Weekly review- with pictures

Well, this week was a fun week, I think. We finished up China finally. It felt like we were there forever. Did you know that fortune cookies didn't come from China? That's a U.S. thing.

Wednesday was our last MAFA day. The kids were supposed to perform in the production next Saturday, but they totally freaked out, with tears and everything. They start to panic with the thought of singing in front of people. And Little Man hates to sing. So we decided to let them skip it. Who needs that kinda stress. I know we should make them sing, but I know they would just stand there, or even cry up there.

Then, on Thursday, it was 84 degrees in Michigan. 84!!!! So we decided to build my new garden. So we had 5 yards of dirt delivered that morning. So we didn't do formal school. Sassy had Woodshop.




They both helped shovel dirt in the wheel barrel. So we'll call that Gym. Then they played for hours in the dirt pile. Boy, were they a mess!!


Then today, Friday, I decided to sew a skirt for Sassy. So they did math and LA, then we went to the library(which they actually read books while waiting for me!!), then off to the store for fabric. I found THIS PATTERN and it looked easy. No gathering!! It was a bit long, but I'll shorten the next one I make tomorrow. I am actually making three more tomorrow.


Next week, I am combining the two weeks of Japan into one. I am itching to get done with school. This nice weather is making it real hard to teach and not send the kids outside all day long. :)

Weekly review- Easter edition

Well, I had every intention of teaching this week. But, then Monday came and I felt like not. :) I was ready to go, I had the week planned. I even came home early from Easter celebration so I could get my lesson plans done. Then, we made plans to have the kids spend the night at my parents on Wednesday. Well, that means no school on Thursday. And, since Kmart was having double coupons up to $2 all week, I needed to get there early everyday to get the deals. So I have a hard time teaching after I've dragged my kids shopping. SO there was no way teaching was gonna get done.

Little man did get math and spelling done on Monday and Tuesday. And Sassy worked on this cool reading/phonics game thing that I have, and some math. So we will do our second week of China next week. I really want to do the crafts, so this will give me time to get them ready.

We have been listening to the Narnia series in the car. They actually wanna leave the house, just so they can listen to it. They won't listen to them in the house, only the car. Strange. But if it keeps us having a quiet car ride, I'm all for it. We are now on the Silver Chair. Only one more to go. They are spoken really well. It's very exciting to listen to them. I can't wait til the Dawn Treader comes to the theater this year.

I hope all your weeks went smoother than mine. :)

Weekly review

I must say, this weather is making it really hard to concentrate on teaching. But, I have been doing it, amazingly. :) This week went went to China, but I didn't do all the extra stuff like crafts and reading extra books. So next week should be packed with stuff. We aren't taking an Easter break. We're feeling pretty motivated so why stop now. :)

Little Man is doing excellent with the geography game. He is totally picking it up fast. I'm trying to keep up. We are having trouble with the "stans" though. You know, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and so on......I'm sure we'll get it eventually. Sassy is trying to read the country cards to us. I just laugh. Since she can't manage to read normal words, why on God's green Earth would she try to read those. So she gets mad if we say them first, and the quits. No big deal. We are looking for a general knowledge, not mastery.

Sassy has been trying to read more lately. Even as I type this, she is sitting on the couch with a stack of easy readers and trying to read them. Yesterday she was sitting at the kitchen table with Little man at breakfast, and they were both reading Calvin and Hobbs. It was too funny, cuz 1. They never eat at the same time and 2. They never are that quiet when they eat. It was silent. I was checking blogs and such and no one was talking. I wish everyday was like that. But I'm happy she is finally taking an interest in reading.

I ordered the five Wrap ups for math, and they came in last week. So everyday they are grabbing them and trying to solve the problems. They think they are playing. They don't realize they are learning. Shhh...don't tell them.

Today we are skipping school to go to the zoo. It was 80 degrees yesterday, and they say today will be hotter. So I am getting my review one fast today.

Happy Easter!!

weekly highlights

This week was full of well, school. I actually did school. I am so proud. And I was complaining to my friend Terri that at the rate I'm going, we won't be done til the end of June. That is too much pressure. I want to take July off, then start up in August with Creation to Greeks. But I was a poor planner this year, between the many sicknesses and deciding to take December off at the last minute, I don't wanna be stressed at the end. So, my wonderful friend told me that she combined two weeks into one. WHAT?!?! Why didn't I think of that??? Well, guess what we did this week? Saudi Arabia all in one week.

We even did science too. They were very interested in the endangered species and pollution sections. Since we are really jumping into recycling, they are very curious about the enviroment. I must say that this is the most interesting parts of the whole science program.

