Handwriting Y1

Aesop's The Fox and the Leopard Y1 G.

Handwriting for Year 1 is simple once I prepped it all for the year ahead of time. I used writing paper to copy the morals from Aesop's Fables we will be reading during the year--just a sentence and the story title really. I numbered them, put them in clear plastic sleeves, and spiral bound a separate writing tablet for beginning writers.

So we read a fable to two, then she hangs the 1" folder over her bin, open to what one she is on, and copies it in pencil--despite requests for pen. (I've heard pens are a good incentive for 4th graders...) Compliments on and requests for best handwriting made an overnight difference in effort and apperance. Mockingbird loves to illustrate hers so I eventually allowed 10 min to copy, 20 to draw--whatever works, right! I ended up letting her use another writing tablet that has pages half blank and half lined. Periodically I'll ask her to mark her best word and she'll put stars on them.

I think we may have a graphic novelist in the making.

Family Home Evenings that worked

 Family Home Evening is a night where we all gather to cheerfully and cooperatively bask in the glow of family. Sometimes it happens that way.

Here are three FHEs that went pretty well:

• Book of Scripture Picture Match--After talking about the different books of scripture, I wrote the titles on a big flat whiteboard in roughly the order they were written. Then I pulled out pictures from the Gospel Picture Kit and everyone guessed which book of scripture they went with, and I laid it in the right place. (and contrary to what my husband thought this was not an easy way for me to organize my mess of pictures....really.)

• Book of Mormon "Who Said"--Short on time--I finally pulled out "Who Said" for the first time. A game by Covenant that has 2 sets of cards; one with pictures and names of people (good and bad) in the Book of Mormon, and another set with scripture quotes, reference, then a picture of who said it. So we laid out all the people cards, and I would select 3 to choose from and read a scripture quote. We played 2 teams, and if they got it right they kept the person card. There are many versions, and this game would be easy to make on your own. Both of these FHEs were great for assessing what our children (9, 6, and 4y/o) already knew and easily pause to talk if they didn't understand something.

• Read from our Spirit Journal--a blank book we started way back. It has spiritual experiences in it involving our family. I put everything from our 4y/o praying and finding her lost  bug catcher to when people have generously served our family.

Mockingbird on Science

Mocking bird's life cycle:
"First your a baby born, then child, then grown up, then you die, then zombie..."

Mockingbird getting dressed;
"I can't get this infertile shoe on!"

As you can see, science lessons are progressing nicely...