1st Grade Reading List

Spring time is the perfect time to come up with your next year's curriculum.  I've been doing a lot of digging and if you've been following my blog, you'll know that I've come up with a few things for language arts, math, and piano lessons.  Lately, I've been trying to come up with a list of books that I can read to the kids.  A lot of them are classics and I'm super excited about that.  I remember reading The Hobbit with my mom at a young age, and what I want my children to remember are the good times you can have as we read together.

It's a lengthy list, so bear with me.  Here we go:
Green Eggs and Ham
Chester
Goodnight Moon
Sammy the Seal
Nate the Great
The Cat in the Hat
Danny and the Dinosaur
Amanda Pig and Her Brother Oliver
Little Bear
Amelia Bedelia
The Bravest Dog Ever
Curious George
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Henry and Mudge, The First Book
Mr. Putter & Tabby Pour the Tea
Floss
Frog and Toad are Friends
Angus and the Ducks
George and Martha
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Swimmy
Little Red Hen
Poky Little Puppy
The Egg
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Madeline
Harry the Dirty Dog
Caps for Sale
Stone Soup
A Chair for My Mother
Bread and Jam for Frances
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
Horton Hatches the Egg
Where the Wild Things Are
Emperor's New Clothes
Corduroy
A New Coat for Anna
The Little Engine That Could
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
Doctor De Soto
Billy & Blaze
Millions of Cats
Velveteen Rabbit (abridged)
Thunder Cake
Andy and the Lion
And to think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street
The Story of Ferdinand
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Polar Express, The
Miss Rumphius
Story of Babar, The
Strega Nona
Blueberries for Sal
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Little House, The
Story About Ping
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
The Ox-Cart Man
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
John Henry
Flat Stanley
Make Way for Ducklings
If I Ran the Zoo
Tikki Tikki Tembo
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale
Little Red Riding Hood
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
St. George and the Dragon
Librarian Who Measured the Eart
Charlotte's Web
The Trumpet of the Swan
Chronicles of Narnia
Any of the Ramona books
Pippi Longstocking
Dr. Seuss books
Eric Carl Books
(I hope I didn't repeat any)

I have a confession.  I love books.  I love old books, new books, picture books, and classic books.  But the problem is that I love OWNING the books I love.  I have issues with libraries.  They're good for when you want to read a book that you've never read before, but if you love the book- you can't keep it.  My point is: I probably spend way too much money on books.  Haha!

Some of these books that I listed, I haven't actually read myself, but the great thing about homeschool, is that you get to broaden your own horizons.  One of the great myths about homeschooling is that you HAVE to know things yourself in order to teach it.  How many times are we teachers of something and we actually learn more from the students?  I feel the exact same thing when I think about homeschooling.  If I don't know a thing about a certain subject, I simply say, "Hey let's learn about this subject together."  Heavenly Father never meant for us to stop learning.  He wants us to learn regardless of our age or profession.  Isn't that wonderful?!?

I'm so excited about this list!  I don't even know where to begin.  I'm always open to suggestions, too, so if you have a book that you just LOVE and would be appropriate for a 1st grader, let me know!!!

Math-U-See

I personally enjoy math, but finding a curriculum to teach math has proved difficult.  Curly Girly started Saxon math (http://www.christianbook.com/page/homeschool/math/saxon-math) in Kindergarten and it was really fun.  She loved playing with the manipulatives, which consisted of pattern blocks, teddy bear counters, linking cubes, tangrams, and all sorts of different, colorful things.  Then, the next year we started Saxon Math 1.  It became a drag.  Where did the manipulatives go?  We weren't hardly using them anymore.  Sure, we're learning how to count with pennies, dimes, and nickels (who doesn't like money?!?), but slowly and painfully, Curly Girly was losing the spark of discovery.

So, what did we do?  We started researching again.  What curriculum is fun?  and uses manipulatives?  We ended up choosing Math-U-See.

Math-U-See is a mastery approach to math.  It does not go by grade levels, but rather, the level at which your child is ready to learn.  If they simply aren't getting multiplication, you could be working on those lessons for weeks at a time.  And for those others who's math concepts come easily, you could work on one lesson in a day.  I loved this idea so much.  It is much better suited to our needs than the spiral approach that Saxon uses.

I can't wait to dive in.  I'm debating if I want to be one of those lame moms who "schools" during the summer or not.  Curly girly has been begging to do school, but I'm still kind of in newborn stage and recovering from all these bugs that we've been getting.  We simply just haven't gotten to it.  I have all these great ideas that I want to implement, but I think Math-U-See is the one I'm most excited about.  We'll have to see.  Ferdinand only has 2 weeks of preschool left, so perhaps when he is home for good, we'll get started and take breaks when the occasions call for it.  I'll definitely keep you updated with what I decide in a later post!

(If you would like to explore Math-U-See some more, please visit their website at www.mathusee.com)

Image taken from (https://www.google.com/search?q=Math+u+see+alpha&safe=active&espv=2&biw=1440&bih=775&site=webhp&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjz2MmAxarMAhUN-mMKHVsBA8YQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=SnJIUyZdaw5OcM%3A)

April Showers

It seems like when it rains, it pours.  I have been pulled every which way and have had way too many trials that I'd care to take on, but there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel.

