Goals and Current Milestones

Our official first day of Pre-K is going to be August 6th.  Lydia will be 4 years old and I think I will be ready gathering materials, learning methods, and psyching myself up.  Currently, we're doing some unofficial activities, like playing with c-rods, letter magnets, coloring, counting things, etc.  At the end of August, she will also be starting soccer and dance.  We plan on doing "official" school at least 3 or 4 days a week.

For my own records, I though I'd list some of the things Lydia can do right now before school starts so I can tell what kind of progress she's made at the end of the year.

Reading/Spelling: Right now she knows and recognizes all the letters and their sounds.  She can occasionally tell me the first letter of a word when she hears it.  She can also spell her name using magnet letters without any help.

Math: She can currently count to 20 without help and recognize numbers 1-12 when written.  She can mostly count small numbers of objects (10 or less) and tell me how many of something there is, but sometimes double counts things or guesses.

My goals for this year are to have her reading at least cvc word on her own.  I want to complete Essential Math A and MEP Reception for math and be able to count to 50 or more on her own.  I'd also like for her to be able to write her own name.

I think these goals are attainable, but if not, that's ok.  If she completes these early, I'll write up new goals. 

Memorization Plans

I consider memorization to be incredibly important.  There are many reasons I want my children to memorize things, but I'm not going to get into them here.  This post is for my plans for this school year.  Like my other plans mentioned, I have no idea at all about how much Lydia will be able to memorize.  I went with a good estimate of what I think she is capable, but if she doesn't complete this list, that's ok.  And if she needs more, well, I'll just find more!

I've divided the types of memorization I want for my girls into three types.  The first is religious memorization: scriptures, lists, and quotes that are important.  The second is literature: poems, passages, great speeches, and other quotes.  The third is sort of a miscellaneous section, mostly reserved for lists of facts, timelines, and geography.

As Lydia will be turning 4 soon, I'm trying not to have her do anything to long or complicated.  The scriptures, poems, and lists I picked are fairly simple.  I will cross them out as we master them, but we will continue to review them several times a week.

Religion: 

• Article of Faith 1:We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
• Article of Faith 2: We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
• Article of Faith 3: We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
• Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
• Mosiah 2:17: And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.
• Amos 3:7: Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
• John 14:15: If ye love me, keep my commandments.
• D&C 82:10: I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.
• Primary Program part: "Jesus Christ is the perfect example for me. My favorite story about Jesus is when he helped Peter walk on the water."
• John 7:17: If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.   

Literature:

"Who Has Seen the Wind" by Christina Rossetti

Who has seen the wind?

Neither I nor you.

But when the leaves hang trembling,

The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?

Neither you nor I.

But when the trees bow down their heads,

The wind is passing by.

"The Falling Star" by Sara Teasdale  

I saw a star slide down the sky,
Blinding the north as it went by,
Too burning and too quick to hold,
Too lovely to be bought or sold,
Good only to make wishes on
And then forever to be gone.

"At the Seaside" by Robert Louis Stevenson
When I was down beside the sea
A wooden spade they gave to me
To dig the sandy shore.

My holes were empty like a cup.
In every hole the sea came up,
Till it could come no more.

"Happy Thought" by Robert Louis Stevenson
The world is so full of a number of things,
I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.

"The Rainbow" by Walter de la Mare
I saw the lovely arch
Of Rainbow span the sky,
The gold sun burning
As the rain swept by.

In bright-ringed solitude
The showery foliage shone
One lovely moment—
And the Bow was gone.

"A dragon-fly" by Eleanor Farjeon
When the heat of the summer
Made drowsy the land,
A dragon-fly came
And sat on my hand

With blue jointed body,
And wings like spun glass,
It lit on my fingers
As though it were grass.

"Sweet and Low" by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Sweet and low, sweet and low,
Wind of the western sea,
Low, low, breathe and blow,
Wind of the western sea!
Over the rolling waters go,
Come from the dying moon, and blow,
Blow him again to me;
While my little one, while my pretty one, sleeps.

Sleep and rest, sleep and rest,
Father will come to thee soon;
Rest, rest, on mother's breast,
Father will come to thee soon;
Father will come to his babe in the best,
Silver sails all out of the west,
Under the silver moon:
Sleep, my little one, sleep, my pretty one, sleep. 


Facts and Lists:

• Names of the Continents (and places on a map)
• Names of the Oceans (and places on a map)
• The 8 planets
• The 4 points of a compass
• Colors in a rainbow
• Her own full name as well as parents' names
• Mom's phone number