Can we quit now?
Can't. hold. on. much. longer! (The Adventures of Cliff Hangar from Between the Lions)
Daily math and English lessons are all I can muster.
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Friday, November 21, 2014
November 21, 2014
An afternoon appointment here, an afternoon appointment there and suddenly you realize your weekly plan has been sabotaged. I have accepted that we lose a couple of hours prepping for and driving to swimming lessons each week , but I made the mistake of scheduling short appointments during school hours this week. In trying to accommodate others, I robbed 12yo of education/learning hours.
And then there is the stomach bug which is creeping up on us. So far only two of us have experienced mild symptoms (queasiness), but it did make a difference in time on task.
Math
69 - Reading Problems: Estimating in Everyday Life
72 - Intro. to Decimals
73 - Changing Fractions to Decimals
74 - Changing Decimals to Fractions
75 - Comparing Decimals
Skipped adding and subtracting decimals since it is so similar to +/- money.
78 - Multiplying Decimals by 10, by 100, and by 1,000
Lesson learned - she needs a little more practice than I planned.
Latin
Lessons 22 - more practice with conjugating the imperfect tense.
English Grammar
44 - Linking Verbs or Action Verbs
Skipped lesson on giving oral book reports.
46 - Chapter review (direct and indirect objects, predicate nouns and adjectives)
47 - Using Lay & Lie
48 - Using Raise & Rise
Literature - The Hobbit
Studied the dwarves song, listened to chapters two and three on CD, and finished a good portion of the workbook for chapter two.
Lesson learned - 12yo was unable to define quite a few of the vocabulary words even in context, so studying the vocabulary words really is important.
Geography
Sudan and South Sudan
World History
Story of the World CD - listened to Ch. 5 - Sargon and Ch. 7 - Hammurabi
Usborne Encyclopedia of the Ancient World - pp 24-27 "The First Empires" and "The Rise of Babylon"
Gilgamesh the Hero retold by Geraldine McCaughrean - visited the cedar forest and slew Huwawa, Ishtar wants to marry Gilgamesh, the Bull of Heaven, Gilgamesh mourns Enkidu.
Christian Studies II
11 Saul and the Spirit of Samuel; David the King
And then there is the stomach bug which is creeping up on us. So far only two of us have experienced mild symptoms (queasiness), but it did make a difference in time on task.
Math
69 - Reading Problems: Estimating in Everyday Life
72 - Intro. to Decimals
73 - Changing Fractions to Decimals
74 - Changing Decimals to Fractions
75 - Comparing Decimals
Skipped adding and subtracting decimals since it is so similar to +/- money.
78 - Multiplying Decimals by 10, by 100, and by 1,000
Lesson learned - she needs a little more practice than I planned.
Latin
Lessons 22 - more practice with conjugating the imperfect tense.
English Grammar
44 - Linking Verbs or Action Verbs
Skipped lesson on giving oral book reports.
46 - Chapter review (direct and indirect objects, predicate nouns and adjectives)
47 - Using Lay & Lie
48 - Using Raise & Rise
Literature - The Hobbit
Studied the dwarves song, listened to chapters two and three on CD, and finished a good portion of the workbook for chapter two.
Lesson learned - 12yo was unable to define quite a few of the vocabulary words even in context, so studying the vocabulary words really is important.
Geography
Sudan and South Sudan
World History
Story of the World CD - listened to Ch. 5 - Sargon and Ch. 7 - Hammurabi
Usborne Encyclopedia of the Ancient World - pp 24-27 "The First Empires" and "The Rise of Babylon"
Gilgamesh the Hero retold by Geraldine McCaughrean - visited the cedar forest and slew Huwawa, Ishtar wants to marry Gilgamesh, the Bull of Heaven, Gilgamesh mourns Enkidu.
Christian Studies II
11 Saul and the Spirit of Samuel; David the King
Friday, November 14, 2014
November 14, 2014
Probably THE most helpful change this week - we got up earlier!
I decided to use a plain daily planner this week and I think it helped us get more accomplished. We'll see how it lasts. It seems I need to shake things up occasionally (every two weeks ; ).
Current Events
We spend a lot of time covering current events and I've had to pace myself a bit - two Newsademic articles per day.
Math
I realized that we were still slogging through math when I think 12yo is capable of so much more. I sat down with the math book and seriously thought about which lessons we might be able to skip and which ones could easily be combined. Plus, we are going to try doing math on Saturdays again.
Lessons 62-68. Focus - multiplying and dividing fractions.
Latin
Review IV
Lesson 21 - Imperfect Tense
Nearing the end of the book and she is saturated with vocabulary. I've decided to relax a little, since we will surely review these words again.
Classical Studies
I decided to make this day five of Latin studies so it won't be shoved to the back burner each week.
Famous Men of Rome - Camillus
English Grammar
A normal week - four lessons. This week we did an extra lesson because of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Lessons 39-43 Action verbs (transitive), indirect objects, outline from a composition, linking verbs and predicate nominatives, linking verbs and predicate adjectives.
Spelling
I still haven't come up with a plan to fill the spelling void.
Literature
We finally started the Memoria Press study guide for The Hobbit! We listened to the first chapter of the audiobook (narrated by Rob Inglis) on Monday and worked in the student book the remainder of the week. In addition to vocabulary, comprehension questions, and discussion questions, we also took detailed notes about the individual dwarves and dwarves and hobbits in general.
Geography
Introduction to North Africa
Egypt
World History
Usborne's Encyclopedia of the Ancient World - repeat pp. 16-23 Mesopotamia, The Birth of Writing, The First City-States, The Royal Tombs of Ur.
K-12's The Human Odyssey - "Passing It On: The Written Word in Ancient Sumer"
Started Gilgamesh the Hero
Christian Studies
Review Lesson (6-10)
Science
Slight disappointment that we weren't able to do either of the activities that we tried this week. We weren't able to create enough static electricity (we have major humidity where we live) and we couldn't find a flashlight in the house that used only two batteries. Almost all our flashlights use sets of three batteries. But, we read the lessons anyway.
6 Energy Conversion
7 More on the Law of Conservation
I decided to use a plain daily planner this week and I think it helped us get more accomplished. We'll see how it lasts. It seems I need to shake things up occasionally (every two weeks ; ).
Current Events
We spend a lot of time covering current events and I've had to pace myself a bit - two Newsademic articles per day.
Math
I realized that we were still slogging through math when I think 12yo is capable of so much more. I sat down with the math book and seriously thought about which lessons we might be able to skip and which ones could easily be combined. Plus, we are going to try doing math on Saturdays again.
Lessons 62-68. Focus - multiplying and dividing fractions.
Latin
Review IV
Lesson 21 - Imperfect Tense
Nearing the end of the book and she is saturated with vocabulary. I've decided to relax a little, since we will surely review these words again.
Classical Studies
I decided to make this day five of Latin studies so it won't be shoved to the back burner each week.
Famous Men of Rome - Camillus
English Grammar
A normal week - four lessons. This week we did an extra lesson because of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Lessons 39-43 Action verbs (transitive), indirect objects, outline from a composition, linking verbs and predicate nominatives, linking verbs and predicate adjectives.
Spelling
I still haven't come up with a plan to fill the spelling void.
Literature
We finally started the Memoria Press study guide for The Hobbit! We listened to the first chapter of the audiobook (narrated by Rob Inglis) on Monday and worked in the student book the remainder of the week. In addition to vocabulary, comprehension questions, and discussion questions, we also took detailed notes about the individual dwarves and dwarves and hobbits in general.
Geography
Introduction to North Africa
Egypt
World History
Usborne's Encyclopedia of the Ancient World - repeat pp. 16-23 Mesopotamia, The Birth of Writing, The First City-States, The Royal Tombs of Ur.
K-12's The Human Odyssey - "Passing It On: The Written Word in Ancient Sumer"
Started Gilgamesh the Hero
Review Lesson (6-10)
Science
Slight disappointment that we weren't able to do either of the activities that we tried this week. We weren't able to create enough static electricity (we have major humidity where we live) and we couldn't find a flashlight in the house that used only two batteries. Almost all our flashlights use sets of three batteries. But, we read the lessons anyway.
6 Energy Conversion
7 More on the Law of Conservation
Friday, November 7, 2014
November 5, 2014
Lessons went so smoothly today. Days like this are rare but they are the ones that sustain me and keep me going down the homeschool path.
This is a summary for the month of October.
Current Events
Still loving CNN Student News and Newsademic!
Math
I've made the decision to stop using the Key to .... workbooks. R&S does a great job and I felt like we were falling behind trying to shore up skills which didn't need extra support.
We've studied:
Units of time
Time zones
Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing compound measures
Prime and composite numbers
Greatest common factors
Lowest common multiples
Comparing fractions
Adding and subtracting proper fractions
Adding and subtracting mixed numbers
Finding fractional parts of whole numbers
We've also read about finding the GCF and the LCM in Math Doesn't Suck.
Latin
Trying to have 12yo do more of the translation exercises with less help from me.
