School is OUT!

All Saints Academy is out for the 2014-2015 school year! We did a lot this past year. Let's recap about what did and did not work for us.

Sebastian:

• We tried RC History which was full of unit studies. In the beginning we LOVED the curricula. However, it proved to be too teacher intensive as the year went on. I was very stressed out trying to plan for it so we dropped it in February and started filling in the blanks with other things.
• We are sticking with Math-U-See. It is a solid math mastery program and I have nothing bad to say about it.  Sebastian has learned all his multiplication facts this year and he will learn division next year. 
• We tried Spelling You See this year with him. It wasn't useful for us. We did 3/4 of the year but did not see ANY improvement in his spelling. If anything, his spelling got worse.  We went back to doing lists in February and we started seeing improvement again. I guess we shouldn't mess with what works.
• When we dropped spelling and RC History in February we decided to fill in the blanks with Catholic Heritage Curricula. We loved it!  It was gentle and to the point. Because it was easy to use with minimal planning from the teacher (me), we decided to go ahead and order it for next year. I look forward to spending less time teaching which will allow Sebastian to spend more time delving into his areas of interest and doing projects together. That is what makes learning fun!

Kaelyn:

• We spent the year learning the alphabet and at first I thought she would never learn, lol.  We created four different alphabet books over the course of the year. However, it is thanks to a Leap Frog DVD and Starfall on the iPad that she has learned most of her letters and their sounds!  She is very proud of what she knows and she likes to tell people she can read.  Not quite, but we are getting there.
• She has just started adding (on her own) and loves for me to make her math worksheets. I think she is ready for kindergarten this fall!
• We decided to also go with CHC for kindergarten next year. It is simple and will allow her to have plenty of time for crafty-crafties (her favorite "subject").

Summer Adventure List

Each summer I like to ask the kids what they want to do this summer. I want them to fill their summer days with wonderful memories and to get outside. As Ms. Frizzle says, "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!" Right now they are busy writing things on their lists.  I will update you when we have our full adventure list created.  I am sure we will have a great time this summer!  For now we have been spending time relaxing and not doing much. I think we need a week to deflate from the school year. (That and we haven't had any much nice weather since we finished school!)

For me, I want to get them to the beach, go to the cabin, cook on a charcoal grill, do many science experiments, and sleep in the tent in our backyard. I am a simple girl, so being with the family is adventure enough for me!