Year 1 Ends - Weeks 35 & 36

Our first homeschooling year has drawn to a close.  We are continuing a lighter summer schedule, which I will go into later.  First, let's recap the last couple of weeks.

To supplement his reading, I had him pick out one of the poems each day to read.  Of course, he chose the shortest one, but its something!  We are continuing the Ninn readers that we have on hand, alternating between the 1st and 3rd primers, depending on which one we can find, LOL.  He does equally well with each - I ask him to read 3 pages aloud in the easier one, and 2 in the harder one,  which comes to about the same number of words.  Most days, I have to hold the book for him (see Overly Sensitive?) so we don't have melt-downs.

Our baby turtle made it through the winter...then we found this huge lizard to keep him company

Weeks 35 and 36

After reading "Cobwebs" from Parables From Nature, which was an interesting story about a baby spider trying to make her way in the world, my son decided to take yarn and make a wrestling ring with it, but it quickly morphed into his own web.  See?

Cobwebs or 'laser' obstacle course

We had to stretch The White Cat over several days, but I liked the story.  He was less enthused, but understood the basic plot.  It was fun finishing up some of the books.  Paddle to the Sea, Just So Stories, and Viking Tales were read in their entirety.  This summer I plan on continuing the Burgess's Bird Book, The Real Mother Goose, and some more of Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book.  An Island Story, Trial and Triumph and Parables from Nature, as well as the Handbook of Nature Study will all be continued in the fall as scheduled on Ambleside Online.

Yellow flowers everywhere this year, isn't it pretty?

I also want to finish up the "free reads" for Year 1 and being those for Year 2 this summer.  He isn't into reading on his own yet, so these are family read-alouds in the evenings (or perhaps on car trips), for the most part.  For Year 1 we need to finish The King of the Golden River, and start Pinocchio over again, since we tried that with 5 foster kids in the house and it failed miserably to hold their attention.  The Red Fairy Book is also on that list, and available at the library, so may try that one again as well.

Here is a list of the free reads for Year 2 (scroll down to bottom of the linked page).  We will probably start with whatever the library has available.  We have already read Little House on the Prairie and Farmer Boy because he loved Little House in the Big Woods so much earlier this year.

In addition to continuing reading great literature, we will do a few more weeks of sewing with his Ma, and daily math and copywork.  I will aim for doing Spanish and piano twice a week as well.  But not to worry - we will have plenty of travel and summer fun! He is going on his first overnight summer camp and his first science day-camp.  We are also planning a trip to Origins Game Fair in Ohio.  Last, but not least, he wants to spend a week at Nana and Grandpa's and specifically requested that I not go with him.  *sigh* They grow up fast!