2nd conjugation
Future tense with 1st and 2nd conjugation verbs
Classical Studies
Cincinnatus
English Grammar
Paragraphs - examples & illustrations, comparison or contrast
Outlining - in addition to R&S we used a workbook from Remedia Publications
Verbs - principal parts (forms), simple tenses, perfect tenses
Spelling
Logic of English 26
This has become a sore spot for me. 12yo is what I consider a natural speller. As much as I like LOE, I think we are spending too much time learning phonograms and spelling rules. She doesn't find spelling a struggle therefore the rules don't really mean anything to her. I enjoy the grammar section, but we don't need it since we cover grammar thoroughly in Rod & Staff. We are spending too much time analyzing words and doubling up on grammar when we could be using that time for other subjects.
I think we are going to drop LOE and move to a more traditional spelling list type approach.
Geography
Afghanistan
Seterra Online Middle East map
World History
K-12's The Human Odyssey:
How Civilized! From Hunter-Gatherers to City-Builders
Unearthing Sumer
Working, Trading, and Building in Sumer
Honoring the Gods: Religion in Ancient Sumer
World History Detective
#5 The Fertile Crescent and the Sumerians
Christian Studies II
9 Saul's Jealousy; David and Jonathan
10 Saul's Wrath; David and Abigail
This is a summary for the month of October.
Current Events
Still loving CNN Student News and Newsademic!
Math
I've made the decision to stop using the Key to .... workbooks. R&S does a great job and I felt like we were falling behind trying to shore up skills which didn't need extra support.
We've studied:
Units of time
Time zones
Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing compound measures
Prime and composite numbers
Greatest common factors
Lowest common multiples
Comparing fractions
Adding and subtracting proper fractions
Adding and subtracting mixed numbers
Finding fractional parts of whole numbers
We've also read about finding the GCF and the LCM in Math Doesn't Suck.
Latin
Trying to have 12yo do more of the translation exercises with less help from me.
2nd conjugation
Future tense with 1st and 2nd conjugation verbs
Classical Studies
Cincinnatus
English Grammar
Paragraphs - examples & illustrations, comparison or contrast
Outlining - in addition to R&S we used a workbook from Remedia Publications
Verbs - principal parts (forms), simple tenses, perfect tenses
Spelling
Logic of English 26
This has become a sore spot for me. 12yo is what I consider a natural speller. As much as I like LOE, I think we are spending too much time learning phonograms and spelling rules. She doesn't find spelling a struggle therefore the rules don't really mean anything to her. I enjoy the grammar section, but we don't need it since we cover grammar thoroughly in Rod & Staff. We are spending too much time analyzing words and doubling up on grammar when we could be using that time for other subjects.
I think we are going to drop LOE and move to a more traditional spelling list type approach.
Geography
Afghanistan
Seterra Online Middle East map
World History
K-12's The Human Odyssey:
How Civilized! From Hunter-Gatherers to City-Builders
Unearthing Sumer
Working, Trading, and Building in Sumer
Honoring the Gods: Religion in Ancient Sumer
World History Detective
#5 The Fertile Crescent and the Sumerians
Christian Studies II
9 Saul's Jealousy; David and Jonathan
10 Saul's Wrath; David and Abigail
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
November 3, 2014
October. What can I say? It's darker every day and the temps outside are creeping downward. With the arrival of fall my body has slowed down and getting anything accomplished has become harder and harder.
I haven't given up! We will keep learning.
A couple of things have been good for 12yo the past few months.
I haven't given up! We will keep learning.
A couple of things have been good for 12yo the past few months.
- She has a great group of friends!
- Swimming lessons. Exercise, new people, and a skill that will help her stay safe. It's been a very good experience. She is starting her second session.
Friday, October 3, 2014
October 3, 2014
Highlight of the week - 12yo started swimming lessons.
Current Events
CNN Student News
Newademics
Math
Math Reflex
I just couldn't do it - "Key to ...." We went back to Rod & Staff.
Weight, capacity, and mental calculations of measurement.
Latin
Latina Christiana I - Lesson 15 - Possum
Classical Studies
Famous Men of Rome - Coriolanus, Fabii
English Grammar
Nouns, proper nouns, plural nouns, developing paragraphs with details
Spelling
Lesson 19 - "ph", adding the suffix "able"
Literature
finished Tales From the Odyssey, Part 1
started Tales From the Odyssey, Part 2 - Telemachus helped by Mentor, visits Nestor
Geography
Pakistan - Memoria Press
Exploring Countries: Pakistan
The Kurds of Asia (series - First Peoples)
World History
Building Skills by Exploring Maps: Ancient Civilizations
Core Knowledge
Finally finished the story section of What Your First Grader Needs to Know and have moved into world history (prehistory, ancient Egypt).
Current Events
CNN Student News
Newademics
Math
Math Reflex
I just couldn't do it - "Key to ...." We went back to Rod & Staff.
Weight, capacity, and mental calculations of measurement.
Latin
Latina Christiana I - Lesson 15 - Possum
Classical Studies
Famous Men of Rome - Coriolanus, Fabii
English Grammar
Nouns, proper nouns, plural nouns, developing paragraphs with details
Spelling
Lesson 19 - "ph", adding the suffix "able"
Literature
finished Tales From the Odyssey, Part 1
started Tales From the Odyssey, Part 2 - Telemachus helped by Mentor, visits Nestor
Geography
Pakistan - Memoria Press
Exploring Countries: Pakistan
The Kurds of Asia (series - First Peoples)
World History
Building Skills by Exploring Maps: Ancient Civilizations
Core Knowledge
Finally finished the story section of What Your First Grader Needs to Know and have moved into world history (prehistory, ancient Egypt).
Sunday, September 28, 2014
September 27, 2014
Monday my 19 year old daughter had her four wisdom teeth extracted. She didn't require much care, but 12yo and I still didn't get much school done.
Sometimes I wonder about my sanity. I've been frustrated over our inability to get to all subjects, so what did I do? I added another study - The Hobbit. The third and final movie will hit theaters December 17, and I have decided we should try and read it before then. I have no idea how we'll find time for it.
Sometimes I wonder about my sanity. I've been frustrated over our inability to get to all subjects, so what did I do? I added another study - The Hobbit. The third and final movie will hit theaters December 17, and I have decided we should try and read it before then. I have no idea how we'll find time for it.
Math
Key to Measurement booklet #2 - linear measurements.
Latin
Latin adjectives - singular and plural
Grammar
Word order in sentences.
Unity and coherence in a paragraph.
Chapter review
Spelling
WOR and WR
Silent final "e" rules (English words do not end in U or V. Soft "c" and "g.")
Adding sufffixes
Indirect objects
Literature
cont'd Tales From the Odyssey
Geography
Saudi Arabia (MP)
Exploring Countries: Saudi Arabia
Holy Places: Mecca (Mandy Ross)
World History
29-30 History of the World (farming, first cities)
World History Detective - Mesolithic and Neolithic Stone Age
Christian Studies
8 David and Goliath
Core Knowledge
cont'd reading stories in the literature section
Friday, September 19, 2014
September 19, 2014
There is a trend. We skipped a day ... again. This is not "end of the world" terrible but it could turn into a nasty habit.
Math
Weak. We finished the first Key to Measurement booklet and did one lesson in Rod & Staff.
Latin
The new vocabulary was piling up, so we only did two lessons this week (11 & 12) which both covered 2nd declension neuter (um, i). 12yo spent most of the week reviewing vocabulary flash cards and memorizing the table blessing. Today I had her remove the vocabulary words she knows well.
Grammar
11 Compound Subjects and Predicates
12 Simple and Compound Sentences
13 The Structure of a Paragraph
14 Avoiding Run-on Errors
Spelling
We finished lesson 17! Spreading the lesson over two weeks works much better than trying to cover it in one week. We pulled the single letter phonogram cards to cut down on the size of the stack. I want to her spend more time on the tougher ones (ex: ough has six sounds).
Composition
12yo wrote a thank you note to the director for the summer youth program in our small community.
Literature
She started reading this to me:
Math
Weak. We finished the first Key to Measurement booklet and did one lesson in Rod & Staff.
Latin
The new vocabulary was piling up, so we only did two lessons this week (11 & 12) which both covered 2nd declension neuter (um, i). 12yo spent most of the week reviewing vocabulary flash cards and memorizing the table blessing. Today I had her remove the vocabulary words she knows well.
Grammar
11 Compound Subjects and Predicates
12 Simple and Compound Sentences
13 The Structure of a Paragraph
14 Avoiding Run-on Errors
Spelling
We finished lesson 17! Spreading the lesson over two weeks works much better than trying to cover it in one week. We pulled the single letter phonogram cards to cut down on the size of the stack. I want to her spend more time on the tougher ones (ex: ough has six sounds).
Composition
12yo wrote a thank you note to the director for the summer youth program in our small community.
Literature
She started reading this to me:
And I restarted reading this to her:
Geography
Turkey. We did the Memoria Press workbook. While she labeled her map I read Turkey (Blastoff! Readers: Exploring Countries) to her.
World History
DK's History of the World encyclopedia - reading through Chapter 2 "Early People" (40,000 - 5,000 BC)
American History
MIA
Classical Studies
6 Horatius and Mucius the Left-Handed
We started the Memoria Press guide for "Horatius at the Bridge."
Art
Still waiting for the shipment.
Music
MIA
Christian Studies
7 Jonathan Breaks the Oath; David
Saul is no longer supported by God as King. The prophet Samuel is sent to Jesse of Bethlehem to find a new king (David).
Science
We did four lessons/activities last week, but we didn't finish the notebook assignment for the last two. We only got around to doing one this week. Why do I drag my feet on this stuff? I'm a better "let's read the book" than a hands-on teacher.