After my first little sickness, I got sick again with a cold for several days.  When mom is sick, the house get's neglected and kids get super bored.  We got snowed on, and since I wasn't feeling well, the kids stayed inside because I had no energy to deal with snow clothes and messes.  Plus, it was an awful muddy mess at our house since we just built a house.  My van got stuck, 6 inches deep, in mud.  Fun stuff! NOT!

So what did we do?  We strung beads onto yarn.

Obviously, The Sprite had a blast.  Her favorite part was rolling them onto the floor and throwing them at her brother.

Ferdinand enjoyed putting several beads on at once.  He was pretty good at it.  I think his motor skills are improving.

Curly Girly loved doing patterns.  She mostly wanted to make sure she got ALL the beads of the same color.  Heaven forbid her siblings take them!

We also learned about emergency preparedness.  The kids had fun putting bandaids, gloves, gauze, alchohol swabs, etc into their own little baggies.  We also gave them their own backpack for their 72-hour kits.  It's important to tell the little ones about what to do if there ever were an emergency.

Homeschool isn't just learning academics.  It's teaching them about life.

Home Education Council of America- Family Work

The past couple of weeks, I have been a little "missing in action."  I have 2 reasons for that.  Reason #1- I got really sick with a clogged milk duct.  No bueno.  No fun.  Reason #2- because I was sick, I decided to attend a "Homeschool Bootcamp" from a website called www.hecoa.com.  So what is HECOA?

HECOA is pronounced heck-oh-uh.  It stands for Home Education Council of America.  It is a place you can go to watch webinars and all sorts of different resources for either veteran and/or beginner homeschoolers.  They have a wealth of information.  I have a basic membership, which means that I can only watch the webinars live and sometimes they offer a 24-hour replay window.  If I want to go back and see all of them, I'd have to purchase a higher level membership.

They hosted an "Ultimate Homeschool Bootcamp" the past couple weeks.  The awesome thing was that I could watch it from my home computer or iPad.  I didn't have to get any babysitters, it was all from the comfort of my own home.  This bootcamp was mostly geared towards the newbie homeschooling moms/dads.  We are almost complete with our 2nd year of homeschool and I still consider myself "new."

One of the ladies who spoke was named Donna Goff.  She talked a lot about family life and the Charlotte Mason method of homeschool.  I was completely drawn to how she taught.  She referred back to the day of when you had to milk your cows every morning, get the eggs from the chickens, grow your own produce, make your own cheese, yogurt, bread and all these things that we take advantage of whenever we go to the grocery store.  She said there is a disconnect sometimes between generations.  Our generation "lacks" the ability to do family work.  Family work is the ability to guide children to do the hard things in the home.  Cleaning, chores, WORK.  Parents show their kids once, and then expect the child to do it perfectly from that time forward.  Children are not mimi-adults.  They require time, patience, and a good role model.

When she talked about family work, I said to myself, "that's something I want to do."  Many times, and I know I have fallen under this category, we expect our 4 year old to do something that we have only shown them what to do once.  For example, put their laundry away.  We sort the clothes, we fold them, and then we put them into their drawers.  Well, I asked Ferdinand to put his clothes away, expecting him to neatly put them into the drawer.  What happened later, he had put his pants in his sister's pants drawer, and put mismatched socks into his sock drawer.  What Donna Goff talks about is that we are creatures of habit.  Work WITH your children, day after day, week after week, month after month, and they will, out of habit, do things correctly, the way you showed them.  It takes consistency, and it may take years for them to get it down, but isn't that was parenting is?  It's not just babysitting on a daily basis.  Parenting is love, year in and year out, guidance, nurture, cultivating, etc.  You're goal is to get them ready for society, for life, and success.  And you only have about 18 years to do it.  Start when they are young.

I don't know why this was so hard to understand before.  I was and am so used to doing things myself.  So, starting yesterday, we did laundry together, we cleaned rooms together and we scrubbed toilets together.  I love this new way of "homeschool."  It's not just academics that I teach.  It's teaching my children how to conquer the hard things and enjoy family life.  Yes, it was hard to take a few more minutes to guide them through the process, but teaching them now will save me a lot of headache and heartache later on.

So, Donna Goff, thank you for your webinar session.  From now on, our "home-ec" class will consist of working together, no matter the age, and creating good habits of cleanliness and a sense of pride and responsibility in our family work.

Why do I use Faber?

I've gotten several requests to share why I use Faber for teaching piano lessons.  I'm not against Alfred, Schaum, John Thompson or any other methods out there, but through my college training, I found that Faber was easy to use, especially for the young mind.  When thinking of how to write this post, I thought of 3 main reasons why I choose to use Faber above any other method.

Reason #1.  You are exploring the highs and lows of the piano.  You are using several fingers on the same note.  You are breaking through the mind frame that the piano only consists of one hand position.  So often, when I get students, they are SO focused on middle C.  Both thumbs on middle C, religiously.  For me, personally, this drives me crazy!!!  The piano is not like a flute or any other wind or brass instrument.  You can and WILL use several fingers on the same note, especially middle C.  It is a chore to get that past minds that are so focused on using the 5 fingers in the same position throughout an entire lesson book.

