Overall, things this week went really well. But there were some lessons learned along the way, and I am sure I have many more coming. So, some things that I learned this week:
1. Do not think that because a child "got" the letter of the day yesterday he is going to remember that letter the next day. It's best to make sure that info stuck before moving onto the next letter. The result is a child who confuses "F", "E", and "D" (and randomly names them "W" for unknown reasons).
2. The lesson plan needs to be fluid and allow for changes. Yes, I had three pages of math planned. It's okay if only one (or half of one) gets done. That's the beauty of homeschooling--the child can set his pace!
3. Find a way to do math when the baby is either very happy or sleeping. Cranky awake babies suck all the concentration out of a 5-year-old doing his math. It's very frustrating when he's understanding a concept for the first time and the baby starts to scream. Stopping for 15 minutes to get the baby down for a nap completely rids him of any desire to do the problems that he was doing so well on before.
4. If a subject or lesson isn't going well, MOVE ON. Once he's made up his mind not to do it, it's not going to get done. Period. I'm only going to frustrate him and make him whiny if I push it. It's really not worth the trouble--we can try again tomorrow.
5. Just because I think I know what's coming up in a lesson, doesn't mean I do. It's a really good idea to take a look at the teacher's guide BEFORE we have started the lesson. It really stinks to stop in the middle to make flashcards I should have known about the night before.
I'll write my initial reviews on our curriculum choices this weekend. So far I think we've made good choices, and I'm excited to share how they are working for us.
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