Homemaking
Again, lacking in the "follow through" department.
Core Knowledge
Reading stories: It Could Always Be Worse, Jack and the Beanstalk, Medio Pollito, The Knee-High Man, The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Also reading sayings from What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
14 September 2014
We survived the first full week.
Monday through Wednesday we worked hard. And then, I started to feel burn out. Thursday I crashed ... sort of. We had a couple of phone calls and I gave up and took 12yo shopping for fall/winter clothes. Friday I got stuck on trying to find something that was missing and wasted a good hour. Plus, I was trying to wash her new clothes before she left on a trip. It wasn't as productive as I had hoped but we still had a fairly good day.
Saturday and Sunday 12yo attended a Maker Faire with her dad.
One thing driving our choices this year - Last Kid Homeschooling. It is my last opportunity to use some of the curriculum on our shelves.
Math
Math fact fluency - continuing with Math Reflex. We have switched from addition/subtraction facts to working with multiplication/division facts.
Normally we only use Rod & Staff Math. This year we are combining R&S Math 6, Key to Measurement, and the Great Courses lectures "Mastering the Fundamentals of Mathematics." We started out working with Key to Measurement. Honestly, I'm nervous because we are moving through the first booklet so slowly. The upside is the math has been more hands-on than in the past.
Latin
Latina Christiana I - we've moved quickly through the first 10 lessons since they should have been review. We tried the DVD's for the first few lessons and they took too long. We're focusing on learning the new vocabulary and doing the written work in the student book. Looking forward to Lively Latin Big Book I as soon as possible.
Grammar
Rod & Staff English 6. Doing both the exercises and the worksheets. Reading through the writing lessons but using IEW for composition. Four lessons per week.
Spelling
Picking up where we left off in Logic of English Foundations. Slowly working through lesson 17 and reviewing the phonograms after a few months off.
Composition
Continuing with Student Writing Intensive A (SWI A). Really not sure where to go with writing since she is older and increasingly creative. I really like IEW but I wonder if I should have her in SWI B instead.
Literature
No concrete plan.
Geography
We've been re-reading Geography I (Memoria Press) before we watch CNN Student News. We are in the Middle East and ready to cover countries we haven't read about before. Turkey here we come!
World History
I am super pleased that 12yo finally seems ready for K12's The Human Odyssey: Prehistory Through the Middle Ages. Yes, we are still stuck in ancients. We are combining HO with World History Detective and DK's History of the World encyclopedia. Working nicely although WHD is a bit challenging at this point.
American History
I'm looking for a good way to review what we've already covered before we continue in A History of US. A timeline?
Classical Studies
We've been re-reading stories from Famous Men of Rome when we do Latin. After this week we should be able to return to a once-a-week schedule. I'm hoping to also start using the Memoria Press study guide for the poem "Horatius at the Bridge."
Art
Home Arts Studio is the plan for the year. Still waiting for the art supplies to come in. One item is back ordered. Until then, we are reading through the art sections in the Core Knowledge series.
Music
Not there yet.
Christian Studies
Another subject that we didn't squeeze in this week. 12yo gets enough religious instruction at church, so this is purely cultural literacy.
Science
Finally working through lessons in Science in the Beginning! Awesome book. I'm so pleased with it. We are doing all three levels of activities since dd is older. We are currently working on the first day of creation - light.
Homemaking
Home Economics for Homeschoolers - another set of wonderful books that sat on my shelves gathering dust.
Core Knowledge
Reading through What Your First Grader Needs to Know. Just filling some gaps.
Monday through Wednesday we worked hard. And then, I started to feel burn out. Thursday I crashed ... sort of. We had a couple of phone calls and I gave up and took 12yo shopping for fall/winter clothes. Friday I got stuck on trying to find something that was missing and wasted a good hour. Plus, I was trying to wash her new clothes before she left on a trip. It wasn't as productive as I had hoped but we still had a fairly good day.
Saturday and Sunday 12yo attended a Maker Faire with her dad.
One thing driving our choices this year - Last Kid Homeschooling. It is my last opportunity to use some of the curriculum on our shelves.
Math
Math fact fluency - continuing with Math Reflex. We have switched from addition/subtraction facts to working with multiplication/division facts.
Normally we only use Rod & Staff Math. This year we are combining R&S Math 6, Key to Measurement, and the Great Courses lectures "Mastering the Fundamentals of Mathematics." We started out working with Key to Measurement. Honestly, I'm nervous because we are moving through the first booklet so slowly. The upside is the math has been more hands-on than in the past.
Latin
Latina Christiana I - we've moved quickly through the first 10 lessons since they should have been review. We tried the DVD's for the first few lessons and they took too long. We're focusing on learning the new vocabulary and doing the written work in the student book. Looking forward to Lively Latin Big Book I as soon as possible.
Grammar
Rod & Staff English 6. Doing both the exercises and the worksheets. Reading through the writing lessons but using IEW for composition. Four lessons per week.
Spelling
Picking up where we left off in Logic of English Foundations. Slowly working through lesson 17 and reviewing the phonograms after a few months off.
Composition
Continuing with Student Writing Intensive A (SWI A). Really not sure where to go with writing since she is older and increasingly creative. I really like IEW but I wonder if I should have her in SWI B instead.
Literature
No concrete plan.
Geography
We've been re-reading Geography I (Memoria Press) before we watch CNN Student News. We are in the Middle East and ready to cover countries we haven't read about before. Turkey here we come!
World History
I am super pleased that 12yo finally seems ready for K12's The Human Odyssey: Prehistory Through the Middle Ages. Yes, we are still stuck in ancients. We are combining HO with World History Detective and DK's History of the World encyclopedia. Working nicely although WHD is a bit challenging at this point.
American History
I'm looking for a good way to review what we've already covered before we continue in A History of US. A timeline?
Classical Studies
We've been re-reading stories from Famous Men of Rome when we do Latin. After this week we should be able to return to a once-a-week schedule. I'm hoping to also start using the Memoria Press study guide for the poem "Horatius at the Bridge."
Art
Home Arts Studio is the plan for the year. Still waiting for the art supplies to come in. One item is back ordered. Until then, we are reading through the art sections in the Core Knowledge series.
Music
Not there yet.
Christian Studies
Another subject that we didn't squeeze in this week. 12yo gets enough religious instruction at church, so this is purely cultural literacy.
Science
Finally working through lessons in Science in the Beginning! Awesome book. I'm so pleased with it. We are doing all three levels of activities since dd is older. We are currently working on the first day of creation - light.
Homemaking
Home Economics for Homeschoolers - another set of wonderful books that sat on my shelves gathering dust.
Core Knowledge
Reading through What Your First Grader Needs to Know. Just filling some gaps.
Friday, September 5, 2014
September 5, 2014
Monday and Tuesday 12yo dd had a sleepover at her oldest sister's house.
Wednesday through Friday our schedule was 9am - 3pm. People, I am whipped by 3pm.
Wednesday was tough. 12yo had a hard time staying awake. We have always had school on my bed. I decided it was time to get off the comfy bed. The past two days we have spent our time going back and forth between the dining room table and the couch.
I made one more change to help her stay awake. After a subject or two, I sent her on an errand or to do a chore (ex: unload the dishwasher, take the compost outside, water the plants, scoop the poop in the chicken coop, check the mail, etc.). She has been more alert and easier to get along with during school.
Current Events - CNN Student News
Math - Math Reflex, Key to Measurement book 1
Latin - LCI Review 1, lessons 6 & 7 (first declension, agreement of subject and verb)
Grammar - Rod & Staff English 6 lessons 5-7 (subjects and predicates, sentences and clauses, four types of sentences)
Spelling - seeing what she knows from a "frequently used words" list
Geography - review. Reread a section on the Middle East. Put together a puzzle of Africa and the Middle East.
World History - World History Detective #1, K12's The Human Odyssey "Introduction" - telling time.
Classical Studies - Famous Men of Rome - reread "Romulus" (she is sick of hearing that story. Lol!)
Christian Studies II - Lesson 6 "Samuel and Saul"
Home Economics for Home Schoolers Level One - Lesson 1 "Nutrition"
Core Knowledge - reading through What Your First Grader Needs to Know. We've read the fables and are currently reading through the stories.
Wednesday through Friday our schedule was 9am - 3pm. People, I am whipped by 3pm.
Wednesday was tough. 12yo had a hard time staying awake. We have always had school on my bed. I decided it was time to get off the comfy bed. The past two days we have spent our time going back and forth between the dining room table and the couch.
I made one more change to help her stay awake. After a subject or two, I sent her on an errand or to do a chore (ex: unload the dishwasher, take the compost outside, water the plants, scoop the poop in the chicken coop, check the mail, etc.). She has been more alert and easier to get along with during school.
Current Events - CNN Student News
Math - Math Reflex, Key to Measurement book 1
Latin - LCI Review 1, lessons 6 & 7 (first declension, agreement of subject and verb)
Grammar - Rod & Staff English 6 lessons 5-7 (subjects and predicates, sentences and clauses, four types of sentences)
Spelling - seeing what she knows from a "frequently used words" list
Geography - review. Reread a section on the Middle East. Put together a puzzle of Africa and the Middle East.
World History - World History Detective #1, K12's The Human Odyssey "Introduction" - telling time.
