Weekly Recap: October 7-11, 2013

Another good week.  Co-op, play practice, soccer, martial arts, 4-H, and our regular school week were all accomplished with minimal fuss.  Rob came home on Wednesday.  That's a wonderful high for the week.

M9
High - Math because it was easy.
Low - I don't have one.

S11
High - Daddy coming home.  I still really like my logic.
Low - Latin.

H14
High - Algebra test 100%!
Low - Latin test.

Me
High - Feeling like we are making forward progress.  All of the kids are doing well in their subjects.  K16 also got her ACT scores back this week.  They were fine.  We are both relieved she won't need to take them again.
Low - Still not where I'd like to be in Latin and Biology.

Weekly Recap: September 30-October 4, 2013

I'm once again operating under the better-late-than-never rule.

Overall it was a good week with very few unexpected interruptions.  We even weathered Rob leaving for work in the midst of an unfortunate incident that involved locking the keys in the truck.  Friday evening brought us a house full of cheerleaders getting ready for their homecoming game and enjoying a delicious chicken dinner.  Upon our return from the football game we learned that S11 got a part in the play for which he auditioned.  He'll be a goblin and a second act elf in the upcoming performance of The Hobbit at a local community theater.

H14
High - Algebra.  I really understood it this week.
Low - None.  (As the mother, I would say the low was not completing all the assigned material for the week.  This does not seem to bother H14 as much as it bothers me.)

S11
High - Logic.  I really like the cartoons in Fallacy Detective.
Low - Latin.  It adds more work and I can't use it in daily life.  (As the mother/teacher, I argue that Latin build vocabulary and brain power in general.  Those are always useful in daily life.) 

M9
High - Math
Low - None

Me
High - As I said, this week was mostly on track.  I feel that we are making good forward progress.
Low - We are still struggling to make it all fit in our busy schedule.  I've yet to find a groove for Latin, Biology and History.  We are making progress but fitting it all in feels like a real effort at this point.

Weekly Recap: September 23-27, 2013

This week it felt like we settled into a routine. We got through every subject. We had some extra free time. We began planning for the co-op science and history fair. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Sometimes you just need a week of regular and routine to make you feel like you are making progress.


In honor of routine, let's get back to ours. Here are the highs and lows I know you've been waiting for:

H14
Low - Math. It took forever.
High - History. I liked learning about the history of writing. I like how it became something more than just a drawing and scribbling. I like that it actually became something you could communicate through.

S11
Low - School. I especially hate school.
High - Writing. I am creating a new card game.

M9
High - Grammar. I like diagramming. Math too because I love graphing.
Low - I don't have one.

Me
High - Getting it all started. We are even ready to officially begin Latin on Monday. Three cheers for that!
Low - How unhappy S11 is with the work this week. He's not usually a complainer. ch freedom Also, the way H14 has fallen back into bad habits. She asked for some extra responsibility this week to prove that she had matured and was able to manage her work better. She's not ready to manage her own work. Next week we go back to assigning and checking each day.

Weekly Recap: September 2-6, 2013

We began our school year with a little getaway.  What could be better than Gilgamesh and autobiographies poolside?  In addition to our poolside studies we visited The Topiary Garden and the CMA.  Mostly we swam.

Here We Go: Start of the 2013-14 School Year

Here are the students on the first day of the 2013-14 school year.

M9, S11, H14

Here is the plan for the 2013-14 school year.

M9 - Fourth Grade
Explorer’s Bible Study – Discovery: In the Beginning - Genesis
Spelling Power
Rod & Staff 4 Grammar
Writing Strands 3
Math Mammoth
Story of the World: Ancients
Apologia Biology
Latina Christiana
Great Artists

S11 -Sixth Grade
Explorer’s Bible Study – Discovery: In the Beginning - Genesis
Thinking Toolbox
Fallacy Detective
Analytical Grammar
Writing Strands 5
Mastering the Fundamentals of Mathematics
Lial BCM
Story of the World: The Ancients
Apologia Biology
First Form Latin
Great Artists

H14 - Freshman
Explorer’s Bible Study – Quest: In the Beginning - Genesis
Discovery and Deduction
Teaching the Essay
Building Great Sentences
The Great Courses Algebra 1, & Jacobs Algebra
The History of the Ancient World
Apologia Biology
First Form Latin
Great Artists

Ready. Set. Go!

