Here it is, October 31st and we're almost done with our fist quarter! I suppose this is a good time to think about what is working, what isn't working, and what changes I can make.
What's working:
Millie is really enjoying co-op, and really loves Teaching Textbooks (which is a new program for her this year). Elise is doing a lot of self directed learning, as well as excelling at all of her book-work subjects (English, spelling, math). Our playgroup has ended, and our Tuesdays are now full with different pursuits (none of which have started yet), which I think will bring some variety to our week.
What isn't working:
Phonetics Zoo isn't what I had in mind at all. I'm really disappointed that I paid $100 for a program that comes with a few cards, and no teachers guide or anything. I haven't had a chance to print the guide off the internet yet, because I'm disgruntled about having print a guide for a program that cost $100. I really wish we would have just used All About Spelling. Grrrr. So, spelling is not working for Millie because it's not happening at all.
What do I need to change:
I need to figure out a way to make Millie accountable for her work. She is desperate to stop school so she can play with her sister, so she ends up skipping tasks that I've set out for her. For now, I have put little red check boxes next to her daily tasks, and they must be initialed by me before she is allowed to have her afternoon electronics time.
Wow, it feels good to put those things down on paper. Now I know what goals I need to work towards!
Here's what we did this week:
Monday
Piano was cancelled this week because their teacher was sick. It was really nice not to have to go, but I couldn't fall back asleep, so I ended up being pretty sleepy most of the day. Millie went to co-op at her normal time. They made crepes in cooking class, and she worked on writing stories in creative writing. While she was there, Elise and I came home and made the puppy chow recipe in the back of her Dogs in the Dead of Night book that she recently finished. It was really yummy!
Tuesday
We had plans on Wednesday last week, so we ended up moving "Wonderful Wednesday" to Tuesday. "Terrific Tuesday"? We did a lot! The girls learned and journaled about the inner planets, and learned about ancient Egypt. The girls made scarab carvings out of soap, which led them on an hours long soap carving adventure ;) They loved carving!! We were supposed to do a "phases of the moon" project with Oreo cookies, but we didn't have Oreos. Can you believe it? We'll have to do that next week.
Wednesday
Today we did our regular school work in the morning as usual, and then continued on with our fun studies in the afternoon. We started digging into the study of Ancient Greece. We were supposed to go to Cristos for lunch so the girls could try Greek food , but that didn't happen either. Next week: Oreos and Christos!
Thursday
Governess day! We did our school in the morning, and then Millie taught Elise in the afternoon. They read out of the Circle C Adventures books, worked on Harmony Ed worksheets, and played read. They're temporarily banned from electronics, but I gave them permission to watch Magic School Bus. They opted not to do that, but to play with Legos in their free time, instead. Fine by me!
Friday
It's Field Trip Friday! One of my favorite days of the week. Today we went out to Severs Corn Maze, and met up with friends. It's always fun to bump into people that we know when we're out and about. The kids went on the giant slide, played on the bounce pillows, in the corn pit, at the petting zoo (they had kangaroos!!!), the parakeet house, and the straw bale maze. We pretty much did everything except the corn maze ;) It was so much fun. It was a good reminder of how spoiled we are as homeschoolers, to be able to go to places like Severs Corn Maze during the school day, and avoid the crowds! When we got home, I took a nap, and then cooked my annual disgusting dinner. This year it was feet loaf!
It was a great week! Find out what other homeschoolers were up to, here.
No comments:
Post a Comment