At least I got to knit while I waited.

So I’m back to wheat free… because it works and wondering if I really need to know why. And wishing the wheat bread I made yesterday didn’t look so good. LOL

Today while walking the dog we passed an acacia-like hedge with yellow flowers all over. From this hedge came a beautiful sound… bees. Lots and lots of honey bees. I love that sound: warm and soft. I could have plopped myself infront of the hedge and just admired those hard workers for hours. But we didn’t have all day.

So, I had the kids stop, look and listen. And for a short time we all marveled at the sight. The moment wasn’t long but during that brief time, we were all on the same page, feeling the same thing. We were in harmony. It was glorious.

We also saw several types of dragon flies, a weird insect (flat, black and segmented almost like a centepede but far shorter and wider with fewer legs) and of course Jessie caught a couple of frogs.

Several times today, one of us would say, “Remember those bees?” And we would talk about them again. Jessie and I made thumb print bees this evening too. Maybe we will do more on bees later this week. And maybe next year will be the year we become beekeepers. VBG!

This week Sam showed a lot of independence in his work either asking to get started before it was time or asking to work on the next subject if he finished early. He also mentioned how good it felt to be able to do these things on his own.

Math: This week was speed division, a more difficult subject if only because he’s had less practice. Monday he was working on sleep deprivation (a friend spent the night Saturday) so things were a bit harder than usual. By Thursday he was over three quarters of the way through this subject. Friday I have him a day off math… sort of. He didn’t do worksheets, but we had a great discussion on budgeting while I checked the back account to see how much money I could spend on groceries this week. Showed him how I figured things out and what things I regularly put money aside for. He seemed impressed that I put so much work into it.

Next week we’re going to go back to using Math Mammoth. I think a break from “speed work” will be good. Then maybe pick up MathScore.com again at the beginning of next month.

Science: So we tried to do some stargazing and even see the Perseid meteor shower but unfortunately the weather got in the way. I just keep forwarding the stargazing assignment to the next day. Hopefully this week we’ll get to do it.

Art: To tie in with Science I had him illustrate his favorite constellation on black construction paper with white chalk. Belatedly I had the idea of using GITD (glow in the dark) fabric paint on the star locations but we never got around to getting any. Maybe next week we can pick that up. For the Narnia Newspaper, I had him draw himself as the editor of the paper. He chose a fox with a tree stump for a chair and the desk had “twig” legs. It wasn’t what I had pictured in my mind (mug shot type of thing) but I liked his forethought into the furnishings.

History: Our studies this week touched on the Muslim faith. Sam was rather perplexed over some of the differences in regards to treatment of women. Made for some great discussion about being aware of different faiths… not being condescending of them even if you don’t agree… and how this awareness can make it easier to communicate with others.

Vocabulary: Not much to say. He still keeps saying how much he likes it and spontaneous bouts of neologism continue. As does “a-ha” moments of… so that’s why they call it {insert name}. Ok, so many of those names are of various Pokemon. Sigh. But the connections are there so I am not complaining (out loud).

Literature/Dictation: I forgot to do the pre reading review this time. (shame on me) So we did a post review of this week’s and last week’s readings. He was able to recall with no problem. Dictation wasn’t as good as usual but it wasn’t awful. I purposefully chose one with more punctuation and I could tell he just wasn’t paying as close attention as usual.

Music Appreciation: alternated with the classical Persian and Scottish since I didn’t have anything new for this week. I’m sure that I’ll have weeks in the future where I just don’t have any music to tie in with history so I’ll continue to replay past week’s music then. I think it will be a good review.

Latin: We started the digital timeline for Roman Emperors this week. So far so good. He seems to be enjoying it and… it is getting done.

Penny whistle: He’s really doing well. I’m finding it increasingly difficult to tell the difference between his playing and the recordings we have.

Nature Study: Not sure I can really qualify this as nature “study”….   this week most of our pupas became either moth or butterfly, except one. It looked like a swallowtail butterfly pupa but what came out was a wasp… red body with black wings. Even more than that, something was wrong with its head that (I think) was the reason it fell off. Kinda freaky to have a headless wasp wandering around on the deck table.  I suppose I could have done more with this lesson but we were all sufficiently creeped out as it was.

