Week # 19

This week was really busy for me. I had a lot to do at work, closing out the books for '08 which was more difficult this year than past years as I haven't worked nearly as much as I normally do because of homeschooling. The kids spent quite a few long days/nights at the shop this week and were SO well behaved. DS brought his electric station toy that he recieved at Chirstmas and DD brought her painting supplies and they kept themselves busy. Even with all the long hours we did manage to get some school work in and to have a little fun!



LANGUAGE ARTS/ENGLISH-

DS- Book report on Narnia
DD- Workbook #1 page 76-91 (She is reading so well now! She needed very little help from me this week, and once again did not want to stop working!)

DS/DD- I read to them about New Years customs from around the world. Afterwards we discussed the traditions and talked about our favorite ones and decided what we would like to do to celebrate this year.
They both then wrote a paper that included the following: thier hopes and dreams for 2009, Things they would like to change in 2009, and How they will be better Christians in 2009. They both did well. Although DS's hopes and dreams were for more Webkinz :(
With that we completed our New Years Book that we started a couple weeks ago.
We worked on our Months Of the Year book. Adding the January page to it. DD wrote very well on her own and did great sounding out her answers to the questions.



MATH-
DD- Saxon lesson 51, Workbook # 4 page 22+23 Addition. We worked on odd and even numbers more. She is doing ok. Needs more practice though.
DS- Saxon Lesson 54+55- Assesment #10 (He did well, missing two- having a little bit of a problem with mixed fractions)




GEOGRAPHY-
We entered Africa this week. Kenya to be exact. We entered Kenya in our passports.
We exchanged our American Dollars For Kenyan Shillings (Although we did not do the full amount of $20 that we usually do as I didn't have enough money for them both! I would have needed well over 2,ooo shillings....
Studied the map to learn what hemisphere, what oceans and countries border, ect.
We added Kenya to our world map page, labled it and colored it.
We labled all the countries in Africa on a blank Africa map.
I read aloud from the Intermediate World Atlas- an introduction to Africa.
I read aloud pages 31 -32 from A Trip Around the World- Interesting facts about Africa.
We colored the Kenyan Flag and copied flag facts on the back of it.


Just a note- I have noticed DS taking an interest in cooking. looking back I guess it has always been there and I haven't payed much attention.. But he is constantly looking for recipes from the different countries and wanting to make them.



SCIENCE:
DS/DD Played with electricity set- they made numerous projects including a fan. a radio, they had a lot of fun!
We brought out our new microscope set and did a brief overview. The kids had fun looking at different objects and just getting a feel for using it.


READING-
I read aloud David Livingstone- Chapters 1-2
Fancy Nancy- Bonjour Butterfly



SPORTS/EXTRA ACTIVITIES
We attended the book club meeting. They showed the Narnia Prince of Caspian Movie and DS got the next book- "Hoot" They meet again next week.


The kids made cupcakes ALL BY THEMSELVES. I didn't help them with anything, not setting the oven, measuring, nothing. They were very excited by the project and did a wonderful job! They turned out great!


DS made German pancakes on Saturday. He wanted to surprise Dad as he wasn't here when we made them the first time. This time he made them all on his own (With the exception of me pouring the oil and turning the oven on and off) Dad was very impressed and loved his meal! I had DS cut the recipe in half as last time we made way too much going by the recipe. He did a great job figuring out the math!
He convinced Dad to take him to the store to buy the ingredients for a new recipe that he found from Kenya!


We went skating again. It was New Years Day so we went as a family (plus one, DS brought along a friend this time) We all had a lot of fun.

DS had a friend sleepover. It was nice for him as the last month he hasn't gotten to hang out with his friends much as we have been so busy and our regular social activities have been on haitus due to the holidays.

Halfway through the year but....

We finally have a motto!
We have talked about a name for our homeschool, a motto, ect. many times. But just haven't found anything that fit.

While reading today about Kenya, we learned that thier motto is Harambee, or "pull together" for some reason this part of the reading stuck with the kids and it came up in our discussion afterwards. DD suggested that it would be a great motto for our school as well explaining that no matter what we always stick together. I thought it was a very nice sentiment. We voted and it became official. We now share a motto with Kenya, Africa :)

Week # 18

It was a really busy week for us, making last minute preperations for the holidays and we had family in from out of town, so lots of kids running around all the time.

