The first week is always a little bit of madness. That's just a given going into it. I compare it a little toward having a newborn baby--the first time you go through it you've never experienced being so needed (or sleep deprived) before and it is a bit of a shock to the system. When your second baby comes along you know what to expect and somehow it just doesn't seem as bad, even if it is. That was my experience anyway. So I know beforehand that the first week of school will be rough and having that knowledge keeps me from becoming too discouraged by the end of it!
We are changing this up considerably this year. Just with a change in curriculum. So the girls had to adjust to some different tasks. I made up a grid for each of them this year so they can keep track of their assignments easier. They are having a hard time reading it so far, but I think that once they are familiar with it they will really appreciate it. Last year Hannah got behind in her grammar because she didn't do the right amount of pages and then pent the rest of the year catching up! So this way she can be sure to stay on track.
History:
Hannah and Grace are studying the beginning of history this week. We started reading Grandpa's Box.
So far it has been interesting. The premise is simple. The grandpa appeals to his grandson's interest in all things war history to retell the story of the Bible through the eyes of Spiritual Warfare. Good vs. Evil, God vs. Satan. It was a different way of seeing it and the kids seemed to enjoy that. We ended at Noah's Ark for the week.
The girls had to research what a Coat of Arms was. Then they made their own Shield of Faith:
Elaina is doing American History. So she began studying Vikings and Leif Erickson this week. We read through a couple picture books and she really resonated with them. Much, much better than last year. She was excited to hear the story and seemed to remember much more than before. So fingers crossed we have some actual retention this year. End of the week she made Viking Bread!
Science: This week the kids studied pollination. In particular how bees help pollinate flowers. In particular we studied orchids and how unusual they are and the different ways they attract bees. The girls got to create their own kind of flower, one that appeared to be an animal.
We are also joining a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) group this year. Eric is going to help out with that. Hoping the kids will get to make a few fun projects and also learn some valuable things through that. We won't have our first actual class for a couple weeks, but this week they had a planning session to discuss.
Reading: Hannah is working on reading The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander and Grace is reading Mr. Popper's Penguins. We are doing something different his year in that when they complete their book I made up a book of "Book Project" ideas. So instead of just writing a report they will do some sort of creative project. I'm looking forward to what they come up with.
Bible:
Hannah and Grace are working through the book The Dig For Kids. They'll be studying the book of Luke for the first part of the year at least.
Elaina is reading through the Jesus Storybook with me. This week it actually lined up very well with what Hannah and Grace was studying so she was able to contribute to their discussions. As with history she remained engaged and really enjoyed listening.
Gym: For the next few weeks at least we are doing Fall Fitness. This is basically parent-led homeschool gym. We gather together at a park. The kids do a couple laps, warm-up, and then split up into different age groups to play various games. Hannah and Grace played Capture the Flag where Elaina's group played Sharks and Minnows. They like to do this and other than feeling like 2 hours of gym is just too much gym for this gym-hating Mama, it is a good part of our week. Next week we will also add in ice skating!
That about sums up the first week! I thought it went pretty well for the first week. By the end it really felt like the girls were learning what was expected of them. We''ll see how the upcoming week goes being that it is a shortened one!
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