Term 1 summary

Continued to practice his adding and subtraction skills. Decided after some thought to do these vertically.

Learnt the 2, 5, 10 times tables by heart and in any random order and is working on the 3 times tables which is proving a bit more difficult

I have scaffolded his learning a little when we studied some maths books (that we got from the library) and had to do some division. These books were of great interest to My Home Schooler because they were about making a movie and solving a crime. As well as the maths aspect I think My Home Schooler learnt about these 2 topics too.

Took part online in the World Maths Day

also did work on mazes, coordinates and problem word sentences, did a survey and used tally marks and a bar graph to display his results, mapping and directional work, measuring, geometry recognizing shapes, lines of symmetry, fractions, weighting, calendar months, search for number chart

Money Unit

phonics with Anne leading us My Home schooler and I have continued to work in this subsubject. I think this regular practice has seen an improvement in My Home Schoolers reading skills. Which is good to see.

writing while this is still something that he doesnt always want to do he did write a book with illustrations this term. He also wrote a couple of postcards to people. I am happy to be a reader/writer for him and he has dictated some good stories too. I do insist he writes sometimes.

reading both shared, individual with me listening to him (he has read 14 books in this way – see the reading log), and listened to me reading to him. We have come to an agreement that I read 5 pages of a book to him (of his choice, usually a library book) and he reads 5 pages of the book usual lent to him from Anne to me. We have a couple of turns of this in our reading time.

We also usually start the day reading, this was decided by My Home Schooler and seems to work well. He is fresh and reads well in the morning.

English

learnt and practiced using nouns, rhymes, identifying syllables, alphabetical order, adjectives and verbs (and did some drama acting out verbs). My home schooler enjoys word finds and reading comprehension. He looked at story characters, flow charts of how stories have a beginning, middle and an end. The difference between fiction and non-fiction. We have studied word families. Did a book report.

April Fools Day – did a cloze activity sheet

Dolphins – reading comprehension and learnt about Opo

Treasure Island Unit Study – researched what was in the Captains sea chest and discussed what My home schooler have in his and why. Then we found a picture online of some of the coins that may have been in the money bag. Made a Captain Pirates flag. Reading comprehension. Writing. Learnt about parrots. Looked at videos about our native parrots – the kea and kakapo. Made a treasure map and went on a Treasure hunt. Saw the video and also a documentary about the Wahine disaster.

Little House Series – This term read the first book in the series. Reading Comprehension. Talked and looked at photos of animals that lived In The Big Woods. Cooked Johnny Cakes. Geography started looking at where certain things in the Little House series happened. Listened to music from that era. Learnt about panthers. Made a nature book as Mary and Laura may have had made out of old brown wrapping paper. Made a paper doll with clothes. Looked at a picture of the house that Laura lived at in this part of her story and a look at what their dog would have looked like. Started making a time line. Learnt about the history of the New Zealand stamp and learnt that people use to pay for the pages in a letter before stamps. Looked at maple sugar production in the old days. Animal tracks. Made a tin light. Looked at a cradle is.

midsummer night dream study – reading, reading comprehension, watched some video clips about the play art, an introduction as to who William Shakespeare was and music

self directed During his own time My Home Schooler enjoyed listening to some stories on tape

visited the library

A relatively new subject we are studying daily. This was requested after watching the “Left Behind” video at youth group. I have read to My Home Schooler from “Growing Up Where Jesus Lived” by Joan Ripley Smith and he did reading comprehension questions that went with it. We are also looking up the bible references as they occur in the book. We had discussions on the differences between living then and now and My Home Schooler made a scroll. Studied what a tabernacle was like.

mixtures and how mixing them together can cause chemical reactions

siphoning

My Home Schooler has enjoyed many experiments covering these science topics

My Home schooler enjoyed watching the Suzy science videos and using her internet site and other internet sites to learn about Autumn, wind, trees and the insects that live in our garden, chlorophyll and photosynthesis, how airplanes fly. from these videos and associated work sprung a weekly study on insects. Which My Home Schooler named A Bugs World. We are studying a different insect each week so far we have looked at worms, flies, bees and ladybirds.

We went and saw a interactive talk about the Sea and the creatures who live in it at a local school and also many displays in town this was all for sea week

did some online dissections

Vegetables study and planted some carrots and studied their growth. Labeled the parts of a flower and a plant.

see unit studies – Little House Series and Treasure Island Unit Study

bike riding

My Home Schooler has made good use of the basketball hoop I brought him. he has also gotten interested in ball handling skills.

swimming and was able to try out flippers

sometimes My home schooler will extend upon the activity an example of this was when he decided to write a thank you note upon a card he made for his old teacher aide

Has submitted many drawings to an online drawing site. He seems to enjoy their themes and seeing his drawing online. He even shows his sense of humor though some of his drawings.

Made a pumpkin head

see unit studies – Little House Series and Treasure Island Unit Study

studied folk music

studied The Tale of Tsar Saltan that can be found here. We read about Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov and then listened to The Flight of the Bumble Bee on UTube. Then we explored the fact that he used the violin, the string family and flute to convey the tune and flight of the bumble bee.

played with an orchestra – using this site

Beethoven

see unit study – Little House Series

My Home schooler continues to go to scroll sawing club with Mr Wonderful

He has also enjoyed cooking both twice a week in the forms of dinners and during school time in the form of making chocolates, muffins, cheesecakes and a chocolate cake. He has learnt that sometimes just as science experiments do sometimes cakes dont turn out well. We must however try try try again and not give up. One of the cheese cakes was for the ladies at playgroup and was received with much appreciation.

Watched new concrete being poured next door.

self directed Created using his toys and counters, building builds, number counters and railway track links made a construction and looked at how spiral stairs were made.

Waitangi day

The Vikings

My Home schooler enjoys learning and at times has been motivated enough to do his own learning this was evident when he watched some of the movies on this internet site

Ireland and St Patricks day unit study which covered maths, art, English, presidents and prime minister of Ireland

Easter incorporated as a unit study which covered maths, English, reading and looked at the way Easter is celebrated around the world, art, cooking, music

Current events looking at news videos with Mr Wonderful

Stonehenge. discussed his ideas about how the stones may have gone up. I lead him though a study I had made last week. We were able to reflect on the fact that one of the ways they made Stonehenge was using a lever. He also made a diorama of Stonehenge.

ANZAC report for scouts – researched

see unit studies – Little House Series and Treasure Island Unit Study

Geography learnt where certain places in New Zealand are

This term saw My Home Schooler go on a camping weekend with the Youth Group. There he was able to mix some 200 other children. A very enjoyable weekend.

I am so pleased my Home Schooler joined Sea Scouts this term. He has had a great many opportunities to join in on some very worthwhile activities. I am still blown away by the fact that after just having joined them he was included in the Veronica Bell Guard duty. He also had the chance to mix with other boys and be led by a great Scout master who expects the best out all the boys. He rafted down some local rivers, enjoyed the national mud sliding afternoon and has learnt to row a boat on a regular basis too.

My home schooler has been a helpful member of this community activity. Helping me set up each time and get involved – playing and looking after the children and join in on the art activities. He also helped me led a session one day.

This term we have gone to the Silky Oaks Chocolate Factory, the local pools, Ocean Spa, The Faraday Centre and to the Rocky Shore with the home schooling group. Upon these field trips he has had the opportunity to mix with other home schoolers and learn about chocolate and gears, levers and pulleys. He has enjoyed swimming and playing in water too.

One Saturday we went and watched some model airplanes flying. Another Saturday night he attended a Christian concert and saw a dramatic play one of the bands put on.

Went fishing and caught a fish which he went on to cook