homeschool :: second grade

We are now well into our homeschooling year, and second grade appears to be coming along quite well.

Late in the summer we finally administered Claire's end-of-grade standardized test (we used the untimed version of the CAT for reading, writing, and math) that we are supposed to have on hand for the state (though I hear they never check for it).  She loved taking it- no doubt that has a bit to do with the novelty of a 'real' test for a homeschooler.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but we came out of it with a good idea of where we were and how to approach the coming year, and feeling reassured that we aren't completely ruining our daughter, education-wise (that's a joke, really- I know we aren't ruining her).

Though much is the same in terms of how we go about our homeschool days and how we organize ourselves and our work (we still start our days, typically, at the dining table while I'm drinking tea and getting her breakfast going, we are generally studying the same subjects, I picked up the same style notebook (an 8.5x11 notebook by Fabriano, got it at AC Moore) that I used last year for planning because I like it so much...), there are a few things that have changed.  Though we had a bit of unscheduled time and plenty of 'go with the flow' moments last year, they came after the work, or during breaks in between.  I wanted to change that, to loosen it up a bit.  So this year we are spending our Wednesday mornings in the woods.  I've been calling it "Forest Day".  We rotate the trails and destinations between 3 or 4 main places and we have 4 or 5 families that often join in.  Sometimes I bring along guide books and magnifying glasses and scavenger hunt sheets and art supplies and such and sometimes I don't.  Mostly, I don't.  Forest Day is the only thing on our homeschool schedule on Wednesdays, and it has been so nice.  During her kindergarten year we essentially 'unschooled', and at first I thought that would be the route we'd take last year as well.  However, once we got going with first grade it seemed like we both needed a bit more of a rhythm and a plan.  And then somewhere along the line I think the plan just evolved into more structure than I'd really anticipated.  Forest Day loosens that up a bit and, for me (and for her, I'm quite sure) helps to bring about some balance to the week and to our time.  Our life is so nature-rich that in the past I haven't felt the need to schedule time in nature, was hesitant to do so, actually.  I suppose maybe I scoffed at the idea a bit, honestly.  But this weekly time that we plan on being in the forest with friends- it's great.  I love it.

The rest of the time, we are filling our school days with all sorts of things.  There are weekly spelling words (again, the 'test' is her favorite part), grammar (we've been talking about nouns, verbs, and adjectives, as well as present and past tense verbs), lots of cursive practice, and loads of reading.  In math we started the year doing a pretty in depth review of place value and now we are mostly working through a math workbook with a pretty varied focus.  In social studies we reviewed the continents and oceans, and have started reading about ancient history using the books pictured above as our guides. In science we've studied bats and trees and insects, did a rock and mineral study, and are currently talking about earth science and the formation of the earth.  There are birds, bees, flowers, monarch-rearing and observing, and so much more.  Theater performances at a couple different theaters in Asheville.  She plays her ukulele, takes weekly horseback lessons, comes with me to art class.  It's a good place we're in.  I do think we've really found our groove.