Tecumseh!

We kicked off this school year with a field trip.  Ten years ago, Rob and I enjoyed seeing the outdoor drama Tecumseh!  Since that time Rob has wanted to take the family to see the show.  This year was the year and when I began looking at the opportunities for fun learning provided by Tecumseh! I knew it was a perfect first day of school.  It's even more perfect because the kids didn't even realize it was the first day.

In addition to seeing the play, we enjoyed a living history tour where we got to hear some of the more personal stories of pioneers and Indians. 

Macey took a role in the tour by playing the part of an Indian chief being asked to sign a treaty.

We were all given the opportunity to dance an Indian dance.

We also got to take a look backstage learning the dangerous and gory details of the production. 

We now know three different ways to look like you are bleeding to death.  Only one requires special props.  Good information to have in your head.

After the tours, we all enjoyed a buffet dinner including fried chicken, ham, potatoes, salad, corn and lots of chocolate pudding. 

This fun afternoon was the perfect lead in to a thrilling performance.  The amphitheater where Tecumseh! is performed is huge.  It seats 1500-1800 people and the stage holds 40+ actors, horses, cannon, canoes and lots of action.  We all found this event to be really worth the trip.

A Shift of Focus

My sister is a very gifted photographer.  One of the striking things about her photos is how changing the focus of her photo changes everything.  Sometimes she brings a close object into sharp focus, letting the background go fuzzy.  Other times she selects a far object around which to center her photo.  Even if every single thing in the photo stays the same, other than her focus, the image seems brand new.

Lately, my focus is undergoing a shift.  Perhaps the shift has been happening for some time now.  However, I feel now my focus is becoming clear.  My parenting journey began over sixteen years ago.  The first ten years of parenting were clearly focused on safety and survival.  Each day brought challenges but the skills required to deal with those challenges were clearly on the bottom half of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.  On a good day we totally fulfill the third level needs.  I feel that at this time all four of my children find their basic physical and safety needs met.  I also believe that they are all secure in their feelings of belonging and love.  Now we are moving on up.

My life no longer revolves around diapers, car seats, basic nutrition, sleep schedules, and the like.  I am done training toddlers.  My life is now about the business of creating worthwhile adults.  Clarifying that shift in focus has been life changing for me.  The children before me seem brand new.

Over the next years my focus will be centered around esteem and self-actualization.  As a Christian I know that my worth comes from Christ and on my relationship with Christ.  My value comes from glorifying God.  My role as a parent centers on supporting and loving my children as they explore the world and their function in it.  My role as a teacher is to provide my children the opportunities and education to move them forward in the world in such  way that they can be successful in the challenges they pursue.  The end results that I desire are four adults who are faith filled, life long learners who move through this world with confidence, generosity of spirit and grace. 

Just like that, the picture looks totally different and as a result I feel differently about it.  My role seems much more valuable.  The urgency of my job feels greater.  I feel less prepared.  Thankfully, the tools that I've developed in dealing with the lower level needs will be helpful as I face these new needs.  Prayer, preparation, time and energy are in my favor.  I am being intentional about finding resources to support our goals.  Our journey continues and can't wait to see where we go from here. 

