By


Calendar Skills

I got this idea after reviewing the Saxon Math K book. Everyday, the text suggests letting your child make patterns with colors to mark the days on the calendar. We aren't going to use Saxon K after all. Norah would be bored to tears, since she has been introduced to most, if not all of the material with Bob Jones K4. We plan to go right on to Saxon 1, but we do need to continue working on her calendar skills in the meantime.

Norah has a little calendar I got her at the start of the year. I suggested the idea of making patterns by coloring the blocks different colors and Norah loved it. So, starting on March 1, she picked two colors: green and pink, and we've been alternating them every day. Next month, Norah has plans to repeat about five colors in a pattern. Whatever she wants.

We do this whenever we remember to: in the morning, before we officially start lessons for the day or at night before bed, if we had to be out all day. This gives Norah practice with several skills that come up quite naturally while we do this together.

Days of the week
"What's today?" or "When do we go to church?"

Months of the year
"Find this month. January, February, March... That's right. It's March." or "What is next month?"

Counting
"What number is in today's box?"

Time
"How many days until Saturday?"

Patterns
"What will we color the box today?"

Predicting
"What will we color tomorrow?"

Ordinal Numbers
"Today is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd... 12th. That's right."

Saying the Date
"Today is Thursday, March the 12th. What is the year? ...2009. So, today's full date is Thursday, March the 12th, 2009."

The other night at dinner, Dwayne asked randomly, "What's today's date?" I didn't know. Without even lifting her head from looking at her plate, Norah said, "March 11th." We were both floored.

This consistent practice works!

Comments

carrie said…
We finished Saxon K about a month ago. Christopher did test out of it, but I talked to someone at Saxon and they encouraged me NOT to do Saxon 1 with a 4yo. We'd do about five lessons a day and we would have finished it much quicker if we actually did it five days a week. It was all review (except for time and money), but he had a lot of fun playing shopping games and using pattern blocks. I have Saxon 1 and we're going to start it. Have you ever seen Singapore Math? I'm really interested in it, but I'd love to see it first before I decide to switch.
March 31, 2009 at 2:24 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

By
Image
"...the child should have a set time everyday to read for fun. Begin with half an hour for first graders, and build up to an hour of reading time daily... This is an important part of the child's education: it improves his reading skills, teaches him the habit of sitting still with a book, and reminds him that reading is fun... free reading ought to be spent on literature at or slightly below the child's present reading level so that he can simply enjoy himself. The easier reading will help him increase his speed." The Well Trained Mind: The Guide to Classical Education at Home by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer
Read more

Andrew Peterson's Songs That Celebrate Marriage and Family

By
Recently, I got to go to an Andrew Peterson concert at the Community Coffehouse in Danbury, CT. My dear friend and I didn't realize the show was sold out when we arrived.  But luckily, the lady at the door showed us pity, let us pay for tickets that didn't exist, and go in. We were willing to stand at the back, but we were able to find space on a bench at the back of the hall. I knew a few of the songs he sang that evening, but many of them were new to me because I have a hard time with new music.  I'd rather sing a song I already know by heart a hundred more times than hear a new song through even once. I know it is a problem that I need to work on if for no other reason than for the sake of my poor husband and daughters who have to hear the same albums everyday for a year. No, really. A year. At least. I have been giving myself permission to buy new music for this reason. So I came home that evening or maybe it was the next day and I purchased three of hi
Read more

Astronomer Shoe Boxes for Challenge B

By
Image
  Avril finished her astronomer shoeboxes for Challenge B.   The Challenge B students have all done research and projects on astronomers throughout this first semester.  Now, students choose two (or more) astronomers in secret and provide clues to the astronomers' identities in their shoeboxes.   For instance, if an astronomer made telescopes, sang opera, played piano, discovered binary stars or Uranus, studied eclipses, lived in a simple, log cabin, or made a map of Washington D.C., you might include some of those items to your shoe boxes as hints.  Student bring in their shoeboxes, and classmates get a chance to guess who the astronomers are based on what's inside the boxes.  Can you guess who Avril's astronomers are based on the pictures above?  Hint: Her two boxes actually represent three astronomers total.  
Read more