Thursday Thoughts... A Shift in Writing...

A little while back, I signed up for Julie's Daily Writing Tips, from the Brave Writer website, and wow! I think that it has been one of the best free daily emails I have ever signed up for! Still though, I keep plowing ahead with Emma Serl's Language Lessons (The Girl), and Write With the Best (The Boy).

Then yesterday, The Girl balked at her copywork, something she does not normally do. And this was after she balked at her picture study the day before, another first. The Boy seems happy enough with his program, but since I only plan on going through one ["semester-length"] book this year and the other next year, I need to fill in gaps. And while I love, love, love the concept of the Brave Writer Lifestyle, I am always a little unsure as to how to actually implement it.

Daily Writing Tips to the rescue! Here's an example of what I think is a fantastic activity...

Five words in a letter to someone.

We've done the "five word" freewrite. Now try the same thing, only this time put the words in a letter. The letter can be to a fictional character from a book, it can be a letter to the editor for a newspaper or online magazine, it can be a letter in the form of a comment online, it can be a text or email to someone.

For high schoolers: Use these five words.

• Fanciful
• Emphatic
• Purge
• Clarify
• Sprightly

For junior high:

• Chilled
• Spunky
• Invest
• Effortless
• Mystery

For littler kids:

• Aqua
• Dip
• Careful
• Spider
• Secret

So this looks both fun and challenging! I think I could have The Girl try to write her own, or dictate and copy. And it is a great way to get the kids to practice writing letters. I am saving the writing tips in their own folder for easy reference, and planning out a couple of days a week that we can use them.

Other than that, homeschooling is going well this week. Today I knew we'd be spending part of the afternoon--our schooling time--driving my dad to his eye doctor appointment and pharmacy, so I assembled a collection of books,  to take with us for "car schooling", and then we'll do math and writing at home. I am trying to be more organized ahead of time these days, rather than potentially losing out on 2 or so hours of school time!

Monday Musings... So Much Science...

Outside My Window...
It is cold and gray this morning, not even 50 degrees out yet, although the weather report promises lower eighties by afternoon. 

In My Home...
I am nearly caught up on laundry and dishes. The kids are helping me with some general housework here and there, trying to keep things ready for the holidays so that we are not doing mad amounts of cleaning right before Christmas!

In My Kitchen...
I made Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal this morning, and it was so, so good! I used this recipe with some changes (coconut oil instead of cooking spray, vanilla extract in place of maple, cranberries instead of raisins, and 2 eggs instead of 1-- and I didn't caramelize the bananas first, just sliced them, and put them on the bottom of the baking dish with a sprinkling of raw sugar and cinnamon. Plus, this recipe makes more like 6-8 servings, not 4!). We're going to try our spaghetti squash this week with pesto and chicken, rather than marinara with sausage or meatballs. And I promised The Girl that this Friday's soup would be her beloved potato-leek.

In Our Homeschooling...
It's funny... I've been fretting a bit about the lack of actual science going on in my house, besides all the documentaries, and then this weekend, the kids went all out with science! It started with The Girl getting out the microscope and slide set. Then she practiced making slides. Meanwhile, I thought The Boy looked bored, so I pulled out the Milestones in Science kit, and let him have at it. So far, he's made a steam engine model, an airplane, and a pinhole camera, while The Girl made a spectroscope. I am hoping this momentum continues!

Crafting...
I started M's scarf this weekend, and decided I need to get some smaller knitting needles for The Girl. I did find that I can knit moderately well left-handed, so I can teach The Girl. I am really glad I picked up knitting again, as it is such a pleasant task!

On the [Homeschooling] Agenda...
In math, I am hoping to "catch up" a little this week, with
fourthree solid lessons for each kid in Life of Fred and Zaccaro. In writing, I am planning to have The Boy work through another couple of lessons in Write With the Best, and a similar number of lessons in Emma Serl's Language Lessons for The Girl, along with a lesson for both from Hot Fudge Monday. I also want Cassia to alternate Reading Horizons lessons (2) this week with reading practice from the readers that go with the program. In history,
I'll be reading from The Rainbow Book of American History OR Builders of the Old World with The Girl, and I want The Boy to read from both A Little History of Science and The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way, to see which he preferswe're returning to simply listening to The Story of the World, Volume 1, on audio book. Maybe we'll get a lesson from Mapping the World with Art completed. And I am absolutely determined to get our reading from the Afternoon Basket done!

Bits & Pieces, And the Rest of the Agenda...
The Boy had a great Saturday! He attended fencing practice in the morning, and then went to a Fencing Fun Night from 6 pm to 10 pm. This involved fencing games, a movie, pizza, popcorn, and loads of fun! There's a girl in his class with a crush on him, and she was so happy to see him at the fun night she gave him a little hug! While he was gone, The Girl and I took the time to hang out together and watch Troop Beverley Hills. She laughed a lot at the hair and clothes! She had derby practice last night, and will be skating in a halftime scrimmage on the upcoming Saturday, followed by a roller derby overnight/slumber party at the rink. She's very, very super-excited about this!

Hope you all have a good week! I'll update on my mom when I get an update!