The weather was perfect this week, so we spent a lot of time outside. By we, I mean the kids. I'm an indoor girl. :) Although I was plotting out my new garden site. I can't wait!! I know the kids are gonna love doing the garden again. I'm just trying to figure out what kinds of fruits and veggies to plant. Hmmm....

I was even approached my a new neighbor who was wondering if we homeschool. I guess the kids screaming down the sidewalk on scooters in the middle of the day was a dead giveaway. :) The funny thing is, that when the neighbor yelled from across the street, I knew what she was gonna ask. I almost stopped her by saying "Yes we homeschool , and my hubby works for the fire department." But, I think that would've came out strong. So I let her ask the questions. And sure enough, that's what she wanted to know. Gosh, I am so smart.

The only day I didn't do school was Wednesday. Usually I like to atleast do math, but it was busy day, electronically, for me. Which means, I was busy texting, emailing, Facebooking, and talking on the phone all morning. I NEVER do that, but sometimes it happens. I'm usually quick in conversation, but the kids weren't being bad, so I figured I'd keep talking. Next thing I knew, it was lunchtime, then MAFA. Such is life.

I'm attending a local curriculum fair on Saturday. I am so excited!!! They even have a used book sale there also. I have my list all typed out and ready to go. Little man needs Gamma and, if I can find some new to me books, that would be great. I'm shooting for Magic tree house and Boxcar children. Sassy doesn't need anything, but she wants me to find some easy readers for her. I think I may pick up Handwriting without Tears cursive for both kids. Sassy's been asking for cursive all year, but I knew Little man wasn't ready for it. But, since he'll be in 5th next year and she'll be in 3rd, that makes them about even in the maturity level. :) I didn't wanna teach it twice. So next year, should be an interesting one. Who am I kidding, I'll probably start using it now. The only downside of the fair, is that MFW is never there. So I still have to buy it later. But that actually works out better for. Cuz, if I get it now, I wanna use it now. So, it's a blessing in disguise.

The weather man is reporting MUCH colder temps for next week, so hopefully I can keep moving along, even though "we" won't be able to play outside. I want this year to be over!!! It's been fun, but it's time.

weekly highlights--Well, we tried.

Another week down the drain. Kinda. We did another week of the basics. I realized that if I don't prepare on Sunday, I bomb the rest of the week. Well, guess what didn't happen on Sunday? So I tried my best to do it on Monday, but that's too late. And another reason I didn't do much was that Hubs was off M-TH. And I don't know about you, but it's very hard to focus when Hubs is home. Not his fault, but we like to see him, so school is hard to focus on.

I did have Sassy read "The Cat in the Hat" a few times. She is almost there. Little man and I have been reading "The Boxcar Children" back and forth all week. He doesn't like reading out loud for a long time, so we went back and forth to make it easier and more enjoyable.

We had our first all boy playdate at one of my friends house this week. There was about 12 moms and 20+boys. It was a blast. Sassy stayed home with daddy cuz she had the sniffles. The Little man got a sore throat, which he gladly shared with me. What a sweet kid. So now I sit here in pain. So no school yesterday or today.

But after reading a few other blogs, I realize that We're not the only ones dealing with this. Remember, next week will be better. :)

weekly highlights

OK, so I said that I was gonna do school everyday, well....... Does only math on Tuesday still count as school? I did school school every other day, but that day I went grocery shopping and hit a million stores while Hubs helped them with math.

We are loving our Geography game that comes with ECC. Sassy struggles, but Little man and I try to beat each other, while Sassy tries to read the names for us. Even though next week we start Africa, we still haven't mastered Europe. But we are getting a general knowledge of where the countries are, so that's all that matters.

We were moving kinda slow through our Olympic lapbooks, but to day we plowed through a bunch of it. Little man likes it, and again Sassy is being a stinker. I think the task of reading frustrates her. Oh well. She'll get it when she gets it. She did like the word search though. I have to find more for her. Or I can just use this site and make our own. I think I'm actually gonna do this for our spelling words. Little man will do much better if he gets to practice them like this. Sassy got excited when I showed her the one I made this morning with all the countries we're learning in Europe. I made an extra master copy, for later in the year.



This is the first of three lapbooks that we've done. I'll get a picture of the rest when we're done. I was in the process of taking bread out of the bread maker and sticking it in the oven, so we didn't ge as far as I wanted. :) Such is life.

I started Phonics Pathways with Sassy this week. So far, she's more confused than before. But we're gonna keep at it. It's hard for her to learn the first two letters as opposed to word families.
So far she's done Sa-se-si-so-su, Ma-me-mi-mo-mu, Na-ne-ni-no-nu, Ra-re-ri-ro-ru. I review previous letters and teach another letter each day. I decided to give her a penny for every lesson she does without complaint. So if we get two new letters done in a day she gets two pennies. Then when the jar is full, I'll take her to the penny candy store near our house. Candy is the key word around here. :) I am determined to have her confidently reading by next school year.