Curriculum & Read alouds for 2012-2013

Curriculum 2012-2013

M8 - Third Grade
Explorer’s Bible Study – Jesus, My Shepherd
Language - Spelling Power
Rod &Staff 3 Grammar
Writing Strands 2 7 3
Singapore Math 3A&B
Story of the World: The Modern Age
NEOE Physics
Latina Christiana
Great Artists

S10 - Fifth Grade
Explorer’s Bible Study – Discovery: God’s Perfect Plan
Logic puzzles (Mind Benders, Red Herrings)
Spelling Power
Rod &Staff 5 Grammar
Writing Strands 3 &4
Math on the Level /Lial BCM
Story of the World: The Modern Age
NEOE Physics
First Form Latin
Great Artists

H13 - Eighth Grade
Explorer’s Bible Study – Quest: God’s Perfect Plan
Art of the Argument
Spelling Power
Analytical Grammar
The New Oxford Guide to Writing & Elements of Style
The Great Courses Algebra 1, & Jacobs Algebra
Story of the World: The Modern Age
NEOE Physics
First Form Latin
Great Artists

Read Alouds
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachian
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Twenty One Balloons by William Pene du Bois
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Nory Ryan's Song by Patricia Reilly Giff
Sky Lark by Patricia MacLachian
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
Caleb's Story by Patricia MacLachian
Caddy Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Life & Works of W.B. Yeats
The Impossible Journey by Gloria Whelan
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Samir and Yonatan by Daniella Carmi
When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park
Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
The Watson's Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Gannett
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
Maggie's Door by Patricia Reilly Giff
The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russell Freedman
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Mr. Chickee's Funny Money by Christopher Paul Curtis

Wordless Wednesday: Glimpses of D.C.

Weekly Recap: School Year Wrap!

We finished our school year today.  At least we finished the book part.  Our testing is complete. We still have a super special field trip coming up but I'll share more of that after we come home.

Just in case you don't remember what my crew looked like at the beginning of the school year, you can look back here.  And just nine months later...

M8 is now ready to start 4th grade.  S11 wrapped up 5th grade and is moving onto grade 6.  H14 is now a freshman.  That just makes me breathe deeply.  My oldest daughter, K16, is now a senior.  That just takes my breath away.  She's not ready to face it either.  She won't even let me take an end of the school year picture so I'll share another prom picture.

I think it's fitting that we are spending this evening celebrating our year and accomplishments with cake

and the 145,678th viewing of High School Musical.  It's nice to know that no one is too old to enjoy the good stuff.

I'll write a more in depth run down of our year later but here are the highs and lows for now.

K16

High:  Making National Technical Honor Society.

Low:  The beginning of school. All the drama.

H14

High:  How well I did with math.  I did well and I don't usually.

Low:  Science because I don't like science.  I enjoyed it just not as much as everything else.

S11

High:  My high was Bible because I'm learning about God and I'm guessing it will earn me bonus points in heaven.  Just teasing.  I do love learning about God.

Low:  Math.  Who likes math besides M8?

M8

High:  How well I did with Bible.  I finished it all quickly and that made me happy.

Low:  I don't have a low.

Me

High:  I am so proud of all my children.  They are all becoming life learners and developing skills and discipline that will help them in all they do.  As far as our homeschool year, I feel that we learned so much. We completed our first 4 year cycle and I am so pleased by that accomplishment.  When we set down this road four years ago I don't think I really believed we'd get this far.

Low:  Latin.  We managed to squeak out physics but Latin got lost somewhere along the way.



Weekly Recap: May 6 - May 10, 2013

It's been awhile since I updated.  We've been busy living life with not so much time or energy left over for documenting the living.  Since our time in Florida we are working on completing our school year.  As of this week, we are finished with our history, grammar, reading...  Really, everything but Bible, math and physics. As a solution to our lack of physics done this year, we are having a physics intensive month.  So far, it's worked beautifully. 

Since spring break, we enjoyed the company of sisters and cousins, hatched 6 pullets (baby turkeys), pulled off a gorgeous prom for K16, and obtained three calves.  It's been a busy, fun filled time.  Currently we are waiting on the delivery of  two Columbia ewes and have about 3 dozen more turkey eggs in the incubator.  Never a dull moment around here.

