And Another Week Starts...

The Boy is...

...doing pretty well at keeping up with his [junior] college reading load, all for his Machine Tools Technology class (aka Metal Shop)

...starting back up this week with some writing work in Thinking in Threes

...reading more of Animal Farm and the two or three other books he has going

...editing and finalizing a series of homemade films he plans to release around Halloween

...moving right along in his Three Dimensional art class -- they are working on a series of geometric shapes made from Bristol paper... the shapes are supposed to be extremely concise. Since he has had a long love affair with paper crafting, this has been right up his alley! His most frequent work partner in class is an older woman (The Boy says maybe 60+?)

...and on his ability to get along well with people of all ages, etc., I heard that the stage hands are still talking about what a great kid he was when he shadowed at the San Francisco Opera!

...playing Minecraft and a skateboard game on the XBox when he gets a chance, which isn't often these days, though tonight he has Skyping/Minecraft playing plans with his best buddy.

...fencing!

The Girl is...

...moving through her big stack of library books on various sea creatures and the like. I think we'll have to go to the library again shortly for more!

...starting up with Math Mammoth again this week, reviewing telling time, which it turns out can be troublesome for dyslexic kids.

...working on a series of colorful art projects with crayon, pen, and colored pencil, now that she located her previously missing sketchbook.

...writing a really intriguing short story based loosely off the game Odd Planet.

...making a set of shadow box cubes/shelves for her bedroom, with the help of her Nonna (my mom), since she is spending time there twice a week right now. Similar to this picture, but with several different colors.

They have other projects lining up too... some sewing, some jam making, etc.

...practicing her derby skills!

We are...

...actually starting our Afternoon Basket readings today, with history and literature (i.e. The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England and The Shakespeare Stealer). Geography (The Royal Road to Romance) and science (The Dark Side of the Universe: A Scientist Explores the Mysteries of the Cosmos and Once Upon a Starry Night: A Book of Constellations) will follow later this week.

...likely watching some more of Once Upon a Time, season 3, this week. And maybe some Human Planet... and or ??

...waiting on The Boy's math set, and The Girl's writing book, to get here!

I am...

...finishing up The Castle of Otranto for my class

...getting ready for my first office hours this week, and my first set of papers to grade

...working out the kinks in our scheduling for the week, and upcoming weeks

...working harder on meal planning, since time is so precious right now, and I need to be thinking ahead!

Enjoying the moments of fun we have here and there -- visiting the coast on Saturday, and then watching my kids (especially The Girl) play with a homeschooled girl I tutor on Sundays.

Here's  to a good, and busy/productive week!

Wrapping up the Week...

August is almost over!?! Seriously, where does it go?

We had a decent week. The Boy is settling nicely into his junior college classes, and is getting used to the homework load. I got to see my work space at the same junior college this week, inside this imposing brick library...

I am stopping by the library today to pick up a few books, before we head off to our weekly park day, so that we can start our [loose/relaxed] studies of the Renaissance and astronomy....

     


Plus I ordered this book to round out astronomy.
We'll get going with our history, astronomy, and geography read-alouds this weekend/next week, then add in math for The Girl in the next week (for some reason, she is still having trouble with telling time, so we'll work on that first, before moving into a review of multiplication and division), and writing for both and math for The Boy the first full week of September. Thankfully, I did find a good deal on The Boy's math -- Teaching Textbooks Algebra 1, v2.0 -- on homeschoolclassifieds.

As to what else we have been up to... the kids found season 8 of Dr. Who on Netflix. We also found a period drama (mini-series) called Dancing on the Edge, set in early 1930s London, and beautifully made. It has led to some good discussions so far too! We've been working on cleaning and other schedules for the household, especially since it looks like M will be working 6 days a week for some time. The kids are stepping up to the challenge of taking on more responsibility very nicely... at least so far! The Girl's been working on clay and paper sculptures, The Boy on 3D art with heavy paper, lots of reading going on.

I'm working on a list of cook-ahead breakfasts and dinners for busy days. And a list of documentaries that I think we would enjoy, and that would add to our educations fairly painlessly. I also have this book to read by Tuesday night!

