I’m a bit late writing this round up of our home education in July. It’s been a difficult weekend with various stresses and I’ve just not found the time to sit down and get it done.
July saw us wind up a lot of our projects and make a start on some of the longer ones we have, ready for September. We won’t take a full break, but there is definitely an easing up for us as we make the most of the less hectic days without the regular groups.
July started with us away on holiday in Northumberland. We had a lovely time and managed to pack lots into the trip. A particular highlight was the Scottish Sea Bird Centre which has sparked an interest in learning about the oceans for the Geography fair in September.
Once home we got back into the swing of things and carried on working through the maths work we have as well as recommencing our poetry tea time. Both the children seem to be doing well with their maths now, but it’s still a subject Daniel doesn’t relish! I am optimistic that things will soon click into place for him and make him a bit less resistant to doing his maths work. I am hoping to have Emma start the second set of Maths No Problem book by the October half term as she seems to be really secure on the areas we have covered so far. I just need to get those ordered or her
A big area that Emma has now started looking at is spelling work – her reading is really coming on and we have been looking at some simple spelling books (we like the Letts one for this). She’s much better than I anticipated so it’s been the right choice to introduce this to her now and we will be working on this more in the autumn as we begin to talk more about punctuation.
July also saw us finish up our CREST Star award. This has been a lot of hard work to get through but something that I am really glad I initiated. I think the children have all come away from the eight sessions learning something and they can be pleased with their work towards this award.
During July we have also had our Sports themed speaking and listening group and continued with Sassafras and learning about the body. We have attended summer-themed meet ups and had our annual sports day, which is the absolute highlight of the calendar for me. The children were in the winning team which they were very pleased about!
We have been to Madame Tussaud’s in Blackpool, hunted for giant bugs in the Trafford Centre and been fruit picking with friends. They’ve continued their Spanish lessons and worked on all manner of illustrations and Daniel even spontaneously wrote a poem! There’s been endless reading of books and playing of games and we have been making use of our National Trust membership with a trip to Dunham Massey. We also went on a rather soggy walk along the canal – and I’m hoping that the weather in August is a little drier!
It’s been a really busy month, and I am grateful that it’s now time to rest up, a little. We are still doing projects and maths and reading, but the groups have now been replaced with meet ups and arrangements with friends. Taking a short break allows me to think about what I want to work on with the children in the next academic year, and of course, review how things went according to last years plan!
Let me know your thoughts with a comment below