Since I haven't really posted for so long, I thought it would be nice to talk about how our school year is going.

Logan is in second grade this year. He's a little young for second grade; his birthday is right on the cut-off, so had we enrolled in traditional school, he could have gone either way. But he's breezing right through it and in fact is in third grade spelling and grammar (definitely his strongest subjects). We decided to try a new math program this year, because Moving With Math just wasn't working for us. For some reason I just had a hard time teaching the lessons, and I felt like Logan was struggling a bit. So we switched to Math U See, and what a difference! It's so straightforward and concrete. We start each lesson watching a DVD video that explains the concepts, then we practice with the manipulative blocks, drill online, do worksheets, and once I think he has the concept down cold, I test him on it. I'm thrilled with our success. We're also doing a fun geography program in which we take a few weeks to study each continent. And for reading, I generally try to keep a supply of "good" books in the house, then let him read whatever he wants on his own. He does still like to read with me sometimes, so we do that too.

Carrie is in... well, I still haven't decided what grade Carrie is in. Somewhere between preschool and first grade. Age-wise, she should be in preschool this year. But that seems a bit ridiculous, as she has been following along with Logan's Math U See lessons and often catches on to the concepts before he does. She is also reading very well - not quite as well as Logan was at her age, but extremely well for a 5-year-old, and certainly far beyond what would be expected of a preschooler. We are doing Hooked on Phonics' new program, Learn To Read First Grade Complete. It's for 6- and 7-year-olds, and so far, she is sailing right through without any trouble. I think it is filling in some of the gaps, phonics-wise, which is why I started the program. She enjoys the stories and is very motivated by the stickers she earns for reading the stories. (I don't think Logan would have cared about that sort of thing at all at her age!) I am also using Angelicum Academy's "good books" literature list, as well as the Sonlight preschool literature program, for reading out loud with her. I think I am starting to see an improvement in her ability to sit and listen and actually understand the stories she hears, but that is still a struggle. I figure the more we read, the easier it will get, so I try to read to her whenever she wants or is willing, and we take time to talk about the stories and understand what is happening and why.

I'm continuing to use Handwriting Without Tears for both kids. Logan is in the second grade book, and Carrie is in the preschool book. We've also begun using a book called Science is Simple, which is supposed to be for preschoolers, but both kids are enjoying the experiments. They also take Musikgarten music classes together, which Logan seems to enjoy and Carrie seems to... tolerate, most of the time. She's hot and cold, that child. Some days she loves it, some days she hates it. But we're plugging along. Logan takes art classes at the home of a local artist. I was anxious to get him into a good class, because the kid obviously has artistic talent. It certainly exceeds my own! Carrie does art projects with me at home, but maybe next year I'll enroll her in classes with Logan. I really like to take advantage of any time I can put them in the same class!

And let's not forget Kayla! She might only be 2 1/2, but she is smart as a whip. So her "school" consists of reading stories with Mom and watching the Leap Frog Letter Factory video. That video taught both Logan and Carrie all their letter sounds, and I am certain it was instrumental in their teaching themselves to read. So we're going to try for a third child who teaches herself to read! Makes my job easier, right? Or makes me feel obsolete...

So between the kids' schoolwork, their activities, and all Logan's therapy appointments, we have been just a tad bit busy. And I've been struggling a bit with figuring out how to homeschool more than one child at once. I finally came up with a system that has been a real lifesaver: I create for each child an "assignment" sheet that lists the day's required subjects, with a check box for each, so they can see their progress during the day. In the morning I put their sheet on their shelf, along with all the required books and materials. So if I'm busy with something, I can still tell them to work on their schoolwork, and they know exactly what to do. Logan can work on most of his things on his own, but I am always there to answer questions or help him when he needs me. Carrie still needs me for most of her work, but that's to be expected in the early years. I'm a little curious to see how things will go when the new baby comes. I'll have to manage to be there to help both older kids, while keeping Kayla distracted and the new baby happy. At least with the new system, Logan won't be able to tell me he doesn't know what to work on.