Things we didn’t get to this week (I really will get to these things eventually!): Nature Study, Shakespeare, Librivox, Pres. Phys Fitness test & program, Sewing.

But it was all good. Both Sam and Jessie had some great play time with their friends. Now if only a Guinness would magically appear…

Math: A really strong week. Monday started out a bit iffy (seems to be a trend there) but by Friday he’d completed the current topic and finished another! He went up a “rank” too. MathScore.com uses military like “ranks” as you go up in points/topics/skills.

Science: Remembered to do a “pre-reading review” before we got started on Monday. It went well and it really seemed like he remembered quite a lot from the previous week. The Rough Guide to the Earth continues to be a big hit. Often he would be excitedly telling me what he knew from this book before I even had a chance to ask. Even later in the day, on the way to TKD, he was still telling me things he learned. It is going to be hard for me to let go of cover-to-cover reading but maybe in this case it is OK.

Another book, Infinite Worlds: An Illustrated Voyage to Planets beyond Our Sun, has held his interest. I think it is quite a bit beyond his reading level which makes me wonder if I’m giving too much latitude in book choices. But… it is supplemental reading AND his reading log input suggests that he is understanding the parts he does read.

Reading Log: I set up a simple MSWord document for him to put the date, title/author and brief notes on after each required reading session. So far so good. I figure that once a quarter I can print it out and file it. You know… I could set up a database to…. nevermind.

Vocabulary: Still going good and he keeps saying how much he likes it. We even did an informal “Neologism” session making up words with roots we’ve covered so far.

History: We discussed what he knew about Ol’ Al and I interviewed him using some of his interview questions. I think I may wait on a final draft until review week as it seems like that would be a good review.

We discussed his book review and he added a bit more too it. I think he could do better. By that I mean more depth and thought. But I’m not sure how to guide him there. Again, perhaps this is something we could revisit (and post to Amazon) during review week.

Japanese: Just did hiragana writing practice this week. Next week I think we’ll alternate with visual recognition (flash cards) and hopefully by the end of the week to a brief test to see if he can write them from memory.

Next week we’re going to give a language lesson (from his Karate instructor) a try. I’m pretty sure I can scrounge enough change to cover the fee ($5/20min) and get batteries for the voice recorder.
Writing: Narnia Weekly Travel Article. He did really good on this one. His illustration is great. I’m getting rather excited over this project and can’t wait to see the final product. Who knows… maybe we’ll pdf it and post it here.

Music/Art Apprec: I have to admit that I will miss listening to FootStompin.com’s AyePodcast. I’ve bookmarked a few songs they’ve played thinking I’ll buy them some time. And I’m sure I’ll be listening as each new podcast comes out. Sam liked it too, just not as much as mom.

I wimped out on Art Appreciation and didn’t do a regular study-and-tell-me session. I was afraid our brains would explode trying to remember all the intricacies of a Celtic knot work piece. Rather we looked at images (I have a few books for C&I) and then created a basic knot. Our outlines have been transferred to watercolor paper and next week we’ll color them. I started out using the tutorials at Aon Celtic but ended up using a hybrid paper that had all the diagonals already in place. Perhaps this is dumbing down, but it sure made the process more enjoyable for him. I’ll PDF that sheet and post it later.

Art: Various drawings… earth and moon, lemon, Mew

Tea Time: didn’t get to this on Friday but did “milk and cookies” on the deck Saturday. Finally got to break out all those Irish poetry books from the library. Sam did all the reading and we had a few science interruptions with “what kind of bug is that?” LOL!

One of those book in particular is quite a gem: A Pot O’ Gold by Kathleen Krull. It is a combination of stories and poems AND recipes. Yippee! There’s also quite a reference listing for further study. I think next week, for copywork, I’ll have him write his favorite.

Things we didn’t get to (same as last week): Nature Study, Shakespeare, Librivox, Pres. Phys Fitness test & program. The first and last ones I REALLY want to find time for!

