Week of October 26th

We began our week at co-op. We have really enjoyed it. We only have 3 more weeks, but if all the families want to do it again, we'll meet sometime after the new year and have new classes. David has "Around the World in 8 Weeks", "Group Games", a snack time, and "Adventures in Art". Hannah has "Around the World in 8 Weeks", "A Work of Art", and "Georgia on My Mind", a GA history class.

We studied overcoming temptation in Bible. In history, we continued our exploration studies learning more about Christopher Columbus. In science, we did experiments with static electricity and magnetic fields. Hannah had writing class on Wednesday. The both had grammar and math this week. We ended the week with a field trip to Stone Mountain with my Dad. We had a good time with him. He is retired from working on the railroad, so we rode the train first thing. The skylift was closed for maintenance, and it rained all day, but we still had a good time.

Week of October 19th

Getting back to school after a week off was really challenging. We had co-op on Monday, then got back to the books on Tuesday. In Bible, we learned about self-control and humility. In history, we began a study of exploration. We reviewed the Vikings exploration of North America, learned about Marco Polo, and studied some about Christopher Columbus. We are making a timeline of exploration as we go. We studied the orchestra using the book, Those Amazing Instruments. We had such fun as we listened to excerpts of many pieces using the cd that came in the book.

Hannah attended her writing class. She is enjoying it tremendously and has even started talking about studying journalism in college. She had grammar, math, and the usual. David finished his seasons lapbook and had the usual grammar, spelling and phonics. In math, he learned addition with renaming. He understood it very well, as he usually does with math.

Sister Weekend

While Daddy was home to keep the kids, I got to go spend the end of fall break with my sisters, who are my best friends. We have had at least one sister weekend every year since 1985. We had a great time together. I love them both so much and feel so blessed to have them. I'm the one in the red. These pictures were made outside of Chops in Buckhead. The food was absolutely WONDERFUL!!!

Fall Break

This week was my husband's fall break, so we took off from school as well. We did go on a field trip to a farm. We went with one of our homeschool groups. It had rained the day before, so things were very soggy, but we had fun. We had another treat this week as well. My husband's parents came and spent several days with us. They live in Ohio, so we don't get to see them as much as we would like.
David had the most fun in the corn box, especially acting like he was the huge monster taking on the tractor.

Workboxes Work!

Here's how we do our workboxes. The kids each have an open top hanging file folder. In the hanging files, are regular file folders for each subject. The subjects to be completed vary day to day. Each folder has a paper clip attached to hold their card for that subject. When a subject is completed, the card gets put back on the grid. When the grid is full, the school day is over. Our family loves Star Wars, so I went on google images and found Clone Wars clip art that I used to make their assignment cards.

In the boxes, I put library books, worksheets, games to play, textbooks (when they fit), dvd's to watch, etc. I have shoe boxes on my shelf they get to choose from when they get an index card saying to do so. I have "Math Madness" math games, "Game Galore" other games (vocabulary, generic boards), and PE Power with cards for different PE options.

I think they have really helped me the most. They help me be ready for the next day. They help me think to add in something fun. I'm so glad I found out about them. I hope to someday have room to actually do the boxes. That would be awesome!

Camping with the Boy Scouts

David is in cub scouts this year. The whole family got to go camping this weekend with his pack. We are not usually outdoors people, so we thought this might be a good introduction to the whole camping experience without the full commitment of buying equipment. We did have a good time. It's something I think we could learn to enjoy doing.

We got to stay in a "permanent" tent with mattresses. Hannah was determined to make it feel like home, bringing along a Jonas poster and her Star Wars Calendar to put beside her bed.

Week of Oct 5th

Well...the flu wasn't over last week. David quit running fever on Friday, but it was back by Saturday night and was much worse. He spent first part of the week very sick. Both had coughs that have still lingered, but they seem on the mend. We didn't get to do our co-op. We did manage to get school work done this week, though. Poor homeschooled kids, they never get a true sick day, huh? In bible, we studied more about friendships.

Hannah had writing class and novel club this week. The writing class is learning about descriptive writing this week. The novel club read "A Raisin in the Sun" and watched the movie. She is really enjoying these classes with other teens. She's still working with integers in math. She's learning all about energy transfer in science. She also began working on her typing skills using an online free program.

David finished up his book, "The Barbarians". He really enjoys studying about fighting. In math he worked on time and calendars. In science he studied about seasons and why we have them.

Week of Sept 28th

This was not a typical week for us at all. We started off fine. We went to our co-op and had a great time. Hubby was home sick which is very unusual for him. My sister and nephew were visiting at a location near our home, so me and the kids planned to go spend 3 nights with her. Right before we left, I realized Hannah had fever. We had to stay home. The next day David had fever, too. It was hard having my sister so close and not be able to go see her. We couldn't risk taking flu into them, though.

The kids weren't as sick as their Daddy, so we did manage to get school work done. Hannah is finishing hers this weekend. We studied friendship in Bible. Hannah is reading about the Mongols, so I found a book for David called "Barbarians". It covers the Goths, Huns, Vikings, and the Mongols. Hannah had to write a character analysis for her writing class. She also is studying integers in math. David finished up safety in health. He began a math unit on time. They both reviewed all the scripture and poems we've memorized this year.