Weekly Report

We have had an exciting week overall. Tuesday, Collin accepted an offer from the University of California at Davis to attend graduate school there in the fall. We are very excited about moving and have been doing a lot of research about the area. It is a relief to finally know where we will be in a few months. The "waiting" was very draining.

***Disclaimer*** We have been having difficulty with our internet so I am at Panera eating Baked Potato soup (YUM!) and do not have our books in front of me so I will do my best to piece our week together. I do have some pictures though!

School has been going smoothly. We have been getting everything done that I have planned, attitudes have been positive (mostly!), and the boys have been learning a lot. Thane is asking to do more school so I am going to find some worksheets for him to complete. Right now the only thing I "require" him to do is four pages of his Get Ready for the Code workbook a day and he usually completes 6 or more. He sits in on history and likes doing the projects. Nature study is also enjoyed by him.

History (Both)

We read (well, listened to Jim Weiss read) the chapter on Alexander the Great. The boys were enthralled and asked to listen to it again. Unfortunately, we didn't do a project this week, but Thane enjoyed doing the coloring page.

Language Arts (Magnus)

Well, I have sold all of my Queen's Language Lesson books and bought Growing with Grammar 1/2. Good move (patting myself on the back)! This is a great approach to grammar for Magnus. It is challenging in a gentle way and uses a workbook format which he prefers. We started it this past Tuesday and are already on Lesson 10. He is learning about sentences vs. fragments and figuring out the subjects of sentences. He is catching on quickly.

Phonics (Thane)

Still pluggin' away with the Get Ready for the Code books. He enjoys them. I've noticed him having difficulty, at times, distinguishing between "b" and "p". I think the trouble he has with pronouncing some letters and blends is becoming an issue as we study phonics. I am going to start researching options we may have as far as getting him speech therapy when we move.

Math (Magnus)

I can not remember exactly what we studied this week, I just know I introduced the base ten picture cards and worked on addition. I also know he liked his lessons this week.

Nature Study (Both)

This is becoming more of a lifestyle than a school subject. The boys are constantly pointing out different birds they see and hear, reporting who is visiting our feeder and bath, and using their bug nets to catch butterflies. I can't think of anything more delightful than watching them chase after butterflies with their nets raised high.

We participated in our local nature center's 'Boro Wild program on Thursday. This week we learned about different water habitats (ie. lakes, rivers, streams, ect.) We got our feet wet as we discovered various living things in the Stones River (which is also the river that runs 30 yards from our front door). You can read about it and see more pictures at my nature blog, Dancing with Dandelions.

Activities... Monday...Homeschool Storytime
Tuesday...Nada
Wednesday...AWANA
Thursday...Met our friends at the park and went to 'Boro Wild.
Friday...Nada

Oh, and the boys took it upon themselves to make these...

Magnus' Dinosaur Diorama

Thane's Dinosaur Diorama

Magnus' Bird sculpture made from "Noodles"

Thane's sculpture