Slow & Steady Wins the Race

I want to start by saying (and it's probably not the first time I've said this) that it's not that easy to avoid comparing your children. My eldest was already beginning to read before she entered kindergarten (of course, I had WAY more time to play with her one-on-one and we did a LOT of reading and played phonics games). My third child, Emma, was not quite that advanced. I had just had my twins & was simply a very busy lady. So, the little woman was starting to sound out letters, but that was about it. She recognized the alphabet by sight and knew most of the sounds. She displayed a high level of intelligence, but I felt that she was a bit slow at picking up reading, mostly from a lack on my part, I'm sure. But she plugged away and worked hard.

Well, fast forward to last month. She took a "test" to see where she was in her learning. At the beginning of the year she was reading at a level that a kindergartener would be reading in their second month of school! I was shocked and discouraged (I'm an avid reader!)! Not so great. But after almost completing our first year of homeschooling, using that wonderful phonics book I posted about last time and Bob Books, she is now reading at a 2.1 level (that's 2nd grade, 1st month). She is still a bit slow at sounding out new words, but she can sound them out! GO EMMA! I'm so proud of her hard work, and even when it seems slow, we're making progress. Phew!

She is also improving quite a bit in writing and math. At the beginning of the year, she was at k.2. level and now she is at a 1.4 level (1st grade, month 4). In math, she started at a 2.1 (2nd grade, 1st month) and is now at a 3rd grade level. Math U See is awesome, once you get past the boring first month or two. It teaches concepts in a very visual, concrete way. I actually bought a different math for her for next year, and I'm thinking that I might just stick with Math U See. I wish my older girls had started with Math U See. :( Oh well...you live and learn. Maybe slowly. But slow & steady wins the race, right?