And our last butterfly hatched! We had almost given up on the third chrysalis...

Have a good weekend!

Monday Musings... Kinetic Carnivale and More...

Out and About...
This weekend, we went to the 4th Annual Willits Kinetic Carnivale for some Steampunk fun! It was a decently sized event, under trees in a park, with plenty to see, hear, taste, and touch.

We had quite a lot of fun, but I will say that overall, the Wunderkammer event here in Sonoma County was even better, and we really, really hope they bring it back this fall or next. The weekend did re-inspire The Boy's love for Steampunk art, so he's been creating all weekend, in between homework for his machine class.

Education - Home & Otherwise...
Speaking of which, the first week of college is done! He loves both his classes, and--so far--doesn't mind the homework load. He read his text, took copious notes (which they are allowed to use on tests) and took an at-home safety test. He's also been working, on his own, on pen and ink sketching with library books: Pen & Ink Sketching: Step by Step, and Pen & Ink Sketching. Additonally, he's reading Animal Farm, alongside The Red Pyramid. Very busy boy!

The Girl's been reading a fair amount too, mainly nonfiction books, such as The Chameleon, Fossil Fish Found Alive, and Stingrays. And she's built an amazing fantasy world in Minecraft. We're going to start reading The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making this week.

Together, the three of us are going to start studying the Renaissance period, with plans to head to the Norcal Renaissance Faire in October. I found this book -- The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England -- which looks both educational and amusing (always a good combination in our house!), so we will start with that. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be adding in the other subjects (mainly math and writing).

Creating...
The Girl has been working with her clay again, creating unique little people (bottom right is the back of the sculpture on the left... she wanted you to see the polka dots!)...

And I realized I still have a gift certificate to a yarn shop, so I think some knitting is in short order. I also have been measuring windows, and searching out fabric, as Jessica's recent post has inspired me to make some new curtains as a quick and easy upgrade to our home. 

Around the House & Garden...

M has been removing all the dead plants from our yards, front and back. The drought has been rough on us! We spend a lot of time talking about what we will be doing with the yards later this fall, and we are hoping that current predictions of a wet winter are accurate.

We're also tackling some relatively minor home repairs before winter, and we're trying to work out the kinks in our new housecleaning plans.

On the Agenda...

I meet my students today! Well, one class's worth of them. We're still getting the hang of our new, very busy Mondays, but I am sure we will figure it all out. The Boy has fencing this week, and The Girl derby practice. I will likely be grading papers this week, and I start my class (on "Gothic British Commonwealth lit") too.

Have a good week!

The First...

First born, first off to junior college, first day of school...

He was very excited today, especially after downloading and reading the syllabus for his art class! They get to make a 3D model of a torso, insect, or animal out of aluminum flashing, and there are other, similar projects. The syllabus also states that the teacher values everyone's learning differences, and leaves a lot of room for creativity.

I've had butterflies in my stomach all day.

Speaking of butterflies...

They are all over our yard, darting about in twos and threes... when I go outside, I am surrounded by them! The middle picture is a freshly hatched one.

And I am off shortly to meet with one of the professors I hope to work with this semester.

Wow... Just Wow...

So you know I have worked as a reader for English teachers/professors in the past, which involves lugging home stacks of essays to read and grade, paid for by said teachers out of their own pocket. But this semester, I got a new offer... I was offered, through the local junior college itself, an Instructional Facilitator position. As such, I would work in the classroom occasionally with two teachers, I would of course continue lugging papers home to read and grade, and I would have some office hours to meet with students for tutoring!

I feel so grown up... me, with OFFICE HOURS AT A COLLEGE! All teacher-like...

I have talked with the kids and M extensively before even thinking of taking this on. M has agreed to take over much of the housework on a regular basis, and cooking on my long days. The kids have agreed to help out more around the house too. This is certainly one of those moments when I am truly grateful for the flexibility that homeschooling offers us!

And truthfully, the money will be more than helpful right now.

I am both very nervous, and very excited about this whole huge thing!

