Cursive

Over the years I've read a number of articles discussing the benefits of learning cursive and its importance in creating synapses and cross brain connections.  All of my children have taken a preference to doing a fancier style of cursive, and generally speaking I have taught cursive around the age of 9, or in around class 4.

This year, however, I am teaching Arden, cursive at the age of 6 in class 1.  Last year, to cover government requirements we did letters and worked on printing and some basic reading.  We also happened to read "The Secret Garden" again.  In the process of reading it, in particular a passage where Mary and Dicken's sister are speaking, it occured to me that Mary could do cursive but *not* print.  In the section that I was reading Martha (Dickon's sister) says that he can read print, but not cursive, and Mary says that she thinks that she may be able to print.  Previously I had always taken it that Mary hadn't learnt to write yet.  Anyway, for some reason I interpreted it the other way this time, that she could write, as in do cursive, but not print.  So I did a bit of research, and found that it was once usual to teach cursive first.

Anyway Arden is loving learning cursive, he says that it's easier than print and it certainly seems to have improved his ability to print.  We did a month of daily cursive, and now we are doing a cursive session once a week, but the aim is to make most written work cursive.

Here is Arden's most recent work.  His sentence was inspired by "The Highway Rat" by Julia Donaldson.



Here is a little bit more interesting reading on cursive.

Summer Schooling

We've had  a very busy start to our homeschool year, and I must admit I'm feeling inclined to cut back by a couple of weeks next year.  We were out and about quite a bit for the fringe, and saw some good shows.  Arden has ended up starting musicianship last week, which he really enjoyed.  It was really interesting to see the little people's class in action, as it was very much play based.  Then we met some homeschoolers last week, at Sacrilege: A giant inflatable version of Stonehenge.

I had a short go on it with Arden, and it was quite fun, but very hot!  We didn't even go on a super hot day, can't imagine what it would have been like if it had been 40.

Arden and I have been reading some Grimm's fairy tales, and working on numbers at the moment.  Here's some of our work.
These ones are Arden's.

These are my paintings.

Arden and I have also started doing recorder, working on times tables, continuing with JUMP maths, learning to read and write, some songs and games, form drawing and craft.

Here he's working on making a form drawing into a picture.

Practising printing and cursive.

Finally a mini-craft project, finger knitting a bracelet.

Gabriel has been getting into the rhythm of working independantly.  Presently he's working on  perspective, is continuing to work on finishing knitting his socks, he's also reading about Michaelangelo, amongst a few other things. This week he's taking a short holiday, having save enough money to visit family in Adelaide, he's heading off to Womadelaide, with my brother, Justin.

Here's some of his drawings.  The first ones are breathing exercises.

 Some work on perspective.

Finally Willow is working on catching up some of the things that she didn't quite finish last year.  Here's some of her Geometry.  She's currently working on a dress for the doll she was working on last year.