May 19, 2014

Teaching to the test is over.  Summer weather is approaching.  We have chicks.  School?  What's that?

May 3, 2014 - new home.  Five weeks old?

12yo and her Buttercup

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 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.

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.

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).