Reason #2.  The pace is slower than normal.  This is great for young minds as well.  I would not recommend using these books for anyone older than 8 years old.  8 year old's are able to grasp concepts at a significantly quicker rate than a 6 year old can.  However, if you have a child who is good with tempo, knows how to count to 10, and knows his/her alphabet, I find that Faber is an excellent starter method.  It's meant for younger kids.  I started the piano when I was 4.  Notes were confusing at first because my mind did not make sense of the fact that if the note goes up on the paper, the note goes up on the piano.  Faber slowly goes through these small steps in such a way that it's fun, engaging, and makes sense to either right or left brained kids.

Reason #3. Tempo is taught more profoundly.  Instead of using 1-2-3-4 (although they don't necessarily condemn it) quarter notes are 1, half notes are 1-2, dotted half notes are 1-2-3 and whole notes are 1-2-3-4.  So when you have a passage that is 4/4 with 4 quarter notes are are counting 1-1-1-1, instead of 1-2-3-4.  If you have two half notes you will proceed to count 1-2, 1-2. instead of 1-2-3-4.  As a young child I got SO confused with the ones, twos, threes, fours, and all those "in betweens".  I love this because you are focusing on the VALUE of the note.

So, this is my preferred method.  If I am teaching a brand new student, this is my go-to.  If I am getting a student who is already familiar with another method, then I usually try to stick with what they know and supplement with Faber.  What can I say?  I'm a Faber fan.  :)

If you are interested in buying Faber, they are available through Amazon for pretty cheap.

Homeschooling With a Newborn

I get it... Newborns are hard!  But something that I didn't realize that might be a little more difficult is homeschooling with a newborn baby.  With all the stops and goes, feedings, naps, crying, diaper changes, and more feedings, pumping sessions, ALL THIS STUFF and on top of it trying to get Math, Language Arts, Music, Art, Science, History packed into one day... I have to be honest.... we haven't done ANY homeschool since baby was born.  There were a few days when my mom was here to help for a few weeks, that we did some formal school, but it didn't last very long.

One day, overwhelmed and feeling guilty, I asked a homeschool group online, "How in the world do you do this?!?"  One lady referred me to this.  http://www.lovetolearn.net/most-important-homeschool-lesson  And what exactly is this?  It's called "The Baby IS the Lesson."

Sure, formal education is important.  But it's also important to not run faster than you have strength.  The guilt lifted off my shoulders.  Right now, during these few months, I've been teaching my children a very valuable indispensable lesson through EXAMPLE.  Teaching how to care for another human being, being selfless with things like giving time to read a book, cleaning up spit up, changing clothes, wiping boogers and tears and countless other things.

So, let's talk realistically.  Curly Girly will be six years old in May.  Technically, she won't be in 1st grade until fall.  I COULD even hold her back another year if I really wanted to and do another year of Kindergarten.  This means, she'll be ready to learn how to read, add, subtract, learn how to spell and learn different reading rules throughout the 1st grade year.  Well, I think we're quite ahead of the game... She can do most if not all of those things listed.  Turn the lens toward Ferdinand, who is only four years old, turning five in December.  He'll be entering Pre-Kindergarten.  Learning the letters of the alphabet, sounds, shapes, colors, etc.  Again, I think we're on track.  There's plenty of work to be done with both of them, but I'm not worried.  We aren't behind in anything.

So what's the moral of our blog post today?  Each day is valuable.  Each day my little scientists with their white lab coats and safety goggles are observing what mom thinks is important.  What are my actions saying to them?  What are they learning through their observations?  I definitely hope and pray the lesson they learn is that MOM loves her family and that they know that THEY are LOVED.

The Best Thing About Homeschool Is...

Homeschooling has its perks.  I love being able to see my children's progress.  Curly Girly's eyes glow with anticipation as we learn new concepts.  She reads from the scriptures every night and she's at the point where we don't hardly need to help her anymore.  I owe the credit to All About Reading.  If you need a supplement or full out curriculum, check it out at https://www.allaboutlearningpress.com

Another thing I love is that you can get them started at any age.  The Sprite has recently showed interest in coloring, like her big sister.  I showed her how to hold a pencil while coloring and while she isn't doing it the best in the picture below, she's now holding it like an adult.  She's 2!  I see another artist in the making.

I'm not sure if we'll continue to do notebooking or not in this fashion.  I love the idea of the 3-ringed binder with tabs separating the different subjects we cover.  I think it will be fun for Curly Girly and Ferdinand to see their work that they've done throughout the year.

With a newborn baby, I've really tried to implement lessons on how important parenting is.  Babies take lots of time and I hope that as they grow older, they will know how important a calling it is to be fathers and mothers.  I'm not perfect, and I'm pretty sure my children know that, but the absolute best thing about homeschooling is that we get to learn and grow together.  I love learning from my kids.  The best lessons to be learned are from the mouths of babes.