*I know this is a bit of a long post, so if you want to see the vocabulary word, scroll to the bottom. I hope you read about our week, but if not, that's ok, too!
Wow - this week was a blur! I read people's posts about car schooling and think "I'm sure glad that's not me". Well, I spoke too soon, because this week was definitely way too busy, but somehow we worked school into the nooks and crannies of our schedule. I didn't take many pictures because we didn't really do many "projects" this week, just lots of academics and read alouds. We were only home for a full day on Tuesday and Wednesday, and while we accomplished a lot, I usually like to have four full days at home during our week.
For my own sense of accomplishment, I'll break down our week by academic subjects:
Miss B. began long division. It isn't easy for her, but it's not quite as hard as I thought it would be. We could stand to be more automatic with our times tables, so I plan to drill these hard with her next week. She also started basic geometry - lines, rays, line segments, right angles.
GMan continued to whiz right through math. His new Grade 1 Horizons math book came and he worked through 13 lessons in two days. Math is just his thing.
History:
Miss B. learned about the Cotton Gin and Steam Engine and how they changed life in America in the early 1800s. We are working up to the civil war. She loves history so much. Her book this week was Robert Fulton, Boy Craftsman.
We also finished Imprisoned in the Golden City, which is a wonderful Trailblazer book about Adoniram and Ann Judson, the first American missionaries in Burma. I think this was Miss B's favorite Sonlight book yet.
I began reading Pilgrim Boy aloud to GMan this week. It is out of the ABeka curriculum and was handed down to us. He enjoys the book very much. I've been looking for new things with him because he has seemed to move quickly since we have brought him home for school!
Grammar:
Miss B. continues in Easy Grammar and daily grams. This week was regular and irregular verbs. We LOVE Easy Grammar!
GMan did more in First Language Lessons. I have been printing handwriting worksheets to go along with some of the exercises in the book and that has worked well for him.
Science:
We are all about bears! We have checked out a million books about bears and have been working through a great bear resource we found while in the mountains last week. Tonight we watched a National Geographic film about bears in Alaska. Very interesting.
Spelling:
Miss B is at lesson 60 in Sequential Spelling. GMan has been helping me give her the tests. He reads the words and puts them in a sentence (with some help from mom). They are both learning spelling words this way. I did take problem words and put them on Spelling City as well.
Reading:
GMan is totally hooked on Read, Write & Type. He is a good reader, but enjoys this phonics and keyboarding program. I recommend it without reservation. What a great find this has been. One day at rest time he also read all of Flat Stanley by himself! I didn't believe he had done it, but I quizzed him on each chapter and he knew it all. Funny little kid.
Miss B finished the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and has the second one ready to start. She is also re-reading the sixth Harry Potter book in preparation for the movie for the seventh book coming out very soon. She has her nose in a book all the time!
Each night the kids had The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh read aloud to them. In the beginning Miss B said it was too "babyish" for a fourth grader. But, guess who was listening each night and giggling along? (I feel like we are playing catch-up since Miss B was in school until the third grade. There is so much I want her to know!) It is such a sweet and wonderful story. I'll be sad when we finish it tomorrow. One day we also read the short version of Paddington, and I can't wait until we can start the chapter book.
Extras:
We didn't get in a lot of extras this week. The kids are both taking an art class for the next two weeks, so I feel good about that. We also listened to some Beethoven's Wig in the car today, so I filled them up with classical music! Anna is preparing for the Christmas piano recital and we were very good about her practicing each day. We're also always listening to music in the car, so I don't feel they're lacking in this area! Miss B had tennis lessons and GMan did plenty of baseball with his dad and neighborhood kids this week. He's ready for spring ball to start!
Co-Op:
Today was the last day of co-op this semester. The kids made gorgeous lapbooks in each of their classes. I have been so impressed with what they have learned and the friendships they have gained through our co-op. It has been an invaluable experience for all of us.
Finally.... the new vocabulary word of the week was FOUL. We were going to the restrooms at the park and encountered this sign:
OK. The people who made the sign were SERIOUS. It was the worst smell ever - imagine 1,000 dead fish and it was 10 times that bad. GMan will never forget what the word FOUL means. He must have used it again 50 times throughout the week! Too funny. I knew there was a reason I took a picture of the sign.