Our state mandates that we have 900 hours of school time.  We aren't quite there yet so we will continue filling the time through May.   I think everyone is enjoying more fun reading and fewer lessons.  I know I am.

This week we ended our co-op time.  Each one of the children participated in a play.  We enjoyed M8 in her performance as Annie Christmas, the Keelboat Queen.  S11 gave an outstanding performance as an alien.  As Bill Sikes,  H14 was positively villainous.  It was a fun week.

Over the next three weeks we'll be concentrating on physics, finishing our Bible curriculum, and completing our testing for the state.  For our grand finale to the 2012-13 school year we'll be taking a fabulous sight seeing, educational field trip.  I'll be sure to share pictures.

Weekly Recap: March 4-8, 2013

This week included dental appointments all around.  It also included several days of kids and mom not feeling great.  And then there was a late start day because of snow.  Also, I had two afternoon appointments that didn't include the kids.  Just another normal week.

M8
High - Grammar because I am learning poetry and I think it's very interesting.
Low - I don't have a low.  I really liked this week.

S11
High - History because the Sputniks and Apollos are really interesting.
Low - Getting sick.

H13
High - Math because I understood it.
Low - Being sick.

Me
High - Halley's math was a high this week.  She hates math but is getting to be really good at it.  Spending time working through the lessons seems to boost her confidence.
Low - Fitting lessons between appointments and sick children.  It's  always a challenge to get everything done.

Weekly Recap: February 25-March 1, 2013

This week began with a ski trip.  We spent Sunday through Tuesday at Snowshoe Mountain Resort.  Sunday night we enjoyed a couple hours of tubing.  The weather on Monday was beautiful.  Once we remembered how to ski we all had a wonderful time.  On Tuesday, the weather didn't cooperate.  Freezing rain covered the mountain.  We decided that sliding down would be better earlier rather than later so we left before lunch.

Returning home was kind of anti-climatic.  Getting back to work wasn't hearly as fun as skiing.  I don't think we ever got up to speed but we did get some things done.

Highs & Lows

H13
Reading was both high and low this week.  I read books that were excellent but really difficult and sad.  The writing and characters were beautiful.  The storylines were amazing but sad. The books for this week were The Other Side of Truth and The Year of Impossible Goodbyes.

S11
High - Bible.  I like learning about the end of the world.
Low - Math because I think I'll carry a calculator around everywhere when I grow up.

M8
High - Skiing was fun because I got really good at it.
Low - Being sick.

Me
High - Learning how to make sushi and preparing a sushi dinner for everyone last night.
Low - Struggling with not feeling overwhelmed by what we aren't getting done.   Sometimes I do really well focusing on the what we have gotten done rather than what we haven't.  Today has not been one of those days.

Weekly Recap: February 18-22, 2013

Another weird week is complete.  K16 was home from school for President's Day on Monday.  She was off today, Friday, because of icy roads.  The rest of us muscled through so that we can ski on Monday and Tuesday next week without any work to catch up other than Bible.

We are moving forward really well.  We should be set for a good long break at the end of March.  In fact, we are further along than I expected to be in most subjects.  I am thinking that we may take extra time in April and May to concentrate on physics, art and Latin.  I use to love May term when I was in college.  Maybe we'll try that.

Highs and Lows

M8
High - Grammar test because it was things I already learned.
Low - Puking and missing the co-op carnival.

S11
High - History because I like learning about stuff that went on in the world.  The wall between East and West Germany was what I found especially interesting this week.

Low- Math because learning real life math makes no sense because in real life I can just carry a calculator.

H13
High - Math.  I'm proud of what I got done.

Low - Bible because my computer got taken away.

Me
High - Reading Samir and Yonatan by Daniella Carmi.  It was a very different and unexpected book that we really enjoyed.
Low - H13 isn't moving forward as I'd like.  In Bible, she's 10 weeks behind.  In Algebra, we are redoing chapters 6-8 because she cheated her way through them the first time. I'm tired of policing her and exhausted by the need to monitor a child who is so clearly capable but choosing NOT to do work that would take her much less time and energy to complete than it does to avoid.