Little man is trying my patience with reading also. He can read, but doesn't like to. He says it's boring. I get every book he asks for from the library. I think a trip to the library is due for us today. He will find books that interest him. :)

Usually at this time of the year, I feel like giving up, but not this year. I'm having fun staying home and teaching. They actually want to stay home, which helps. In the past we were always going somewhere and always falling behind. But we're figuring it all out this year. I think it helps that they are older now. Sassy just turned 8 last Friday, so I think she wants to learn. And the promise that she can join American Heritage Girls next year helps a bit also. :)

Hope your week went well.

weekly highlights

I wish I could say that we did an awesome job, but I cannot. Chalk up another week of incomplete. But, it wasn't all my fault.

Ass you know, the kids stayed up WAY too late watching the Superbowl. So we didn't do school on Monday. Then we did do school before the dentist, and had every intention of finishing afterwards. But I got to thinking that I didn't want to have my cleaning before MAFA, and be rushed. So they told me that she could clean my teeth after the kids. But I'd have to wait an hour, cuz she already had an appointment. So that means I couldn't go home, but it was lunch time and they were starving. So I took them to Burger King. I really hate eating out, but I had no choice. The roads were starting to get slick, cuz of the snow that decided to grace us with its presence, so we had to go somewhere close. So never finished what we started. We'll do it another day.

Looking back, I'm glad they got me in when they did. We got 7-9 inches of snow overnight, FINALLY!! So all the schools had their first snow day, which meant MAFA was cancelled also. So we did school on Wednesday, then played outside with Daddy on his day off. We made forts and things. :) Gym class, right?

Thursday we did double the work, cuz I should've done school on Monday. Then we went sledding with some homeschool friends. It was perfect, since all the public school kids were back in school, we had the rule of the hill. Gym again!!

Sassy's birthday is today, so we don't do school, so we had to do extra. Movies and eating out all day. Yuck! Go to my family blog for a Sassy update. :)

We never got a chance to work on our Olympic lapbooks at all this week. Little man kept asking, but we were too busy. :( Maybe today we can. They don't consider that school. :)

Next week will be better!! Nothing is on the calendar, except MAFA. So I have every intention of completing the entire week on time.

weekly review- Norway

I don't know about you, but last week went by much better than this week. :) Little man had trouble with his asthma, which then turned into a cold of sorts. So we did no school Monday or Tuesday. Wednesday we were able to get some things done. We learned about hibernation and migration. I was so thankful it was simple. I haven't been in the mood for anything lately. I think it's the weather, and the fact that my kids haven't had a playdate in over three months(sickness). And if the kids don't see their friends, I don't see my friends. :)

Anyways, yesterday we did our Lapland felt squares. Well, actually they ended up making maps and things. But it was art, so no one cared. It's been forever since art was done at home. They do it every week(when they're not sick) at MAFA, so I don't really worry about it. Again, another thing I'm trying to work on. Making school more fun.

Little man is doing so well with his math. I am so excited that double digit subtraction with carrying is not hard. Clocks seem to be giving him more trouble. But, he got a watch for Christmas, and I think it helps him to look at it and then look at the digital clocks to check himself. Kinda neat to see. Sassy is on her last week of Alpha. Then she is gonna do online drills til February. She needs a break.

Today, we only got as far as math. I'll have them read to me later. I was busy making biscuits and bread and cleaning the house a bit before our guests come over today. PLAYDATE!!!

I'm looking forward to going to France next week. I'm hoping to find some yummy food to make. Any suggestions?

Hope you're having a great week.

weekly highlights

I am so sick of winter already, and it barely started. This week Sassy decided to get sick again. Bronchitis, infected tonsils and right ear. And it make it even better, she had to sleep on one couch for two nights, while I slept on the other. By sleep, I mean she coughed til about 2, then woke at 6ish. We never got any sleep. So needless to say, we aren't doing any school. Little man is doing math only. I think I'm gonna take the month off. I don't wanna start Europe for two weeks then a two week break. Pointless. So we are gonna do math and reading and crafts and baking. Fun stuff. I hate this.

weekly highlights

What a fun week we had. I have been able to keep up with everything that's written in the lesson plans. Shocking, I know!!