Monday Musings...

Outside Our Home...
Upper 80s these days, and very, very dry, which has made wildfire a real danger in northern California. While we've seen smoke from afar, and had some hazy smoggy days, thankfully the fires are not too near us. On the plus side, this has led the kids and I to discussions about fire safety, emergency evacuation procedures, and what we would take if we had to leave.

We've taken some advantage of the warm weather, with regular beach and pool visits.

In Our House & Garden...
Some of our yard has succumbed to the drought. The fruit trees, redwoods, and other established trees are okay, as are the Mediterranean herbs -- rosemary, lavender, sage, oregano -- but our yard otherwise looks as crispy as everything else. We could continue watering, but somehow with current water regulations and the general state of things, that doesn't seem the best option. On the plus side, the drought is killing many of the weeds I was seeking to extinguish! And thankfully we are redoing much of the yard anyway, and didn't lose too much. Clean slate...

We've been tackling a new cleaning routine, in which the kids have much more responsibility in helping me keep the house clean. So far, so good! And we continue to get rid of things... books, old/outgrown clothes, and things of that nature.

In Our Homeschooling...
One of the caterpillars we brought in has cocooned, and the others are starting to. The Girl read a book on chameleons this week, and has been very excited to share her new-found knowledge. The Boy has been skimming, and occasionally dipping more deeply, in the Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia. I plan to start watching Human Planet with them today, and we're anxious to check out CuriosityStream at some point. Today, I am also ordering The Boy's first college textbook!

I need to look at ordering The Boy's math for the fall as well, but beside that, I am not ordering any school supplies. We own so much already from the last 8-9 years of homeschooling!

Reading...
The Boy meant to start Animal Farm yesterday, but got distracted. The Girl has finished The Time Cat, and is concentrating on Ronia, the Robber's Daughter, and her pile of animal books from the library (mostly water creatures). I'm starting to really think about our first read-alouds for the fall... maybe Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia, and then something fictitious.

This and That...
I'm gearing up to head back to work next week, and to send The Boy to the junior college. So that means getting work clothes washed and ready, tidying the rest of the house, figuring out bus schedules for The Boy, revisiting my cook-ahead breakfast list... yikes, the summer went fast!

Hope your summer is going well!

Current Exploits...

Since I stopped actively planning, our summer has very much improved! And we have a lot going on these days...

The Boy is working on a post-apocalyptic short story, and is about to start reading Animal Farm. He's simultaneously reading The Hitchhiker's Guide and The Maze Runner as well.

He's studying pen & ink techniques, such as stippling, with the aid of library books

The Girl is working on a veritable Minecraft universe in between bursts of reading from the last pages of The Time Cat and the beginning pages of Ronia, the Robber's Daughter

Plus a huge stack of library books on sea creatures

And both are helping with a tabletop garden project my sister is putting together for her severely disabled students - the table they are building here is the right height for students in wheelchairs to work...

We've also spent a lot of time at the beach with friends, learning the joy of body boarding! And for The Girl, some surfing too...

We're playing a lot of Garbage (aka Trash) and Apples to Apples Junior these days. I should dig out Scrambled States and Totally Tut while we're in game mode!

We're watching a few movies (tonight's is The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, as we've been fairly extensively discussing WWII recently), and lining up documentaries that look good, and we've finally hit season three of Once Upon a Time, after taking a long break.

We identified a newcomer to our backyard, the Gulf Fritillary, which only nests on/lives in/eats passionflower vines. Our vine has expanded rapidly the last couple of years, and we were thrilled to identify the caterpillars we found all over it! We brought three, complete with the vines they were on, into the house, and then into our old butterfly habitat, for further inspection. We'll re-release them when they become butterflies. One's cocooning already!

And we are looking forward to the new things starting in just another week, when I head back to work, and The Boy heads to the junior college! The Girl is thinking of doing some volunteer work (maybe for this organization if we can get permission due to her age) while The Boy is in class.

A couple of weeks or so after that, we'll get back to regular math and writing. And we'll see where everything else falls into place.

Hope your summer is going as well as ours is!