It’s that time of the year when we wrap up another fantastic chapter of learning with our second-grader! What a vibrant, exciting journey it has been!
Reading, Spelling, and Confidence, Oh My!
This year, we also chose to go with The Good and the Beautiful for Language Arts. We really enjoy that the lessons are simple, and well… beautiful! Savannah was already reading pretty fluently, and breezed through the reading booster cards in no time.
While we do love that art is incorporated into the lessons, sometimes we just skip over it. I find that sometimes having them draw or paint, takes up a lot of time, and other times they just don’t want to do it. Since we usually include art into our day (and other lessons) anyway, I don’t really feel like it is that much of a big deal to skip art in the lessons every now and then.
We have also read, and listened to lots and lots of books.
I want to say that one of our favorites was Matilda, and Because of Winn-Dixie is a close second. We loved being able to read the books and also be able to watch movie afterwards as a family!
Math: Where Numbers Turn into Adventures!
Mathematics, often seen as a daunting subject, transformed into an exciting adventure for Savannah this year. With our hands-on approach and creative math exercises, she not only grasped the concepts but also fell in love with the magic of numbers. Witnessing her newfound enthusiasm for math made every lesson feel like a celebration.
I think it’s really funny that while I know that some of the mathematical topics are a little more complex for her, overall, she really enjoys her math lessons. I love to see the wheels in her brain turning, and then seeing the moment when things actually click. I can see the effort that she puts in, and how it pays off.
Near the end of the book I started letting her check her lessons using the answer key, and she absolutely loves it. She likes the autonomy that comes with being in charge of her own work.
The Wonders of Science: Curiosity Unleashed!
Since she was little, she has also loved science. We started off by doing The Good and the Beautiful’s Safety Unit, and then I started to incorporate a little more of my own units into our science. It’s been a lot of fun for me to create things that are geared towards the interests of my children and to just take things slow so that we can really deep dive into what they are curious about! We also do a LOT of reading! We love the DK series and working on slowly building up our collection!
History: Not Just Dates and Facts
Navigating history was an adventure in itself, thanks to Notgrass History’sOur Star-Spangled Story. While Our Star-Spangled Story provided a solid foundation, it does tend to feel a little basic and superficial so we supplemented by exploring historical tales through an array of books, stories, and videos. Learning about the past became an immersive experience, making history come alive in our home. We’ve also used lots of books to bring history to life!
The Write Way to Journaling: Turning ‘Meh’ into ‘Wow!’
Ah, writing – a skill that sometimes needs a bit of magic dust (and maybe some tears) to sparkle. Savannah wasn’t particularly fond of it, but we found the secret formula! I created a new “fun” journal just for her! By transforming her journaling experience into something meaningful and fun, she discovered the joy of expressing her thoughts on paper. Creative prompts, colorful pens, and loads of stickers turned her writing sessions into delightful adventures. You can download a free sample of the journal here!
I used to check her journal with her and we would go through mistakes, and fix them together. I think that killed the fun for her. So with her new journal I’m not checking it at all (as much as I want to haha). I do require that she write at least 15 minutes though, and that seems to be a welcome compromise.
As we wrap up the school year and jump into the next, we eagerly await the adventures that the next grade will bring and so excited for all the fun resources that have already started to arrive!
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