I pulled out the Reading Rods-sight words edition for Sassy. She got a kick out of doing a few of the cards. I totally forgot I even bought them. She didn't even complain when I gave her a little quiz. I find that if I give them workbook pages instead of my own, they don't complain. So, thank God, that in the reading rod workbook it has a page with two columns of 15 blank lines for spelling practice. So I gave her 15 words to write and then I gave her the flashcards with the correct spelling to check her own work. She loved it. That girl of mine sure does keep me on my toes. :)

I have had to work with Little man with his McGuffey readers, just to make sure he really does it. This week we are gonna start with some dictionary skills. Some of these words I don't even understand. But he needs to improve on his ABC order.

They had a fun day at MAFA on Wednesday. I was even able to shop for a winter coat while they were there. Usually I stick around and chat with my girls, but everyone was going in different directions.

I love the fact that they are getting art and drama every week. They get to choose their classes after Christmas and Little man told me that he wants to do drama. They are doing "Wizard of Oz" for the year end production. I hope he gets a part and does it well. He's nervous about performing in front of people. Sassy wants to take cooking and art. She loves art.

We had a short week again. It was my birthday on Friday, and I didn't want to teach. I swear, one of these weeks we'll do school all five days. :) But that's ok, we kinda like having a chill out day.

Howdy!

I am so behind on posting. Little man was sick last week with pink eye and an ear infection. So we sent Sassy away to both her grandparents houses for three nights. So we really didn't do school. Then this week, we're still in Brazil and trying to do the geography game every day, even if we don't do anything else. They really enjoy that game.

Sassy is three weeks away from her new math. I told her that when she finishes Alpha she won't start Beta til after Christmas. So she'll just do online drills and the occasional workbook page. She was very excited for that. Little man is struggling with the multiple digit addition problems still. His answers almost always have alteast one number wrong. I feel so bad for him when that happens. He takes it personally and thinks he's stupid. I keep trying to tell him that Sassy's math is easier, and that's why she is done so fast, so he doesn't need to be speedy and mess up. But he doesn't like that his takes forever. But he needs to learn that he can't have an attitude about it. That's why he lost his bionicles for the day today. Daddy was home and didn't like the tone in his voice or the attitude towards me. The principal is in the house. :)

All in all we are liking ECC. It is very light, so on days we are busy or sick, we can just do math and our readers and then stack it to another day.

I hope everyone else's week is going better than mine. :)

weekly highlights

This week has actually been great. I know, I'm shocked too. :) Sassy, I think, is finally starting to "get it." I hear angels singing when she is doing school. No complaints at all this week. If you read my last post, you can see how she's doing. They love My Father's World. This week we are in Canada. I was gonna do the soap carving yesterday, but we had "a day" yesterday and I wasn't in the mood. I'm hoping for next week.

Dick and Jane are the best. Sassy has a bunch from the library this week. She can read them almost all by herself. She is so proud. She is even gonna bring one of them over to my parents house today. They love to hear my kids read. They encourage my kids so much. Hubs told me to order some online for her, instead of waiting for the library to get them in. But it's so hard for me to spend $$ on something I hope she won't be reading by the end of the year. But I'm sure I'll get some, or have the family get some for Christmas or her birthday in February.

Little man is now starting to get the whole rounding thing. That is quite hard to master. He's still working on problems like:
30,000+2,000+500+80+6=
But I'm hoping he'll get it by next week. He's at lesson 17 in Math u see. She's in Alpha, and still trying to figure out the basics. But she's almost done. She'll be on lesson 26 next week. I need to remember the online drills for them. They love using the computer for school. I just don't think they should be using it all the time. I'm a bit old fashioned.

How did your week go?

Weekly homeschool highlights 10-9-09

Well, I really don't have must to highlight this week. Since we took three weeks to cover Mexico, this week was a bit light. They read and did math everyday with a splash of Mexico thrown in. They really got a kick out of learning spanish words and sayings. I was excited cuz I knew how to say all of them. After three years of spanish in HS, a little stuck with me. But all the rest, I'm gonna look stupid. :)

They did go to MAFA again on Wednesday. They were learning about WWI and WWII, so they made trenches out of homemade play dough. They were so excited. This is such a blessing to me. One of the people that run it asked me if I'd like to be a teacher's assistant, then one of my kids would be free. Hmm....It sounds tempting, right? But this is MY time. Three hours of no kids...guarenteed. I thought about it, but I just couldn't do it. I NEED my alone time. I was able to download all my Christmas songs into my computer so I could put them in my iPod later. That took an hour to do. I could never have done that at home.

Today it has been raining non stop up here. I feel like I need a boat to go anywhere. So they've been playing all day and watching movies while I bake. I did mix them some imprompto play dough out of flour and water. They loved it! They sat there and played for an hour playing. I was shocked, but happy.

How did your week go?