Another good week at the McLernins house.
Captain Science did chapters 21-24 in Life of Fred: Fractions (a curriculum I discussed pretty thoroughly in this week’s Secular Thursday) and bridges one and two. He’s still having some trouble with multiplying mixed numbers, so we’re slowing it down next week, letting him work on the remaining three bridges for the chapter, and maybe doing some additional mixed fraction and improper fraction work. He’s really more of a decimals and percents kind of kid, so I hope we can get to the next book soon so he can fly!
The Captain has memorized Prometheus Amid Hurricane and Earthquake! He learned in it a week and can recite it to others. We’re working now on enunciating and standing still while reciting. What to learn next? I’ve looking through some likely candidates, but will welcome suggestions. Greek poetry, please!
In that same vein, history progresses well. The captain read the sections on Greek city-states in History: The Definitive Visual Guide and the Alexander the Great sections in History: The Definitive Visual Guide and Eyewitness: Ancient Greece. His essays were on the conflicts and cooperation between city-states and on Alexander’s life. We’ve scaled back a little on the dates and vocab this week, focusing more in important people. He’s reading The Golden Fleece right no and is likely to finish that tomorrow or Sunday. He wants to read The Iliad, but the only translation I have is definitely written on an adult level, and I worry he’ll be bored. Maybe I’ll challenge him with it and see how he does? It’s not long, just dense. I need to start including some reading from Uppity Women of Ancient Times. Cleopatra wasn’t the only important woman who lived prior to Queen Elizabeth, no matter some people might think. 
Science was fantastic this week! He’s really putting in a lot of effort into the new physics unit, which covers sound vibration, from Science in a Nutshell. We have to leave the building when balloons are involved, because Patchfire doesn’t like balloons, but otherwise, the unit is nice. The Captain is giving thoughtful, thorough answers, and loves the hands-on experiments with the tuning fork and other sound-making implements. He’s also reading the third Percy Jackson novel.
Captain Science started back with Writing Strands doing a short section on expanding sentences as we build back up to a more rigorous writing schedule. Handwriting is still on hold until I can order the theory manual for Spencerian Penmanship. In Growing With Grammar, we started chapter 7, adverbs, though we did only one lesson this week in the interest of other activities. He’s got a good grasp of grammar, so if something needs to be trimmed for time, that’s the one that normally goes. He’s absolutely devouring Vocabulary from Classical Roots, doing lesson 3 this week in about 10 minutes, and hasn’t missed a question yet. I need to get the quiz book from Patchfire so we can do a quiz.
I have discovered that we need a much better dictionary. I no longer define words for Captain Science when he asks me, “What does [word] mean?” I make him look them up, but our little Webster’s Concise English Dictionary just isn’t cutting it. I love his ability to read definitions and rephrase them in context of the conversation or reading. He seems to have such a natural gift for language. I hope it will apply to foreign languages, too, as I’d like to start one in the spring. As much as I wish we could be classical enough for Latin, it’s likely going to be Japanese.
Co-op was kind of a crazy mess this week, due to a visit from the Carlos Museum mummy wrap program, which Captain Science had already seen last year at public school. The kids ran amok and I have no idea who much learning the Captain actually did. We need to start finding some other outside activities.
The Tank had a busy week at preschool, but more and more I am wishing he wasn’t enrolled anywhere. It’s been good for him, there’s no denying it, but I really think that I’ll start homeschooling him next year. He’s done all manner of paintings with body parts and objects (elbows? gauze?), but it’s really just about getting him out around other kids, which I could do in other places.
Babypie has been busy. She’s now crawling up a storm and has started *gasp* pulling up on things! This means she’s in to everything and I keep having to fish random objects out of her mouth — magazine pages, pennies, toys, food she doesn’t need. She keeps us all on our toes. Her silliness is probably Captain Science’s biggest distraction during the day, as the two are just nuts about each other.
I have to say, I’m pretty pleased with this week. Next up, Halloween tomorrow, where Babypie will be Rosie the Riveter, Captain Science will be a ninja, and The Tank will be a police officer like his daddy.
1. I’d love to see your son recite his poetry! My daughter is soo shy I was just glad she recited it. I need to work on her SMILING while she does it instead of looking tortured.
2. I’m going to look into some of your Ancient Greek resources. We jump into Greece within the next few weeks and I’m always looking for “extras.”
3. Have you ever done a review of Vocab from Classical Roots or can you point me towards one? I have Vocabulary Vine but it isn’t thrilling me.
4. Ahh, it has to be hard to have your little tank in preschool. My son went on days when I would substitute teach (few years ago) & even then it was tough.
5. I LOVE that your little girl is going as Rosie the Riveter! Too funny.
We’ve only been doing Vocabulary from Classical Roots for three weeks now, I think? Maybe only two. I’d be happy to do a review of it once we’ve got further in. So far, I’ve really only reviewed Life of Fred (lovingly) and IEW’s Ancient History-based Writing (scathingly).
If standing still while reciting is too hard, he could try interpretive dance.
When you find somewhere/something for Japanese, I’d like to know – the soon to be high schooler in my house wants to learn Japanese. She started teaching herself while still in PS, and is playing with it a bit this year, but not seriously as transcriptable curriculum. And since we’re practically around the corner from you, even if you find a local class we’d love to know where!
My brother, my best friend, and my brothers friends all took Japanese in high school and continued it on a collegiate level. One of them might have a native speaking girlfriend (we know he knows her, but she might just be a girl who is a friend) who gives lessons. If so, we’ll be seeing about hiring her to teach the Captain. I’ll let you know what we end up doing!
Ditto on the Japanese class. My dd10 is dying to learn Japanese and we’re not too far from you either. Georgia Public Broadcasting has some online resources for learning Japanese. In fact, they sponsored a class at our local library. I tried to get my dd involved, but the class was already in its second year.
I love the baby Rosie the Riveter costume idea. I wish I had been more creative when mine were little. Someone gave my daughter a ladybug costume, so that’s what we did.
What about Hypatia for important women in history?