1 November 2008

a quick break from "the world is our classroom" format~

We have been very focused for the past couple of weeks on preparing for our All Hallow's Eve party; I am powering up my dead camera battery now so that I can post pics in the very near future.

Also, there have many political conversations. Interesting and insightful. Redistribution of wealth, foreign policy, etc, but NOT abortion.

I've been sneaking in as many "real-life" math applications for Firstborn and he thrives on this approach.

Oh, and Sunshine looked up and identified the rat that was trapped in the chicken coop wire screen today--Norway, she says. Good for her.

Thursday, 11 October

Thursday is a new experience for us. Little Queen is not with us on Thursday. This is strange and could not have predicted. We miss her. But, we get a lot done while she is off having a pretty good time (and missing us).

Firstborn and Sunshine worked on their memory work and are doing very nicely. (Psalm 42, in the sidebar). Firstborn corrected yesterday's math test. Silly mistakes show that he knows how to do the work just needs to take more time and care in the execution. He also completed another handwriting book today. I think we will start the next one while awaiting the arrival of the typing program he will be starting. We fininshed off Chapter 3 of our history text and made plans to put all of those conquistadors, early American saints and exploration routes into our own little book. Sunshine made progress on her embroidery while I read and continues to work steadily through her penmanship. Latin was completely neglected today. Darn! Both children are preparing diligently for their upcoming music theory tests.

Rosebud is counting by tens in her Primer math book now and is well past the half way mark in her penmanship book. Though she claims not to "like history" (then usually proceeds to ask what history is), she loves her Bible stories which we are reading chronologically, one tale daily. And, she was disappointed to learn that we had read about St. Rose of Lima yesterday in history without her. I will happily re-read it for her this weekend or next Monday. It is her reading that is really sailing along, though I don't think she realizes just how well. It is so gratifying to hear her read many of the words with just a quick sound out or none at all and of course the vocabulary grows daily as we add new sound combinations. She is finally lovin' it.

Alive and Learnin'

So, judging by my sitemeter, it seems people are actually checking in to this sorry, neglected little learning blog. Well, we are still here and still learning. The silence here perhaps reflects just how busy learning we have been. Well, maybe. Anyway, the Autumn started out a bit slow it seemed to me. Though the children were eager to resume their academic studies, we just didn't find our groove. And then, Little Queen and I went out of town for a few days which really threw everything off. Now we are back. And we are grooving.

Rosebud is absolutely loving her work right now. She asks me first thing each morning (sometimes when I am still in bed) if she may please go do some handwriting and math. Pretty please. Umm...sure. And then she does more later when we've all joined up for some concentrated work. On Saturday morning, on Sunday morning, on Columbus Day morning, Rosebud could be found pouring over another page of her Getty-Dubay Italics handwriting book or polishing off another lesson in her beloved Math-U-See Primer. With just a bit of encouragement, she is sounding off a new set of words or another tiny tale from our well worn copy of the Little Angel Reader. She treasures her daily Bible story whether it is read to her by myself, an older sibling, or even on occassion, The Prof. Kindergarten is a simple delight for this simply delightful little girl

Sunshine embraces the growing challenges of her second grade work. She also began work in the Getty-Dubay series this year and enjoys the words and sentences and the stylized writing. Math is not a love, but comes quite naturally even as she starts in on the Beta book. Beta throws subtraction and graphs into the mix. History is interesting and First Holy Communion preparation an absolute favorite activity. In addition to memorizing the Baltimore Catechism, she is preparing an album. Moreover, she is joining her brother in studying the Mass which so far includes learning about the vesting of the priest (an small but elaborate ceremony in and of itself), liturgical colors and memorizing Psalm 42 (as numbered in the Douy-Rheims) found at the opening of the (traditional Latin) Mass.

Firstborn just completed a 6-week long online writing class given by Jean Hall via Bravewriter. What a great education for both of us. We look forward to more writing and more classes in the future. Math continues to be the unfavored subject, though with careful attention to detail, it comes easily enough this boy's mind. He is working through Epsilon (from our dear Math-U-See) , doing battle, it seems, with the addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of fractions. Fractions are presented in all of their fanciful and frightful forms here: from improper (oh my!) to mixed and everything in between. Our discovery of the past has finally brought us to US history. Coronado, Pizzaro, de Soto, St. Brendan, Columbus, Sts. Martin de Porres, Rose of Lima, and Juan Diego are the names whirling around in our minds, past our eyes and under our pencils these days. Thrilling tales of adventure, savagery and holiness, to be sure.

The two elders are both studying Latin; Rosebud in the old friend, Prima Latina and Firstborn leading the way through Latin for Children. Geography studies through the literary prowess of Holling C. Holling (what was his mother thinking? Holling?!) have captured my children's attention. And we are even trying our hands at a bit of letterboxing! (More to come on that venture soon)

The out and abouts include art class, ballet and...and, well, Firstborn really wanted to give fencing a try this year but it just didn't seem to fall into place. Maybe next year.

I am just relieved that we have finally found a rhythm, a constant to cling to as the weekends and evenings fill up in the flow leading to holidays.

and we're off...

