Never throw away a box. You never know when than one odd-shaped one will come in really handy.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Cursive in Kindergarten
I was at a curriculum sale (Abeka) the other day to buy some math workbooks for the boys and came across a pamphlet titled "Cursive in Kindergarten." Interesting, OK, I'll bite. I took it home and read it through and it was fascinating. I learn all kinds of new things about the history of education from homeschooling.
Turns out, print handwriting (or ball and stick as some like to call it) was introduced in the era of Dick and Jane thinking it would help the kids recognize the letters in the readers. Before that, learning to write meant learning cursive. The pamphlet argued that this introduction of ball and stick writing was the introduction of bad penmanship. After kids thoroughly learn how to print, then in about 3rd or 4th grade, everything is unlearned and they are expected to write in cursive. Unfortunately, it's hard to break those original habits.
Epiphany: my own horrible handwriting is horrible because it's a combination of print and cursive. I retained a lot of the print training, but connect some of the letters to make it faster and easier to write. Translation: bad penmanship.
So I decided to try it (without buying their fancy Cursive in Kindergarten program). For copywork in the morning, I told Ethan we were learning something new and I showed him how to write one word in cursive. He was so excited to write like Mom and Dad, and declared that he LOVES writing cursive. OK, OK, I know in a week he'll hate it as much as he hated printing, but I was still encouraged. I think the theory is a good one and learning about it made me want to improve my own penmanship and purge my handwriting of ball and stick habits.
Turns out, print handwriting (or ball and stick as some like to call it) was introduced in the era of Dick and Jane thinking it would help the kids recognize the letters in the readers. Before that, learning to write meant learning cursive. The pamphlet argued that this introduction of ball and stick writing was the introduction of bad penmanship. After kids thoroughly learn how to print, then in about 3rd or 4th grade, everything is unlearned and they are expected to write in cursive. Unfortunately, it's hard to break those original habits.
Epiphany: my own horrible handwriting is horrible because it's a combination of print and cursive. I retained a lot of the print training, but connect some of the letters to make it faster and easier to write. Translation: bad penmanship.
So I decided to try it (without buying their fancy Cursive in Kindergarten program). For copywork in the morning, I told Ethan we were learning something new and I showed him how to write one word in cursive. He was so excited to write like Mom and Dad, and declared that he LOVES writing cursive. OK, OK, I know in a week he'll hate it as much as he hated printing, but I was still encouraged. I think the theory is a good one and learning about it made me want to improve my own penmanship and purge my handwriting of ball and stick habits.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
It's that time again...
We're back into school. Well, not officially, but I've spent countless hours of the last month going over our curriculum, hammering out activities, library books and craft projects that will coincide with this year's learning calendar. It's been a pain in the rear, but I do feel a lot more prepared than I ever have to do this. Amazing what a long term plan will do.
I'm also working on filling out paperwork for the state, something I've never had to do. Ethan is entering the mandatory school age and I need to inform the state of my decision to homeschool. The paperwork is a bit intimidating. It's not long, but each parent has to get their signature notarized separately, and they ask detailed questions about your qualifications even though they are completely irrelevant. (I felt really stupid putting down that my highest education completed was high school. Next year I'll be a college graduate!)
I've decided we're not doing the Omaha Learning Center this year. We're moving even farther outside of town, so the drive would be an hour roundtrip each week and the real reason: I can't justify the expense anymore. I make my own hotdog buns and waffle syrup for crying out loud!! Even though I love doing it, it's still another monthly expense I can't afford. So I'm going to try to be more involved in our local (FREE) co-op group and see if I can get some of my ideas and needs implemented.
Official first day of school is August 24th, which is when the Elkhorn School District also starts. I figure I'd better play by the rules til I know what I'm doing.
I'm also working on filling out paperwork for the state, something I've never had to do. Ethan is entering the mandatory school age and I need to inform the state of my decision to homeschool. The paperwork is a bit intimidating. It's not long, but each parent has to get their signature notarized separately, and they ask detailed questions about your qualifications even though they are completely irrelevant. (I felt really stupid putting down that my highest education completed was high school. Next year I'll be a college graduate!)
I've decided we're not doing the Omaha Learning Center this year. We're moving even farther outside of town, so the drive would be an hour roundtrip each week and the real reason: I can't justify the expense anymore. I make my own hotdog buns and waffle syrup for crying out loud!! Even though I love doing it, it's still another monthly expense I can't afford. So I'm going to try to be more involved in our local (FREE) co-op group and see if I can get some of my ideas and needs implemented.
Official first day of school is August 24th, which is when the Elkhorn School District also starts. I figure I'd better play by the rules til I know what I'm doing.
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