I have been asking the kids to keep a regular journal this year. It is definitely something I’m going to keep doing. They enjoy it, often work on it while we are reading out loud together, and have an opportunity to get something on paper they care about or are thinking about while also working on writing. They are really too personal to publish, but the pictures the children drew during my mother-in-law’s hospitalization and death were so touching.

Here are some recent entries:

By our Little Cowgirl.

Shooter describing the events that led up to a late arrival to fifth grade band at our public school.

Here is Farmer Boy's journal, where he and his phonics tutor are roasting marshmallows over her stove top.

It has also given me an opportunity to see the children’s progress as the year moves along. Farmer boy switches between cursive and print, which is typical for someone making that transition – and even more so for someone who is dyslexic. He prefers to list the things that are happening in the day to come rather than write about something that has already happened. This is also typical of dyslexia (finding comfort in the routine he has found to work for him – making a list of things he knows are going to happen, and are frequently the same words).

It is heartening that, since we started school again after Christmas, he has been adding some new panache to his entries. He couldn’t resist writing about his black-felt dress cowboy hat from Santa. Often his entries will include very little writing and a detailed drawing, or enough writing that he is too tired to mess with the drawing. It is so important that I understand and respect his dysgraphia in this area. I do always insist on some writing, but I’ve never mentioned it if he doesn’t include a picture.

Last year, we used the Draw Your World program Draw Write Now, which we all liked, was lots of fun and included great art instruction. I would still recommend that program, but I’m going to keep my children working on free journaling because of the creativity and open-ended writing they embrace in this circumstance. Usually, lack of clear instruction and “write whatever you want” makes my boys want to cry…but they love journaling.

In perfect contradiction to our experience with math, we have used a wide variety of language arts products in our years of homeschooling.

I wonder if part of this is because language arts is MY THING, whereas math is NOT. I found a math program where I feel secure in the methods, and my children like it. Viola! At first I thought I was pickier about language arts because I love it so much.

But upon reflection, I realize it is more because my children all fit well with the math program we happened to try our first year, whereas they all have greatly different needs and abilities to consider when it comes to language arts.

I did find an excellent fit for Shooter, again by lucky accident and because I read tons of reviews, when I chose Handwriting Without Tears his first year. We are still using it now. It incorporates lots of grammar along with being simple and fun.

In case you couldn’t see it in the first picture:

Ahem.

We also use the Sonlight language arts program as an attachment to his literature. His copywork, grammar gems and writing activities are usually directly related to his reading – which is usually directly related to the period in history we are studying (this year it’s American history). Shooter uses the advanced readers. I love that Sonlight has different levels that match with a core in order to give a child work that will be challenging as well as applicable for them.

Shooter has worked on factual writing more this year – including outlines and a research paper. Language arts is probably his least favorite subject, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say he doesn’t like it. He likes it unless it involves ‘freestyle’ writing without enough parameters for his analytical brain.

Farmer Boy is a whole-nother ball of wax! Last spring, we finally screened for dyslexia and discovered he is dyslexic and mildly dysgraphic. Almost everything he does in school is modified because of this different way of learning. I am so happy to be able to do this for him without him comparing himself to same-age peers. He is hard on everyone, but especially on himself. It’s a gift for him to be working so well and having so little frustration this year.

I’ve been using the Sonlight Readers 2 and language arts program for Farmer Boy. He has been doing so well in his Alphabet Phonics tutoring and it is really showing in his reading level. He is *excited* to read his assignments this year, brags about how many pages he has read so far, and even read IN FRONT OF my entire family at Christmas this year. I had to leave the room because it made me cry – he refused to read in front of anyone (including his siblings and father) but me until the past few months.

Although I use the Sonlight language arts planner as a guide, he does most of his grammar work with his lovely tutor, Miss R, and I create spelling lists and grammar work based on what they have been doing in tutoring. He is being taught cursive handwriting by Miss R as part of his program, so he is receiving a different method of instruction than Handwriting Without Tears gave Shooter. Farmer Boy has been working on translating print into cursive, and high (tow-truck) connections:

Little Cowgirl is spending a lot of time on phonics this year, cementing what she learned in her kindergarten-level studies last year. We are using Saxon Phonics for homeschool, which I recommend. A lot. It has been a good fit for us, incorporates every learning style and is especially good for instructing dyslexic children (Cowgirl is probably mildly dyslexic according to her screening this summer). It can be broken into many different sections throughout the day or can be done all in one 45-minute setting (lots of it doesn’t happen while your student is sitting, though, it’s an active program).

She is also working her way through the Handwriting Without Tears Printing Book and likes the readers she is using. We found the readers for sale at a used curriculum book fair – they are public school castaways and are in terrific condition. Here is an activity she completed after finishing a recent story in the reading book:

These are the clues she wrote on the back of the page.

