Moving Up This 2016!

This year we have officially completed one year of homeschooling. Yay! Official, meaning, well atleast for us, we are enrolled in a DepEd accredited homeschool provider.

Our year was more of the unschooling approach, if that’s the appropriate term. We study and learn topics based on our son’s interest at a given time. We tailored our activities depending on where we are and what he loves to do. It was more passion-driven and learner-chosen activities.

Our trip home to Bacolod and Lolo’s farm in the province means learning about plants, flowers, and leaves. And that includes picking different flowers and watering plants. Staying at the farm means learning about the farm animals and insects – feeding cows, counting chicken eggs and even looking for caterpillar and their cocoons.

We are grateful that our little boy is an independent learner. Since he can read on his own, he learns as many things as he wants. The challenge is for us to provide more venues and activities for fun learning.

So this little boy moved up with fellow preschool homeschoolers from The Master’s Academy (TMA, which will soon be known as Homeschool Global).

Moving Up: April 22, 2016

He received an Enthusiasm Award and here is the copy of the anecdotal written by Daddy Jinoe:

Gab believes that practice makes perfect.

He loves playing a racing game on my mobile phone. At first, he just sticks to the same route and the same car. He mastered this route and would place 1st very often. 

I encourage him to try playing with new routes but Gab doesn’t want to since he would end up last in the race.  But little by little, I persuaded him to try the new routes. At first, I would guide him where to make the turn or to press the turbo. Everytime he doesn’t place last in the race, I would tell him that with more practice, he can place 1st.

Sure enough, he is now comfortable playing with all the routes and all the cars in the game. He gets 1st place more often.  And if he places lasts, he would personally say that he just needs more practice. He also doesn’t hesitate to ask for my help if he is having a hard time in the game.

The racing game lesson has been helpful every time we give Gab a more challenging lesson or task.

He gets intimidated with new words in a book, dealing with large numbers in a worksheet, or drawing complicated figures. But I would remind him that with practice, he can overcome the challenge.  This makes him relax and opens up for something new to learn.

Now, Gab reads any restaurant menu and orders drink for himself. He performs 2-digit addition without carry. He draw cars of different brands and models.

With practice, Gab and I can do and learn a lot of new things every day.

Enthusiasm Award

Gab with friends

We were allowed to enroll him in Kinder 2 at age 4.5 years old, because we find it more fitting for him to take the next level instead of Kinder 1. Ofcourse that approval had much discussion and assessment from our provider and family advisor.

Technically, we can enroll him in 1st Grade this year.  Even if he can read better than some 2nd grade students, and do maths that 1st graders do (just because he likes reading and doing daily math challenges, without us forcing him),  we are choosing to wait. Waiting does not mean to stop learning the things we can.

Besides, we do not meet the DepEd Age Requirement for Grade 1 yet, because again we skipped K1.

Congratulations for moving up Gab! We look forward to playing and learning more new fun things with you this year! Official 1st grade will have to wait, baby.