Catching Up & Moving Along...

Summer has flown by so quickly! Next week, we'll be back in the thick of things, though we did manage to have a lot of fun the last couple of months.

Catching Up...

There's been fishing, hanging out in scenic spots, and -- for me -- trail running:

And a day at the local fair, thanks to a set of free tickets I won from the bank! We went on some rides, ate funnel cakes, gazed at the amazing flower show, and visited the animals!

I even have a classroom now! There's been continued truck work, and some random fun moments along the way.

Moving Along...

The Boy starts a stellar astronomy class next week, so we're shelving chemistry for now. The Girl has a new volunteer orientation coming up at the local wildlife rescue center, so fall will be spent studying and rehabilitating animals.

I start my new career next week! I have my first day planned, my syllabus written, and a few writing assignments designed/under design. And I start my own classes.

We'll start our full-on homeschooling after Labor Day. Our first read-aloud for literature will be Watership Down. For animal studies, The Girl will be reading various selections from our collection of vintage books, alongside numerous library books, and I think she and I will enjoy The Tarantula in My Purse and 172 Other Wild Pets. She and I will also work on turning our habitat plans into reality.

Hope your summers have been going well!

Remediation...

This is a somewhat difficult post for me to write. It is not easy to admit...well, not failure, but...maybe a lack of success. 

Ever the "Doubting Thomas"

My daughter is very smart. There's no doubting that. She knows so much more about animals than I could imagine knowing. She can figure out technology, apps, etc. She is creative, funny, and very passionate. She's also dyslexic, and has some processing issues.

But, when it comes to certain basics—namely math and, even more so, spelling—she lags behind where I'd like her to be. So I've come to the conclusion that eighth grade will be a Year of Remediation for her, before we reach high school.

I am trying to choose materials that I believe will work for her, and that will not make her feel "dumb" or "behind". Reading Horizons worked wonders for her reading skills. The fact that she's deep in the world of Harry Potter never fails to thrill me! She reads a lot of nonfiction too, hence much of the animal knowledge.

So what to do? What to choose? For spelling, I'm sticking with the approach that taught her to read... Orton-Gillingham. To make it simple for myself, I decided on All About Spelling, which is based on OT, and is a multisensory program (multisensory = good for my daughter).

As for math, I have a few options I am considering, with the current forerunner being AGS Basic Math Skills, which covers middle school math using 3rd-4th grade reading levels. While that is below her current reading level, I think it would make it all that much easier. I also like the layout, which is pretty uncluttered. If she didn't dislike it so much, I'd return to Saxon. Other options include CLE, or maybe Lial's Basic College Math, but would the last be overwhelming? I'm even considering Math-U-See, but really don't know that much about it yet (and there is the cost). I do think the hands-on nature of Math-U-See would work well for her though...

Anyhow, it is a journey we will undertake over the next year. Do I wish we had started sooner? Yes, but really, there is little to be gained from regret. Additionally, I think she is ready for this level of dedication at this time.