Sunday, March 30, 2014

Week 24 - Mother's Journal

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Another week down.

This week, in our homeschool, was not stellar -- more like the tortoise, just plodding along. Non-homeschool priorities keep pushing at our home school time. Can you believe it snowed again on Monday (3/25/14)?

Bible - We're trying to read a chapter a day, right now it is a chapter in Numbers and a chapter in John. I'm not sure how it happened, but our daily planner has us two chapters ahead of where we actually are, which means we missed two days of reading somewhere. Now that's not unexpected or surprising, but what is disconcerting is that I can remember maybe one day that we missed, but not two. (I maybe missed one day last week and didn't take note of it...)

We have also been working our way through Mere Christianity.

Math - We have transitioned right now from Algebra I in Horizon's to Algebra I in CTC Math. In general Miner has done really well so far. But one day this week he reported to me that he got a 60 on his work for the day. He has his good days and his bad days. He might do that same lesson on a different day and ace it. So I haven't decided how to approach this day's work. Miner does not like doing stuff over. And chances are this particular material is review for him and he was having a bad day. I'll have to look it over. But what bothers me right now is his general apathy about everything academic right now. I am hoping he is going through a phase, and that I can just wait it out. 

Science - We are currently using Supercharged Science. Again, Miner is not excited about this subject right now. Again, he has his ups and downs. I was able to hook onto a field trip that went to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum's Q'rius program this week. I'll write it up in a separate blog. Miner is all over gems and minerals right now, but not as much earth science. He sat through a class that I was very pleased with, because I'm certain he learned something (as opposed to you go on a field trip and your child is bored because they already know everything that is being presented). Mostly, though, I think he enjoyed the time after Q'rius when we got to go see the gems and minerals section of the museum. We weren't allowed to see the rest of the Q'rius section of the museum at that time, because there were other students doing programs. We could have gone back at 2:00, but we were already on our way home by then.

Our Supercharged Science studies have been supplemented by readings from The Lay of the Land, which falls into "Nature Studies".  We have been supplementing our Science with episodes from Curiosity Quest" DVDs.

Language Arts - Miner is getting a little burned out on Mango Spanish right now, and I don't think he did it much this week. Other language arts skills are currently being hit in an "interdisciplinary" way through other subjects or areas of study, such as our current work on "Victus Study Skills" and Homeschool Adventures "Philosophy Adventure". We work on vocabulary as we go along, such as when we come across a word he doesn't know, when reading Winston Churchill's Birth of Britain for Social Studies, defining it on the spot. Next week we're going to start writing words like these down to define and review later. 

In the literature department we are still working our way through Watership Down, Ivanhoe, The Once and Future King, and The Story of King Arthur and His Knights. We didn't make any progress on Loefwine the Monk, but I still want us to finish it. Ditto Martin Luther

Social Studies - This week we continued our progress through Ambleside Online Year 7. We are, I think, currently mostly on Week 5. These studies have included, this week, The Birth of Brittain and The Book of Bede, which dove-tail nicely with the literature selections.
Miner announced this week, "I hate the Middle Ages." I had to remind him that I gave him his choice of era to study, and he conceded the truth of this. I think (remember above comment on "apathy") he would not currently enjoy any particular era.

In the area of Economics, we have been working our way through Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? I think this should be a "must read" on everyone's list.

Art - We received the book I ordered for the Ambleside Online rotation. We did the assignment in that this week. In addition, we received Artistic Pursuits: Sculpture Technology - Model, and as soon as we get the supplies in we will be doing work in that. Miner chose to start with the section working with clay. Miner also did a pencil drawing of our clock, and a pencil animation that moves when you flip through the pages.

Music - Nothing stellar this week. Listened to some classical music and some hymns.

Phys Ed - Again, just a little plodding along here, some walks, some Wii fit activities, that sort of thing. It was a very wet week outside here -- lots of mud in our territory.

Health - We did work this week in Fearfully and Wonderfully Made, as well as Charlotte Mason's Ourselves - readings on the "Kingdom of Mansoul".

What's Cooking? I am again pursuing my vegan diet to bring my cholesterol back under control. So, since I am a lonely vegan in a house of carnivores, I have to cook it all. I even regularly cook like white noodles/wheat noodles, white rice/brown rice. Some nights dinner is appealing enough that I cook only one main dish. Monday night it was vegetable/bean soup.
So that was our week. I'll write the field trip up separately soon. Tell us about your week.
   
This post is (or will be) linked at SoYouCallYourselfaHomeschooler.com, and at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.


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