On this Friday the 13th, we completed our 70th day of school. We only need four more weeks to make my 90-days-before-Christmas goal!
Fractions are trucking right along this week. Captain Science completed chapters 28 and 29 in Life of Fred: Fractions, three of the bridges to Chapter 30 (he’s still having a little bit of difficulty with dividing fractions — he knows how, but just doesn’t quite get why?), and a section of Key to Fractions: Multiplying and Dividing. I’m looking forward to finishing with fractions, because Captain Science is chomping at the bit to start on decimals and percents, which are his real love. I think he’ll enjoy taking these loathsome fractions and converting them into nice, neat decimals.
We’ve finished everything about Ancient Greece but our review (Monday) and some sort of quiz-type-something (Wednesday). I usually try to make the quiz something fun, but I’m not sure what format I’ll use this time. I’m considering having him do some short writing on a few topics as part of it. Our big activity this week was to continue his Pantheon Project, which we also did for the Egyptian gods. He reads about, does keyword outlines about, and then writes a short paragraph about the major gods in each pantheon (he’ll do the same for Rome). At the end of the semester, we’re going to do a comparison project — plus a god vs. god battle royale, letting him match gods by powers and determine who would win in a fight or test of wills. He really enjoys learning about the gods, so why not reward that passion with a really fun activity?
Captain Science is doing great with identifying and diagramming the parts of speech we’ve covered so far. He’d initially struggled with direct objects vs. predicate nouns, but now he can easily differentiate. He covered chapters 7.1-7.3 in Growing With Grammar this week, which were about prepositions and prepositional phrases. He identified them in sentences and we’ll work on diagramming them next week. After prepositions, we have only one more chapter before we’re done with Growing With Grammar Grade 4! I already have Editor in Chief A1 ready to start as soon as we’ve wrapped up GWG. The Captain is looking forward to a slightly different approach to grammar, as am I. Growing With Grammar is great for what it is, a means of instilling necessary technical skills, but it’s as dry as old bones.
Eclectic Girl and Captain Science finished several more activities in their color and light science kit, but Patchfire and I remain unimpressed by this particular set of materials. I’m eager to move on to something new. I think that’s the theme of this week, in fact — can we finish this up and move on? MOVE ON!
Captain Science also completed several pages in Logic Countdown and began research on his blue jay paper, writing his list of questions he wants to answer in the paper, looking for sources, and researching the answers to his questions. I finally picked up the theory book for Spencerian Penmanship, so we’ll start that next week! To round out our week nicely, Captain Science, The Tank, and Officer Daddyman painted with watercolors this afternoon while I took Babypie to the doctor for an awful viral rash.
The Tank also had an excellent week, bringing home lots of Thanksgiving-themed art. He also made a paper turkey at the homeschool co-op, which is sitting on our piano between the two paper pumpkins he made during the week of Halloween. I’m a bit distressed by the preschools insistence on “Indian crafts” for Thanksgiving, and the “Indian headbands with feathers, red, blue, and yellow!” that the children are making, but this is a nice teaching opportunity for us at home — plus, the kid is only three, and we have plenty of time to teach him about man’s inhumanity to man and the white man’s oppression of native peoples. For now, I’ll just bring in the pan of tater tots they’ve requested we contribute to the Thanksgiving feast and be glad he has sweet teachers and a class of little friends to visit with a few days a week.
As mentioned, Babypie’s accomplishment this week has been to sprout an impressive rash over her entire body. We’ve been to the doctor twice as it has slowly creeped from her torso down her limbs, but blood work and throat cultures don’t turn up anything, so it seems to just be the lingering effects of an otherwise mild virus. She’s miserable, itchy, and uncomfortable, and neither of us are sleeping well as a result. I’m amazed that this has been such a productive and positive homeschool week, considering my nerves are shot and I’m running on fumes, both physically and emotionally. I raise a mug with my Lutheran friends this week in praise of coffee which, far more than beer, I feel might be proof that there is in fact a God out there that wants us to be happy.
As we wrap up this beautiful Friday, having managed to squeeze in a Costco trip, painting, some Wii (for Daddyman and The Tank), and several hours of outdoor play along with our regular school work, I’m thankful for feeling back on track with homeschooling. I’ve had many more happy moments than stressful ones this week.