Classical Studies - Famous Men of Rome - reread "Romulus" (she is sick of hearing that story. Lol!)
Christian Studies II - Lesson 6 "Samuel and Saul"
Home Economics for Home Schoolers Level One - Lesson 1 "Nutrition"
Core Knowledge - reading through What Your First Grader Needs to Know. We've read the fables and are currently reading through the stories.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
August 30, 2014
We hit "pause" - too many activities/interruptions to be consistent with school.
The next plan? Wait and start in-line with public school. But no, we can't do anything as simple as that.
12yo made it sound like the park activities were going to slow down this week. You know me. BING! "Let's start school." So ... we kinda, sorta did. Things fell apart Thursday and Friday. Big sis and her kids came over for the day on Thursday and then Friday 12yo purposely stayed away from the house because she knew I wanted to do school with her. Little toot! That's okay. At 8:30pm Friday evening I announced that we were doing school. Lol! Kid, I will get you. I know where you live.
Current events - CNN Student News
Latin - Latina Christiana I lessons 3, 4, & 5 (first conjugation and first declension)
Grammar - R&S English 6 lessons 1-4 (complete sentences, subjects, predicates, writing a story about a problem)
Math - started Key to Measurement
We started reading:
Friday, August 1, 2014
August 1, 2014
We didn't do as much school as I would have liked but that isn't something new.
Highlight of the week ... we went to see "Maleficent." I saw it a week ago and wanted my younger daughters to see it too. I wanted them to see the same message I did ... a woman doesn't need a man to be complete. I grew up with the perspective that I somehow wasn't whole without a guy. Having healthy relationships with the opposite gender is great but don't feel that you are incomplete without Prince Charming. Live life! Don't sit around waiting for him to come knocking on your door.
Latin - 12yo is giving me grief about watching the Latina Christiana I DVDs, so I'm trying to wing it myself. We made it through only two lessons this week.
Math - On the other hand, she seems to be completely fine with James Sellers, the instructor for The Great Courses' "Mastering the Fundamentals of Mathematics." We watched the first four lectures: Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication, Long Division, and Introduction to Fractions.
Current events/News - We are trying something new - a subscription to Newsademics. I like it, but I can tell 12yo isn't thrilled with the length of the articles. She's going to have to put in a little more effort than sitting back and watching 10 minutes of CNN Student News.
I'm happy we were able to brush the dust off our homeschool brains this week. : )
Highlight of the week ... we went to see "Maleficent." I saw it a week ago and wanted my younger daughters to see it too. I wanted them to see the same message I did ... a woman doesn't need a man to be complete. I grew up with the perspective that I somehow wasn't whole without a guy. Having healthy relationships with the opposite gender is great but don't feel that you are incomplete without Prince Charming. Live life! Don't sit around waiting for him to come knocking on your door.
Latin - 12yo is giving me grief about watching the Latina Christiana I DVDs, so I'm trying to wing it myself. We made it through only two lessons this week.
Math - On the other hand, she seems to be completely fine with James Sellers, the instructor for The Great Courses' "Mastering the Fundamentals of Mathematics." We watched the first four lectures: Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication, Long Division, and Introduction to Fractions.
Current events/News - We are trying something new - a subscription to Newsademics. I like it, but I can tell 12yo isn't thrilled with the length of the articles. She's going to have to put in a little more effort than sitting back and watching 10 minutes of CNN Student News.
I'm happy we were able to brush the dust off our homeschool brains this week. : )
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Three months later ...
Wow! Where have the past three months gone?
May was the month of the chickens. I spent a lot of time outside making sure they were okay. They didn't have a regular coop yet, so we were often outside on "cat" duty.
In June my oldest at home finished her finals and then started an intense summer choir. Not only were there daily practices (sometimes two/day), we also spent a lot of time running errands to prepare her for a trip to Greece. I've never been out of the country, so I was pretty stressed about helping her get what she needed for the trip yet not overpacking.
As soon as she left for her trip, I had a couple of weeks to get my youngest two ready for a Pioneer Trek (three days of camping out in the wilderness and reenacting a pioneer trek using handcarts). Luckily, the dresses, bonnets, and aprons my girls made four years ago fit these two. We didn't even need to buy new hiking boots. Everything was handed down. But ... we did have to do more shopping than I expected. They needed sunscreen, new socks (cha-ching $$$), new hand sanitizer, and the list went on.
And here I find myself at the end of July. Though we have one more adventure in August (a family reunion), I feel it is finally safe to start school-lite. Sunday evening I forewarned 12yo and Monday morning we started Math and Latin.
Latin - reviewing what she learned in Lively Latin by going through the first half of Latina Christiana I.
Math - We are watching lessons from the Great Courses "Mastering the Fundamentals of Mathematics." Also, she restarted Math Reflex.
I seriously hesitated beginning the school year so soon. Our summers are such an important time for 12yo to get outside and make social connections in the neighborhood since it rains so much the rest of the year. But, I was noticing a lot of computer use going on vs. playing with friends. I figured an hour to an hour-and-a-half would be fine. We'll see how it goes.
May was the month of the chickens. I spent a lot of time outside making sure they were okay. They didn't have a regular coop yet, so we were often outside on "cat" duty.
In June my oldest at home finished her finals and then started an intense summer choir. Not only were there daily practices (sometimes two/day), we also spent a lot of time running errands to prepare her for a trip to Greece. I've never been out of the country, so I was pretty stressed about helping her get what she needed for the trip yet not overpacking.
As soon as she left for her trip, I had a couple of weeks to get my youngest two ready for a Pioneer Trek (three days of camping out in the wilderness and reenacting a pioneer trek using handcarts). Luckily, the dresses, bonnets, and aprons my girls made four years ago fit these two. We didn't even need to buy new hiking boots. Everything was handed down. But ... we did have to do more shopping than I expected. They needed sunscreen, new socks (cha-ching $$$), new hand sanitizer, and the list went on.
And here I find myself at the end of July. Though we have one more adventure in August (a family reunion), I feel it is finally safe to start school-lite. Sunday evening I forewarned 12yo and Monday morning we started Math and Latin.
Latin - reviewing what she learned in Lively Latin by going through the first half of Latina Christiana I.
Math - We are watching lessons from the Great Courses "Mastering the Fundamentals of Mathematics." Also, she restarted Math Reflex.
I seriously hesitated beginning the school year so soon. Our summers are such an important time for 12yo to get outside and make social connections in the neighborhood since it rains so much the rest of the year. But, I was noticing a lot of computer use going on vs. playing with friends. I figured an hour to an hour-and-a-half would be fine. We'll see how it goes.
Monday, May 19, 2014
May 19, 2014
Teaching to the test is over. Summer weather is approaching. We have chicks. School? What's that?
Chickens have been a real learning experience. #1 - they poop a lot. Lol!
We've learned that they all have distinct personalities. Just like people, I like some better than others.
We've also learned that chickens are resilient. This past Wednesday our sweet Sicilian Buttercup was attacked by a cat when we left the chicks outside unattended (bad choice on our part!). Her neck had some minor wounds. Her back end however had wounds as large as my thumbnail. We kept her separate from the flock to avoid cannibalism. Luckily her wounds are covered by her wings. Within 24 hours she was back outside free ranging with her flock. We put her back in the infirmary one more night.
This weekend, 12yo watched and at times assisted her dad in building a coop.
 |
| May 3, 2014 - new home. Five weeks old? |
 |
| 12yo and her Buttercup |
We've learned that they all have distinct personalities. Just like people, I like some better than others.
We've also learned that chickens are resilient. This past Wednesday our sweet Sicilian Buttercup was attacked by a cat when we left the chicks outside unattended (bad choice on our part!). Her neck had some minor wounds. Her back end however had wounds as large as my thumbnail. We kept her separate from the flock to avoid cannibalism. Luckily her wounds are covered by her wings. Within 24 hours she was back outside free ranging with her flock. We put her back in the infirmary one more night.
This weekend, 12yo watched and at times assisted her dad in building a coop.
Monday, May 12, 2014
May 12, 2014
Um, should I even post about last week?
Monday we reviewed math.
Tuesday 12yo took a required standardized test.
Then ... we lost all traction. I didn't think it was possible to do less, but we did ... less.
Monday we reviewed math.
Tuesday 12yo took a required standardized test.
Then ... we lost all traction. I didn't think it was possible to do less, but we did ... less.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Testing 2014
In our state homeschoolers are required to test at the end of 3rd, 5th, 8th, and 10th grades. Because I registered my younger girls when they were seven years old, they are a year older than the other students testing in their grade level. Today 12yo took the 5th grade test, and if her scores are good enough she won't need to test for another three years. I'm looking forward to a three year break and more homeschool freedom.
Friday, May 2, 2014
May 2, 2014
Ended school early this week so 12yo could have a sleepover with her oldest sister. Oldest sister just moved and 12yo wants to help. Actually, I think she wants to play with the chicks, ducklings, and rabbits. Lol!
We are reading:
Sayings:
Eat crow.
Eleventh hour.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Few and far between.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill.
Latin - finished lesson 10. Introduced vocabulary F.
Math 6 - (1-6) This is a review chapter. Working with trillions, place value, rounding numbers to the nearest 10 million, Roman numerals - greater than 3,000/MMM, column addition, horizontal addition.
