our home school group has gym/park days, so we'll be making it to as many of them as we can, and he wants to sign up for flag football at the rec center.

I've also borrowed the idea of a calendar notebook.  He wants a morning meeting time with the calendar and all, so we're doing it big kid style.  It's got the usual date, weather, days in school, etc, but we also have journal prompts and a number of the day sheet.  Once I have it all set up, I'll post pictures and links.

I think that's everything.  Until we start using it all and change it up :D

Linking up to the Not Back to School Blog Hop!

Fourth of July Fun

*Chunk is 13 months old*

So this week, we celebrated America's birthday.  I surprised the boys that morning with some homemade playdough (our first batch!)

A hit with Cute Boy!

Chunk wasn't so sure

But of course we had to taste test it.

Squish!

Even Spawn had to get in on the fun.

Mixing colors.

Smushing some blue and red together to see what they make!

Purple!

This kept Cute Boy occupied for a long time.  Spawn played for about 15 minutes and Chunk for about 2.  He wasn't thrilled with it at all.

Overall, it was a hit with the fivester.  Chunk played a bit but really wasn't thrilled with it.  Or the taste of it :D

Chunk had more fun dumping things out of kitchen cabinets.

Just the right size for a baby hideout.  I did have to relocate some things, but I keep a few things in there still. He's in the pull it all out and then put it back stage, so things like the colanders, sauce pans and lids and frying pan keep him occupied in more ways than one.

Cute Boy tossed some of his cereal on Chunk's tray.  He earned Fruity Pebbles as a reward (yes, he chose cereal over a toy) and Chunk was working really hard on picking them up.  Not that he gets it often, but he gave his pincher grip a good workout.

And that paintbrush spent many a day in his hand.  He likes the noise it makes when he crawls.

Not thrilled that Mommy made him get dressed so she could get a picture.

Then we headed outside to play!

Cute Boy and J from the other apartment with their sparklers.  Such a fun surprise from MaMa and Pa.  They dropped them off right as we were eating dinner, so Cute Boy ate FAST so he could go out and do them.

FIREWORKS!

I had walked outside to put away Chunk's push car and watched Nature's Fireworks.  It was so awesome.  No thunder, but an amazing lightning storm in the clouds.  Even Cute Boy who hates storms came out to watch.  This picture really doesn't do it justice.

Happier with this 4th of July Shirt.  Waiting for the fireworks to begin on TV

Transfixed.

Him Too.

We're in the middle of a big construction project at work so the boys steal my phone as soon as I come home to scour for new pictures.  This one is a favorite.

Then we got to go to a birthday party this weekend for Chunk's best buddy.  It was a blast between the pool, pony rides, bounce house and quad rides (Spawn's FAVORITE)

Coyboy Cute Boy

Chunk even went!

Ride em cowboy!

Lil S blowing out his candle with Mommy.  Thanks for inviting us to your awesome party!

Chuk also went into the pool for the first time.  I didn't get any pictures, because well, I was in the pool with him and my assistant photographer Spawn was exploring with goggles.  He did take that awesome pic of Cute Boy though.  Anyways, back to Chunk, he was unsure at first, but ended up loving it. 

Yelling at me for disturbing his book "reading"

I went up to my mom's last week to pick up a box of clothes that my dad was giving the Chef and my mom had pulled out the box of stuff she kept at the house when Spawn and Sweet Nut were little.  So we have a whole bunch of "new" books for Cute Boy and Chunk.  They were going through the box this afternoon and were having a blast.

Still not to sure...

what's going on with Chunk.

We met with the pediatric allergist/immunologist today.  He's not totally sure that chunk's issues are environmental.  He did tell us to go ahead with the plan to get rid of the carpeting left in the house and the mold test.  He said there is a definite wheeze there, but that there's also a lot of upper respiratory noise.

The plan is to switch up his meds.  He'll be on Flovent and Singulair instead of Pulmicort.  He's also doing another round of antibiotics and prednisone.  The hope is that by switching meds we see a change in his breathing and that the antibiotics and prednisone clear up what's causing it.  He thinks that there's some bug causing him to get sick and that last time he was on the antibiotics it didn't get it all.

So, no real answers yet.  Hoping to see some change this weekend.  We go back Monday for a recheck.

And in Spawn news, we've made the decision to go forward with taking his adenoids out.  He responded well to the antibiotics, so they think that there was a long sinus infection causing some of his troubles, but he's still having issues sleeping and still has a small annoying cough and stuffy nose.  He feels that since he's responded well to treatment so far that this is one of the last puzzle pieces in figuring out what's going on.  He even told Spawn that he feels that after surgery he might be able to wean off all his meds and be med free this time next year!  I like that he really includes Spawn in all of our discussions and makes sure that he understand every thing we've done or are planning on doing.  Spawn did admit that he's nervous about having surgery, but he's excited at the prospect of not needed to be on an inhaler and nasal spray all the time.  His surgery is scheduled for Aug 7.

