This is our first year straight homeschooling my son. If you have been here recently you know we have been on a journey with dyslexia. We have done a hybrid school with K12 curriculum but this year is different. I am focusing mainly on my soon-to-be third grader. I have a kindergardner but she will be attending a Montessori school for half day so I can take more time with my son. He is dyslexic so I need a little more one-on-one time with him. We plan to do the things that need the most attention during the afternoon while she is at school and when my other little two nap. I also have a pre-K boy and a baby girl.
I am hoping to do some pre-K Montessori stuff using this book - Montessori at home.
Konos
I chose Konos this year because I was describing what I wanted to my friend and she said, "You need to check out Konos." And I did and I liked it.
We will be doing Konos for our first half of our day. It will involve reading some real books on subjects and people and then doing hands on projects so all the kiddos can listen and be involved.
I will do a more in depth post on what we are studying in Konos but it will cover social studies, science, geography, arts and crafts and history and a few other things.
Math U See
I really like Math U See. I have several levels of it and it is working well for us right now. We watch the DVD together at the beginning of the week and then do the worksheets - one for each day. If it is a lesson he grasps well then we don't do all of the worksheets and move onto the next lesson.
Handwriting without Tears
We are continuing to learn cursive with this. I just have him do two pages a day. He is dyslexic and hates writing so I don't want to torture him. But his cursive is so much neater than his print and the "b" and "d" is different which helps him.
Reading - Toe By Toe
Since he is dyslexic we have tried a few things and are currently using this book - Toe By Toe. It is actually a British book but I have heard so many good things I'm trying it anyway. Also, there are only a few things that are different from American English. I read about it on another blog and then read many many reviews on it. It is simple. It is a bit boring for him so I have had to build some incentives in the work. I set the timer for 20 minutes and that is all we do of the book. I am hoping this works to help him improve his reading level. We may also do dyslexic tutoring as well.
Bible
I don't necessarily need a Bible curriculum. I believe we should just live it out and model it for our children and encourage them to do their devotions on their own. For now I sit down and read with him - The Big Book of Animal Devotion. I will probably incorporate some Bible with our Konos as well.
More
I won't be doing much in the way of grammar with him until next year. I have read and researched and have learned that grammar is best started after 10 years old because they understand the concepts better. I may do a little this year but won't push it.
Also, I will probably go through All About Spelling Level 1-2 starting in January. We have done Level 1 but I think we need to go through it again.
I am starting slow and I want us to enjoy the journey. Remember - I'm trying to relax now.
This sounds like an awesome plan! You will loved relaxed homeschooling! Remember to praise him a lot on what he can do! I know David gets so wrapped up in what he struggles with that he feels stupid until I start pointing out the areas he is gifted in.
ReplyDeleteHave a great school year!!
I, too, have a dyslexic son. Well, I have a severely dyslexic son, a moderately to mild dyslexic son, and a mildly dyslexic daughter. Dyslexia runs in my husband's family, and I've seen first hand the lack of help they get locally through public schools. I really feel homeschooling is the way to go for these kids.
ReplyDeleteI'll just add that if you read the teacher manuals on Handwriting Without Tears, the focus is supposed to on just a little writing each day, stopping before their hands get tired. One half page a day, or one page if it's one of the shorter ones, is all that's necessary to finish a level in under a year.
Thank you for sharing on the NOT Back-to-School Blog Hop.
@Robin E.
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't mind doing the two pages but if he did I would back off to one page. He does it rather quickly.