The Lesgaux School

About every three months, I look at our daily and weekly schedules and tweak them to reflect what we’re actually doing. This past weekend, I spent some time tweaking. I was looking forward to trying out our new schedules. Changes included adding a park day on Thursday so we could meet with a family that we usually see at our other park day. I’ve been enjoying getting to know this family better. There are two boys, roughly T & D’s ages. They are all so nice. They boys are well-mannered, and I enjoy visiting with their Mom. I also entered a more formal Circle Time onto our schedule to better incorporate poetry, art, music, folk songs, memory work, and Bible readings.

By breakfast Monday, I realized it was a no go. At least for now. Monday, I decided to take a Mama break. I felt very tired and washed up (out?). Tuesday, T showed valiant effort with his schoolwork. It was really a struggle for him, but he pushed on. We took lots of breaks. By the third subject, he informed me that the reason he was having such a hard time was that he was getting sick! Now he tells me. (sigh) If I had known, I would have canceled school much earlier. He spent the rest of the day on the couch or in bed. Today, he had a fever. I rescheduled his trip to the pediatrician for his yearly check up. Now, I realize that doctors treat sick people, I just wasn’t about to make him feel worse by making him get dressed up, put on his jacket, ride in the car after having told me he felt queasy and dizzy, and wait while his brother also has his check up. Nope. Not gonna do it.

Anyway, I went ahead and took R for his appointment. All went well. The doctor and I discussed the reasons why we could skip the three vaccinations he was scheduled to get. We decided that the benefits weren’t worth the pain and misery associated with shots. So, we went home happy and healthy. BTW, he’s 35 lbs. And 39 inches tall! Doc said he was “perfect”. I’m one happy Mama.

Friday was T’s 9th birthday.

I tried and tried to think of something clever to say, but came up with nothing. My oldest has only one more year of being a single digit. He is growing so quickly that it is sort of bittersweet. He is nearly as tall as I am, and only 1/2 shoe size smaller. (Ok, so I do have big feet.)

I can’t put my feelings into words about this very special guy. So, I’ll just say,

Happy Birthday Sweetie!May all your dreams come true and all paths be clear. I love you with all my heart!

Today was R’s 3rd birthday! Here are some pics of his presents. They have been in constant use by all three boys all day.

Please excuse me while I try on some new looks. Back to our regular posting in a few.

We’ve just finished our 7th day of school in 2007. We’re mostly on track, and I made a few changes. I can’t just say Term X, as different boys are in different terms of their respective years. T is in Year 2 Term 2. D is in Year 1 Term 1. R is in Year 0.

For D, we’ve decided not to put him into a school. After looking closely at the demands that the school would make on our family and school life, we felt that, logistically, it just would not work. We are looking instead at various home school classes. At the same time, I wanted to challenge him a bit more in school. To that end, I’ve started him in Ambleside’s Year 1. He turns 6 in March, so I’m not rushing too much. He can take more than 36 weeks to finish. If he finishes before T’s Year 3, I’ll probably create a Year 1.5 for him and start both boys on new years at the same time.

Here’s D’s workload for Year 1 Term 1:

Math – Modern Curriculum Press Level A (1st Grade)
Handwriting – Handwriting Without Tears
Copywork – Single Words from McGuffey’s Eclectic Primer
Memory Work & Recitation – A poem of his choosing.
English History – Our Island Story
American History – Benjamin Franklin
World History – Fifty Famous Stories Retold
Geography – Paddle to the Sea
Natural History – The Burgess Bird Book
Natural History – James Herriot’s Treasury for Children
Poetry – A Child’s Garden of Verses
Literature -The Aesop for Children
-Just So Stories
-Parables From Nature
-The Blue Fairy Book
-Shakespeare

He will be doing Artist & Composer Study, Spanish, and Bible reading with T.

I know this sounds like a lot, but keep in mind, not all subjects are done on all days. At most he does 2 readings a day plus either handwriting and copywork or math. The other subjects are only taught 1 – 3 times a week. By fall, I will expect math and copy work to be done daily.

Changes for T are not as drastic. Mostly, spelling is being replaced by dictation. He uses a copywork selection as his dictation. I’m also introducing daily typing practice so that he can begin typing his narrations next year. He is reading two books to himself: The Burgess Animal Book and Wind in the Willows. He is also plowing through the Additional Reading selections. His appetite for chapter books is growing, much to Mama’s delight!

R will be 3 this Sunday! I’m going to try to work more closely with him during school time, going back to Slow and Steady Get Me Ready for his basic curriculum. We are also reading slowly through the wonderful books listed for Year 0.

I’m sooo pleased with how things are going with Ambleside Online! If you’re not familiar with this curriculum, you really must check it out.

Today was our first day back after holiday. We will be taking down our tree and outside lights on Saturday. I hope everyone had a relaxing holiday.

School went very well today. We had an abbreviated first day back, doing only our tablework (math, spelling, copywork, and Greek) and two readings, Chapter 11 in Exodus and Chapter 6 from The Little Duke. D did 11 math problems and a slew of worksheets on alphabetical order. R worked on some Lauri number puzzles, colored with markers, and played in the rice tub. We start Year 2, Term 2 on Monday. I am amazed that we’ve kept to the schedule!

On another note, we have decided that it would be to everyone’s benefit if D were to attend a charter school in the fall. He will officially be in first grade. I’d love to continue AO with him, but we feel that he needs more contact with other children and a break with his brother. T has received a diagnosis of High Functioning Autism. His needs are better served at home. D, however, is more gregarious. He craves people. So we have found a charter school based on Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences. We will be filling out the forms and visiting the school next week. I hope this will be a good fit for him. I will continue to do as much AO with him at home as I can.

I’m trying not to feel like a homeschool failure with D. It’s just that we need to consider each child’s individual needs. T needs a 1-1 home environment. D needs more people. R is happy where he is for now. I do want DH and I to come up with an exit plan if the school doesn’t work out. Also, a list of criteria to determine how things are going with D. Until then, D will continue with AO. I may go ahead and start Year 1 with him in March..