So I've been a downer the last few posts...but Spawn wants to start some stuff school wise, so we'll be jumping into a light schedule this coming week.  He's so excited!

And so it begins...

The beginning of the end.  Of Spawn's public school experience for now anyways.

It's officially official.  Spawn will become a homeschooler as of July 1st 2012.  The decision has been a long one coming, and we think, that at least for now, this is our best option.

Spawn was diagnosed with ADHD Mixed Type at the end of the school year last year. It had been coming (and I knew it) but to get the official diagnosis was a bit scary.

This year was even more of a struggle.  The psychologist had warned us of this though-that the harder things got in school, the harder we would have to work.  And just as we decided to maybe start looking into medications to help, we were thrown another curve ball.

See, poor Spawn has quite the beginning of summer last year.  June we got the ADHD diagnosis, and then in July he got an asthma diagnosis.  Which led to inhalers and monthly doctor visits to do lung function tests.  The dr switched his inhaler, upped the inhaler all to no avail.  He was still scoring high 70s on his lung function test most of the time.  So he sent us to a specialist.  In the last month, Spawn has had allergy testing, had his adenoids checked by an ENT and done a course of prednisone, nasonex and antibiotics all trying to piece together the puzzle that makes it hard to be him.

The current thought is that he has asthma, but there was so much swelling that wasn't treated originally that the daily inhaler is just like putting a band aid on it.  He's been a bit better since the round of prednisone-which was meant to knock out the swelling so the inhaler can work.  And that there's something going on in his sinuses that is making him have constant post nasal drip, as well as issues sleeping.

Right now, he's on a round of antibiotics to see if it helps with the postnasal drip, and we go back in 2 weeks for a check up.  But they don't want to do anything medically with his ADHD until everything else is figured out, because it's causing sleeping problems, and that could be making his ADHD worse.

That and based on his last teacher conference we had-he's reading at a level that he should have been at in September.  He's a full grade level behind in math.  But the school only pulls him for remedial reading.  He was in an extended day program for a few months, but that ended once they had their state tests.  But there are "kids that are farther behind than he is and they are all fine to go on to 4th grade".  Seriously?  My kid is working where he should have been a year ago, and it's ok to push him another year ahead?

So, Chef and I talked it over.  And we decided it was worth trying.  If all else fails we send him back.  It took awhile to convince my ex, but he is on board with it now as well.

So, I'm in the planning process.  The plan is right now that Spawn will do 4th grade at home.  Sweet Nut will go into 2nd grade at the public school at his request-he's ahead of where he should be, so I'm not worried about him.  Cute Boy will start Kindergarten at school in the fall, but based on talking to one teacher at his screening, we might be pulling him too.  I knew he has issues with his letters.  But she comes out saying they are recommending my bilingual, but primarily English speaking son for ESL because he tested borderline on whatever their test is for that.  I can guarantee though that is he didn't look Hispanic and have a Hispanic last name they would have never tested him for ESL.  I know based on some of her comments that they ASSumed things based on his color and last name.  Never mind that the kid is terribly shy and doesn't do well in new situations.  I've talked to the K teacher the big goobers had and she said that she's going to try and get him in her class and recommend him for the extended day program-which her her and my opinions (and his prek teachers) is what he needs-NOT ESL.

Anyways, where was I?  Oh, our plan for next year.  Baby Goober will take Cute Boy's slot 2 days a week at daycare/prek.  He already goes once a week and does pretty good, so I'm looking forward to him going more.  And we love it there, so that's a plus.

I'll post more about our curriculum choices soon.  We're going the classical route, so I'm just nailing down a few more decisions and then it's on to purchasing.

Hang on folks...it's going to be a bumpy ride.

And Spawn turns 9...

9 years ago at this time I was in a hospital bed...hoping that the little boy that had already made us wait over 2 weeks past his due date would decide to make his appearance soon.

Now, 9 years later that little boy is still just as stubborn as then, but he's grown so much-physically and emotionally.  He's big brother to Sweet Nut, Cute Boy and Baby Goober-as well as a baby brother from his dad.  He's an awesome big brother-although he has a quick temper.  But he's learning to be patient.

He's struggled a bit in school, but between getting his diagnosis of ADHD in June and having a great teacher this year who's very proactive in getting Spawn the help he needs.  We had a great teacher conference a month ago, which was a big turn around from second grade last year.

Anyways, Happy Ninth Birthday to my biggest goober.  I love you just as much as the first time I saw you 9 years ago.

And now on to the sappy sentimental pictures, :D

enjoying the snow...

getting ready for first grade

 turning 7

getting ready for second grade

bungee jumping into his 8th birthday

celebrating turning 9 at 12am.  First time he's ever stayed up on New Year's Eve!