A blog with a little bit of homeschooling, early childhood education ideas, photography, and faith.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Learning to Read
We started All About Reading Level 1 several months ago with 5yr. old dd. She knew all her letter names and sounds, so this was the next step for her. After a couple lessons though, we put it aside for awhile because she just wasn't ready to continue. She was having some difficulty understanding how to sound out words.
"P-a-m, --- tap!" she would say.
She just wasn't getting it, no matter how much we tried. I didn't want her to become frustrated or unsure of herself, so I decided to let her learn at her own pace and set aside formal reading lessons for awhile.
Fast forward a couple months and she was starting to recognize familiar words such as off, on, mom, dad, etc. So this past week we started back up with our reading lessons. Much to my surprise she remembered quite a bit! The assignment for the day was to read two stories in Run, Bug, Run! I wasn't sure how this was going to go--- if she was really ready for reading on her own.
I was shocked when she started reading! I mean, not sounding out the words but reading! We have a new reader in the house! I can't tell you how proud she is of this accomplishment.
She carries this book around the house and will read her stories to whomever will listen. She also sits and reads them over and over on her own! So now we will be moving through the rest of our AAR lessons. She's so excited to learn!
If you are wondering if you child is ready to read, check out this Reading Checklist.
This year I've had a hard time keeping up with school curriculum, lesson plans, and materials for my 6 children. I love organizing things, but for some reason I could not get certain subjects and their materials under control. Then my mom got an organizing tote from Thirty-One Gifts and my organizational wheels started turning. I wanted to take it from her, but she likes to carry her water kefir back and forth to work in her tote, so I had to get my own. (There is a way for you to get your hands on one too! Read the whole post)
Yes, I did get this bag to match my All About Reading Curriculum! ;) I decided to use my organizing tote for my 5yr.old's language arts curriculum. Everything I need to teach her is in this tote. She even knows its her tote, so when it is her turn, she'll bring it with her. Sometimes we have our lessons on the kitchen table, other times in the homeschool room and occasionally-- in the living room on the floor.
This is what the tote looks like when it first arrived (well, minus the pencil case I forgot to take out.) You don't have to use it for curriculum. The options are endless. I however, needed curriculum organizational help.
I purchased a clear, open top file box to slip into my 31 bag. You can find these on Amazon or at The Container Store.
The file box fit my curriculum perfectly. The problem was that it wasn't very easy to carry around and there was no room left for any pencils, pens, markers, etc.
But the file box paired with the 31 tote was a perfect match! Kind of like Oreos and milk-- a perfect combination :)
I love that all the pockets are on the outside! There are 3 pockets on the front, 2 on the side, and 2 on the back. So many places to tuck things in!
We've have everything we need for the lesson right at our fingertips.
My daughter's tote contains her All About Readingteacher's manual, student book, word cards, and 3 books. I also have her handwriting and another workbook she likes to use. In addition, I have file folders set up for sight-word practice. In these files are sight-word printables (a combination of You Can Read and Ready to Read) and sight-word cards. No longer do I start a lesson and have to get up and go find the other part! I love that both my boxed curriculum and my pieced-together curriculum can exist peacefully in the same tote.
Mary Beth, a Thirty-One consultant, is giving one of you a $25 gift certificate to shop in the Thirty One catalog with her! You can get your own organizing tote--or something else if you'd like! If something catches your eye in the catalog or if you have a question, feel free to contact Mary Beth directly.
Once again I am using Rafflecopter to organize this giveaway. If you are reading this in a reader, you will have to click over to the site to see the widget. There is only one mandatory entry, but lots of additional ways to enter too! (Please read the terms before entering)
Unless otherwise stated, winners have 72 hours from the close of the giveaway to claim their prize. If the prize is not claimed within 72 hours, an alternate winner will be selected.
Disclosure: I was provided Thirty-One organizing totes for review purposes only. Opinions are my own. I've owned several Thirty-One products and love them. There are also affiliate links in this post. Thank you in advance for supporting this site.
Meet Ziggy. Ziggy the Zebra (What? You’ve never seen a purple and blue zebra before?)
This week we started All About Reading Pre-Level 1. When I purchased my set, I did not get the puppet. After reading other reviews on how their children just loved the puppet, I decided I should get a zebra too. I was skeptical that it would be very helpful though.
Boy was I wrong! My girls love Ziggy. When we are ready to start our lesson, I tell them that it’s Ziggy Time and they come quickly. My 4yr. old and Ziggy lead us in singing the ABC song.
Of course so there will be no tears, my other daughter gets to use the pencil pointer while we are singing. The next day they switch props.
We also play games with Ziggy. Right now Ziggy is helping the girls understand rhyming words. Ziggy also reads a letter poem each day. Ziggy is so smart!
Sometimes playful props really do aid in learning. It makes it more like pretend play with a touch of learning added in for good measure. I’m glad I decided that we needed a “Ziggy” in the house.
Here are two free Ziggy the Zebra e-books:
Disclosure: There are affiliate links included in this post. Using them helps support this site. Thank you!