English 5 - (58-61) can vs. may, learn vs. teach, chapter review, pronouns, nominative case pronouns, objective case pronouns.
Spelling - most of lesson 16. phonograms - ed, ew.
World History - SOTW ch. 10 "The Far East: Ancient China," read more about ancient China from world history encyclopedias, SOTW ch. 18 "Life in Early Crete" and ch. 19 "The Early Greeks."
American History - 9) Jamestown Makes It, 10) 1619 a Big Year, 11) Indians versus Colonists, 12) Massacre in Virginia, Poverty in England, R&S 5 chapter 16 Plymouth Colony-the Beginning of Massachusetts.
Classical Studies -
Christian Studies II -
Science 6 - (22-25) the energy chain (law of conservation, law of thermodynamics), harnessing wind, water, and sunlight (wind turbines, dams, and solar cells), harnessing fuel energy (four-cycle gasoline engine), using energy for transportation (automobiles, ships, airplanes).
We are reading:
Eat crow.
Eleventh hour.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Few and far between.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill.
Latin - finished lesson 10. Introduced vocabulary F.
Math 6 - (1-6) This is a review chapter. Working with trillions, place value, rounding numbers to the nearest 10 million, Roman numerals - greater than 3,000/MMM, column addition, horizontal addition.
English 5 - (58-61) can vs. may, learn vs. teach, chapter review, pronouns, nominative case pronouns, objective case pronouns.
Spelling - most of lesson 16. phonograms - ed, ew.
World History - SOTW ch. 10 "The Far East: Ancient China," read more about ancient China from world history encyclopedias, SOTW ch. 18 "Life in Early Crete" and ch. 19 "The Early Greeks."
American History - 9) Jamestown Makes It, 10) 1619 a Big Year, 11) Indians versus Colonists, 12) Massacre in Virginia, Poverty in England, R&S 5 chapter 16 Plymouth Colony-the Beginning of Massachusetts.
Classical Studies -
Christian Studies II -
Science 6 - (22-25) the energy chain (law of conservation, law of thermodynamics), harnessing wind, water, and sunlight (wind turbines, dams, and solar cells), harnessing fuel energy (four-cycle gasoline engine), using energy for transportation (automobiles, ships, airplanes).
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Breaking News!
Today was a beautiful day!
School went so smoothly today that I thought surely we had forgotten something. : ) Very happy.
School went so smoothly today that I thought surely we had forgotten something. : ) Very happy.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
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Friday, April 25, 2014
April 25, 2014
Rejoicing! today because we are soooo close to the end of our math textbook. Tomorrow will be our last regular lesson. Monday we will begin a new level - Rod & Staff Math 6. The plan is to use Math 5's "End of Year Review" lesson the day before 12yo takes her standardized test in May. Then we will be done, done, done with the Math 5 textbook!
The usual: CNN Student News, Math Minute, Math Reflex
Sayings:
Bite the hand that feeds you.
Catch forty winks.
Count your blessings.
Eureka!
Latin - The Fabii, Cincinnatus, The Spirit of Cincinnatus, conjugating imperfect tense verbs - lessons 10.3, 10.4, and exercises 10.3 - 10.5.
Math 5 - (167/170) all review lessons (fractions, measures, decimals, Roman numerals, percents, misc.)
English 5 - (56/119) creating an outline from notes, writing a report using an outline, linking verbs, predicate nouns, and predicate adjectives
Spelling - finished 13, almost finished 14 (ear, ir, ur)
World History - made up for last week!
Europe's first villages, monument builders
The rise of Babylon, Hammurabi
SOTW - ch. 7 Hammurabi and the Babylonians
Royal graves of Anatolia
Hittite empire
American History - 3)The First Virginians, 4)English Settlers Come to Stay, 5)John Smith, 6)The Starving Time, 7)A Lord, a Hurricane, and a Wedding, 8)A Share in America
Classical Studies - 5 Junius Brutus (first consul, 509 BC)
Christian Studies -
Science - (21/37) photosynthesis, soil, food chain, balance of life, chapter review
The usual: CNN Student News, Math Minute, Math Reflex
Sayings:
Bite the hand that feeds you.
Catch forty winks.
Count your blessings.
Eureka!
Latin - The Fabii, Cincinnatus, The Spirit of Cincinnatus, conjugating imperfect tense verbs - lessons 10.3, 10.4, and exercises 10.3 - 10.5.
Math 5 - (167/170) all review lessons (fractions, measures, decimals, Roman numerals, percents, misc.)
English 5 - (56/119) creating an outline from notes, writing a report using an outline, linking verbs, predicate nouns, and predicate adjectives
Spelling - finished 13, almost finished 14 (ear, ir, ur)
World History - made up for last week!
Europe's first villages, monument builders
The rise of Babylon, Hammurabi
SOTW - ch. 7 Hammurabi and the Babylonians
Royal graves of Anatolia
Hittite empire
American History - 3)The First Virginians, 4)English Settlers Come to Stay, 5)John Smith, 6)The Starving Time, 7)A Lord, a Hurricane, and a Wedding, 8)A Share in America
Classical Studies - 5 Junius Brutus (first consul, 509 BC)
Christian Studies -
Science - (21/37) photosynthesis, soil, food chain, balance of life, chapter review
Saturday, April 19, 2014
April 19, 2014
It was a "ripple effect" week. The pebble dropped by someone else sent out ripples that touched every member of our family. Even though we didn't drop the pebble, our homeschool was affected. Thankfully, we were able to accomplish something because 12yo read to me in the car.
Sayings:
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.
Birthday suit.
Latin - Lesson 10.1, 10.2, and accompanying exercises.
Math 5 - (161/170) scale drawings, bar and line graphs
English 5 (51/119) principal parts of common irregular verbs, taking notes, raise/rise, set/sit, lay/lie
Spelling - started lesson 13 (kn, gn)
World History - nada
American History - A History of US: Making Thirteen Colonies - Preface, 1 A Sign in the Sky, 2 Across the Ocean. R&S 5 Homelands of North America - 14 Jamestown, 15 Quebec.
Classical Studies - nada
Christian Studies II - 5 Ruth
Science 6 - 11 A Climate to Support Life, 12 Water to Support Life, 13 The Protecting Atmosphere, 14 The Moderating Oceans, 15 The Renewing Cycles, 16 Review.
Friday, April 11, 2014
April 11, 2014
Almost a perfect week. And then there was that one day (today) that had to sneak up on me and ... BAP me on the head (i.e. no school happened. period.)
Ignoring today (I wish I could, really), we had a great school week.
Sayings:
Through thick and thin.
Timbuktu
Two wrongs don't make a right.
When it rains it pours.
Latin - We finished lesson nine! Practiced new vocabulary, practiced declining 1st and 2nd declension nouns, and learned about the organization of the Roman legion.
Math 5 - (151/170) perimeter, area and square units, acres and square miles
English 5 - (44/119) using verb forms correctly, oral directions, ch.4 review, direct objects
Spelling - almost finished lesson 12. Phonogram - tch
World History - History Year by Year 24-28, Battle Standard mosaic from Ur, Gods & Temples, 2,500-2,000 BCE
The Usborne Book of World History - Cities of Ancient India
Usborne World History: Ancient World - Cities of the Indus Valley
American History - Finished A History of US: The First Americans! 35 Elizabeth and Friends, 36 Utopia in America, 37 Lost: A Colony, 38 An Armada Is a Fleet of Ships, 39 The End: Keep Reading
Classical Studies - 3 The Horatii and the Curiatii (650 BC), 4 The Tarquins (616-510 BC)
Christian Studies II - 4 Jephthah's Vow; Samson and the Philistines
Science - 6 The Sun Orbiters, 7 Mercury and Venus, 8 Mars and the Asteroids, 9 The Outer Planets
Ignoring today (I wish I could, really), we had a great school week.
Sayings:
Through thick and thin.
Timbuktu
Two wrongs don't make a right.
When it rains it pours.
Latin - We finished lesson nine! Practiced new vocabulary, practiced declining 1st and 2nd declension nouns, and learned about the organization of the Roman legion.
Math 5 - (151/170) perimeter, area and square units, acres and square miles
English 5 - (44/119) using verb forms correctly, oral directions, ch.4 review, direct objects
Spelling - almost finished lesson 12. Phonogram - tch
World History - History Year by Year 24-28, Battle Standard mosaic from Ur, Gods & Temples, 2,500-2,000 BCE
The Usborne Book of World History - Cities of Ancient India
Usborne World History: Ancient World - Cities of the Indus Valley
American History - Finished A History of US: The First Americans! 35 Elizabeth and Friends, 36 Utopia in America, 37 Lost: A Colony, 38 An Armada Is a Fleet of Ships, 39 The End: Keep Reading
Classical Studies - 3 The Horatii and the Curiatii (650 BC), 4 The Tarquins (616-510 BC)
Christian Studies II - 4 Jephthah's Vow; Samson and the Philistines
Science - 6 The Sun Orbiters, 7 Mercury and Venus, 8 Mars and the Asteroids, 9 The Outer Planets
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
April 03, 2014
It's only Thursday, but tomorrow we won't have a full day.
We have had a very productive week especially with math. I looked through the lessons recently and decided that some of them could easily be combined without causing frustration for 12yo. Three lessons on dividing decimals? She's been dividing money amounts. She already knows she needs to move the decimal point up into the quotient. We did one lesson out of three and called it good. Tomorrow I plan to combine three lessons introducing geometry. I just don't see the need for three separate lessons. Maybe they were trying to fill the school year? Idk.
