Weekly Wrap-up - Back to Basics Begun 9-11-09

I have to be honest, this 'Back to Basics' thing is necessary, but for me it's an adjustment. I feel like Laura may be getting what she needs, but I'm going through some withdrawl. LOL. Laura works more independently this way, but I am so used to spending a large amount of time teaching that it is different. She's liking the workbooks, except the handwriting. I think next week we're going back to A Reason for Handwriting. Laura enjoyed that much more. She still is getting into the habit of writing in cursive all the time. She naturally just wants to print. She has to be reminded.
This week went well. Tasha scored well on three tests. She likes her lessons. I'm not so sure I like her curriculum for every subject. However, it is under the umbrella of a private Christian school, so we are sticking with them. I think they get the point of the lesson across. Considering that we didn't plan on homeschooling Tasha, I am happy they are working out for her.
I've spent a lot of time online researching different companies. Using the workbook approach is not something I thought I'd be doing, so I really haven't looked into it a whole lot. Laura loves it however. So, I have been reading all the reviews for different companies. I didn't even know about one company. I thought there was only a couple. Money is limited, and I don't want to spend any more money on something that isn't going to work for us. I'm kind of taking the 'little at a time' approach. I buy one or two workbooks for a few dollars. We work in it for a week or two. If we like it and it seems comprehensive, then we'll stick with it for that subject. If we don't like it or it just doesn't seem right for us, we move on. Luckily for me we homeschool in a time where there are options and choices in the curriculum publishers and the products they sell.
I'm hoping withing the next couple weeks I'll have figured out for certain which direction we are going to take with Laura for every subject. I know that I might use two or three different publishers for different subjects. I'm content with that as long as I know that what I am using is what is right for my daughter. I don't plan to jump around long either cause that is only going to be detrimental for Laura in the long run.
Of course, living books still draw me. We headed to the library earlier. Between me and Laura, we walked out with several books. I let her choose this time what she is going to read. I picked The Year of Miss Agnes and The Bears on Hemlock Mountain for her first two reading books, which she finished. Laura got to pick her book from the 4th grade Accelerated Reader books, as long as I got to check it first. I don't want her reading junk, and some of the Accelerated Reader books are not ones I approve, but many are wonderful. So Laura has a couple readers that I'll be scheduling in over the next couple weeks.
As I plan Tasha's lessons this weekend, I intend to send her to the library Monday if her English has no major reading coming up. I know she has another book, The Hiding Place, to read before Christmas. However, I think she has a couple weeks before that begins and I want her to be reading something.
I am hoping we solidify Laura's schooling soon and get on a schedule. I miss read a-loud time. We haven't really had time for it this past week, and I want to get back to it. I plan to use our Heart of Dakota materials for read a-louds. I may throw in a library book here or there. The book selections for Heart of Dakota are just amazing, even if we aren't utilizing the entire program. It was the books that interested me from the beginning.
This weekend is going to be one where I hope we can all just relax and recharge. We all worked hard this week.