Next Week: Science switches to hands on stuff… stargazing! Though I think during the day we’ll break out our star maps and review what we should be able to find. We start Chapter 2 in Minimus and will be working on a Roman emperor timeline. I’m considering having him “digitally scrap” this project in Fireworks. Then at the end of the project we can print it out and add it to this year’s “yearbook.” Speaking of that, I need to do a post about last year’s YB. I’m almost done with it!

This gem actually happened a week or two ago on the way back from the vet. It impressed me so much that I had to recreate it for the blog.

At the time, I had to genuinely laugh because one: it was so surprised and two: it was so unexpected. I mean, “bivalve?” I don’t think I knew that word when I was ten.

Thanks again to BraveWriter for this journaling idea.

What’s up with the stomach thing? Don’t remember that happening before.

Which brings me to the 19th… a visit with an allergist. Should I really even go? If this isn’t an allergy, why go to an allergist? If staying away from wheat/gluten solves the problem, what’s the point of going?

Yes, I’m a wimp and really don’t like to go to the doctor.

Math… there were ups and downs this week. Tuesday he didn’t meet the 15 minute on task minimum so I had him do another 5 minutes. At the end of that 5 he was in a rather sour mood because he’d lost a “level.” Wednesday was far better. Out of the usual 20 minutes he had 17 minutes on task. Woot! So now BOTH of us know he can do it. The rest of the week was along those lines.

Astronomy… went really well (I know it’s only the second week) but it just felt like it was gelling with him. It may have more to do with the subject than anything. And I think I’m getting the hang of combining subjects… for example, one art assignment this week, we discussed what he knew about Mercury and Venus and how they look. Then I had him get out the water color pencils and draw them. He said he wasn’t happy with it which is fine… but it reminded me that I want to get back to using “Drawing with Children” at some point for more involved art time.

History… The fixation with Alexander the Great continues. I took some ideas from SimplyCharlotteMason.com and had him write interview questions for “Ol’ Al” and write a review for a book he read on him (to be posted at Amazon.com). Next week we’re going to refine the review and have him think about what Ol’ Al might say during the interview. There was also an art assignment to draw a portrait of Alexander the Great. He drew the sword point on and enlarged it because it was coming toward you. Cool, huh?

Vocabulary… also went well. I’m going to try having him create a card set at flashcardfriends.com for just the roots and their origin. Or just have him write the root on the opposite side and use the cards themselves.

Music and Art Appreciation… listened to Wicked Celts (Prophecy and Blessing) all week and I’ve tried to find more along that line but didn’t turn up much until yesterday when I stumbled across footstompin.com’s (AyePodcast). It is a mixture of contemporary and traditional but isn’t tavern song oriented as much as some I’ve found. Gotta keep it “G” afterall. Didn’t get to the actual art appreciation time this week as we took Friday off. So the celtic poetry books we checked out will be used next week. I really can’t wait to read from them. I may use some of those poems for copywork. We haven’t really done that yet but I think his handwriting could use the practice. Hey, I like neat handwriting. *shrug*

Literature/Dictation… reading Beowulf. Jessie sat in on the reading and drew a picture of Grendel for us. I was just happy she was in the room quietly. When she brought the drawing to me (while I was reading :\ ) I was thrilled! Sam did really well on the dictation. I hope to make this a once a week lesson, reading 5-6 chapters each time so that we’re done by the time we finish with our Viking segment.

Writing… We’re doing quite a lot of writing for different things so I haven’t broken it out as a subject. One of the things we’re doing is a Literature unit by Highlights of Homeschooling on Prince Caspian. It has lots of suggestions for activities and worksheets to do. Since this is not a core assignment, I picked one project that wasn’t your average comprehension exersize… Making a Newspaper from Narnia. This week he wrote the editorial and without prompting flipped the question “what do you think about kids who believe in talking animals” to “what do you think about kids who DON’T believe in talking animals?”… because if you live in Narnia, OF COURSE you believe in them. Clever, no?

Latin… still working on chapter one. Spacing things out with the worksheets, words to remember review and activities. So far so good.

