Saturday, January 23, 2010

Week 17

Some highlights from this week were:

Our Mariposa Class was titled Animals Across Cultures. We took a look at the Use of Animals cross - culturally in art, household needs, transportation, food, rituals, festivals, and religions. This was very interesting. I always find that the classes compliment our own studies as Sonlight Curriculum has a strong emphasis on learning about other cultures. At the end of this class Terry showed the kids how to make pop-up cards. Evelyn has been making them for everyone ever since.



Evelyn is learning to subtract with trading. We practiced trading one ten for ten ones using our base ten manipulatives.
** Quinn is nearing the end of Singapore 4A already. I have been very pleased with how easily he has embraced fractions. He has successfully learned to simplify, change improper to mixed and vice versa, add, subtract and multiply fractions and much more. Here's hoping that 4B goes as well!

**We are reading Pippi Longstalking aloud this week.

**Quinn is reading Beorn the Proud. I have been taking history and literature selections for Quinn from Veritas Press since they do medieval history in fourth grade. It lines up quite nicely!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

WEEK 16

I know I didn't post anything for week 15 but I have to jump back on the blog wagon where I am. A similar thing happened last year about this time. I posted pictures of us making butter during our Little House in the Big Woods Lapbook project. Next thing you know we were attacked by an ice storm, then came Christmas and by the time I got back to blogging I felt overwhelmed because I had missed so much time and so I stopped blogging for the rest of the year. I really don't want that to happen this year. I really enjoy looking back over my blog at the end of the year and so do the children.

We had an interesting week! A small number of homeschool naysayers have been trying to pass some extremely burdensome laws over the past few years. Last year it was voted Inexpedient to Legislate and so we thought they would leave us alone and start worrying about more pressing issues like the failing public schools. But, low and behold they decided to try again. Only this time they amended the law to make it even MORE onerous. I do in fact enjoy bringing the kids to the State House for things like this. They might as well learn early on not to take freedoms for granted. Especially with the way this country's leadership is headed. So see this weeks " Wordless Wednesday" for some great pictures of the rally. Oh, and the bill was voted down again by an ENORMOUS margin: 324-34. Praise God! Still, i am sure we will have the pleasure of dealing with this again.


I posted checklists on the wall for each of the kids. The checklist shows each subject they are to do during the week and how many times it is to be done. So for instance math, Bible, dictation etc.. are listed as five times. At the end of the week they need to have 5 check marks next to math. Things like Science projects have a goal listed as one or two times a week. I decided to do this for their sake. You would think that after several years my son would know what things he has to do each day but inevitably I hear "What do I have to do today?" (Insert whiny voice here.) or "Can I just do math today?" and other such silly questions. So now that the list is posted on the wall I can simply refer him to it. I put them in sheet protectors so that the kids can use wipe off markers to check things off.


This was week two for skiing.