Amber needed fabric for her sewing course. We so enjoyed looking at all of the wonderful fabrics and picking out fabrics for her ski hat and pillow projects. This week, Amber completed her ski hat and a ski hat for her little brother. She is working on completing a ski hat for her other brother and two pillows.
In history this week, we left the Ice Age behind and moved on in history to Ancient Mesopotamia. We watched two great videos:
- Ancient Mesopotamia from Schlessinger Media
- Mesopotamia: Return to Eden, Time Life's Lost Civilizations.
While I did not get as far in my boy's science curriculum as I had planned, the boys did enjoy a hands-on lesson about chemical reactions. We are using Real Science 4 Kids Chemistry and we're currently working through a chapter on chemical reactions. We exploded a sandwich bag using a vinegar, water, and baking soda combination. My youngest, Duncan, was so thrilled to get his volcano out that he made at Vacation Bible Camp. He was so eager to mix the baking soda and vinegar in his little cup to make it ooze out all over his volcano. Lastly, the boys used salt and vinegar to clean pennies. I am planning some more fun, easy chemical reaction experiments for next week. The boys LOVED this hands-on science lesson!
In my daughter's Biology class this week, we looked at the water samples we took from a local pond under our microscope. While we didn't see any living little creatures in three of the samples, we were both very excited to see little living creatures in one of the samples. I was chuckling to myself listening to my daughter talk to the microscopic organism, telling it not to try to hide behind the tiny piece of dirt on the slide. Very cool lab. I'm so beginning to wish I had purchased the add-on camera for the miscroscope!
This week was one of those weeks where we had a lot of living interfere with getting all of my plans completed. We simply ran out of time some days to get everything accomplished that I wanted to get done. My husband, boys, mother-in-law, and her boyfriend went to the county fair late this afternoon so we weren't able to have our weekly art lesson. Of course, with my artsy Mason, art study was pursued this week on his own.
Mason checked a book of Picasso's paintings out of the library and decided he wanted to try to recreate one of Picasso's paintings. I think he did a really great job! I was particularly impressed with Mason's use of color.
In the category of "homeschool mom enrichment," I attended a wonderful presentation one evening this week about homeschooling through high school in my state. I'm so glad I took the time to attend. I learned so much and received a fabulous binder full of information that I know will be helpful in the years ahead.
Lastly, I finally couldn't stand my long hair any longer (you can see a picture of me with my long hair in my School Pictures post) and I had it all chopped off until it is just tuckable behind my ears - my favorite hairstyle. It's SO much easier to deal with on busy mornings, and really, when aren't my mornings busy?
That was our Week in Review! If you want to read about what other homeschoolers were doing this week, check out the Weekly Wrap Up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
5 comments:
Great ski hat! and WOW about duplicating the Picasso...very impressive indeed!
Love the new do. I agree short is so much easier!
Cute new hairdo, and I love your daughter's ski hat!
I love your blog,the hat is sooo cute(she should sale those to make some $$$$)We would buy a JOHN DEER AND HUNTING!!!!!!I do need to know how do you come up with a list of books for the kids to read?
Blessings~
Jamie,
Thank you for the sweet compliment about the hat! I'll be sure to tell my daughter.
Regarding my children's reading lists, I agonized over them over the summer. I wanted to make sure I had a full list of independent reading for them BEFORE the school year began. I TRY to read what they are reading so we can talk about it so it really helps if I know way ahead of time. Also, I like to use PaperBackSwap to get as many books as I can so I need time to get them in the mail.
I have two posts that list all of my younger boys' independent reading. I think you can find them all under "Planning for the New School Year" in my topics.
My daughter's reading list is primarily composed of the reading list from her Literary Analysis course. You can find the link to the curriculum and her reading list under CURRICULUM in the top tabs on my blog.
For my boys, I tried to pick books that tied in well with our history studies. The Winter Promise reading lists that go along with their language arts programs were helpful. The Sonlight catalog was helpful as well.
I also try to pick Newberry Award books and some classic children's literature. Some of the Scholastic Teaching Guides that I mentioned in the reading lists posts were helpful in picking books.
I also really take into consideration the reading level of my kids. My youngest gets frustrated if the book is too difficult, so I picked lots of easy chapter books for him.
I hope that helps a bit!
Samantha
Samantha posted this comment on my blog, so I thought I would post a few of the reasons why I "must have much more energy than she does."
Comment:
" You sound so organized - I am convinced you must have much more energy
than I do!"
Here are a few things I do to help my energy level since I'm working f/t outside the home and hs'ing:
1. I take a good multi-vitamin every day. I actually take prescription pre-natal vitamins since I can get them free from Meijer.
2. I take lots of D3. This not only boost my immune system, but it also helps the energy levels. I take at least 4000 IUs a day, and during flu season, I will take 8000 IUs a day.
3. I take a B complex vitamin around lunch time.
4. I make sure I get plenty of rest, even if that means some things get left undone. So what if the house is still dusty a few extra days? Getting a good night's sleep is top priority so that I can function the next day.
5. When I have a day off, I will often sleep in a bit, and sometimes I will take a nap in the afternoon.
6. When all else fails, I do resort to caffeine to give me a boost. Sometimes I drink it in the morning if I'm feeling sluggish. When I come home at the end of a long day, and I have several things to accomplish, I will have some caffeine to get through the evening. If there is time, I might take a very short nap (like just enough time to feel my body relax and go to sleep, then I get up.) It is amazing how refreshed I can feel after only 20-25 minutes of resting.
7. I don't overbook myself. I know my body, and it cannot handle several evenings where I need to be someplace other than home. Granted, there are times when it can't be helped, but as a general rule, I try very hard not to overbook myself because if I do, I will pay a heavy price later.
8. I try to get any errands done right after work so that once I'm home, I can stay home. If I have a day off, I will often try to get my errands done the night before so that I can focus on the stuff at home on my day off. Sometimes it's worth it to "push past the tired" and keep moving so that I can mentally relax, not thinking about everything I have to accomplish on my day off.
Post a Comment