Week 7: 10/17-10/21, with PICTURES!

It has been a good week as far as schooling goes.

Language Arts
Cyrus wrote a short story for Intermediate Language Lessons, both a first and second/final draft, after completing a picture study the day before. He wrote some dialog for an animation program that he plays around with. We worked on spelling, though not from his spelling book, he read aloud a little to me (I like him to do this occasionally as it helps me see his comprehension levels). He also did a couple of pages in Word Roots.

Cassia worked through another 3 lessons in Easy Lessons for Teaching Word Families. She finished a lesson in Explode the Code, read a Nora Gaydos book to me with very little trouble, and is working on Green Eggs & Ham. I threw in a few blends during her word family work, and she can sound them out quite well!



Math
Both worked in Teaching Textbooks, completing another 3 lessons apiece. Cyrus got 100% on all lessons, and Cassia got over 90% on all lessons. Her occasional mistakes have to do more with carelessness than a lack of understanding. I am thinking of adding back in some Math Mammoth work, since I own all the topical series, and could easily tie this in to reinforce their Teaching Textbook lessons. Maybe send just a single page with them daily to my mom's house? At the very least, I plan to add in living math books again. I am still considering Life of Fred as a supplement too. I think both kids, especially Cyrus, would enjoy the books.

Science
I went ahead and did science with them individually this week. With Cyrus, we cuddled up in the big chair and started reading The Way We Work. He then drew and labeled a picture of a cell, and then wrote definitions for the labels. With Cassia, we cuddled up, again in the big chair, and we read about chickens in Clara Dillingham Pierson's Among the Night People. Cassia drew a picture of a chicken, a chick and some eggs, and added a sentence, carefully copied down.




A close-up of the cell drawing since it doesn't show too well in the picture above. I just like his happy face in that one!



History
We finished reading the D'Aulaire's Columbus, which was a lovely book. We read a little more in A First Book in American History, and I used the globe to show the kids where Italy, Portugal and Spain are. We have started reading You Wouldn't Want to Sail with Christopher Columbus as well. Both kids colored maps of the Mediterranean area where Columbus was born and grew up.

Literature
We are reading a compilation of the Nurse Matilda (aka Nanny McPhee) books at bedtime. So far, we have counted 31 children in the Brown family! The book is absolutely delightful so far. Cyrus is simultaneously re-reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and has started The Children of Green Knowe. Cassia and I read Apples to Oregon, The Firebird, and another two chapters in All of a Kind Family Downtown. We also read the poem October's Bright Blue Weather by Helen Hunt Jackson. The kids really liked it, so I hope to read more poetry next week.

Other
Cyrus is working hard on shading in art, and is teaching himself, from a book, to draw facial features as well. He had his piano lesson this week, in which he did fairly well, but we are working hard to make sure he practices daily, which gives me time to really focus on Cassia's reading lessons.

Cassia has been helping daily in the kitchen. She loves to measure things, chop things up (yes, I let her use knives), stir and whisk things... she makes a great kitchen assistant.

Weekend Plans
Now that I have full weekends off from work, we can do fun stuff! This weekend we're headed off to a fall festival/pumpkin patch... oh and the library. We're looking forward to both!