Week 9

This week was both kid's "Fall Break" from their co-op classes.

We decided (well, okay - I decided and then explained to them) - that we would take off some half days here and there, but it works better for us if we just spread out the work a little more so we weren't so overwhelmed!

We started our week with church on Sunday. I am so proud of Kaelee and her enthusiasm for her pre-k class. On Sunday mornings, she is a teacher's aide in the pre-k. She has a heart for the young children and just loves each one of them!

One of our favorite family traditions is to celebrate half-birthday. On your half birthday, you get to choose what home made dinner we have, what activity we do, and what dessert we eat! Lyndie was 1 1/2 on Sunday - we celebrated with her favorite dinner of pancakes, maple sausage links, and peaches (and almond milk!). We played and had peanut butter cookies for dessert.

Monday we woke with 2 of the 4 of us not feeling well - so we cancelled Mom's tutoring and spent the day in our pjs recovering, resting, and relaxing.

Xman has learned to play Solitaire recently and it's one of his favorite activities.

Tuesday we had a full day out. We began our day at the orthodonist.

Then, we ran a few errands and finished with some grocery shopping.

We took most of Tuesday off from school - when we came home, both big kids worked on their math while Lyndie napped. And then, we ran to the library in the afternoon.

Lyndie is BUSY now. She loves to wash her hands - which is good because she also loves to write on herself with pens and markers!

This week was Sweet Daddy's last week teaching at the middle school. We went by his classroom mid week to say good bye to everyone!

Kaelee was SUPER excited to be invited to see One Direction this week perform at Phillip's Arena. 

This big kids both went to church for homeschool lunch hang out time on Friday. Lyndie and I spent our time playing, taking selfies, and she got to take a nap!

We ended our week with a trip to Skyzone.

Lyndie watched the big kids jump for a little while and then started yelling "Lyndie TOO" - so we got her some special socks and a sticker and off she went! 

 It's beginning to feel like fall so we are spending more and more time outdoors.

 

 Lyndie insists on waiting for Daddy to come home every day in the driveway so she can drive the truck into the driveway!

Week 8

A glimpse at week 8:

We spent a lot of time OUTSIDE this week! Lyndie is getting harder and harder to .....corral during our school days. We've found if we move the classroom outside that she will play and we can get school work done!

 Picking up Sissy from co-op class - checking out the slide!

Xander finished reading Adam of the Road this week. His job for literature class was the "Summarizer." He had a graphic organizer where he wrote the key ideas from the chapters for this week.

What would you and your favorite character talk about if you were to meet?

                My favorite character is Adam. Adam is my favorite character because he has been really nice throughout the book, he loves and cares for his family, and he is loyal to his dog.  I think we would talk about music. I have always wanted to learn how to play an instrument. Adam is a minstrel so he plays his harp and sings for everyone.  I think we would have a good conversation. Maybe I would ask him if I could join him and Roger on their adventures.   If Adam and I were to meet, we would not only have a good conversation, but also an exciting journey! 

 On Tuesdays, while Kaelee is at co-op, these two are best buddies!

 Lyndie got her first cold of the season this week. Friday, we ran her to the chiropractor for an adjustment. She likes to fill out paperwork!

 Latin is Kaelee's favorite subject. She makes a flashcard for every vocabulary word they study. She keeps them alphabetized in her flashcard box. She spreads them out when she reviews and randomly chooses cards to quiz herself on. We also use quizlet online as a study aid.

 Friday morning geography!

Weekly library trip

 Kaelee's girl scout meeting was cancelled this week due to illness and we used the time to do some shopping!

 

 We finished the weekend celebrating Lyndie's half birthday!

Week 7

A glimpse at Week 7:

 Friday we work on geography - all together after breakfast. Both Kaelee and Xander are working on drawing and labeling a world map. We started with a blackline master and they label the continents and the oceans.

Kaelee and Xander are also both working on labeling a USA blackline map and knowing all the state capitals.

In addition to the family geography, Kaelee is working on Central America this week - labeling the countries, capitals and major landforms/features.

Lyndie insists on doing school when we do - so she worked on her letters this week.

Another family goal that we are working on is our multiplication facts - and the speed. During the week both kids practice with flashcards. On Fridays, they take timed tests. I may be using their competitive natures to my advantage in this area!

This week in Science, Kaelee studied mollusks. We pulled out a picture of our Saint Simons trip from a few years ago. At the touch tank, she was able to explore different mollusks.

 This week we had several "technology free" days. The kids did a great job of entertaining themselves without screens. I see this definitely being a part of our week from now on.

 A week wouldn't be complete without a trip to the library! We are regulars.

 We made a stop to register Xander for basketball this week and decided to enjoy the beautiful weather at the park.

Lyndie was paticularly excited about the ducks! She kept chasing them yelling "QUACK!"

On Tuesdays, when we pick Kaelee up from co-op classes, we often get out of the car and enjoy the playground. Lyndie yells "SWING" the minute she sees the church.

Week 6

This week deserves a "I survived week 6!" t-shirt. 

Kaelee and I are REALLY working on time management skills. Her very laid back, mellow approach to life is fabulous. However, it means every assignment can drag on for HOURS. And not productive meaningful hours, just distracted, all over the place hours. 

We decided that next week we are going to try a "timer approach." I'm going to pick up some timers during our Walmart run this evening. We are going to set the timer for one hour at the beginning of each subject. Her goal is to finish WITH time remaining so she can study and review the material. 

Xman is reading Adam of the Road. This week we got to the conflict which he says makes the book much more interesting!

He was excited to be the discussion director in Literature class this week. That meant as we prepared for his class, he had to record possible discussion questions to lead his group in answering. He took his role very seriously and did a great job.

Each week he writes a "reader response" paragraph for class. I'm really proud of how well thought out his responses are. Here is his choice for this week:

        My favorite scene is when Adam goes back for Roger. Roger and Adam were both looking for Nick in Guilford.  Adam sees Nick and then runs off after him. By the time Roger could turn his head, Adam was already gone. Adam chased Jenkin, who had Nick, for a long time until they got to the ferry. He then jumps in and swims until he falls on land. When he wakes the next morning, he goes to look for Roger.

 This was the most interesting part of the book to me. I think Adam went back for Roger because he is caring and did not want to leave his dad behind. It would have been easier for Adam to keep going after Nick, the dog. I enjoyed reading this scene because it was exciting.

We are working on Lyndie's napping skills but she's not a fan.

This week Kaelee is studying trees in science. She chose two topics to investigate - "how do you identify trees?" and "what is one tree that is significant to me?"

She used the Field Guide to Trees of North America to research how you identify different types of trees.

For her significant to me tree, she chose the Banyan Tree. When we visited Legoland, we saw one within the portion that used to be Cypress Gardens.

In history, Xander created a salt dough map of the Byzantine Empire focusing on the location of the Dead Sea and other key features.

A big part of our week is baseball! Xman is enjoying playing for the Angels. He had two games this week.

His biggest fan chose to wear her new batgirl costume to the game to cheer him on!

We found this treasure at our local thrift store - new addition for recess!

 We make at least one trip to the library each week - this week we went 3 times. Yes, 3 times. My readers were racing through their books!

Lyndie does school right along with us - she's a natural homeschooler!

For Science this week we talked about how perfectly we are made. Xander was challenged to tape 3 of his fingers together on both hands and go about his daily activities. How did this change how he approached his daily chores? I heard the word chores and immediately thought - wow, I love this experiment. Find the vacuum!