Seeing is believing.
Shipshape
Latin - declining 2nd declension neuter nouns. (lessons 9.2, 9.3; exercises 9.3, 9.4), "Coriolanus Shamed by His Mother"
Math 5 - (145/170) thermometers, review of multiplying fractions, money, multiplying decimals, dividing decimals. Introduction to geometry, angles, geometric figures, and perimeter.
English 5 - (40/119) subject and verb agreement, forms of be and do, verb tense, more outlining, principal parts of regular and irregular verbs.
Spelling - working through lesson 11 (phonograms ou, ow, and ough)
World History - History Year by Year 12-13, 16-23. Mesolithic, neolithic, and first farmers.
American History - 31 - 34. France - forts, fighting with Spain for control of New France/La Florida, and claiming of Louisiana.
Classical Studies - MP's Famous Men of Rome "Numa Pompilius"
Christian Studies II - Gideon and Midianites; Jotham and Ambimelech
Science 6 - (5/37) sun-source of energy, sun-active star, moon, eclipses, and review.
* Edited to add Friday's and Saturday's work.
We have had a very productive week especially with math. I looked through the lessons recently and decided that some of them could easily be combined without causing frustration for 12yo. Three lessons on dividing decimals? She's been dividing money amounts. She already knows she needs to move the decimal point up into the quotient. We did one lesson out of three and called it good. Tomorrow I plan to combine three lessons introducing geometry. I just don't see the need for three separate lessons. Maybe they were trying to fill the school year? Idk.
What we are reading this week.
Sayings:
Run of the mill.Seeing is believing.
Shipshape
Latin - declining 2nd declension neuter nouns. (lessons 9.2, 9.3; exercises 9.3, 9.4), "Coriolanus Shamed by His Mother"
Math 5 - (145/170) thermometers, review of multiplying fractions, money, multiplying decimals, dividing decimals. Introduction to geometry, angles, geometric figures, and perimeter.
English 5 - (40/119) subject and verb agreement, forms of be and do, verb tense, more outlining, principal parts of regular and irregular verbs.
Spelling - working through lesson 11 (phonograms ou, ow, and ough)
World History - History Year by Year 12-13, 16-23. Mesolithic, neolithic, and first farmers.
American History - 31 - 34. France - forts, fighting with Spain for control of New France/La Florida, and claiming of Louisiana.
Classical Studies - MP's Famous Men of Rome "Numa Pompilius"
Christian Studies II - Gideon and Midianites; Jotham and Ambimelech
Science 6 - (5/37) sun-source of energy, sun-active star, moon, eclipses, and review.
* Edited to add Friday's and Saturday's work.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Spring break? Not really.
The plan was to do a math and English lesson every day during spring break. Shouldn't take long, right? 12yo has this amazing ability to make everything take twice as long as estimated. And then I decided we should finish the science book since we only had a few lessons left.
Not much of a spring break and I'm beginning to feel the effects of it.
Rod & Staff Science 5 - We are done! This week we read lessons about algae, mosses and ferns, bacteria, and fungi.
Math 5 - (128/170) I decided to skip a couple of fraction review lessons. Rod & Staff has so much review I think she'll get enough practice in later lessons. We did do the third quarter review over two days to refresh all of her math skills up to this point in the book. After the review we started a unit on measurement. We skipped the lesson on Biblical measures and moved to metric measures.
It's hard to imagine we will finish the math book in a little over a month. That's the plan at the moment.
English 5 - (34/119) Reviewed nouns, moved to verbs, be verbs, and helping verbs and verb phrases.
Not much of a spring break and I'm beginning to feel the effects of it.
Rod & Staff Science 5 - We are done! This week we read lessons about algae, mosses and ferns, bacteria, and fungi.
Math 5 - (128/170) I decided to skip a couple of fraction review lessons. Rod & Staff has so much review I think she'll get enough practice in later lessons. We did do the third quarter review over two days to refresh all of her math skills up to this point in the book. After the review we started a unit on measurement. We skipped the lesson on Biblical measures and moved to metric measures.
It's hard to imagine we will finish the math book in a little over a month. That's the plan at the moment.
English 5 - (34/119) Reviewed nouns, moved to verbs, be verbs, and helping verbs and verb phrases.
Friday, March 21, 2014
March 21, 2014
My birthday week! The usual. Monday was productive and then the week went downhill. BUT, that's okay. It was expected.
For 10+ years we had a Borders Bookstore in town. I was there at least once a week. I loved it. I was seriously in mourning the first couple of years after they closed. There are a couple of used bookstores in town and one small independent store. Honestly? I miss having a "mega" bookstore full of new books and trendy items.
So ... for my 50th birthday I drove over an hour to go to the nearest mega bookstore, Barnes & Noble. It was wonderful. I was only able to stay an hour-and-a-half but it was worth the drive. Even if I hate driving in the "big" city, the drive there was beautiful: sunshine, lush green grass, daffodils, and sheep. The most beautiful stretch of interstate you'll find.
As much as I loved the experience I tried not to buy too much. : ) It was so hard!
My favorite so far? I am a visual person and I believe this timeline book will help us see the big picture when it comes to world history.
For 10+ years we had a Borders Bookstore in town. I was there at least once a week. I loved it. I was seriously in mourning the first couple of years after they closed. There are a couple of used bookstores in town and one small independent store. Honestly? I miss having a "mega" bookstore full of new books and trendy items.
So ... for my 50th birthday I drove over an hour to go to the nearest mega bookstore, Barnes & Noble. It was wonderful. I was only able to stay an hour-and-a-half but it was worth the drive. Even if I hate driving in the "big" city, the drive there was beautiful: sunshine, lush green grass, daffodils, and sheep. The most beautiful stretch of interstate you'll find.
As much as I loved the experience I tried not to buy too much. : ) It was so hard!
My favorite so far? I am a visual person and I believe this timeline book will help us see the big picture when it comes to world history.
Sayings:
One picture is worth a thousand words.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
RSVP
Latin - exercise 9.2, Coriolanus: Hero or Traitor?
Math 5 - (119/170) five lessons focusing on multiplying and dividing by fractions
English 5 - (28/119) developing paragraphs using examples, plural nouns, possessive nouns, appositives, nouns of direct address
World History - Minoan civilization on Crete (several Usborne books and Story of the World), started reading about prehistory in History Year by Year.
American History - Bartolome de Las Casas, more about the Spanish Inquisition.
Science - 41 Pitch and Volume, 42 Ears
Next week is spring break. My goal is to continue math and English grammar lessons.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
March 15, 2014
Wait for it. Here it comes.
That's right. We had a repeat week. I started out with high hopes and the week flopped. Weep!
Two problems? The time change and people "needed" me.
I'm seriously struggling with the conflict between how I want to spend my time and how other people want to spend my time (age old battle). I know that none of this week's interruptions were intentional. I don't see how I would have changed anything, but I feel discouraged when the end result is the same week after week. So discouraged.
Monday - the most productive day.
Tuesday - the day was cut short by an hour-and-a-half because of a last minute baby sitting request. And yes, an hour-and-a-half makes a big difference.
Wednesday -
Thursday - just when we were picking up steam, I had to make an "emergency" trip into town which ate up a couple of hours.
Friday - funeral
Saturday - we did a math and an English lesson
What we accomplished:
Okay - Book of Mormon, CNN, Math Minute
Meh - treadmill, Math Reflex, spelling
Sayings:
Make while the sun shines.
Money burning a hole in your pocket.
On the warpath.
Once in a blue moon.
Latin - more work with vocabulary E and English derivatives, 2nd declension neuter (two word power exercises, lesson 9.1 + video, ex. 9.1).
Math 5 - (114/170) Multiplying whole numbers and fractions or mixed numbers.
English 5 - (24/119) finding the simple subject when a sentence begins with "there is" or "there are", nouns - concrete, abstract, common, proper, singular, plural (proper spelling).
Composition - none
Geography - none
World History - juvenile video on Mesopotamia, finished The Egyptology Handbook pg. 52-80, gods and goddesses, mummies, burial, after life, brief chronology of Egyptology.
American History - 27 Conquistadors: California to Florida (de Soto) , 28 A Place Called Santa Fe (missions)
Classical Studies - none
Christian Studies II - 2 Joshua and the Hivites; Slaying of Sisera
Science - How Sound Travels
Art - none
Music - none
That's right. We had a repeat week. I started out with high hopes and the week flopped. Weep!
Two problems? The time change and people "needed" me.
I'm seriously struggling with the conflict between how I want to spend my time and how other people want to spend my time (age old battle). I know that none of this week's interruptions were intentional. I don't see how I would have changed anything, but I feel discouraged when the end result is the same week after week. So discouraged.
Monday - the most productive day.
Tuesday - the day was cut short by an hour-and-a-half because of a last minute baby sitting request. And yes, an hour-and-a-half makes a big difference.
Wednesday -
Thursday - just when we were picking up steam, I had to make an "emergency" trip into town which ate up a couple of hours.
Friday - funeral
Saturday - we did a math and an English lesson
What we accomplished:
Okay - Book of Mormon, CNN, Math Minute
Meh - treadmill, Math Reflex, spelling
Sayings:
Make while the sun shines.
