It has been an interesting and eye-opening week. First, I discovered math journaling, which is simply fantastic! Then I read The Christopherus Waldorf Curriculum Overview from cover to cover, and it was lovely. I have come to realize, through my research and in-depth conversations with everyone in the house, that while we're chugging along just fine, we're not experiencing the joy of homeschooling as we used to (I also re-read some of my earliest blog posts, and we had so much fun!), and when there is a lack of joy, there is a lack of real interest. So I am making every effort to switch to a richer, more hands-on, homeschooling style with more living books, even for math! And I want my blog to have more pictures again, so for the next Weekly Report, you can expect a few changes. On a side note, I realized in reading the Waldorf book that according to their principles, my kids are ahead a grade! While I certainly don't plan on dropping them back, I feel more relaxed with where we are in things.
Alright, having said all that, here's this week in review, which for the most part, actually followed my desires for our homeschooling...
Bug has been working on writing his novel on the computer, and he wrote a quite funny fable based on the style of fables in Squids Will Be Squids. He built more 3D models on the computer and then demolished them, watching how and pieces fall, and how falling/loose pieces affect the integrity of the whole. He did 2 chapters in Life of Fred Fractions, giggling like a maniac the entire time. He finished re-reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and moved on to The Red Pyramid. He studied Greek and Egyptian mythology, using select titles from the Ologies series and the D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths. He worked in writing in hieroglyphics using the Egyptology Code-Writing Kit. He worked on shading geometric shapes for art. I also read to him from The Magic of Reality - a wonderful and accessible science book by Richard Dawkins.
Cricket worked in The Reading Lesson this week. She is getting steadily more fluent, and is picking up on blends and letter combinations like "ee" and "ea" quickly. She also completed two chapters in Life of Fred Apples, and made up more problems for herself. She helped with cooking, and got hands-on lessons in fractions and measurement as a result. We read from Understood Betsy, and Russian Folk Tales. And we read Pippo the Fool, Uncle Blue's New Boat, and Pelle's New Suit. She did a little needle felting, drew a few pictures, and helped fold laundry. She also watched, twice, a video called Families of Russia.
Together, we learned about John Cabot from A First Book in American History. We read some more from the Nurse Matilda stories. We ate a delicious Russian meal, with baked fish, potatoes, mushrooms, and dill. We visited the Russian Orthodox Church near our home during their Christmas Bazaar, and tried piroshkis. We also visited the church itself, which was full of gorgeous art and many, many icons. We listened to a story told in alternating Russian and English. We cuddled up on the couch and watched movies a couple of evenings this week as well. I am really enjoying my afternoons and evenings at home with my new job!
Today we are hoping to go to the park, but with a fifty percent chance of rain, who knows? If it does rain, we'll bump tomorrow's planned library trip up to today.
Next week, we're simply focusing on getting ready for Thanksgiving. I have a multitude of pies to bake, including the family favorite, an apple-quince mince pie from Local Flavors. We celebrate Thanksgiving with my mom on Thursday, and then a second celebration at home with other relatives (my dad, my MIL, etc.) on Friday. I plan to spend the weekend cleaning, then I work Monday and Tuesday, make pies on Wednesday, and enjoy the rest of the week! I'm planning on a week off from any official homeschooling, though we know the learning never stops, and I am sure I will be reading aloud a lot!
Don't forget to drop by The Weekly Wrap-Up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers!
Don't be too hard on yourself right now. This is a tough time of year to get through school, no matter how fun it is. I can't wait to see how you incorporate everything. :)
ReplyDeleteI also love the idea of math jounaling. I'm still turning it around in my head--thinking about how we might incorporate it. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!
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