Well most of the boxes are unpacked and we're getting settled in. The first space I attempted to get in order was my school space.
Why does it take an entire week to move from one house to the next I will never know so needless to say we did no work last week. I was determined to get back on track this week.
It is nearly impossible to get everything on your wish list when house hunting so I didn't get built-in bookshelves. But I'm awfully proud of the IKEA bookshelves I got off of craigslist for less than $30 for both! I just love a deal!
We explored our local public library this week and we all got library cards and left with an armful of books and and DVDs. I needed a little motivation so I checked out some homeschooling books to get some fresh perspective. In my last wrap up I mentioned my desire to give devotional time priority. Mission accomplished this week on that front. We really focused on Phillips 2:14 - "do all things without complaining and arguing . . . " and had many opportunities to put that verse into practice - mom included.
Here is what we did academically:
DD13 - Usual Classical Conversations work. I can not say enough how much she has improved academically because of CC Challenge A. Her ability to write literary analysis, learning Latin, and the collaboration with peers has made a tremendous difference. I also notice her using mature vocabulary in everyday conversation. When I pulled her from public school, this was one of my top priorities.
DD11 & DD9
History - Review the meaning of Renaissance, the unification of Spain under Ferdinand & Isabella and Henry the Navigator. Introduced the African Empires of Ghana, Mali, & the Songhay Empire. Played a game from SOTW Activity Book to understand how Ghana became one of the richest countries in Africa by taxing traders who had to travel through Ghana to get to the Salt and the Gold.
Science - I finally got to trace both girls on butcher paper. I purchased the paper over a month ago for this activity. They got a kick out of seeing their body outlines on paper. We used dark red and light red yard to trace the flow of blood in and out of the human heart.
I bookmarked a wonderful blog of a public school 4th grade "teacher of the year." She has great free printouts for teachers to use. I plan on using her Geography printouts as this is a subject we don't do outside of the mapwork included in SOTW.
Still trying to figure out Art. I purchased Drawing with Children by Mona Brookes. After the art instruction with Stebbing we did in December, I see the benefit of actually learning to draw and using that skill across the curriculum.
Hope you had a productive week. Join the weekly wrap up by visiting the weird, unsocialized homeschoolers blog and sign up and see what other homeschooling families have been doing this week.
Moving is the worst. Fresh libraries and library cards are exciting though so have fun with that!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nice comment on my blog and if you need any help with your HFA plans, please feel free to email me anytime.
HI Sherri- I saw your comment on my blog. My email is block amy at hot mail dot com. Let me know how I can help you. :)
ReplyDeleteWow - you're getting school going after only 2 weeks?? We'd like to make a move, and when we finally get that done I plan to be doing no school or a light schedule for a least a month! Whew! You're amazing.
ReplyDeleteAnother book you might consider for art is "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain." A friend of mine is an artist, and he's amazing. I used to work for his Mom, and he'd sometimes come work too. One day he was painting, and I asked him how'd he do it. He told me to (1) trust what I see, even if it doesn't make sense, and (2) look at lines and angles, rather than objects such as eyes or birds. He also loaned me Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Art is a skill, and can be learned - I went from stick figures to recognizable pencil portraits in very little time. And the amazing thing is, when I mentioned it to him a couple years later he didn't even remember the conversation! Talent helps, but it's not a make-it-or-break-it thing: skill is learned through practice. Get a sketch pad & carry it around & use it, then read a variety of art books relating to the style you like. DonRSoB is great because it's got tons of exercises that help you learn to really see and to trust the things your eyes tell you. Have fun!
Hey, I posted another bit on my planning, like you'd asked. Stop by when you get a minute! Let me know if it answers your questions.
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