Homeschool Update

Well, we have been offically homeschooling for a month now so I thought I would take a minute and do a little update. Overall, Owen is doing great and enjoying learning and our schedule seems to be working out well with the other boys as well! Praise the Lord!

Phonics/Reading

We have been working on phonics for about a year and a half now and Owen seems to be making some good progress. In general, he is able to read faster even though he is still at the point of sounding out letter by letter. This month in particular he has learned some digraphs (i.e. "th" sound, "sh" sound and "ch" sound) as well as continuing to review consonant blends. We will be getting into long vowel sounds this next month so we will see how that goes!

Math

This is Owen's first time really studying math and he is doing great! We did a very little amount last year for his preschool. Before we started he could count to 10 well and then got all jumbled up with the teen numbers. Today he counted to 100 with practically no help from me at all! He has really enjoyed the hands-on aspect of math and I think it is helping him to grasp it more easily. He can also write all his numbers now and knows the days of the week and can distinguish between his left and his right, which I have found to be so helpful!

Handwriting

We are working through a workbook which is teaching him the correct way to make his letters, which he is doing well with, but I am trying to make that transfer to when he writes all the time and not just during his handwriting lesson which has a tendency to be a little more difficult.

Art

Chris is doing art lessons with Owen once a week, because he is artistic and I am really not! (Owen has had a love for art/drawing since he was probably around 3 and spends the majority of his free time drawing or coloring.) They have done two lessons and I was hoping to scan them and post them, but my husband needs to teach me how to work our scanner, because I can't seem to figure it out! So hopefully I can post them soon! Owen has really enjoyed his lessons and I think he loves having that special time with Daddy!

In addition to these official subjects, we try to have a individual Bible time every day as well as read through a book series called the "Book of Life" which is a summary of the whole Bible. We also to a read-aloud time before Elliot's nap. Right now we are reading the Chronicles of Narnia and we are on book #4 Prince Caspian. Yes, our days are full but it has been a joy for me to be teaching and instructing our sons, not only in school but also and more importantly in the Word of God and how that speaks into their lives as boys who will, Lord-willing, one day grow into young men!