Homeschooling... week 1!

So, we're through with week one of homeschooling Brianna.  I don't plan to do REGULAR updates on homeschooling, but I will update here and there.

For right now, I'm just getting started and want to keep a little record for myself though :)

Brianna went to KAD at the church this week and jumped right in with the other kids.  She's in the class she would have been in if we had decided to wait a year on kindy.  But, it's all typical peers, so it's an environment she wasn't able to be in even last year.  SHE LOVES IT.  She is getting reinforcement of PreK skills there as well as Bible stories, crafts, time in the gymnasium or playground with her friends, and time with other kids who TALK :).

Really, I think this set up is the best of both worlds for Brianna.  Social, interactive, and fun for just a couple hours each week, and home getting 1:1 teaching exactly where she's needing it the rest of the time.

More so than that, Michael and I are at complete peace with it.  We didn't know how we'd feel doing full time homeschooling for ONE child.  But, when it came down to what is best for EACH child, and right now, we have it.  Traditional school and homeschooling together for Wesley and Aleksa, traditional school for Kristopher, Emma, Micah, and James.  Homeschooling for Brianna with KAD, and KAD for Lynae since she's only 2 :) (or... not quite.. :) ).

So far, Brianna and I have worked through quite a few skills just to find out exactly what she already has mastered and what she still needs to work on, or what we are at a complete loss for still.

We've worked on a bunch of different skills this past week and found that Brianna's "holes" in what she knows are mostly critical thinking skills, not straight academic stuff.  For instance, the idea of spacial placement (on top, under, between, etc...) and size/quantity such as longer, biggest, more and fewer.  She us doing great with letter names and numbers, counting objects, rote counting and recognizing numerals.  She needs to work more on internal and ending sounds in words and of course blends and such for bigger words :).

Now we know where to start with her to work forward and fill the gaps rather than working backward or starting off too easy.

I've put together multiple kindergarten type workbooks to create a curriculum that fills the holds going backward and will continue to teach her going forward.

It's been a great week and we are really enjoying ourselves.  Brianna is asking to do her school work, which is a benefit as well :).  We're doing a combination of worksheets, hands on curriculum, iPad learning, and live and learn stuff.

Now on to week two!!