We didn't do much that I can remember. Wow my brain is really turning to mush.. It was just last week!

We read some books, though I didn't record them nor do I remember what they were now.
We listened to a lot of music. I got a new tape (yes, tape- Goodwill had it for .33 cents!) Bach- so we started listening to it in the car. I didn't say anything about it and the kids started asking questions because they recognized one of the songs from a movie. It was a great conversation starter and they seemed really interested.

We went skating on Monday. The kids had a blast. They skated for almost 4 hours straight! It was great excercise as we have been out of all of our regular activities due to the holidays! The kids were so tired that night!


We did tons of art projects as always. Drawing and painting.

We also played a lot of games! We got some new ones for Christmas so we had a blast!

week # 17

We had a good week. What I can remember about it now ( I am two weeks late posting this!) We had a snow storm come through so the kids spent all of Monday outside playing with the neighborhood kids . It gave me a chance to catch up on things in the house, wrapping presents, preparing lessons, cleaning, ect. Public school was canceled 3 days this week, though we only took Monday off. It helped me feel a little more accomplished as I have been feeling "behind" as much as I try not to let myself fall in to that way of thinking.

Most of the snow had melted by this point- but it was still so pretty!

We were still studying the continent of Europe- Our current country is Germany.



BIBLE-

I read aloud from Window on the World- Turkey
I read aloud from Hero Tales- John Wesley
Memory Verse Mathew 6:19
Colored John 3:16 German Coloring page


LANGUAGE ARTS/ENGLISH-
Copied Memory Verse
Dictation of memory verse (Daily)
DS- Yellow Book page 94-109
DD- Workbook #1 Page 67-75
DD- Workbook #4 Page 24-25
DD/DS- Started our New Year book -
DD/DS- Both kids started thier own blogs and wrote numerous entries.
DD- Language Arts DVD- Worked on Rhyming words 20 mins


Spelling-
DD- Spelling DVD (2x 20 mins)
DS- Spelling test



MATH-
DS- Saxon Lesson 52 + 53
DD- Saxon Lessons 46-50
DD- Math workbook page 21


Drills-
DD- MATH DVD- Subtraction
DS- Multiplication worksheet



GEOGRAPHY-

The Language of Germany from A Trip Around the World
Played Geography game - Europe, South and North America
We hosted a German dinner (Which is traditionally eaten at noon- so really we had lunch) The kids made German pancakes with applesauce.

SCIENCE-
I read aloud from Living World- Up in the Canopy, Forest Floor
Added to our Frog Observation notebooks.



MUSIC/ART-
We made paper snowflakes and decorated the house with them. With the snow outside it seemed a more fitting project than the one I had originally planned!
We looked up German songs online and found some that the kids really enjoyed- one of thier favorites- The theme song from Spongebob Squarepants :)



READING-

I read aloud - Who will Guide My Sleigh Tonight?
A Light in the Attic (Pages 1-40) The kids are LOVING the poems and didn't want me to stop!
George Mueller- chapters 12-17


DS- finished Narnia chapter book.
DD- Read Peters Dream. Then listened to the read along CD and read through it again.

We wanna blog too!

My daughter has been wanting to have her own blog ever since she saw her cousin with one. I thought about it and decided it would be great practice for her and she could have fun doing it. So today I helped her set it up. She picked the template and named it and came up with her own "About me." She even posted her first post today :)
I had to edit this to say that as I was making dinner DS asked me if he could have his own blog. He apparently saw a Pokemon background when DD was working on finding a background for her blog. I went ahead and set one up for him, but as he hates writing I don't expect him to use it much...

Week # 16

My Grandpa's funeral was on Monday. Needless to say we did nothing that day, or the following 3 days. We travelled back to Oregon on Wednesday. It is nice to be home, but there is so much to do to get ready for Christmas- and to get caught up on school work I am feeling very overwhelmed. We did get some school work in though. We don't usually do "structured-sit down" lessons on the weekends but did fit in some Math this weekend....
Hopefully next week will be better. If I can just make it through Christmas....

