We don't usually school in the summer, but after having to start fresh last fall, I think I'd like them to keep more current this year.
the Fairy
Learn-on-the-Go Capital & Lowercase Letters (2 letters/week), along with Scholastic's Alphabet Mini-Books
Saxon Math 1 (approx. 1 lesson/week)
Playing around with a huge set of phonics activities the charter school gave me
the Elf
Daily reading for 20 minutes (minimum)
Free writing in his journal, alternated with using Scholastic's Writing Prompts Mini-Books
Bellwork Mathematics Level 2 (4 problems a day, review work)
Both
The Composer Is Dead (for an intro to parts of the orchestra)
A brief study of early man through Ancient Egypt, using the reading list below...
Reading List
(note: items in brown have been read)
Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution
The Visual Dictionary of Prehistoric Life
In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World
Stone Age Boy
The Days of the Cave People
Sunset of the Sabertooth
Gilgamesh the King (Gilgamesh Trilogy)
Revenge of Ishtar (Gilgamesh Trilogy)
Last Quest of Gilgamesh (Gilgamesh Trilogy)
Who Built the Pyramids?
Boy of the Pyramids
Mummies in the Morning
Who Was King Tut?
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
And a...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY 8 YEAR OLD ELF!
At age EIGHT
Age SIX
Age FOURI am amazed every time I look at him! He has grown so incredibly - mind, body, and all - over the last eight years. I am more proud of him every day!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
In our neighborhood, this is a huge celebration. Our streets are (mostly) blocked off, the police have blocked major intersections, and there is a street fair a few blocks away. We went and wandered through, briefly, last year, but this year, thanks in part to STAR testing, we're skipping it.
I debated a lot about the testing. However, in the end, it came down to the facts that A) we get a lot out of the charter school we use, and to get their funding, they do have to do testing, and B) I don't think it will hurt the Elf to know how testing works and what it is. Having said that, I have not taught him "to the test", and we are doing our best to put no pressure on him. He had his first portion of it yesterday, and coming out said he felt really comfortable, and that "the test wasn't too hard at all".
We're wrapping up our unit on China - this week we're making a model of a section of the Great Wall out of matboard. And we've been making a lot of recipes from this book. We've also enjoyed a variety of stories, documentaries, and more. The kids did some calligraphy work (which I'll have to scan, etc at some point), and they've colored various coloring pages. We have also been having fun with insect studies. We watched Microcosmos, and then Eyewitness Insect, and Eyewitness Butterfly & Moth - really informative but still exciting for the kids. Now, while we continue insects, and move on to Japan, we're also going through idea after idea for the charter school's science fair! The kids are also really into audio books lately, which make for great car entertainment. We've listened to Chitty, Chitty Bang-Bang; a collection of Roald Dahl stories (narrated by the author himself, which we loved); Mr. Popper's Penguins; and now we're listening to A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Bad Beginning (narrated by Tim Curry, way cool).
And other than that, Fairy has a loose tooth (her first one!) along with a nasty cold, and Elf has a birthday coming up. He's requested a camera and a watch, pretty easy requests to fulfill. Oh, and a Black Forest Cake. My mom says I wanted one of those when I turned 7 or 8 too - the traditional one made with almond meal apparently. We're also looking at getting (Craigslist maybe?) or building a loft bed for him, in order to free up more space in the kids' room. Fairy says she does not want one, as it would be too hard to get out of during the night - her bed will go perpendicular to his, underneath. She still, at 6 years old, does not sleep through the night. I think now part of it is that I work past her bedtime 3-4 times a week, and she wants to check to make sure I am home. I think I need a different shift, or better yet, a different job!
I debated a lot about the testing. However, in the end, it came down to the facts that A) we get a lot out of the charter school we use, and to get their funding, they do have to do testing, and B) I don't think it will hurt the Elf to know how testing works and what it is. Having said that, I have not taught him "to the test", and we are doing our best to put no pressure on him. He had his first portion of it yesterday, and coming out said he felt really comfortable, and that "the test wasn't too hard at all".
We're wrapping up our unit on China - this week we're making a model of a section of the Great Wall out of matboard. And we've been making a lot of recipes from this book. We've also enjoyed a variety of stories, documentaries, and more. The kids did some calligraphy work (which I'll have to scan, etc at some point), and they've colored various coloring pages. We have also been having fun with insect studies. We watched Microcosmos, and then Eyewitness Insect, and Eyewitness Butterfly & Moth - really informative but still exciting for the kids. Now, while we continue insects, and move on to Japan, we're also going through idea after idea for the charter school's science fair! The kids are also really into audio books lately, which make for great car entertainment. We've listened to Chitty, Chitty Bang-Bang; a collection of Roald Dahl stories (narrated by the author himself, which we loved); Mr. Popper's Penguins; and now we're listening to A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Bad Beginning (narrated by Tim Curry, way cool).
And other than that, Fairy has a loose tooth (her first one!) along with a nasty cold, and Elf has a birthday coming up. He's requested a camera and a watch, pretty easy requests to fulfill. Oh, and a Black Forest Cake. My mom says I wanted one of those when I turned 7 or 8 too - the traditional one made with almond meal apparently. We're also looking at getting (Craigslist maybe?) or building a loft bed for him, in order to free up more space in the kids' room. Fairy says she does not want one, as it would be too hard to get out of during the night - her bed will go perpendicular to his, underneath. She still, at 6 years old, does not sleep through the night. I think now part of it is that I work past her bedtime 3-4 times a week, and she wants to check to make sure I am home. I think I need a different shift, or better yet, a different job!
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