Thematic Therapy

When I was teaching my first year, I quickly discovered that our district adopted curriculum was anything but thematic. (thematic being that the learning crosses over from your language arts, to math, art, to science, social studies, etc...) This shocked me at first because thematic units were something covered extensively in my college teaching classes. Because through using thematic units, students become emerged in the learning. The learning is all connected in some way.

One great thing about homeschooling is you can make this happen. Even with the classes Race is taking from Connections Academy, we make this happen. Here are some pictures of one of our units we covered in January.

What a great little story by the way. It's about the memories, love and stories a quilt tells:

We got out some of our quilts and talked about where each came from, who made them, their unique designs, and why they are special to us. Race struggles with story retell. He is a good reader, and he has great comprehension and can answer questions about the story. But putting events in order, using those transition words (first, next, before, finally) is a challenge.

In Social Studies we covered the different regions of the world where different types of blanket making are used, and for what purpose they are made.

In math, we hit our measurement chapters.

We went to Walmart to look at and feel all the fabrics. In the past Race has always wanted to hang out in the electronics right around the corner while I bought fabric. This time he went to compare and contrast the different materials.

Fine motor skills challenge Race. Handwriting, beading, and now making a scarf on a knitting loom, push Race to focus on those small muscles that don't always want to cooperate with him.

When Race gets going on the knitting loom, his focus goes to a whole other level; like he does when he's playing the Wii or the piano. Sometimes I wish I could go with him to that place. So I can see what it's like.