Week in Review III

This seemed like a very long week. It could be the cold that ravaged through and made two of the girls feel rotten, or the fact that I got hardly any sleep at all, or the rain that cancelled our first field trip could've done the trick. We made do though, and school actually went really well.

In Language Arts: Midge read the second reader in her series and got to put another cover on her chart. This seems almost too easy for her, but I know it's a phase she needs to experience so that she can build on the skills she has mastered. Each week for the next several weeks will focus around one reader. She does very much enjoy the crafty activities. Tea finished her 1st unit and aced her spelling test. She also enjoys the crafty things and will be starting her book studies next week. Chiggie read Mr. Popper's Penguin's and really enjoyed it. She wrote a short story of her own about a penguin. She loves creative writing.

In Bible we completed lesson two. We learned about discerning truth and established Biblical Truth 1: God always tells me what is right and true. The girls memorized their verses and wrote in their journals.

In typing the older girls are still moving through Typer Island. This is fun for them and they never complain.

I realized I skipped Math in last week's review. Math is not Chiggie's favorite subject, but the other two love it. Despite hating the subject entirely Chiggie aced her unit 2 test and moves onto unit 3 on Monday. Tea is doing exceptional in this area. After much thinking I started pulling two lessons a day for her. She moves quickly and accurately and needs very little instruction. Her focus slows her some. For example she took a little longer today because she was holding her pencil with her mouth. Apparently it takes longer to write that way. Once she finishes this curriculum, which should be around Christmas time, we will probably supplement with Spectrum books and then reassess for next year. Midge loves math. She too requires very little instruction and loves anything that she can color.

In History we wrapped up our study on Jamestown. We read a lot of books and really enjoyed them all. Chiggie is even thinking about being Pocahontas for Halloween. They now know what is fact and what is myth in the Pocahontas/John Smith stories. The girls also glued all of their "important people" and facts onto the timeline. I can't imagine long this thing will be by the end of the year. It very well may wrap its way around the room.

In Science we are still studying the sun. The girls loved the experiment this week, which was melting chocolate with a magnifying glass. They were amazed at the power of the sun. Of course we discussed safety but it was neat to see Chiggie burn a hole through her chocolate bar!

While Chiggie answered some more in depth questions and did some more reading the little girls made these vocabulary pages. Tea was quite proud of hers. We turned it in to a bit of a game putting them together and they enjoyed that.

So we are 4 weeks in and not looking back. I thinks it's safe to say we are all enjoying ourselves. Sure, life continues to happen and nothing is ever perfect, but I feel much more relaxed. We are officially halfway through our first quarter!