Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Catholic 1st Grade Homeschool: Day 2

We celebrated a great day of schoolwork by going to the playground after!

Religion -

1. We talked about prayer some more, and discussed how God always answers prayers, but He knows what we need and what is good for us even more than we do. So He may not send exactly what you asked for, but it will end up being perfect for you.

2. To kind of illustrate this point, we read the sweet storybook, Wish Come True Cat. In it, a little girl wishes on a shooting star (which I took the liberty of explaining that it was like a prayer and she meant for God to hear it) for a perfect little kitten. What she gets is a raggedy old tom cat. She is very unhappy about it and thinks that there must have been a terrible mistake. (I can relate!) Of course she ends up learning that sometimes you don't get what you thought you wanted, but you end up realizing that what you did get is exactly what you needed.


3. We said the Lord's Prayer together, using a cute print-out I found, which has pictures to go along with the verses. I taped blank paper over the words "debt and debtors" and wrote in "trespasses" and "those who trespass against us".


--> I found this article that may interest you: 6 Reasons for Teaching Your Children the Rosary.


Language -

1. We reviewed beginning letter sounds with a great printable I found. I cannot trace where it came from, so if you know please tell me so I can give credit! It's a great, hands-on phonics game and your child can use a clothespin to clip onto the correct letter. I couldn't find our clothespin when we did it, however, so Little Bill put blocks on the correct answers:


2. We completed lesson 2 in How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons



3. Little Bill read a reader to me. We are using a boxed set of Bob Books for our beginning readers. If your child is beginning to read, then these readers start really simply and progress with your child's ability.


3. We played the upper & lower case letter matching game.

4. Practice in Handwriting Without Tears book, and practice writing the first name.



Math - with calendar time

1. We used a free printable hundred chart to point out numbers and ask Little Bill what they are. We practiced counting to 100 and higher (until he got tired of it). 

2. We played with addition flashcards. Make it fun, try to make it into a game. Stop when your child gets  tired or bored of it!

3. We practiced counting by 2's.

Science & Social Studies -

1. We read chapters 3 and 4 in Dinosaurs Before Dark.



Notes: 

When you're reading to your child, say the title of the book, the author, and the illustrator and explain what an author and an illustrator are. 

I have a fun, colorful US map printed out and placed on the bedside table by Little Bill's bed. One thing we do right before reading our bedtime story is pick up the map and located and identify the state that we live in now as well as our home state. I keep it fun, rather than pressure-filled or revolving around a correct answer. He, as most kids if you keep it fun, very much enjoys showing off what he knows. I will add one state at a time (very slowly!), reviewing each state we've done so far every night, until Little Bill knows his 50 states, whether that's in a few months from now or a year! 

Again, weaving reviews into everyday life takes the pressure off your child, incorporates the idea that learning is everywhere, and takes the extra time out of your schooling time.



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