We are officially done with our first week of the new school year. It's hard to believe that this is my 4th year doing this, and Addy has started her Kindergarten year. We are super excited and also nervous about her. It's clear that she has some learning disabilities but we are going to be working extra hard to get her to where she needs to be. She is still seeing her speech and OT therapists, but we might be pulling her out because she has been doing it for 2 years and she has not improved greatly. Sammy and Ariana are doing well, and Sammy is doing more independent work. I have come up with a schedule. Since Cayce gets up early in the mornings, I almost always get up with him and start work for the day. I have decided to start Samantha at 8AM, then Ariana at 9AM, and then Addy at 10AM. That gives them each an hour of the school day with my attention focused only on them, and to help with what they need. This first week was exhausting, but very fun. I will only be posting a few pictures for each day, I will not be posting every one.. that's just to much and this post would be hella long and never be done.
Monday: Today was a fun first day. We were all excited and also ready to just get things rolling. I was dreading it because our summer was so bad and it went by too fast that I was not ready for this school year. I am still not ready but I am making lifestyle changes to keep stress down.
They have the same morning work as before. Addy is going to be doing some stuff differently until I can find the notebook sheets that I used with Sam and Airy. I am totally unprepared for this school year, but I am making it work.
Then I had Sammy and Airy do some worksheets that I printed out at the end of last school year to have them do during the summer which we did sporadically. Addy worked on her cutting and gluing while they did that.
They did a whole lot more, including writing and Easy Peasy. We also started reading a new book. Mr. Popper's Penguins. We listened to it on audiobook last year, but we didn't really get into it that way.
Tuesday: Today was another good day. We did a lot more work and we are actually getting things done according to plan. I still don't have a concrete plan for Addy. I am doing Easy Peasy with her and we are working on her handwriting. She prefers her left hand to write and it is definitely a challenge. She uses both hands for a bunch of things and I am wondering if she will be ambidextrous when she is older. Whenever she goes over to my parent's house, I always ask my mom to help her with her writing because my mom is left handed.
Another reason we will be pulling her out of speech soon is that she has been going to the same place for two years and she is still struggling with her ABC's and numbers. It is ridiculous. They are so focused on her doing tasks by herself that they aren't focusing on her vocal and basic skills which is the only reason she was recommended was because of her speech delay. When you show her how to do something, she picks it up instantly.
I had Sammy and Airy review math skills. Yes I let me kid use a calculator, she will be doing more without it this year.
Wednesday: Addy has speech on Thursdays, so I started Samantha and Ariana early just to get some one on one time with them and give them my full attention and get some of their must do work done. Sammy started a few minutes before 8 and I started Ariana around 9 and Addy got back around 10. I did count Addy's speech appointment as part of her school time.
numbers
tangrams
words
5 out of 6 right
she made April the Alligator
Thursday: We had such a good day yesterday, even though it was tiring, I decided to make it another early morning. Sammy was not expecting it at all and was surprised to be waken up by me and for me to actually be up at 7AM.
Working on her typing. Which is her favorite thing to do.
She is learning how to read a dictionary this year. Funny thing is, that I got this dictionary when I was in third grade. :D
the words that Samantha was looking up.
Their first quiet time together of the year.
Addy doing reading eggs for the first time.
Friday: The 5th day of school. We had another early day and today was also the first shutdown that Addy had this week. She has done so well all week, but 10 minutes before we were going to be finished, she did her shutdown. That is what the therapists call it when she just does not co-operate. Since she did it at the very end of the day on the last day of the week, I let it slide. I wasn't going to get anything else out of her because she was exhausted more than her sisters.
working on math in her pajamas
listening to April the Alligator
doing her first freewrite of the year.
We finished the book yesterday, so we are watching the movie today. We enjoy the movie much more because Jim Carrey..duh!
Addy finished her day with handwriting and dominoes and then the shutdown.
WHEW... this post turned out so long. I have over 50 pictures and I chose the ones I like and that show what they are doing. Today was a relax day for me and it was a pajama day for the girls, so that is why this post is going up so late. Tomorrow will be a family day before another busy week ahead.
