Going Ok, now reading lists???

We are a month into our year and things seem to be progressing well, despite all.  My oldest isn’t complaining every day because he wants to go back to PS.  I think he’s been really enjoying the extra time with Dad and working on their tree fort together. 

We are coming along slowly with the narration — I think I need to find some good samples so I can be sure that they are on track.  We haven’t been doing much of it, exactly.  Their attention spans are pretty short, I rarely get further than a page or two in our “Who is God?” Apologia series, therefore narrations are pretty short — I’m happy if they can explain to me the main idea of the part we’ve just read.  Science is interesting: we are studying the solar system.  I assigned the older two pages of one book, then came home from work to find he’d read the entire book.  I was very surprised!  One of our Pastors is an amateur astronomer and has promised to bring his telescope out sometime next week.  The boys are looking forward to that!

I have been reading a lot to the boys, as I always have, so I haven’t really been assigning too much other reading.  I think that will increase gradually as they get more comfortable with the routines.  Dad’s busy season is just starting at the office, so things are going to be a little different and we need the adjustment period. 

My solution with the younger has come from him.  He tends to be an early riser.  He decided last week that he wanted to get school out of the way right off — so now that’s what we do.  We have all of his guided/independant work done before I leave for the office at 8:45.  He doesn’t do a lot of independant work yet, a bit of reading and sometimes math.  With his ADHD he has a hard time staying on task without someone there to keep him focused.  Then he gets to play until it’s time to do chores, then there is lunch, we take the dog for a walk (I walk the dog, the boys bike — that’s the closest we’ve come to Nature study yet) and then we have about an hour to an hour and 15 mins of Family work depending on the day (I do some of it while they are eating lunch).  We are, depending on when we get started, usually done by 2:30 at the latest.  If my older has not done math in the AM with Dad, then we work on that, and any other work he needs help with after the rest of the Family work is done.

It’s not ideal, but I do work until noon Mon-Fri, and they are still done sooner then the PS kids who don’t finish until 3:15.  In all it takes them 2-2 1/2 hours to complete their school day.  That may seem about right for a 7 year-old 2nd grader, but very short for a nearly 11 year-old 5th grader.  My feeling on this is that as we are only one month into our Homeschool adventure, we are probably doing ok.  My older is still needing time to adjust to this way of doing things after 5 years in the system.  He is very independant, but he will go ahead and try to attempt doing things on his own even if he doesn’t really understand them, just to try to get his work done sooner. 

What I am struggling with is compling a reading list for my older for the next two terms.  He loves to read on his own at the end of the day.  We usually have a snack before bed during which I read from our literature read aloud, then, the younger gets a chapter of his own book (We’ve been reading Alice in Wonderland, I think we’ll do Peter Pan next as I own it).  During this time the older is reading to himself.  Then it’s his turn for a chapter.  I am at a loss as to what to read next to him, though.  We just finished a book the day before yesterday.  I am planning to wait until a little later in the year or early next year to re-read the Narnia books, I read them to the older a couple years ago, but the younger hasn’t enjoyed them yet.   

He likes fantasy-type adventure stories.  A friend of his is reading the Spyderwick Chronicles — anyone know anything about that series?  Or the Gaurdians of G’Hoole (sp?).  Also, humourous real-life adventure stories about boys his own age would be good.  He has read some Encyclopedia Brown and Henry Huggins.  I need stuff I can read to him for our special evening time, but also stuff he can read himself. 

Sorry, I’ve made this too long(again). I think I need a grown up to talk to.  There isn’t even anyone in the office again today!!!