This year, it was time to put more of a focus on Language Arts. Bug reads a lot and has excellent comprehension skills, but it's becoming apparent that he's not a natural speller. I also felt that it was time to start learning how to write papers and stories. He has an amazing, creative mind and on his list of 'things to do when I grow up' is to become an author. I might as well use that to my advantage to get him writing more!
After adding in our curricula choices for writing and spelling, our day looked too full. I wasn't happy with how much time we'd be needing every day, but I wasn't sure what to do. I was also worried because I have days/weeks where my health gets the better of me and I'm not able to do as much in the school department.
That's when I figured out that one of my 'time suckers' was math. MEP is a great curriculum, but it's very teacher intensive. He is also behind where he could be if math had been done every day. I felt this was doing a big disservice to Bug because he's very competent in math but I wasn't teaching him at the level he should be learning at.
After much prayer and consideration, I made the choice to change his math. He is now doing a self-paced combination of Life of Fred and Khan Academy. He has to do math for 30 minutes a day, but those 30 minutes can be any combination of LoF or KA. He started with Life of Fred last year and at the beginning of this school year he was starting Edgewood. His goal is to complete all of the elementary and intermediate books by the end of this school year. Khan Academy is completely new for him this year, but at this point he's really enjoying it. He strives to earn badges and master subjects
These changes are taking some getting used to in our every day. I prayed and pondered over the decisions before making them, so I trust that they are what God wants us to be doing this year. I'm looking forward to seeing Bug's growth in both math and writing!
Do you make changes when you see the need arise?
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