Weekly Recap: February 11-15, 2013

This week was a week of celebrations.  Fat Tuesday, Valentine's Day and Rob's Birthday kept us partying three out of five days.  It's a wonder we got anything done!

We are all settling into a work and school at home routine.  I have to admit that it's going much better than I expected.  Not only is it nice to see Rob during the day, but he's relaxed and pleasant to be around.  Bonus, today when the cows got out he was there to help us get them back in the barn.

We finished studying WW2 this week.  It involved lots of hard discussions.  It's difficult to explain to children how normal people can kill other normal people, whether in war or concentration camps.  The idea of war is a difficult one to grasp. 

As a parent/teacher, I found myself struggling with how much to expose the children to as we did our study.  I opted to skip graphic footage.  We'll have another go at this era in history in four years.  Everyone will be older then so it may be more appropriate to dig deeper.  We did watch The Diary of Anne Frank.  H13 read The Hiding Place.  S11 read Survivors.  We listened to Number the Stars together. 

In math, M8 is working on multiplication.  We played with dice today to review 1-6 x 1-6.  I'll get out the 12 sided dice next Friday.  S11 is working on word problems building on percents, decimals and fractions.  H13 is working on graphing and slope-intercept.

Our Valentine's Day began early with a party at co-op on Tuesday.  We took 7 dozen sugar cookies to decorate and 150+ valentines to pass out.  Each valentine contained a Valentine coloring page and a heart shaped crayon made from recycled crayon bits.  It was a fun project.  You can find directions here. 

We celebrated Fat Tuesday with jambalaya, corn bread and chocolate chip cookie dough covered brownies.  You can see more of that celebration here.

We began our Valentine's Day by writing love stories.  You can read those here.  For our family Valentine's Day dinner we enjoyed pizza and more sugar cookies.  M8 decorated the dining room for Valentine's Day so we had a very elegant pizza dinner in the fancy room.

With so much celebrating, it was hard to concentrate on the work at hand but, for the most part, we had a pretty successful week.

H13

High - History.  I think WW2 was a very interesting and scary time.

Low - Bible.  I'm way behind so I had to do a lot of it.

S11

S11 had his birthday last Thursday.  His big gift, a Kindle, didn't arrive until Monday.  He was pretty pleased.

High - History.  I thought the information about WW2 was cool.  I know that kind of sounds wrong.

Low - Math.  It was really hard to figure out how to do the problems.

M8

High - Math is my high because it's my favorite subject.

Low -  History because it's too long.

Me

High - Getting so much done this week, with school and with life.  Things move pretty fast around here and I feel good about most of it.

Low - H13.  I feel worn down by the resistance she continues mount.  I know it's "normal teen behavior", and it's exhausting.  She is so talented.  Yet, without forceful insistence, she'd spend all day every day+ in bed.  She's bright, but not accountable for the work that she needs to be doing.  This one area where I haven't gotten homeschool figured out.  How do I hold a stubborn student accountable and still have a homelife I can enjoy?

Love Stories

Our writing assignment today was to write a love story.  Here are the love stories I received:

H13
I walked around the restaurant with my big, fake, waitress smile glued to my face. All the happy couples that I was waiting on were too busy with each other to pay the bill, and one couple had been hogging up a table for two hours. Chelvok’s was a fancy restaurant and our reservations were made months in advance. We really didn’t need our tables hogged up for the entire night by one couple. I usually wouldn’t mind all the happy couples if my boyfriend of three years and me were one of them, but my boyfriend had completely forgotten about Valentine’s Day!

He had been promising something big for over a year and then, on the perfect day for romance, I didn’t even get a “Happy Valentine’s Day!” I had decided not to cry, but I had been pretty bitter since he left for work. I couldn’t believe that he had forgotten the most romantic day of the year, and our anniversary to boot. I felt tears coming to my eyes as I thought about it, and quickly asked my next table if they wanted refills.