Money burning a hole in your pocket.
On the warpath.
Once in a blue moon.
Latin - more work with vocabulary E and English derivatives, 2nd declension neuter (two word power exercises, lesson 9.1 + video, ex. 9.1).
Math 5 - (114/170) Multiplying whole numbers and fractions or mixed numbers.
English 5 - (24/119) finding the simple subject when a sentence begins with "there is" or "there are", nouns - concrete, abstract, common, proper, singular, plural (proper spelling).
Composition - none
Geography - none
World History - juvenile video on Mesopotamia, finished The Egyptology Handbook pg. 52-80, gods and goddesses, mummies, burial, after life, brief chronology of Egyptology.
American History - 27 Conquistadors: California to Florida (de Soto) , 28 A Place Called Santa Fe (missions)
Classical Studies - none
Christian Studies II - 2 Joshua and the Hivites; Slaying of Sisera
Science - How Sound Travels
Art - none
Music - none
Saturday, March 8, 2014
She was forewarned
I told 12yo yesterday we would be doing math and grammar lessons today.
When I approached her today? She was HOT! She did not want to do school work on the weekend. It is the same old argument I've heard before. "No one else has to do school work on a Saturday." Of course, I took the opportunity to point out that her sister was writing a paper at that very moment and that her sisters always do school work on Saturdays. That argument didn't work.
We did the lessons in about an hour with full on battitude.
When I approached her today? She was HOT! She did not want to do school work on the weekend. It is the same old argument I've heard before. "No one else has to do school work on a Saturday." Of course, I took the opportunity to point out that her sister was writing a paper at that very moment and that her sisters always do school work on Saturdays. That argument didn't work.
We did the lessons in about an hour with full on battitude.
Friday, March 7, 2014
March 7, 2014
I'm not even sure I should blog this week as we did almost absolutely no school.
Monday and Tuesday were spent celebrating 12yo's birthday.
Wednesday was spent recovering from said birthday.
Thursday - we accomplished a little.
Friday - I was firm in my mind to have a productive day and ... pfft. Unbelievably we did less than Thursday.
The ONE thing we did consistently this week? CNN Student News!
Saying - Make ends meet.
Latin - introduced vocabulary E (2nd declension neuter), exercises 8.5 and 8.6.
Math 5 - (107/170) ratios, proportions, and percents.
English 5 - (19/119) unity and order, compound sentences, comma splices, run-on sentences, and combining choppy sentences.
Spelling - none
Geography - none
World History - The Egyptology Handbook pg 44-51
American History - chapter 26 "Being a Conquistador With Coronado"
Classical Studies - none
Christian Studies - none
Science - (39/48) "What Causes Sound?"
None, none, none, none.... Next week has to be better!
edited to add: We did do one thing right this week. 12yo has started working on Personal Progress by reading the Book of Mormon.
Monday and Tuesday were spent celebrating 12yo's birthday.
Wednesday was spent recovering from said birthday.
Thursday - we accomplished a little.
Friday - I was firm in my mind to have a productive day and ... pfft. Unbelievably we did less than Thursday.
The ONE thing we did consistently this week? CNN Student News!
Saying - Make ends meet.
Latin - introduced vocabulary E (2nd declension neuter), exercises 8.5 and 8.6.
Math 5 - (107/170) ratios, proportions, and percents.
English 5 - (19/119) unity and order, compound sentences, comma splices, run-on sentences, and combining choppy sentences.
Spelling - none
Geography - none
World History - The Egyptology Handbook pg 44-51
American History - chapter 26 "Being a Conquistador With Coronado"
Classical Studies - none
Christian Studies - none
Science - (39/48) "What Causes Sound?"
None, none, none, none.... Next week has to be better!
edited to add: We did do one thing right this week. 12yo has started working on Personal Progress by reading the Book of Mormon.
Value Project
Friday, February 28, 2014
February 28, 2014
Faith in God - 11yo is still using the treadmill and polishing her articles of faith, but I consider her to be done with her FIG award. She will continue to use the treadmill in preparation for the pioneer trek this summer. She has memorized the articles of faith much better than I could have expected in such a short time.
Sayings:
Half a loaf of bread is better than none.
Haste makes waste.
Laugh and the the world laughs with you; cry and you cry alone.
Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.
Live and let live.
Latin - Mucius the Left-Handed, 8.3 The Case of the Predicate Nominative, 8.4 The Linking Verb at the End of the Sentence.
Math 5 - (103/170) comparing decimals, picture graphs, bar graphs, introduction to ratios
English 5 - (14/119) introduction to paragraphs; compound subjects, predicates, and sentences.
Spelling - finished review lesson 10.
Geography - Iran. Memoria Press lesson and Exploring Countries: Iran.
World History - reading The Egyptology Handbook.
Sayings:
Half a loaf of bread is better than none.
Haste makes waste.
Laugh and the the world laughs with you; cry and you cry alone.
Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.
Live and let live.
Latin - Mucius the Left-Handed, 8.3 The Case of the Predicate Nominative, 8.4 The Linking Verb at the End of the Sentence.
Math 5 - (103/170) comparing decimals, picture graphs, bar graphs, introduction to ratios
English 5 - (14/119) introduction to paragraphs; compound subjects, predicates, and sentences.
Spelling - finished review lesson 10.
Geography - Iran. Memoria Press lesson and Exploring Countries: Iran.
World History - reading The Egyptology Handbook.
American History - A History of US: The First Americans. Cortes and the defeat of the Aztecs, Ponce de Leon, Pizarro and the Incas, small pox and Native Americans, Esteban and Cabeza de Vaca. It is getting harder to keep track of all the explorers and conquistadors!
Classical Studies - We've been using the Roman history included in Lively Latin since much of it seems to come from Famous Men of Rome, but I felt like we weren't learning it as well as we should. I brought out the Memoria Press study guides and started from the beginning - lesson 1 Romulus.
Christian Studies II - Invasion of Canaan, Fall of Jericho
Science - 36 Posture and Exercise, 37 First Aid, 38 review lesson. I learned one important thing this week. 11yo will never work in the medical field! She was very disturbed by the first aid lesson. I'm pretty sure it had to do with her open leg wound this past August.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
February
February is one of those months homeschool teachers dread. On the message board I frequent, there are more "I quit!" threads in February than any other month. We joke about it. We support and encourage each other. And, we hope that it won't happen to us this year.
I almost made it through February. Almost.
Yesterday I had a royal melt down. 11yo's "master of avoidance" tactics finally sent me over the edge. Seriously, child. Let's get school done so we can both move on to some other activity!
Today was better though the math lesson was even longer than usual. I tried to be patient and 11yo tried not to do anything to set me off again. During one particular part of the lesson she was having a hard time focusing. She knew she was drifting into La-La Land. I was proud of her for not only recognizing it was happening but for pushing her way through the fog. She was determined and it paid off! Her speed increased and she answered more confidently.
I hope this is my one-and-only meltdown this spring.
I almost made it through February. Almost.
Yesterday I had a royal melt down. 11yo's "master of avoidance" tactics finally sent me over the edge. Seriously, child. Let's get school done so we can both move on to some other activity!
Today was better though the math lesson was even longer than usual. I tried to be patient and 11yo tried not to do anything to set me off again. During one particular part of the lesson she was having a hard time focusing. She knew she was drifting into La-La Land. I was proud of her for not only recognizing it was happening but for pushing her way through the fog. She was determined and it paid off! Her speed increased and she answered more confidently.
I hope this is my one-and-only meltdown this spring.
Friday, February 21, 2014
February 21, 2014
Faith in God - still using the treadmill and memorizing the articles of faith.
great - 1,2,3,4, and 6
needs a little work - 5, 7, 8, 9, 10
more work - 11, 12, 13
Sayings -
Bury the hatchet.
Can't hold a candle to
Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Etc.
Go to pot
Math 5 - (95/170) Adding three fractions, distance = rate*time, decimal places to the thousandth.
Spelling - Finished lesson 9 finally! Spelling words from the high frequency word lists to find words she need to work on. Getting 94% correct.
English 5 - (9/119) Review of subjects, predicates, diagramming sentence skeletons, four types of sentences.
Latin - (8.1, 8.2) Predicates and predicate nominatives.
World History - Finished the Magic Tree House research guide for mummies and pyramids. Started The Egyptology Handbook.
American History - Magellan, Amerigo Vespucci, beliefs and ideas (religion, Spanish inquisition, slavery, Native American creation stories).
Christian Studies - 25 Moses' Last Words; Death of Moses
Science 5 - 33 Skeletal Muscles, 34 Muscles in Organs, 35 Nervous System
great - 1,2,3,4, and 6
needs a little work - 5, 7, 8, 9, 10
more work - 11, 12, 13
Sayings -
Bury the hatchet.
Can't hold a candle to
Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Etc.
Go to pot
Math 5 - (95/170) Adding three fractions, distance = rate*time, decimal places to the thousandth.
Spelling - Finished lesson 9 finally! Spelling words from the high frequency word lists to find words she need to work on. Getting 94% correct.
English 5 - (9/119) Review of subjects, predicates, diagramming sentence skeletons, four types of sentences.
Latin - (8.1, 8.2) Predicates and predicate nominatives.
World History - Finished the Magic Tree House research guide for mummies and pyramids. Started The Egyptology Handbook.
