Reading

These kids are reading a chapter a day of Paddle-to-the-Sea. Yes, by themselves! And, better yet, they're narrating in 2 or 3 sentences what is done in each chapter, each day. By themselves! The first graders are doing it and it's becoming no big deal! Do I sound amazed? Well, OK. Why you ask are they just starting this endeavor, it's because they finished Handwriting for a Reason before the 2nd grader (even though he is narrating each chapter a day too). They are also doing a Draw and Write animal/item a day. (Shark is G#3 and Swan is G#2) It's magnificent to see them kick this assignment into the net like it was nothing.

My second grader was having trouble with the later chapters of Math U See Beta and I just said that he could write/copy 5 chapters a day of Saxon 1 that I had laying around. He did this for 10 days and worked his way through the second half of the kindergarten book. He also, along with his siblings, is practicing his addition and subtraction tables each day on the Math U See online practice tool. So, we've gone back to Beta chapter 26, to be exact, and now he's not vexed by subtracting 4 digit numbers. And he doesn't know where the calculator is, so I win!

Lastly, I'm reading A String in the Harp from the Juvenile Fiction section of the library. It's a long story but I'm definitely enjoying it. It takes me back to my love for things medieval and European. I am a quarter Welsh and do recognize place names from the book that are used as place names where I grew up. But for now, I'm trying to get everything wrapped up for the year, including the end of Flying Things as a huge study on Bats. My kids have planted radish, morning glory and carrot seeds. My husband has a trip into Ankara and out of Istanbul in the works for late June (a short month from now) and I'm looking forward to a fascinating summer.