Whew! This has been a busy week! There has been lots and lots of schooling going on, hitting every subject and even going on an all-day field trip. We were definitely weary yesterday morning, but just pushed forward and ended strong.
Our morning time is going really well. We ease into our day with some spelling, Proverbs copywork, CNN Student News, and a fun read aloud. Right now we are reading Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo.
Then it's on to a couple of our most tedious subjects: Pre-Algebra and Grammar. We have started Pre-Algebra Tutor: Volume 1 by ScienceandMath.com and it is going well so far. We like this program because the video lessons are concise and there are not a ton of daily problems to complete. We completed the entire Mastering 5th Grade Math series last year and learned so much that we decided to move onto the Pre-Algebra collection.
{Note: I have all four volumes of Mastering 5th Grade Math, including video lessons and a cd with all problems and solutions, for sale. Honestly, if you are interested in it just make an offer. I will sell it super cheap plus actual shipping if you think it would bless your family. It primarily teaches all aspects of fractions.}
Our grammar brains have returned and we are moving along with Fix-It Grammar's Robin Hood (by IEW). I can't say we jump into grammar each day with excitement, but to me it's one of the non-negotiables. I want my kids to be good spellers, have good grammar, and be good writers. This program fits the bill. And Brynne has been heard saying that grammar is her favorite subject, so ....
Just before lunch we are sitting down to read together a selection from McGuffey's Fourth Reader and do some copywork from it. Then the kids dive into their current books. Brynne is still reading through the Warrior Cats series by Erin Hunter and Eli is still reading through the Gregor the Overlander books by Suzanne Collins.
Brynne is doing some extra science this year to get ready to go back to public school next fall. (The return is a sports issue.) This week she did an experiment out of her General Science text.
At Journey Homeschool we practice "Safety First".
After lunch is when we get into our favorite subjects. I have found that our brains are a little mushier by afternoon so we need to really enjoy what we are studying to get everything accomplished and properly comprehended.
Missouri History has been an exciting surprise! I just happened to pick up an old textbook at my favorite consignment shop and that has served as a spine to launch us into what has quickly become our favorite subject!
This week we talked about the geologic regions and waterways. The kids made salt dough maps labeling each of those regions and the three largest cities. We ran out of time to get them painted but will complete that this next week including all of the major rivers and lakes. We concluded our week watching "Our History and Heritage: The Lay of the Land". These videos are free and are a companion to our textbook.
We went on a great field trip to the Daniel Boone home in Augustus, Missouri, and then onto Missouri's First State Capitol in St. Charles, Missouri. It was a great day and quite possibly the best field trip we have ever done. I will be posting about that trip on Monday on my Missouri Monday post.
In Astronomy and Greek Mythology we learned about Hercules and its constellation, as well as Keystone with a review of the 15 brightest stars. We watched a couple of videos from the Mythic Warriors cartoon series about Hercules and read several chapters out of The Lightening Thief from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.
We held our first enrichment classes this week. Each of the kids has only one friend attending this year, which I think will actually work out nicely. It will allow us to really focus on our tasks and give each of the kids some good one-on-one socialization with a child their own age. Eli and Nolan are doing STEM activities this year and we started with "Help Harry". Since it was a team challenge this week, we invited the girls to compete against them. They came up with completely different ideas but were both successful in building a structure that would allow Harry to see over the planter he was stuck behind.
The girls are doing a creative writing program using Amy's Creative Writing Lessons. This is going to be a challenging 9-lesson course for Brynne and Rilee, but I am hoping we will be up for the task. This week they learned about cliches and metaphors. We will work more on that next week and come up with our own metaphors.
In addition to our regular schooling, Eli had speech therapy this week where he presented a biography report on Greg Louganis, who is someone famous who stutters. Brynne started volleyball and had practice three nights this week. She also competed in our local Septemberfest queen competition and placed second. My niece Ashtyn placed second in her division, as well. My grandson Bennett and my great-niece Ellie competed in the baby competitions last night. Bennett was awarded 2nd place. (A baby named Opie won 1st. I mean, how can you not give 1st place to a baby named Opie wearing a onesie that looks like a tuxedo. Fun!)
Busy week? Absolutely! We logged lots of hours! But we feel like we finally have our feet wet, are in a good groove, and ready to take on the rest of the school year.
2016-2017 School Hours Logged: 65.5 hours, including 12.5 hours outside home. Plus Summer Hours Logged: 141.5 hours, including 54 hours outside home.
Linking up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.
I was wondering if you all would make it to the Daniel Boone home for their homeschool day this past week. We had other stuff scheduled, but almost tried to squeeze it in. A lot of people from our homeschool group did go. We don't live far from there at all, but I hate the winding roads after leaving the suburbs. But we do visit historic St. Charles regularly, although we've only done the first capital tour twice. We'd rather shop and eat :-)
ReplyDeleteOh Christy I was absolutely in love with St. Charles!!! What an adorable town! Yes, I would like to go there and eat, eat, shop, and eat. We will be heading back the St. L way at the end of September to go to St. Genevieve, Mastadon State Historic Site, and Graham's Cave.
DeleteSounds like another fun round of field trips! We won't be doing quite such fun things this year. But we are planning a Civil War museum visit - it's just down at Jefferson Barracks. And touring the old village setup at Faust Park.
DeleteAnd as luck would have it, we had dinner in St Charles tonight. I often even forget it's a historic site because I've always lived near it, even as a kid. I'm so glad you liked it!