Didn’t do a review last week because it really just feels like more of the same: language arts, language arts, a little science, language arts. This week isn’t significantly different from that, but I didn’t want people to think we’d flat out stopped homeschooling! We’re just hyperfocusing on some areas right now, is all.
Captain Science has finished lessons 7-14 in Paragraph Town (he was convinced he’d finished the book, because he ran out of reading, but nope, 10 lessons left, pal). He is writing many essays about varied topics, some of the essays better than others. Lots of dawdling and tail-dragging, but he’s demonstrating better use of active verbs now and a fine use of structure.
He completed chapters 7, 8, 9 of Caesar’s English and then for some strange reason skipped to lesson 12 by mistaken, when he was assigned lesson 10. We’ll go back and do 11 & 12 next week. He’s made 100% on all the quizzes, but vocabulary have never been his week area. I’m pleased that his rewrites are becoming more nuanced. He’s no longer just replacing the vocabulary word with a simpler word, but actually rewriting the whole sentence into “plain English” (sort of a silly notion, since we use many of the vocabulary words in our normal conversations — we’re all writers here). He keeps asking when we’ll start Latin and was disappointed that I’d decided to delay it until next year, but I think that’s a wise choice.
Captain Science wrote some poems for his continuing lessons in meter from Building Poetry. I hope to sneak another lesson in tonight, so I’ll post those if we do.
I confess I have no clue what’s going on with science right now. Daddyman did the drop-off this week for physics and Captain Science hasn’t been bothered to tell me what they’re working on. I handled last week’s brain class (due to Patchfire’s FB’s birthday) and it was canceled this week (due to Patchfire’s migraine). Instead, the game class was extended for playtesting, which went much better this week (someone got kicked, but no tears were shed) than last week (someone *coughCaptainSciencecough* pitched a crying fit because he was knocked out of play in the first round).
We are getting back into history this week, too. On Monday, we went to the library and checked out a ton of books on vikings. Captain Science has already finished most of them and is staring on a book of Norse mythology. Wait, the use of the word “mythology” doesn’t offend my Nordic-pagan friends, does it? Norse religious stories, then.
Captain Science continues to progress well in piano. He’s starting new books soon. He also began keyboard this week, which will supplement his piano lessons and allow for duets.
I think it’s been a series of weeks where I feel like we’ve accomplished nothing, but the actual volume of work (and written output) is quite staggering!
Sounds like a great writing week. The sample on WWII was awesome. I felt like I was there. Good job, Capt. S.
I bet Norse mythology is a nice change for history. I have Lydia slated to read Padriac Colum’s “Nordic Gods and Heroes” next year. Did you happen to pick that up?
I’m seriously uninterested in starting school back up on Monday. I better get in the mood because it is coming whether I like it or not.
That’s precisely the book he’s reading today!
Oh good, the book was timely, then?
It is amazing when weeks of nothing much add up to be more than a lot. Congratulations on packing it in without realizing how busy you’d been.