100 Days!

Today is the 100th day of school.  The state says we should have a progress level of 52% to 61%, and have logged 510 hours by the end of January to keep on track to finish school by the end of the year on June 3, 2011.  As of the end of today......

• Alex has logged 535 hours, 35 minutes & has a progress level of 64%.  He is on track to finish up in early May.  He is farther ahead because he does so well in Spelling and has gone through 2 units per week!
• Sarah has logged 519 hours, 37 minutes & has a progress level of 52%.  She should finish up mid-May unless she decides to double up on some lessons between now & then.  I'm not holding my breath.
• Jake continues to want to do whatever they are doing and have absolutely nothing to do with the Preschool books I try to have him work through.  He does LOVE flashcards, he asks to do them during class time as well as with daddy at night.

Another veteran OHVA Mom suggested we do 3 of the 4 required novel units over the summer months, 1 each month.  The last one to be done some time during the school months.  This way they never really get out of the habit of learning, but are not in "school" year round and it frees up some time next year in case of more difficult subjects. 

Sarah has chosen the novels:

1. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
2. The Hound of the Baskervilles By Arthur Conan Doyle
3. The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli
4. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Kushman

Alex has chosen the novels:

1. Shiloh By Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
2. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
3. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
4. The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

I have all the books Alex has chosen except for the Bronze Bow but only The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe for Sarah.  This is just part of the small costs we have to incur as a homeschooling family.  This being our first year we have more to buy, though alot less overall than if they were in a traditional public school.  I imagine by the time Jake gets to 3rd Grade I should have all the books he will need.  I found a great website www.thriftbooks.com that always has free shipping & I can usually find the hardcover version of the books we need for about $4.00 each.  I have put all those I need in my wishlist and as the summer draws closer I will be moving them to my "cart" to anxiously await that box of books in the mail!