Japanese… I’m getting the feeling that his interest waning. I’m kinda sad (shhhh! I was secretly enjoying it too) He says he likes to practice writing hiragana but that’s all. Since this is elective I may just let him do that and see if a break will rekindle his interest. We did run into a young woman who gives Japanese language tutoring. (at Karate class) I put my name on her list. We’ll see if she calls us back and if Sam is interested at that point.

Community Service… Sam has been dying to volunteer with the Humane Society. We finally made it to an orientation last week. Now we just gotta pick a date and show up!

Life Skills… Sewing. Sam’s backpack is now cut out. I had him use the rotary cutter after measuring the fabric. While I was helping him with cutting, I realized just how careful I need to be in wording my instructions. I said “Cut to the end.” I meant “Cut to the end of the ruler.” He cut to the end of the fabric. Not a problem but it was kind of an eye opener for me.

Phys Ed… TKD, swimming, karate. Didn’t get the daily program going this week and didn’t get to the pres fitness assessment this weekend. That link has some great resources for basic abilities and ways to improve them. I hope that seeing how much he can improve over a month’s time will be a great confidence booster.

Pennywhistle… don’t know that I’m doing this right but we’re just practicing scales and a song or two. And I’m trying to get him to look at the music and not my fingers.

Things we didn’t get to: Nature Study, Shakespeare, Librivox, Pres. Phys Fitness test & program.

A good week. I’m feeling more confident now. Wasn’t feeling that way at all when we started this year. I think tying subjects together is helping. I feel like there’s more reinforcement of information AND I’m not rushed to come up with something different for everything. So maybe (just maybe) things are gelling for me too.

This year history is Medieval and Early Renaissance. This week was Ancient Persia. Rather than narrate only from the “spine” book, I waited until he had read the additional resources we got from the library and then we talked about what he “knew” and had him type that up. He still tries to get goofy with his writing (like calling Alexander the Great “Ol’ Al”). I allow it, but I’m not so sure I should. Where to draw “the line?”

We didn’t get to the timeline as I had hoped. Makes me wonder if a “century book” concept would work better for us or maybe a “digital” timeline that we work on…? Hmmm… Googling doesn’t pull up much. We did get to some globe and mapwork today though… With teatime of all things.

Art & Music appreciation I’ve tied to History, so this week we studied this statue and listened to this music. (Pssst! Get the music through iTunes, it is cheaper ;)) I didn’t get a chance to get the images of persian art and culture up on our bulletin wall this week. I am hoping that if the artwork is up all week it will maybe spark stronger recall and conversations.

Science: Astronomy… wow! We’ve hit a strong interest here. That’s good but it also leads to wild and imaginative ramblings with Sam. LOL! That’s not all bad but not all good either. I asked him to “type up what he knew on this weeks Astronomy topics and I got an imaginative rambling on “the space/time continuum.” I posted it on our wall but then with much questioning, tugged out of him something more on topic.

We’ll spend three weeks on books and information gathering and then a week on experiments. Found a great book for this: “Make-it-Work! Earth” by Baker/Haslam. A late nite (or three) of star gazing will also be in order.

Latin is Minimus Segundus this year. This week we went through chapter 1 and I’m going to (somehow) spread it over the next two weeks as well. Verb ending were introduced again so I think I’ll have him doing the worksheets in the TM, practicing the “words to remember”, conjugating additional verbs, reading more about the Greek myths mentioned, etc.

I did manage to get a copy of Winnie Ile Pu through BookMooch. Huzzah! Though I don’t imagine we’ll be really reading it this year. Next I need to acquire “Catus Petastus.”

Japanese is rather scaled down this year. We’re focusing on learning to write and identify Hiragana and then each week introducing 6 phrases. To get things started off easy, I had him pick the phrases this week. Each day he practiced writing the first ten characters. What I didn’t get to today was testing on them. Will need to do that on Monday. Basically, we won’t move on to the next set until this set is mastered.

We’re using MathScore.com for math this month. Next month too if we can afford it. Otherwise we’ll do it every other month. Mid week he was rather frustrated with his lack of progress. He was doing fine really but thought he should be doing better. (can’t imagine where that tendency came from {whistles innocently}) But today he did really good.

