Week 18 Report

I've noticed through the years that I experience the "homeschool blahs" sometime around February. Even though our weather has been springlike, this was a difficult week: it will certainly not go down in history as one of our most productive. Daddy was out of town at the beginning of the week - not a huge deal, but rare for us and therefore a challenge. I also had to spend a great deal of time on character issues with the children - bickering, attitude problems, etc. I guess they have the blahs, too.

I did let the boys spend some time reclaiming their "Sceince Lab" - part of the unfinished area of our basement. They like to go down there and take apart old appliances and "do experiements." That helped to cure the blahs a little!

So here goes:
Schoolwork Done as a Group
History - On our timeline, we've made it up to Alexander the Great. But while we've studied the events of Greek history, we haven't spent as much time learning about the Famous Men of Greece. I have a book by that name we are going to work through over the next couple of weeks.
Bible - We continued our reading in The Child's Story Bible, reading sections taken from the book of Joshua. We read chapter 1 of Joshua from the Bible and focused on the Lord's command to be strong and courageous and obey the Law.
Nature Study - didn't happen this week. Oh, well.
Art - we had a really rainy day, so we did "optical art" instead of a nature walk

S. (13)
Math - worked 2 lessons in Alebra 1/2 and took a test. He missed several problems on the test and we went back and reworked the lessons on using reciprocals to "get rid of" the coeffecient in an equation. I was happy to see the light of understanding come on in his eyes - I don't think he'll make the same mistakes again.
Grammar - completed a chapter review of verb usage and a unit review, which I counted as a test. Aced it.
Spelling - worked 3 Apples drills
Literature - finished Archimedes and the Door of Science. "Reported" on the book by making a list of his favorite of Archimedes' discoveries. Began reading The Screwtape Letters and seems to be enjoying it so far.
Copywork /Dictation - did well on a passage from Around the World in Eighty Days
No independent science or Bible this week
Art - brought home from Master's Academy a neat papier mache model of the Parthenon facade

C. (11)
Math - worked through more lessons on fractions
Grammar - finished up verbs; diagrammed pronouns as subjects and compound sentences (he's like his Mom and loves diagramming!); began unit on adjectives
Spelling - 3 Apples drills
Literature - finished Black Ships Before Troy and did the last of the exercises in the Veritas Press comprehension guide. Loved that book. Began reading Hittite Warrior (by the same author as God King.) Copied the map from the front of the book to record the journey of Uriah, the main character. He's very excited about this book because S. read it 2 years ago and loved it.
Copywork/Dictation - passage from the Jungle Book - I love it when C. writes in cursive. His cursive is so pretty - it's hard to imagine it's from the same hand that produces the chicken-scratching he calls printing!
History - I had C. read the entries on Greece, covering the time from the city-states to Alexander, in both Kingfisher History Encyc. and Usborne Book of World History (that one with M.) I hope to get in an outline next week.
Art - learned about ancient weaving at Master's Academy and brought home his "loom" to work on.

M. (8-almost 9)
Math - several lessons on time and the calendar - easy for her, but good for me b/c she was able to do without my instruction
Grammar - Finished punctuation unit and began possessive nouns
Phonics - did several pages in Adventures in Phonics C. I continue to be glad we're reviewing phonics with her - it has really given her a good foundation for spelling - more than starting any formal "spelling" curriculum, I think
Literature - Still reading Busy Times for reading practice (and because she enjoys the stories.) Did one narration. Began reading Tales from the Odyssey, vol. 1 by Mary Pope Osborne. I love these little books - C. read them several years ago and I'm so pleased that M. is ready for them - they fit nicely with our history unit on Greece. She drew an illustration of Odysseus in the field when the call to war with Troy comes.
Copywork/Dictation - did Matthew 7:12 - the Golden Rule - mentioned in Busy Times - we payed attention to spelling, punctuation of Scripture references, and why "The Law and the Prophets" was capitalized
History - read Usborne Book of World History with C.
Art - brought home her own shoe box "loom" from Master's

A. (3) and K. (21 mo.)
Preschool this week consisted of Mommy reading lots of books and many, many lessons on getting along and sharing! A. and K. also played in the rain and enjoyed helping Mommy cut open and eat a fresh pineapple - A., in particular, though that was cool.