“Vanessa Melody Sintax, please come to the stage!” a voice called my name through the speakers.

I walked up to the stage in confusion. The first thing I saw was my boyfriend on one knee and wearing a tux. He looked at me and smiled then he pulled a ring out of his pocket.

“Will you marry me?” he asked.

“Yes! Oh absolutely yes!” I squealed, and for the first time that day I let myself cry.

S11 “I love Valentine’s Day,” Lucie said.
“Why?” Tony asked. “It’s only a day full of dating and you don’t have a date.”
"I know, but boys want to date me so I get tons of chocolate,” Lucie explained.
“Oh,” said Tony. “Well, I have to go to the bathroom.” He grabbed his cell phone, dialed and said, “I don’t want the chocolate anymore.”
“All right,” the store man said.
“Oh, Tony! I have to go. Bye!” said Lucie. She grabbed her phone, dialed and said, “Get me that chocolate and charge Tony.”
“Okey dokey,“ said the store man.

M8
Toby: Alice, I think I like you.
Alice: Really? I should have told you this.
Toby: What should you have told me?
Alice: Just that when we were friends for five years, I liked you. That’s why when you asked me to be your friend I said yes.
Toby: You mean you didn’t just want to be my friend.
Alice: Yep, that’s it.
Toby: You mean I’m not charming?
Alice: If that’s what you think I’ve been saying for the last five years, no.
Toby: All right. Is there anything else you need to tell me?
Alice: Just that I hate flowers.
Toby: (making a hand signal to wave off the flower delivery.)
Alice: What was that for?
Toby: Oh, I have to go. Bye!

Weekly Recap: February 4-8, 2013

The snow we received gave us a few late starts at the beginning of the week.  We'd rather hold school now and get out earlier in May, but we also like to have a leisurely start when everyone else is off.  It's a nice perk of setting our own schedule. 

On Tuesday morning S10 got up early enough to make snowmen before school started.  There was lots of sledding in the afternoons.

Thursday we took the entire day off as a celebration of S11's birthday.  No school on birthdays is another perk of setting our own schedule.

We ended our school week by watching The Diary of Anne Frank. After finishing the movie, M8 gave a speech she had prepared about the women and the dictators of World War 2.  We were especially delighted that she provided refreshments.

Highs and Lows:

 M8 - High - Writing a speech about World War 2.

         Low - Math - Multiplication flash cards are difficult.

S11 - High -  My birthday!
          Low -  Daddy wasn't here.

H13 - High - Writing prompt.  I found it interesting and really enjoyed it.
          Low -  Daddy wasn't here.

Me - High - Celebrating S11's birthday.  I love to celebrate!
         Low - Too much snow.  Too many distractions.  Too little time.

Field Trip: The Ohio Statehouse and The Columbus Museum of Art

We spent Friday in Columbus.  Rob had to report to the corporate office on Friday morning to fill out paperwork for his new job.  We decided to go along and see some of the sights.  Since Rob needed to be downtown we decided to stick close by.  We've been studying history from 1830 to the present day this year.  A visit to the Ohio Statehouse was perfect for our purpose.

We spent about an hour in the museum learning about Ohio, how laws are made and what each branch of government does.  There was a lot of reading but the museum had enough interactive exhibits to keep everyone's interest.  After the museum we enjoyed a private tour of the Statehouse.  The tour took us to the house and senate chambers.  It was informative and just the right length.  Our tour guide did a lovely job of engaging the children.

When our tour was over we headed down Broad Street to the Columbus Museum of Art.  We started our time at the museum by having lunch with Chihuly.  At noon, we joined a tour of the Rothko exhibit that opened on February 1.  It was nice to see that exhibit with a guide.  She gave us an overview of the museum engaging the children completely.  As we began looking at the Rothko exhibit she had all of us slow down, look closely, and think our own thoughts.  She also encouraged us to share our thoughts and ideas about the paintings.  Seeing art with someone who is trained in art was a treat.  Rothko isn't the kind of artist that is easy to appreciate.  It was good to look closely with direction instead of being allowed to quickly discount blobs and rectangles. 