One of the many things I really like about using this online subscription service is that it tell me how much time he spent actually doing the problems. Idle time isn’t counted. Many days this week, after spending 30 minutes at it, he only had 12 or less minutes of actually doing problems. Surely a 10yo can focus longer than that! Well today I told him that if he could spend 14 of 15 minutes actually working, he wouldn’t have to do any more. It worked.

Rather than a formal grammar program this year, we’re studying word roots using Vocabulary Vine. We did the first 3 this week. I can’t wait to get enough completed so that we can try some of the suggested games. Like “Neologism!”

Today in the car on the way to swimming I quizzed him on the roots. He could remember two of the three so I am wondering if rather than filing them in his box right away, maybe we could post them on the wall. ‘Course this wall is getting rather crowded so maybe that’s not such a good idea. Maybe if we review last weeks roots on Monday and the current weeks roots on Friday (Tues through Thurs introducing the new ones) that will be enough. I’ll let you know next week how that works.

Nature Journaling… we started journals last year and I intended to pick them up again this week but we didn’t quite get to it. However, we did experience quite a lot of nature this week so maybe that’s okay.

We have a pupa collection going and one of them ecclosed (came out of his cocoon) yesterday. (pictured here” It was a Virginia Creeper Sphinx moth. Gorgeous! Sam said over and over “Mom, this is so COOL!” LOL! We still have a luna cocoon, an Isabella (wollybear caterpillar) and an unknown cocoon to go. Oh, and an Elm Sphinx caterpillar. I put a stop to things when we found a tomato hornworm. Those dudes are gonna have to go. Don’t mess with mama’s tomatoes!

For music practice, we’ve picked up the Pennywhistle again. The break seems to have done some good for the enthusiasm. I was pleasantly surprised how much the songs he can play from memory. The music reading was a bit rusty but I hope that will improve with time.

Exercise has been either taekwondo, swimming or running. Next week he’s going to give karate a try. At some point soon I need to sit down with my DH and come up with a basic fitness ability plan. Sam has trouble jumping rope, and doing basic tumbling. He doesn’t see the benefit of really working on it himself so I think I’m going to encourage it by making it part of our learning day. (and save money for the activities I can’t lead )

Where’s Jessie in all of this? Well, most of the week I staggered their quiet times. For example, while Sam was reading… Jess and I were out on a nature walk or painting for example. Then switched and while Jessie played kinda quietly in her room, Sam and I focused on subjects he needs more help on. It worked well but had me feeling rather completely frazzled by the end of the day. She also helped me mix up some freezer cookies. Where I can, I include her with what Sam is working on. Things like tea time work well too. IF she’s interested. Today she wasn’t. I feel the need to work more with her… getting her used to a schedule but I’m not yet sure how beyond going with what she’s interested in at the moment.

Things we didn’t get to this week: dictation & literature reading, Shakespeare, memory work, life skills (sewing), and LibriVox volunteering.

Saturday I think we’ll try to get the sewing project started… a simple drawstring backpack for our nature walk gear. I’m thinking we’ll do some nature printing on it at a later date.

Speaking of Saturday, I think I’ll go to bed before it gets here. I’ve promised to make some “good bread” tomorrow (wheat). In the name of science, I’m eating wheat again. That way, when I see the allergist next month, I can show as well as tell.

Write about fireworks. Describe them in vivid color and sound words. Make me see and hear them. Help me taste the air they explode in. Remember to describe the setting around them (do they reflect over water? are they on your front drive? are these the big kind over an amusement park?). — from BraveWriter Blog

i was at my friend’s parent’s friend’s house, which was in the suburbs, you could still hear the cars driving past us on the crowded freeway from where they were. when we were first parking on the side, we saw my friend throwing firecrackers that belched colored smoke depending on the firecracker that was lit, and if you lit all of the ones of the same pack, they tuned the smoke a nasty color of green. it was the best 4th of July yet, with all the fireworks that my friend’s family owned! they had sparklers that lit up the back of your corneas…..