Our Little Corner: Better Late Than Never!

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Better Late Than Never!

We've had our Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) materials since last spring. My plan was to start them last summer but we were incredibly busy. Then the plan was for the fall. Again it was postponed. Today was THE day! We finally sat down and had our first official lesson.

Elvis' book is printing. Now he has known how to print all his letters for quite some time. The reason I am having him do the HWT book is because I want him to learn the correct way to print. Sometimes he gets frustrated printing his letters and I believe this program will help build confidence. He enjoyed the little "tricks" and sayings today that help him remember how to form the letters. We worked on F, E, & D.

Boo actually asked several times if she could start her lessons today. I was happy to hear that! She has always struggled with handwriting. I bought her the cursive HWT to help her and build confidence in her as well. I think her struggles are due at least in part to her sensory issues. She enjoyed her lesson and was thrilled with her success.

First the Whiteboard

Our first step was to practice on the whiteboard. I decided to use whiteboards instead of chalkboards. We found these neat crayons that easily write & wipe off. We bought the crayons & the whiteboards from Miller's Pads & Papers.

Very Pleased!

Tracing

We changed step 1 from the whiteboard to tracing the letter with his finger. He traced & said the steps out loud. This may seem little but it helped a lot!

Printing in His Book

Notice his tongue? Lol!

Next Letter, Please!

The next letter to practice was 'E'.

Practice Makes Perfect

Bugs

Bugs saw the whiteboard crayons and wanted to color too. Sweet Pea brought out his truck coloring book & he got right to work.

Last Letter of the Day is 'D'

After putting the wood pieces together and tracing them with his finger it was time for the whiteboard again.

Great Job!

Boo Was Thrilled with Her Success

Successive C's

Boo learned fun sayings to go along with her writing. It's amazing how much these help.

They are both looking forward to their next HWT lesson!

1 comment:

Mama Teaching 3 said...: Glad your enjoying the HWT's books!; Thursday, April 10, 2008

SUMMERTIME 2012

2012

It was a year full of learning not only educational-wise but life lessons too. We have come to treasure those we love more than ever. Family time is to be savored and memories to be created and viewed as priceless. And our Lord is to be praised, trusted & loved.

We are enjoying our summer. It is full to overflowing with VBS volunteering & attending, Taekwondo, park playdates, gardening, Staycation, camp, birthday parties, visits from loved ones, adventures & day trips, friends, outdoor fun, swimming, summer treats, church & lots of trips to the library. It is wonderful to have some time to renew & relax.

OUR 12th YEAR

It is hard to believe we are in our 12th year of homeschooling. Where does the time go? It seems as if I should feel like an expert by now. But that's not the case. I learn more every year & always look forward to the opportunity to grow.

This year we have made some big changes. At first I was a little cautious wondering how we would handle this. But God has been amazingly gracious. We have made many new & wonderful friends. Even with cutting back our schedule is full to overflowing with fantastic & fun opportunities & experiences.

I look forward to seeing what more God has in store for us this year and sharing it with you, our friends & family.

Summer, Here We Come!

We are winding down our school year. We've finished our co-op studies & had our last classes of the year. AWANA is almost over as well as TKD. The spring soccer season is in full swing. Soon summer will be here. Swimming, park days, field trips, VBS, popsicles, gardening, bike rides & fun with friends are things we are all looking forward to. We will be doing some fun studies over the summer as well. Some we have already begun!
As always our days are full to the brim. Many like to comment that Dave & I have our hands full. I agree. Our hands & lives are full of fun, laughter, learning & growing. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

A New School Year

School has begun! It isn't officially fall here yet but our fall activities have started. We are now back in AWANA, Wednesday night groups, Sunday school, soccer, homeschool & 2 family learning co-ops. This week we have added Taekwando to our schedule. Yes, we are busy! On top it all off I am co-leading our large, church homeschool support group. We kicked off the new school year with a picnic. It was an amazing time & lots of fun was had though the weather tried it's best to ruin it. God prevailed!

This year we have a 9th grader (How did we get to high school already?), a 6th grader, a 3rd grader and one in Kindergarten. And don't forget our little toddler!!!! As many like to comment yes, we have our hands full. Our hands are full of blessings, of life and of love. Some days bring more challenges & tough times but through it all we grow stronger & closer.

Announcement *

She is here! Safe & sound & BEAUTIFUL! We are all wrapped around her little fingers. Our little princess arrived on
April 6 at 8:06a.m. by C-section. She surprised us all by weighing only 7lbs. 9oz. We had expected her to be at least 9lbs. based on the ultrasounds. She is also 19.5 inches long. A little peanut!
As you can see from some of her hospital photos she is already learning to accessorize. Lol. The nursery nurses at the hospital stuck a pink bow in her hair. I love it!
I will not be publishing her real name on my blog due to safety reasons, (just like I have done for my older children), but if you'd like to know feel free to email me privately and I'd be happy to share.