Our first week of RTR, Bigger Hearts, and LHTH was busy but fun!
We had to dust the cobwebs out of our minds after summer break, but by the end of the week, school was clicking along and felt like our "normal" again.
RTR:
RTR has been amazing for Wyatt!
His newfound independence he earned in CTC last year served him well. His first day just clicked right along, almost as if we'd never stopped for a 3 month break.
CTC was the first time he'd taken over his history readings as well as the science, which he first started doing independently in PHFHG. CTC was a training year, and now with RTR, he's soaring. His Bible Quiet Time is first thing in the morning, and it does me good as I'm doing mine to hear him singing his Phil. song and doing his Bible too.
For history, he's been listening to Diana Waring - a very spirited, history buff that keeps Christ at the center of history. He's also been reading "Peril and Peace", and it has done much for him to understand the price paid for faith. He needs to know this, and it's been good for me to remember it too. We are so blessed to live in a country where we can praise our Lord freely! I really appreciate the detail in the key notes of the RTR guide, especially for the things Wyatt is doing independently. They are my "cliff notes" as they offer a succinct summary of the day's readings. The Student Notebook looks like artwork itself. It's lovely! I enjoy looking through it to see my ds's work displayed in such a beautiful way. The boxes also make it easy to catch if he missed something in the plans.
The history project is another favorite of ours - of mine, because my ds still is doing history-linked hands-on activities, and of his because it's just so fun!
Here are some pictures of the Student Notebook and his first history project:
For science, I continue to be amazed at what he remembers from years of HOD's living books, notebooking, and experiments. He loves science!
I am so glad he is doing an experiment every week and completing a lab form that parallels the scientific method. I am thankful he can do the experiments independently, and also for the care HOD takes in making sure we have what's needed for science right in our home - if I had to run to get supplies, I fear how few science experiments I'd actually get done.
Here are some pics of his science this week - he did the planets' sizes:
Wyatt started his Shakespeare plans today. He liked it so much! I was pretty sure he'd love the book, but I was surprised he loved the coloring. He never used to like to color, but he really enjoyed it today so much, and did a nice job (it's the picture on our left):
My teaching time with Wyatt is so varied - I really like the change of pace each year. This year, my teaching time is spent on poetry study, history-based writing lessons, art appreciation, a Christ-centered boyhood study, listening to oral narrations, doing history Storytime follow-ups, teaching reading via DITHOR, grammar via R & S English, math via Singapore, reading and discussion history written narrations, and giving dictation. I am enjoying the variety greatly, as well as the balance of his independent work with my teaching time. I need teaching time with my youngers this year. I am so glad I have it, while still being able to have a fifth grader doing so much quality work in RTR.
I've become a real believer in CM's thought that dc 9 yo on up should be doing the bulk of their reading for school - they DO retain things so much better than if I am reading aloud, their narrations ARE better, and the time it saves me so I can focus on the follow-ups to the readings rather than just on reading out loud is terrific!
Here is Wyatt reading his written narration to me (while little brother listens in on his blanket of toys)
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What an awesome week - thanks HOD for making my homeschooling so thorough while yet so manageable!
In Christ,
Julie