Hi there, ...just thought I'd report in on how we are doing so far
this year.  Before I start I just want to say that I know I wrote
something to Donna in response to all the great suggestions she wrote
for me regarding my spelling/writing/hours dilemma... but when I went
back to my BBS to look at what I'd written, I couldn't find the 
messages, so, Donna, if you didn't get them because I didn't u/l them
right from Blue Wave, please accept my apology!  I did appreciate your
suggestions and wrote them in my list in my homeschool journal... the
list being ideas for spelling and writing projects.
Well, starting with spelling and writing... we have pretty much settled
into a routine with that, finally. :)  We have a table in the living room
we are currently calling the C table.  On it goes anything that begins
with the letter C.  Above it on the wall is a list of the c-words with
some illustrations by Aaron.  We review the words and discuss them and
the letter C every now and then.  Right now I'm taking about two weeks
for each letter.  Aaron is currently just being taught the letters from
A through K.  We add just a little bit at a time until he can remember 
them.  So far he just remembers A through H.  This is very slow for 
a six year old, I know... but for Aaron it represents tremendous progress. :)
In addition nearly every day Aaron will make up a story on some subject that
interests him.  Generally this is done verbally but I sometimes write them
down or have him make an illustration book, then add the words later.  I 
figure this is good practice in composition and even though he is not the
one doing the actual writing, our homeschool advisor apparently agrees with
me and accepts our story projects in the spelling/writing category.
The other thing I have Aaron doing for spelling and writing is completion of
pre-writing workbook pages... mostly comparisons, sequencing, and the like.
We have just gotten to the part of the book that starts using letters for
comparison, and Aaron is less than thrilled to see them... but hopefully
he'll adjust. :)  He does enjoy showing off how well he can say the 
alphabet (to H) so maybe he'll come around.  
For math I have found that Aaron can count only to about 6 so far, but he
is able to mentally add and subtract the numbers up to about 6, but not
on paper.  That surprised me.  I have been struggling to teach him to 
/recognize/ the letters and numbers.  He knows very few of them by sight 
so far.  It has been a many-years struggle to try to get him interested in 
learning these things.  It is just this year that he has shown any interest
at all.
Science and social studies have been easy because Aaron develops his own
interests in those areas so generally I just write down what he does all
on his own, and also try to find materials and information to help him
expand on his interests in those areas.  We have studied glaciers, ice,
the moon, the sun, gravity, the earth's rotation and orbit, mice, penguins,
bats, gardening, seasons, and much more, for science.  We now have a 
permanent little science table set up in the kitchen for experiments and
information.  Social studies have been on the Titanic, ships, shipwrecks,
museums, barber shops, stores, and the Jewish religion (one of many
religions I hope to study with Aaron)... and many other things I probably 
just can't remember right now.
Aaron has developed an art form all of his own: paper sculptures... I've
never seen anything quite like them, but he builds large and complex 
three-dimensional buildings, boats, airplanes, etc, all out of paper glued
or taped together.  The detail work he puts on is remarkable, I think, for 
a six year old child.  For instance, once he built a museum of history with 
n
added-on staircase, and in the back, a little patio area with planters and
twigs for trees.  When he built taco-bell it had an attached overhang over
the drive through window.  Unfortunately most of these creations don't last
forever, but a few I have managed to save.  I'm encouraging his art form,
because it would be great for him to be able to develop it and be adept 
at doing something really unique and new within the arts... and he loves
doing these.  At one time he had an entire city including telephone lines.
Another nice project was a very large lighthouse he made.
I'm stuck on PE, though.  Are there any suggestions for indoor PE activities
for wintertime?  I'd rather not have to pay to take him to a gym... and he's
a bit immature for that anyhow.
I am getting along well with our homeschool advisor (California's way of
adjusting to homeschoolers and still getting money for their school 
istrict).
Recently my grandmother passed away and I totally blew almost a week of
homeschooling, but the advisor was very nice about it and agreed with me that
some of our activities that week could be considered "educational field 
rips"
...believe it or not... one thing we did was during the two hour viewing 
hich
my kids were not too welcome at due to their childish natures, we spent a lot
of time at the cemetary outside the funeral home.  My kids were helping out
by clearing grass clippings off the baby grave markers and straightening up
toys that had fallen over.  The time we spent reading the names and dates
and ages all counted towards spelling and reading or math.  I counted 30 
ins.
of that time as social studies and 30 minutes as health/science (explaining 
different reasons why babies and young children may have died).  Strange but
true.  The interrment itself was fascinating to the kids... "So THATS how 
people get buried!"  Sorry if this is too morbid for you all, but after a 
week of funeral home and cemetary activities I guess I'm getting used to the 
idea. :(  I sure do miss my grandmother, though.  Grieving is another story.
So, that's more or less how it is going for us. 
Zaynab
... Religion is for spirituality, not power struggles.
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
--- Renegade v10-05 Exp
---------------