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Setting Sail For An Alphabet Reveiw

It is June and we are pretty much wrapping up our year. I can't even believe what a difference I have seen from the beginning of the year to now in my son. When we first started with Mother Goose Time he couldn't write his name, could barely count to 10, and knew none of his letters. I couldn't even get him to color his own coloring sheets, do the art projects himself, or sit for any length of time to even try to do a lesson. Over this last year I have watched him connect with each monthly theme and get excited to learn. He stays excited and engaged for each theme and eager to find out what we are learning about next. He just this week started writing his name on his own. We started off the year by doing his name for the name tags and the journals by using a yellow marker for him to trace, then I wrote his name on a piece of paper for him to copy, and just this week he told me he didn't need the paper and he wrote it all by himself. He is also counting to 20 with only a few mix ups and he is even participating in the Invitation to Create art projects. I love the Invitation to Create projects because I can really see what he has learned by noticing what he adds to his work and listening to him explain what he has made and why. He usually takes what he has learned and applies it to his artwork to make pictures that are meaningful and great examples to keep for his portfolio as assessment tools. The change in him is amazing. I love the theme based learning for him and I was really surprised about how everything could be connected through one theme every month, but it absolutely works and I think it makes him feel like he is learning about something fun and not just being forced to sit down and learn about letters or numbers. Lessons this way feel natural and easy. There is no forcing anything and no wondering how things will connect later. Mother Goose Time takes care of all this.

So while we are basically starting "summer break" we will still be continuing on with Mother Goose Time. They have curriculum that continues on through the summer and while it will be great to keep our momentum going it will also guarantee that we have some really awesome projects to work on during the summer. After all we are homeschoolers and learning in real life never really just stops.

This month for June we are doing Alphabet Island, the kids are really excited about this one because it is just a really great summer theme of beaches, seashores, pirates, boats, island dancing, music, etc. I mean how perfect to start off the summer learning about island type stuff. I am liking that it is giving us one more look at all the letters. This year was almost like a slow easy start to learning for us. My son was so far from being ready to do real school that we tried this as a fun way to get excited about learning. Next year I think he will be more ready to get down to business and start retaining information a little better. I will be making a goal for him to learn the letters and their sounds. So in the meantime this is just a perfect little wrap up of our intro year. We have already talked about all the letters in the previous months but now we are getting a chance to see them all again. One thing I am loving about this month is the Alphabet Island coloring book that came with this months box.




Each day in the Teacher Guide there is a section that tells you what page to do in the coloring book. It asks the student to color the letters and then gives a little activity to complete. On the C page he was instructed to write C's on the captains scroll, and on the I page he was supposed to write I's on the island. This has been a lot of fun for him. As you can see he still isn't big on coloring but he has been excited to write the letters in the pages so far. Another fun thing this month that is in the Teachers Guide that ties into this is a letter hunt. We made a little Island out of a paper bowl and some blue construction paper. I placed it on a table and added a little cup with 10 craft sticks that we sat next to our island. The point is to do the alphabet Island book and then go hunt for more of the letter that you are working on for the day. When you find the letter you move a craft stick onto the Island. This has been so much fun. I have added to it by placing the Island on a table and adding sensory items to it to help reinforce the letter of the day. I add the alphabet cube cards that I saved, also the cookie cutter letter, and the foam letters we got this month. I also add the recommended stories to the table after we are done reading them for the day so they can look through them anytime they want. I have tried to make it a very hands on table.




This is what the table looks like first thing in the morning. I have told them that if they find items that start with the letter that they can place it onto the table as well. This has been such a fun addition to our mornings and both my kids have been having fun with it. Even my 8 year old has been searching for letters. She has a little competitive streak in her. I will be continuing this for the duration of the month to help us get excited about identifying the letters. Can't wait to review more letters and learn about the beach next week.


*Mother Goose Time has generously provided this curriculum to us in exchange for our stories and honest opinions*



 

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