This week I've been singing rain songs and reciting rain poems.
It has rained EVERY.DAY.THIS.WEEK. We're going slightly stir crazy if you must know.
My victory for the week was a trip to the library, with the promise of Dollar Store ice cream treats for the kids. They were so good all day just knowing we would get out and have ice cream! I snuck in a Starbucks after the library and it was a great day!
As I was putting together this post I realized there were no outdoor pictures (except my cute rain boots).
When I taught school we used to do a cute little activity on rainy days called a "Rain Rondo." It consisted of:
- singing Rain, Rain, Go Away
- singing It's Raining, It's Pouring
- saying the poem in the picture above with a steady beat
We did all three of these things in different patterns, with different instruments and would come up with a "rainy day performance". It was always a lot of fun and kids looked forward to rainy days in music class.
I did a little of that with my kids this week and they thought it was fun, too.
The advantage to a rainy week was that we did A LOT of schoolwork and A LOT of reading aloud.
*At the writing of this post we had to miss our Thursday co-op because of a sick child. Everyone seemed to be going stir crazy, so we made some yummy cookies and had fancy grilled cheese (Pepperjack cheese, avocado, bacon and apple slices - oh my!) for dinner.
Let's hope this is a short lived illness.
It was a good week with Anna's creativity and schoolwork.
She has nearly finished her unit study about Galen - The History of Science. She's learned so much, and we get to spend some time this weekend with a friend who has a degree in forensic science. Anna has always been fascinated with ancient medicine. When we studied ancients she obsessed about mummies for several months. She thinks the world of Galen is fascinating, and so do I.
Some creative time was spent with mini American Girl dolls, too. She picked up carpet squares at Home Depot and made rugs for the dolls, complete with cardboard furniture, etc... I love that she still enjoys doing this kind of thing.
She is also working hard on her literature fair project. She has read The Quilt Walk and is hand sewing the binding for her own quilt. I'm reading the book, too, and it's VERY GOOD!
I completed the 10 Day Shakeology Challenge. (I'm down 5 lbs. since Jan. 2!) I'm feeling the best I have felt in a long time. No sugar and no Coke Zero agrees with me.
The whole family has made the change to healthy eating. One night for dinner I made healthy chicken nuggets (recipe coming next week!) and sweet potatoes and everyone was very happy.
Lunches always seemed to mystify me, but for the past few weeks I've been serving lots of fresh fruit, pb&j whole wheat wrap-ups, and healthy soups.
I'm not keeping any junk in the house and the kids really don't miss it.
A book that has been eye opening for me is The Inflammation Syndrome: Your Nutrition Plan for Great Health, Weight Loss, and Pain-Free Living . So many of our modern day illnesses can be traced to inflammation. This book tackles our diets to help reduce inflammation. I would HIGHLY recommend reading this book. It's changed the way I think about my health, medicine, and what we eat.
LEGO learning is in full swing!
I gave Grant an old silverware organizer and he has been taking apart sets and remaking them into different creations. The silverware holder is a good way for him to sort his pieces for each project.
Some of the things he makes amaze me. He has so much time to just create and dream. I love that about homeschooling.
Do you see the Bilbo Baggins minifig? I love LEGO because it has sparked Grant's interest in The Hobbit. We are nearly done reading it aloud and he plays with his Hobbit sets the entire time. He has said he wants to do The Hobbit for the literature fair, so we are dreaming up projects.
News from the blog this week:
- Free Martin Luther King, Jr. copywork and resources
- Whole Wheat Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
- SQUILT Lesson #6 - Mozart's Variations on Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
How was your homeschool week? I'd love for you to join Collage Friday. The rules are simple: Write a post with photo collages documenting your homeschool week. Grab the Collage Friday button (in my sidebar) or text link back to this post. Then, sign the linky and visit a few others who have linked as well. This is a great way to gain ideas and offer support and encouragement.