Week of Feb 1st

We started the week with Co-Op. Hannah loved her Bill of Rights class. She is very interested in politics, so she enjoyed debates they had over court cases. In Bible we learned about being generous. The kids learned Luke 6:38. In music, we are learning about Beethoven. In art we looked at paintings by Valesquez because Hannah is reading "I, Juan de Pareja".

We had a poetry reading while we drank hot chocolate. I had read about someone making it a tea time, but David does not like tea. It went over so well. We have memorized some poetry this year, but they have never had a real appreciation for it. Both wanted turns reading some of the poems. It is a new tradition we will be continuing.

In history we read about the slave trade triangle. Although we are not to the time period of it's end, we watched the movie, "Amazing Grace", a personal favorite of mine. We also read "Amistad Rising" by Veronica Chambers. It was very good.

The both began studies in chemistry, so we discussed atoms, molecules, etc. They enjoyed making their own like these.
We thought this one looked more like a skier than a molecule.


Both had work to do in grammar, math, literature, and critical thinking. Hannah is reading "The Hound of the Baskervilles" for her novel club. She also went to her writing class that started back this week. David was very excited this week to do well on his speed drills and make A's on his tests in math and language arts.

Week of Jan 25th

I can't believe a month of 2010 is gone! We started our week with the first day of our Co-Op. We will be meeting for 10 weeks; however, David did not get to go the first day due to a fever and cold. The kids really enjoy these classes, so it was disappointing for him. Hannah has a Bill of Rights class, studying the bills and discussing Supreme Court cases. She has an art class, and a natural spa class, in which all the girls are making their own lip balm, bath salts, lotions, etc. David has Five In A Row class, Traditional Games, Spanish Songs and Stories, Math Games, Show and Tell, and Science for Boys (chemistry and physics).

We learned about mercy and compassion in Bible, memorizing Matt. 5:7 from the Beatitudes. We watched the Three Musketeers movie since they had read about France and the Sun King. They did notebooking pages about Handel.

Hannah finished up her chapters in Grammar and Math. She did a review of the entire Physics section of her science and will begin Chemistry next.

David was so excited because he finished a speed drill with 40 seconds remaining. He had 28 addition facts to do in 2 minutes. I covered with him at home what he would have had in science at the co-op. He learned about matter, mass, and solids, liquids, and gases.

Pinewood Derby Time

David participated in the Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby this year. He actually entered a car from a derby at our church last year. The race above was the only one he actually won. He had 4 runs and took 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. He did not place in the end, and was disappointed, but I think he will want to try harder next year. His car is the one below to the left of the green skateboard. It has Captain Rex on the front.

Week of Jan 18th

I can't believe I have not updated this in 2 weeks. Well, the week of the 18th was a short one, with the holiday. We did more review in Bible, including a blindfolded obstacle course with me to lead them through. We talked about kids being "blind" to some of the world, but parents can help guide them through. We also talked about honesty. They did a crayon resist. They colored a page very colorfully, then covered them with black, then scratched off some. We discussed that lies cover up, but usually always are revealed in the end.

The both studied about France and the Sun King. We listened to Handel's "Messiah" this week. We were actually listening on the computer. David stood up on the bed and began waving his arm. He said, "I'm the preductor, I'm the preductor." It was so cute, but the teacher in me had to correct him.

Hannah finished up subject-verb agreement and moved on to pronoun-antecedent agreement. She continued geometry in math, and did more with light in science, including an experiment with light, water, and color. She also did quite a few Mind Benders in her critical thinking books.

David moved ahead in his LA, math, and reading. He is really challenged by the speed drills, and is improving in the subtraction. He did a lot of Mind Benders as well. He would do them all day!

We ended our week with housework because my sisters were coming into town for the weekend, which was a lot of fun.

Week of Jan 11th

You can read about our first day back on the post below. After that day, we reviewed in Bible things we had studied last semester. I gave them a treasure hunt with difficult directions. It led to an actual Bible (on top of the ice cream!). We had ice cream and discussed that our wisdom comes from God and the Bible. It is where we turn for the directions we need in our life. We also listened to music by Handel. In history, the kids are studying the early 1600s using Kingfisher and Usborne. They both did notebook pages on the topics studied. Both did work in their critical thinking books, too.

Hannah began reviewing subject-verb agreement in grammar, while reviewing diagramming with CLE materials. She is beginning a chapter on geometry in math. She read about light in science and did a lab concerning magnification and focal lengths. She began a new Light Unit in her CLE reading.

In his CLE Language Arts, David covered some consonant digraphs, spelling of long vowels, and use of I. He enjoys the speed drills in his CLE Math and was very pleased when he got all 28 right on a subtraction drill. The subtraction takes him a little longer to recall. He also enjoys the stories in his BJU readers. It is usually one of the first things he wants to do.

We finished our week completing some of the work "on the road". My grandmother had been doing very poorly and had surgery to install a pacemaker. We were able to go and spend some time with her. Her vitals are improving. Hopefully this will help some other problems improve. I love the flexibility of homeschooling. If I was working and the kids were in school, it would be so different.

Back to school!

Our first full day back to school was a fun, relaxed one. We decorated a gingerbread house. The kits were on clearance at Sam's for just $3. That's a deal you just can't pass up. We also read poetry about winter, watched a dvd about Handel, plus a little traditional school work, too. I love easing back into. The both actually did some work last week, too.

Basketball Time

David had his first game this Saturday. They do not keep score, but his big sister did and his team won by quite a bit. He enjoyed it and had friends come to see him play.