Year in Review

We are done for the year, but the Sonlight Core isn't finished.Doing the core over 2 years saves me $~ is how I am going to think about it. ;)

Just as I felt like I was getting the "hang" of it, it was time to quit. In a way, that is good. I always end a time of reading outloud on a cliffhanger, right? So why not end school like that?

I grew and changed so MUCH this year. It was definitely my best homeschool year!! I am really learning to adapt and use what works from the SL "buffet" if you will. My super-literal mind just couldn't comprehend what to pick and what to leave out from the overstocked Instructor Guide. I don't know if I have any tips or hints to help anyone else other than just trial and error...

I will continue to use Time4Learning for JJ, my first grader, the neighbor's grandson that I homeschool and JD who has Learning Disabilities and dyslexia. They can still listen to the read alouds, but can depend on t4l for language arts, and even math and Sci and SS if they need to or want to.

They will continue to read SL readers and do italic handwriting. Well, except for JD. He likes "loops and other groups" handwriting that he learned at therapy. So I try to find handwriting styles that look like it. Handwriting w/ a Purpose is very similar. However, the paper that they print it on has that certain purplish-bluish-whitish flourenscent color that overloads his senses. He has issues processing information he receives from his senses(SPD).

Sometimes in families w/ more than one child, the younger ones participate as "tag alongs"(they listen in w/ the older kids) and/or formal school is delayed so the older ones can receive most of the attention.

I have done this myself to some degree. You know I bought curriculum to teach my oldest colors and numbers! As I had more kids, I did less and less preschool things w/ the youngest ones and they learned those concepts naturally.

But w/ t4l, I can let my littlest one listen in w/ us and get what she gets out of it AND work on her own level doing t4l. The best of both worlds!

Sonlight is definitely for us, we just needed to make some modifications for our family and situation. JC, the oldest, will be doing Core 7 from Sonlight.And for math he will use Systemath dvds. Simple, old school math teaching. Slow and painful...but effective. Jr likes SL language arts and systemath, so she will also completely use SL.

It still brings a tear to my eye when I think of finishing Red Sails to Capri. I only finished it because of the advice of the forums. I really wanted to reach the end so we could enjoy the blue grotto photos. So we plodded through and the night before we finished, I googled some photos.

When I saw them, I just gasped; it took my breath away. The next day, after we finished reading, I showed the kids the same pictures and they gasped just like I did!!! I got goosebumps!!!

This goes beyond school, this is building precious memories that are priceless! I can't even describe it.

I look forward to starting again late this summer!