In case you can’t read her clues, they are as follows:
1. it is a bug.
2. I migrate.
3. I am poisonous, so do not eat me.

Here is her drawing on the front side:

A Monarch Butterfly!

Although I *always* want my children to do more creative writing, they either (a) hate it with a burning passion, or (b) aren’t ready to do it unless it involves dictating their story to me. So, although I do insist on a bit of it, they are mostly doing copy work and reading really excellent literature, which is probably most important to me. Being consistently exposed to good writing and being given the proper tools to employ, they will have the ability to communicate well in written form should they ever need or want to.

We have two additions to our school this year:  Meet Dyslexia and Dysgraphia, my son’s partners in education.  I don’t want to call them something negative – they are merely differences.  I don’t want him to view them as an albatross, or an excuse.  We all have different ways of learning and different needs that allow us to live better.  Some are more unique than others, but they all come with gifts if we can put our focus in the right place.

Here are things we are doing differently for third grade:

Farmer Boy has spent the summer in Alphabet Phonics, the Orton-Gillingham based method for reading mastery designed especially for dyslexic children.  He will continue with the program once the school year begins – and to his great relief it will be taking the place of the phonics work he and I have been doing at home.

He began learning cursive in Alphabet Phonics and will continue to work on cursive during school.  He will keep a journal this year – the other children will as well but this is mainly for him – by drawing and writing in a simple journaling book with triple lined writing guides on the bottom half of the page and blank space for art on the top half.  This will allow him extra cursive practice with open-ended subject (he really CAN write about farming every single day!) with lines to help guide and keep his writing in proportion.  Also I’m hoping it will hold his interest because he is expected to add a drawing.  This child is very artistic.

He is also going to be learning touch typing this year.  I have been looking at programs online but would LOVE some suggestions from families whose children have actually used some of the programs.

Many of the reading anxieties Farmer Boy would have suffered from in ‘regular’ school are avoided because we are homeschooling, as well as because of the methods of homeschooling that is working best for our family.  He doesn’t ever have to read aloud in front of a class.  He doesn’t suffer from comparing himself to his peers.  He knows his brother is two years older and supposed to be a better reader, and his sister is two years younger and just finished her first basic phonics program.  That being said, it breaks my heart to think of children suffering through early grade school with similar issues to my son.  My Farmer and I have said several times that, because of his particular, sensitive personality, he would have been absolutely crushed in so many ways had he spent first and second grade in a school system.  I’ve never met a child who is harder on himself than Farmer Boy.

We do most of our history, social studies and geography together during our read-aloud time.  He has great map skills for his age, and a terrific memory for names and historical events.  We will be doing our sciences all together as well this year, so Shooter will be taking care of any reading out loud for the worksheets.  As often happens between siblings in situations like this, Shooter picked up on Farmer Boy’s distress a long time ago and it has become automatic for him to read everything out loud without any prompting or picking.  Most of the time, this is terrific.  Seldom, but sometimes, it is a crutch I wish Farmer Boy didn’t have.  But I think he is getting more information from having a walking, talking Kindle as well as being constantly reminded of how many interesting things are out there in print than he would if I were to make it stop (like I even could!).  Shooter does such a great job of seamlessly reading anything that’s happening so Farmer Boy doesn’t even have time to think about feeling bad that he can’t read it fast enough himself (especially words that appear on TV).  As he gets stronger in his own skills, he will be openly relishing the opportunity to tell Shooter to stuff it, he can read it on his own, thank you very much!

As far as reading in and of itself, we are using the Sonlight Readers 2 regular program for Farmer Boy.  It is terrific that there is nothing about this program that would indicate to Farmer Boy that it is 2nd grade instead of 3rd grade level.  The less attention we can put on differences like this, the sooner he can catch up without having residual bad feelings.  We have been listening to some of the books on playaway or CD from our library, and reading the others for bedtime stories.  This way, when the story is assigned, none of it will be a surprise.  The child psychologist told us that, with his particular tendencies toward anxiety, he needed experiences to boost his confidence more than anything else.  That is what we are trying to do with this preparation.  There are a couple of books in the program that I feel are going to be too much, but I’m willing to wait and see what the year brings as he progresses.

He will also continue to sit with me and work through his math and language arts.  He loves Singapore Math, and the colorful textbooks and large-print work books appeal to him.  We were all shocked when, for the first time, he voluntarily began reading the directions and word problems after his diagnosis last year.  I am also prepared to work a lot of dictation from him as he completes assignments orally for language arts and creative writing.

I’m also planning on gleaning his assistance in his sister’s reading lessons.  Like all kids, he loves being the bigger kid and showing what he knows.  If it goes well, it should build his confidence and provide extra practice without him even thinking about it.

I will continue to post updates as the year goes on – about Farmer Boy’s progress as well as about how well or poorly these strategies work.  Please let me know if you have other ideas!