It is funny, even though we don't take the entire summer away from academic learning and even though learning is an ongoing experience in this household, there continues to be a magic about starting fresh in the Autumn. New books are still arriving, new subjects are being explored and new routines attempted. But, after just a few short weeks of hiatus from the math, Latin, readers, history and penmanship the little scholars here at the Suburban Ranch were itchin' to get started again. Sunshine told me the days were so slow...she missed the routine and purpose that a morning spent huddled around books and writing implements brings, I suppose.

So, like all of our public school counterparts, we dove back in on Monday morning. It wasn't a typical start, though. No, I would never want our first day to resemble the first day of a brick and mortar school. That would defy part of our purpose in home education. Rather, we started a bit late (yours truly was up a bit too late the night before organizing the Study and the studies) in the morning. First task: the chef's apprentice (Firstborn in this case) prepared, with some assistance, Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins--spiked with some lemon zest and juice to give some kick.

We marched on thru our other planned topics with a few variations. Firstborn is starting the Bravewriter Kidswrite online writing course this term and there was a really fun pre-writing game that we played (even included Sunshine in on the fun-she couldn't resist). Also, I started Firstborn on reading the history lesson to us. And, above all, I didn't think Rosebud--officially a Kindergarten aged student now--was going to be able to contain her excitement at finally starting her first Math U See workbook. I think she wanted to try to complete the entire book in one sitting. I sure hope her enthusiasm continues for years to come.

It was a completely fun first day. A low-impact Monday enjoyed by all.

31 May 2007

Yesterday started out rainy and overcast. The children were absolutely itching to get outside and once the thunder & lightning had passed, they burst out through the doors. An hour passed while they collected worms in the street puddles to feed to our garden and our hens. On the long front porch, we timed each of the girls as they sprinted back and forth. We got out the jump ropes and practiced a new skill. Is it bad that none of them know how to jump rope yet? Yikes! Back inside, the elder three and I read the rest of a book about Shakespeare and then a picture book retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Firstborn spent time playing Babble and then completed a painting he had started last week. The afternoon was filled with friends and "socialization." And, at last, the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals on prime time ABC. During one of the commercial breaks, everyone went out side to enjoy the first popsicle of the season.

All in all, a perfect day of learning! Art, history, drama, physical activity, socializing, spelling, science and off to bed exhausted and content...

(Monday &) Tuesday

Monday...forget it. Monday was blur of dental appointment, dropping off and picking up children, cleaning house, phone calls & e-mails, teaching lessons, early dinner, teaching class, meetings. No school and probably no real learning. That is behind us now.

Tuesday was so very relaxed by comparison. Firstborn did some Latin, Math, and music practice and by then the temps had risen enough that I was willing to head outdoors for the beginning of our landscaping adventure. The three eldest and I wove around the back yard marking every possible measurement: from the privacy fence to the corner of the house, from the privacy fence to the patio, patio to driveway, privacy fence to chain link fence, back of house to back fence, back fence to coop, back fence to Kindergarten, back fence to playscape, etc., etc.
Next task is to get it down on graph paper.

In the afternoon there was artistic pursuits followed by a tasty and simple supper. After dinner the children worked on their Lenten coloring contest pictures and the girls worked on Sunshine's jewelry box. They called their friends, the H's and we called it a day. Such a pleasant contrast to Monday.

Wednesday, 28 Feb 07

For the first time in years, we do not have art class on Wednesdays. It has been a long standing routine to spend our Wed mornings either cramming school work or cleaning house. Mid-day we have always made the dash to art class and then attended or, more recently, hosted a Rosary/playdate. Busy day. But, no more. Art has been switched and really made the morning seem luxurious.

We actually did a credible amount of school work and, after lunch, spent a good amount of energy cleaning the house before our friends arrived.

Firstborn:

• MUS: we checked the first three pages of lesson 3, no worries there (completed 2 today)
• Handwriting: nearly completed the book
• Poetry: claims to have it memorized, though I haven't heard it yet.
• History: worked on a coloring page from a Dover Story of the Crusades book
• Latin: started a new lesson today, though I need to listen to the lesson as it sounded grammar heavy and I was preoccupied at the time he watched the DVD
• Baseball

Sunshine:

• MUS: Completed a page
• Handwriting: plugging along...did a page today
• Sewing: a) completed a button braclet and b) completed a little sachet stuffed pillow

Rosebud:

• Sewing: she is really excited to start some sewing again. Rosebud completed a button braclet and practiced straight even stitches with burlap & yarn

Little Queen:

Yup, poor thing gets passed around and told "no" so much during the morning R&R. I finally decided I just needed to sit down to give her my full attention on some activities as well. She LOVED it! We did a couple of shape puzzles and well as the shape sorter box. Repeatedly. Fun! The siblings had a hard time not joining in or interupting me, but I insisted (as I do when I am working one on one with them) that I was not available as I was giving Little Queen a lesson. Little Queen responded soooo well to this that I feel all the more guilty for not doing it more often and all the more determined to do it daily. (Of course I give her attention other times, but during R&R it seems like we just try to keep her "out of the way" most of the time. How disrespectful!)

Tomorrow we have guests, so there probably will not be a lot of school and Friday we will wrap a few things up. During March, we are moving the classroom outdoors for gardening and landscaping projects. There may not be textbooks, but there will be plenty of math & science!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lunch: This & That
Dinner: (with neighbor Courtney...fun!) Cheese & Bean Quesadillas and salad.