I guess we all have to aim for distinction in our own ways.
So since I didn't post anything last Friday about our learning adventures, I'm just going to jump in and post whatever I can remember from the past two weeks. Let me be clear: This is not meant to impress anyone. It's to remind myself of what worked for us ... and to offer up resource ideas to anyone who's looking.
(As always, Amazon links are provided, mostly because Blogger makes it soooo easy. Of course -- full disclosure -- on the rare occasion that anyone makes a purchase from those links, I get the financial equivalent of a square of dark chocolate -- or a few pages of a book. Every bit helps, right?)
Weeks of May 2 and May 9
Faith:
Egermeier's Bible Story Book
(Acts of the Apostles) - reading and discussionHosted home meeting; attended church meeting
Through Gates of Splendor
(Netflix DVD, based on the book)AWANA graduation ceremony. (Fun fact: by finishing his third year of AWANA, Ian has memorized 300 verses, not counting those learned for Sunday church attendance.)
History:
Michelangelo
(by Diane Stanley, author of several picture book bios. Amazing artwork that combines her illustrations with Photoshopped-in images of his work. Text is dense and just barely held the girls' attention.)Leonardo: Beautiful Dreamer
(Ian)Columbus
(Ian)The World of Columbus and Sons
(Ian)Projects from Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself (Build It Yourself series)
Discussion of Transcontinental Railroad
Research on Antarctic explorers (Ian)
Masters of the Renaissance: Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci and More
(Jim Weiss)
Science:
Popular Mechanics for Kids: Super Sea Creatures and Awesome Ocean Adventures
March of the Penguins
Ms. Frizzle's Arctic Adventure
Read-Alouds/Audiobooks: [edited to add: some of these are still in process!]
Island of the Blue Dolphins
(Ian LOVES this "as much as Hatchet", proof that a story with a girl heroine need not be a "girl book.")The Plot Chickens
(to the girls; so fun!)Emily's Runaway Imagination
(Daddy to the girls)Treasure Island
(Daddy to Ian)Henry Huggins CD
Henry and the Paper Route CD
Three Cups of Tea: Young Reader's Edition
(not sure how to feel about the controversy, but said nothing to the kids about it)Writing/Lang. Arts:
How Much Can a Bare Bear Bear?: What Are Homonyms and Homophones? (Words Are Categorical)
The Complete Writer: Writing with Ease (Ian, Eliza)
"Sentence Evolution" game: I come up with a boring sentence and we take turns adding or tweaking words to make it fun! fascinating! and fabulous!
Math:
Singapore Math (Ian)
Quick Pix Money Game (Girls)
Math games on iPad
Logic Puzzles from Braingle.com
Cool Math Games for Kids
"Schoolhouse Rock!" number videos on YouTube
Poetry:
"The Owl and the Pussycat"
Limerick writing, in honor of Edward Lear's birthday
Fine Arts:
Looking at Michelangelo's artwork (the iPad app "Jigsaw Puzzles" lets us download images and make them into puzzles)
Ian's work on his comic book (to be printed in book form upon completion)
Making paint from eggs and dirt or sidewalk chalk
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition
Personal/Independent Reading:
The Great Brain
(Ian)The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles, Book 1)
(Ian)Swiss Family Robinson (A Stepping Stone Book)
(Eliza)The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings
(me)Jane Eyre
(me)Other:
Family movie: Fiddler on the Roof
(Eliza subsequently spent hours re-watching the whole thing in segments on YouTube)Family movie: The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest
(Caroline, much to Ian's horror, was fascinated by the footage of George Mallory's partially decomposed body, and now thinks she will become a doctor. To her future lab partner in Human Gross Anatomy: Blessed are you.)Ravensburger Coco Crazy - Children's Game
Mothers' Day Luncheon with relatives
Play with friends
Swim Lessons (Ian and Eliza)
TaeKwonDo (Caroline
Homeschool Tennis (Ian)
Posts
2 comments:
Now, if you had hot links to the Austin Public Library for your books, which paid you even a penny for clicks, you'd have a full chocolate cake by now thanks to me!
You really read aloud all those books in 2 weeks??! are your weeks longer than mine?
Again I shall ask, can you adopt me? What fun you're all having learning and exploring.
@Raji,
For my part in the read-aloud, rest assured that we've been working on our books for many weeks now. You can interpret those lists as "we read from ..."
I love reading aloud to my kids. I like it that they get to hear my voice the last thing before bed. My two big opportunities to be with the kids during the week are family dinner time (which we vigorously defend), and stories at bed time. I think they might enjoy it almost as much as I do. :-)
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