This week seemed to drag and I feel like we accomplished next to nothing. It was Dawdling Week. WeekFail. Apparently this is normal for November, so I won’t wail and tear my hair too much.
Math hit a stumbling block today with dividing fractions using cancellation. The whole “but we’re MULTIPLYING!!!” thing was just too much and broke Captain Science’s brain. It shouldn’t have, but it did. Same thing in grammar — Captain Science forgot how to identify and diagram a direct object. Both issues have, thankfully, been remedied, but it’s been a muddled up, fuddled up sort of week.
In Life of Fred: Fractions, Captain Science covered chapters 25-28.
In grammar, he covered 6.7 (synonyms and antonyms), 6.8 (homonyms), and 6.9 (good vs. well) in Growing With Grammar. Because he had a setback with direct objects, we did some additional diagramming, 3-4 sentences every day this week, so about 15 minutes a day of grammar. In Writing Strands, he continued with building paragraphs. His essay this week was about preferring Babypie to The Tank, as far as siblings go.
History saw the end of our formal lessons about Ancient Greece. We’ll do the Greek pantheon next week, but we finished up topics of math, science, medicine, and Greek home life. Essay topics were influential Greek mathematicians and the difference between childhood in Greece and modern times.
Science was all about color and light, but it was completely hands on, no written materials. He really enjoyed running around with Eclectic Girl doing all the experiments.
Co-op went well. We’re wrapping up poetry and our class decided to name our upcoming book Chairs with Brains. All students have to have their final drafts in to me for publication.
The Tank’s conference was this week. He is adored by his two preK teachers, who love how he says “nuttin” when they ask him what’s bothering him and how excited he gets when he gets leftovers packed for lunch. They aren’t concerned about his speech issues, but offered advice on how to proceed with interventions if we were concerned. He can recognize all his classmates names in writing!
Babypie is trying to talk. She says “hey/hi” and “dada” (only to Officer Daddyman) regularly, and sometimes says “hey there” and something that sounds like “yeah!” She mimics sounds back sometimes, repeating the first sound of her name and Captain Science’s.
This has probably been the week where I’ve most felt like we accomplished nothing. We did no typing, no logic, no music appreciation. We slogged slowly through our materials, sometimes taking all day to get things done. Patchfire assures me this is normal and that November is just the month that makes you want to throw in your towel. I don’t want to quit — it hasn’t even crossed my mind — but I do need to find something to revitalize us. I think it’s good that we’re wrapping up Greece, because I need a change. Rome is nice in the fall, I hear.
LOL. I love your sense of humor. It’s nice to hear every week doesn’t go perfectly.
I received our Vocab from Classical Roots this week and LOVE IT! I’m glad you mentioned it.
November is always tough on kids. It seems all the school work kicks it up a notch right when we are ready to go into hibernation. My husband teaches public school and notices the same thing. Reality has set in and the honeymoon is a fading memory.
My kids are 12 and 15 and we’ve been homeschooling all along. I can confirm that the dragging in November is indeed normal, as is the forgetting things already learned. I’d love to say something cute, but you don’t know me and might not realize that I’m joking about being driven to drink or something.
Well, my Twitter “about me” says “Mommy drinks because the curriculum cries.”
I’ve been homeschooling all along too. It’s very normal for even very brilliant children who seem to have understood the math concept the first time and who normally plug right along doing great to suddenly have a huge brain fart. Then you have to reteach, but it usually sinks in the second time.
Our dragging month is usually in December due to the after Thanksgiving/pre-Christmas stuff.
We have had a terrible time getting started this year, so we haven’t started dragging yet, but I know it will come. Sounds like you have a great attitude about the whole thing. Keep on – keeping on.
Yay! For the baby talk and the multiplication!