LANGUAGE ARTS/ENGLISH-
DD- Workbook #1 Pages 62-66 (She is doing awesome with reading and needs very little help reading questions now)

MATH-
DD- Saxon Lessons 44 & 45 (Assesment #8- 100%)
DS- Saxon Lessons 48-51 (Assesment #9- Did really well, missing one due to not reading question through- a very common problem with him)
(DH actually sat down and did a math lesson with his this weekend. He needed a little help at times, but it was really nice!)
DS- Multiplication worksheets


GEOGRAPHY-
Passport- Germany
We read interesting facts about Germany from A Trip around the World.
Took Europe test- Tested them on blank maps of Europe- DS got 10/14 correct, DD 5/13 correct.
Colored a German flag and learned flag facts.

SCIENCE-
Read from Wild Places- In a Swiss Valley
Read from Living World- Temperate Forests and Decidious Forests
Made maps of our back yard- labeling the trees decidious or evergreen.

(The kids working hard on thier maps)

SPORTS/EXTRA ACTIVITIES-
Cheer practice and Cheer competition- (DD's team won and got a bid to semi finals in L.A!)


We made homemade hot cocoa. The kids did all the measuring and reading instructions. They had a lot of fun with it.

READING-
I read aloud from George Muller- Chapter 11
DS- Read more from Narnia

Week # 15

The last few weeks have been really challenging. We have had some personal issues going on which makes it really hard to focus on school work. I am again having doubts whether I am cut out to do this.
While visiting family in California for the holidays my Grandfather became ill and was hospitalized. We stayed as long as we could but had to come home so DH could keep things running at the shop. On our way back home to Oregon, we recieved a call saying that Grandfather's situation had deteriorated greatly and he was not expected to live much longer. I had some things I had to take care of before we could return, so I dealt with my commitments and "tried" to do some school work with the kids. But my mind really was elsewhere. What little school work we did do was mostly done while we were at home on Monday and Tuesday. We ended up returning to California only having been home for two days. I packed hastily but did remember to pack a few school things. Some of them didn't get used, but at least I had the right intentions...

Next week we will still be in California. The funeral is on Monday so I don't expect too much school work to get done then either... I am really wondering if we can pull this off...


BIBLE-
Window on the World- Gypsies
Hero Tales- William Tyndale
Memory Verse

LANGUAGE ARTS/ENGLISH-
Copied Memory Verse
Dictation of Memory Verse (They did not memorize it this week as we only worked on it two days)
Months Book- December writing activity and colored cover page for MONTHS Book
DS- Yellow Book Pages 87-94, Spelling Test (%100)
DD- Workbook #4 Pages 58-61 (She is reading most of the directions herself now and starting to work more independently)
DS- Scholastic Reading Placement test ( I wish I had access to it when we first began!) He got 90% in each category- placing him above 3rd grade reading level.

SPELLING- DD & DS Spelling DVD 4 x each for 30 mins (I remembered to pack this so they were able to work on it while we were away from home)

MATH-
DD- Saxon Lesson 43, 5 worksheets ( I didn't bring out math program so I found some cool worksheets at http://www.math.about.com/ ) 5 worksheets- time, word problems, addition and subtraction, Order.
DS- Saxon Lesson 47, 5 worksheets (Multiplication, word problems, triple digit addition, number squares)
DRILLS- DD- MATH DVD addition and subtraction 1x 20 mins.

GEOGRAPHY-
Illustrated World Atlas- Farming and Industry
Another Trip Around the World- Language- FRANCE
Another Trip Around the World- Activity- made homeade hot cocoa- the kids loved this one!
Played Geography Game with all 3 boards (North America, South America, and Europe) We brought this with us so they played it in California too. 3x for 30 mins+

SCIENCE-

Living World- Endangered Species, Describing Living things

Unfortunatley, when we left for California the first time we left a neighbor in charge our tadpoles care. When we returned home one was dead and the other two were not looking so good. They are still living at the moment, but I don't have high hopes for them. We were all very disapointed :(

READING-

I read aloud from George Mueller- Chapters 3-10

DS read 39 Clues. Finishing it just an hour before book club was to meet- Unfortunatley we were already on our way back to California so he was unable to participate in the meeting, but the librarian was nice enough to give him next months book to start.

DD read Hippo wants to play 2x this week.

ART-

We made soap this week. We read about the history of making soap in France.

SPORTS/EXTRA ACTIVITIES-

Cheer, Church- the kids got to go to Grandma's church in California. I opted not to go and spent some much needed quiet time at my Dad's house.