On our way to the Rothko exhibit we'd been forced to bypass some other wonderful exhibits.  After the Rothko tour was over we made our way back through the museum to take advantage of other opportunities.  We enjoyed a Lego display that featured a model of Columbus and the OSU Stadium along with clouds and flip flops.

We enjoyed playing with various artistic mediums and being creative in different ways. 

I did take the children into the more traditional part of the museum to see the carvings of Elijah Pierce before we left.  Other than Pierce and Rothko we spent our time with our hands and minds on art.  It was an excellent way to spend the afternoon.

We arrived back at Rob's office building a little bit early to pick him up from work.  We went into the lobby to wait, expecting to get a snack at the cafe there.  Unfortunately, the cafe was closed.  A few minutes after we settled ourselves in the lobby seating a woman came out of the cafe carrying the cookies they had left over after the end of the day.  She was pleased to offer one to each of the children and they were pleased to accept.  There's nothing like an unexpected cookie to make a good day even better.



Weekly Recap: January 28-February 1, 2013

We are checking in early this week because tomorrow is a field trip.  Rob starts his new job tomorrow. His corporate headquarters is in Columbus.  That's too good to pass by so we are going to go with him.  Here is the recap of our Columbus field trip, in case you were interested.

At home this week we got a lot done and enjoyed some fun activities on the way.  The weather was gorgeous (60-70 F) at the beginning of the week.  Yesterday it rained all day.  Today it snowed.

Our read aloud this week was Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. It was a hit with all of us.  We loved Bud's Rules for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself.  We predicted the ending and were all pleased with the way things worked out for Sleepy LeBone. 

And, what you've all been waiting for, our highs and lows:

M8

Highs - Math.  It's still her favorite subject.

Lows - Grammar because it confuses me.

S10 is unavailable for comment so I'm going to make my best guess here.

Highs - A on his math test.  His birthday is coming soon so that's a high too.

Lows - He wasn't feeling well on Tuesday and missed swimming.

H13

Highs - Grammar because I love grammar.

Lows - Finishing Bud, Not Buddy.  It's over.  I really liked it.

Me

Highs - Watching Gandhi with the kids.  Also, all my students are currently reading books they enjoy that are linked to our history content.  I really don't want to torture my children with reading.  I want them to be life long readers.

Lows - Latin and science are still on the back burner.

Weekly Recap: January 21-25, 2012

This week was full of the unexpected.  We spent last weekend in Indiana visiting friends and family.  Our original plan was to come home on Monday, but after a day with my sister's family we decided we needed another.  We got home Tuesday evening in time for M8 and S10 to attend their first KajuKenpo class. M8 and S10 loved the class and eagerly returned for a second session on Thursday evening.  H13 and I are looking forward to starting our class next Monday.  

Our week progressed with a series of late starts and snow days.  Throw a new pair of braces for H13 into the mix and you have a good picture of what this stop and go week was like.   

H13 with her new jewelry.

The tough question on a snow day (or two) is do we or don't we do school?  We did school.  Admittedly, we did less school.  We covered the basics and had some fun.  It was a good mix.

After so much time off school, K16 felt the need to make herself useful.  I love having a daughter that organizes things for fun.

Our highs and lows this week:

M8

High - Math because it's my favorite subject. 

Low - No low.

S10

High - Math.  The lessons on number comparison were short and easy.

Low - Grammar.  I can't rhyme.

H13

High - The chapter on equations with one variable is done.  I understood it and I did well. 

Low - That I had to do math as all.

K16

High - Straight As and less than a single day of school this week.

Low - Being sick at the beginning of the week.

Me

High - Pushing through the basics despite the distracting schedules and weather.

Low - Being tired from travel.