American History - Magellan, Amerigo Vespucci, beliefs and ideas (religion, Spanish inquisition, slavery, Native American creation stories).
Christian Studies - 25 Moses' Last Words; Death of Moses
Science 5 - 33 Skeletal Muscles, 34 Muscles in Organs, 35 Nervous System
Friday, February 14, 2014
February 14, 2014
Another week down.
A big portion of our school time was spent working towards the Faith in God award.
Faith in God - the pedigree chart and the family group record sheets were much more time consuming than I could have imagined. Phew! So glad she finally completed them. She only has two activities left in the booklet. When they are finished she will be left with exercising on the treadmill and memorizing the Articles of Faith.
Math - (87/170) more two-digit divisors (the harder ones ending in 6, 7, or 8) and multiplying with zeros in the tens' place.
English - Started the next level today - R&S English 5. Skipped the first lesson which was written for classroom students. Did the second lesson and several worksheets reviewing action verbs, state of being verbs, subjects, predicates, and complete sentences.
Latin - (7/16) We read an abridged version of the poem "Horatius" and worked on translating Latin sentences using words from vocabulary D.
World History - reading the Magic Tree House research guide Mummies and Pyramids. 11yo has read it before but I decided to give it one more pass before we give it away.
American History - Balboa. Death by decapitation. Blech.
Science - Bones
A big portion of our school time was spent working towards the Faith in God award.
Faith in God - the pedigree chart and the family group record sheets were much more time consuming than I could have imagined. Phew! So glad she finally completed them. She only has two activities left in the booklet. When they are finished she will be left with exercising on the treadmill and memorizing the Articles of Faith.
Math - (87/170) more two-digit divisors (the harder ones ending in 6, 7, or 8) and multiplying with zeros in the tens' place.
English - Started the next level today - R&S English 5. Skipped the first lesson which was written for classroom students. Did the second lesson and several worksheets reviewing action verbs, state of being verbs, subjects, predicates, and complete sentences.
Latin - (7/16) We read an abridged version of the poem "Horatius" and worked on translating Latin sentences using words from vocabulary D.
World History - reading the Magic Tree House research guide Mummies and Pyramids. 11yo has read it before but I decided to give it one more pass before we give it away.
American History - Balboa. Death by decapitation. Blech.
Science - Bones
Thursday, February 13, 2014
R&S 4 English
Rod & Staff English 3 & 4 were the first R&S textbooks I ever bought. For eight years these books have lived on my shelves. Today I finished R&S English 4 with my last child. They have served their purpose and it is time for them to go live with other homeschoolers.
Of course, R&S English 5 is already on the shelf. : )
Friday, February 7, 2014
Snow Storm
It started snowing Thursday morning and is still going strong (Friday afternoon). It is beautiful! I'm glad 11yo let me know about it ahead of time so we were able to stock up on food. Yes, I am the "first snowflake freakout lady." : )
Listen to First Snowflake Freakout Lady.
About the snow... it means we are having snow days. These are great for 11yo, but her teacher is having withdrawals. We have done a little school here and there but with 11yo being the master of avoidance we aren't getting as much accomplished as I had hoped (in the evening).
We finished another book to give to the grandkids.
Listen to First Snowflake Freakout Lady.
About the snow... it means we are having snow days. These are great for 11yo, but her teacher is having withdrawals. We have done a little school here and there but with 11yo being the master of avoidance we aren't getting as much accomplished as I had hoped (in the evening).
We finished another book to give to the grandkids.
Faith in God - an award that 11yo can earn before she turns twelve next month. We sat down this week and went through her Faith in God booklet to see what she has accomplished. We are working on it a little every day to tie up the loose ends.
Math - R&S 5 (82/170). Finishing up a set of lessons on adding and subtracting unlike fractions. Using Math Reflex daily.
Spelling - still struggling to make it happen ... but we did do a bit this week.
English grammar - R&S 4 (117/127). The end is so close I can taste it! Diagramming prepositional phrases, identifying if a word is being used as a preposition or an adverb, conjunctions, and reviewing the parts of speech.
Latin - a miss this week. We've worked on using "est" and "sunt" at the beginning of a Latin sentence. For example:
Taurus est. It is a bull.
Est taurus. There is a bull.
Current events - CNN Student News
Sayings - another slide this week. A few done but not many.
Hmmm....this week really has been a bomb! It's amazing what a couple of snow days can do.
World History - reading about the Old Kingdom of Egypt. Mostly mummies and pyramids.
American History - A History of US: The First Americans Chs. 14-17. Gutenberg's Press and Christopher Columbus.
Science - R&S 5 (30/47). Using chemicals safely and a chemistry review.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
February 01, 2014
Math - R&S Math 5 (75/170) changing unlike fractions to like fractions so we can add and subtract. We've added a new online resource to help 11yo with her math fact fluency - Reflex Math. Definitely worth the subscription price! We also added Math Minutes, grade 5 for daily review.
Spelling - Trying to restart Logic of English. We've been reviewing the cards and using the essentials workbook (lesson 9 ... still).
English grammar - R&S English 4 (110/127). Learning to find prepositional phrases in sentences and how to determine if they adjective phrases or adverb phrases. Next up is learning how to diagram them. This makes me happy. 11yo? Not so much. Lol!
Latin - We made it through Prima Latina and the accompanying DVD lessons. We've jumped back into Lively Latin Big Book 1 (7/16). We've read about Horatius at the Bridge and will be reading the poem "Horatius" this coming week.
Current events - CNN Student News every day! It's the first thing 11yo requests.
Sayings - currently reading through the sayings in the 4th grade level of core knowledge. ex: "As the crow flies," "beauty is only skin deep," "the bigger they are, the harder they fall," etc.
Classical Studies - for now we are only using the Roman history included in Lively Latin (mostly from Famous Men of Rome). Thinking about postponing Famous Men of the Middle Ages until we are studying the middle ages in world history.
Christian Studies - one lesson (death of Moses) and a review lesson and we will finish Christian Studies 1. :)
Geography - Iraq
World History - Combining three Usborne books to read our way through ancient history. We've been reading about the predynastic period of Egypt.
American/State History - We added R&S's grade 5 Homelands of North America for more lessons about Native American tribal regions. We are now back in A History of US: The First Americans. We recently read about the Viking explorers and will be learning about Christopher Columbus soon.
Science - R&S Science 5 (29/48). Chemistry
It is hard to find a balance. So much time is being spent on history (one of 11yo's favorite subjects) and math (not her favorite) that I am struggling to find time for subjects we need to do and want to do. Oh, and did I mention that 11yo is the master of avoidance?
Spelling - Trying to restart Logic of English. We've been reviewing the cards and using the essentials workbook (lesson 9 ... still).
English grammar - R&S English 4 (110/127). Learning to find prepositional phrases in sentences and how to determine if they adjective phrases or adverb phrases. Next up is learning how to diagram them. This makes me happy. 11yo? Not so much. Lol!
Latin - We made it through Prima Latina and the accompanying DVD lessons. We've jumped back into Lively Latin Big Book 1 (7/16). We've read about Horatius at the Bridge and will be reading the poem "Horatius" this coming week.
Current events - CNN Student News every day! It's the first thing 11yo requests.
Sayings - currently reading through the sayings in the 4th grade level of core knowledge. ex: "As the crow flies," "beauty is only skin deep," "the bigger they are, the harder they fall," etc.
Classical Studies - for now we are only using the Roman history included in Lively Latin (mostly from Famous Men of Rome). Thinking about postponing Famous Men of the Middle Ages until we are studying the middle ages in world history.
Christian Studies - one lesson (death of Moses) and a review lesson and we will finish Christian Studies 1. :)
Geography - Iraq
World History - Combining three Usborne books to read our way through ancient history. We've been reading about the predynastic period of Egypt.
American/State History - We added R&S's grade 5 Homelands of North America for more lessons about Native American tribal regions. We are now back in A History of US: The First Americans. We recently read about the Viking explorers and will be learning about Christopher Columbus soon.
Science - R&S Science 5 (29/48). Chemistry
It is hard to find a balance. So much time is being spent on history (one of 11yo's favorite subjects) and math (not her favorite) that I am struggling to find time for subjects we need to do and want to do. Oh, and did I mention that 11yo is the master of avoidance?
Sunday, January 26, 2014
January 26, 2014
Started a new online program to help 11yo become fluent with her math facts - Reflex. A little frustrating learning the new games but also fun because earning tokens allows her to upgrade her avatar.
We started Prima Latina the beginning of December. It was a nice jaunt through mostly familiar territory. We are now done and 11yo is asking to return to Lively Latin and Magistra Drown.
We also finished another Usborne book to be donated to the grandchildren - Usborne's First Encyclopedia of Our World.
We started Prima Latina the beginning of December. It was a nice jaunt through mostly familiar territory. We are now done and 11yo is asking to return to Lively Latin and Magistra Drown.
We also finished another Usborne book to be donated to the grandchildren - Usborne's First Encyclopedia of Our World.
I'm trying to read about different countries with 11yo. Yes, this book is below her level, but seriously, most of the library's books about Iraq were either simplistic or way more information than I wanted. There doesn't seem to be a good in between.
Hoping for a productive week. Last week there was a meeting or activity planned every day that I needed to either attend or drive to. Have I ever said how much I hate meetings?
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