Friday, January 28, 2011

Weekly Wrap: Days 97-100 and Making Changes!

We've completed 100 days this year! Excellent! We have just 75 days left in our 7th year of homeschooling! Alright! It's not that we don't enjoy our days - WE DO! - but we also REALLY enjoy and look forward to those fleeting warm, sunny late Spring and Summer days when we can play at the state parks, go on LONG afternoon strolls through the woods, grow veggies in our Square Foot Garden, and read books together while swaying in the hammock under the shade of the broadleaf trees. The warm weather season in  Maine seems to slip by quicker and quicker every year, and we want to be out there unscheduled and without textbooks! (OK, well, at least somewhat unscheduled! LOL)
Summer at the Atlantic - Something to look Forward To
What DID we do this week?  Well, I changed S's Daily Assignments. Sometimes refocusing on new subjects and using different curriculum SPARKS excitement when it's waning, and S had become bored with his Kumon Mazes and Dot-to-Dot Vehicle Puzzles. They're AWESOME for building his visual tracking skills (which his OT and I discovered earlier in the year he's struggling with), but he's truly mastered the maze and dot-to-dot activities. And he finished up his last lapbook. Time for a break!  Out with the old and in with the new: US States and Capital Sticker Book and Lakeshore File Folder Science Games (K-1)! I've also started having him write from memory and in order numbers on a 100 Chart grid (which I slipped into a plastic page protector so he can do this activity over and over with Dry Erase Markers) - he worked on 1-20 this week - and review Skip Counting 2s and 5s. (I can't remember where I got the paintbrush printables for skip counting so if you know let me know. LOL) What stayed the same? S'll continue on with Hooked on Phonics: Learn to Read - he started short i this week - and Horizons Math K. 
S Copying his /ig/ Words into his Journal
S Writing 1-15 on his 100s Grid from Memory

S Putting his Skip Counting Paintbrushes in Order
 Now things didn't change much for C. I've been tweaking some of her curriculum throughout the year as Spelling, Writing and Math have been rough spots. I added in Daily Grams. She gets a little Grammar from the Grammar and Writing Handbook, but it's time to reinforce those concepts and go to "the next level". And we "stepped up" the editing process on her creative writing, focusing more on descriptions, developing characters and settings, and having a clearer story line. We're only a couple of weeks into using All About Spelling Level II and she's enjoyed it SO MUCH more than Spelling Power. (I'm still holding onto Spelling Power though! LOL I think it works great...with some kids.) She'll continue on with Handwriting Without Tears, Saxon Math 54, Apologia Zoology III, and her History Pockets: Native American unit study.
R Helping C Play Guess Who Extra!

C Working Through Math
And things changed even less for J. Fortunately most curriculum just, well, fits with him. It doesn't matter if it's a VERY traditional textbook or a notebook page or on-line; he reads, does and absorbs. He worked on his Pond Press newsletter, but also started doing Creative Composition, writing longer, fictional stories and going through an multi-step editing process. (We've mostly focused on informational or report writing.) He'll continue on with middle school Grammar at The Teacher's Cafe and Wordly Wise 3000 Level 6, Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra, Apologia General Science with a Lap n' Learn from Live n' Learn Press, and DK's World History.
J's Tightening Loose Leg Bolts Under the Table (Home Repairman)
J Made a Positive and Negative Abacus at Not Math Math
We DEFINITELY want to continue on with our Winter Wednesday, Outdoor Hour and Science Sunday activities! The kids just LOVE  getting outdoors and learning about nature! This week we studied trees and continue observing our backyard feeder birds! Check out this week's activities by clicking here!
C's Flower Garden Planner and Notes
Now, onto our last 75 days of school! Where are those garden seed catalogs to plan for spring? Oh, yeah, J's got one planning our Square Foot Garden and C's got the other planning her flower bed!  Check out other Weekly Wrap-ups at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers and join the blog hops at Hip Homeschool Hop and Friday Blog Hop - buttons are on my sidebar!

22 comments:

  1. Oh, congrats to you and them!
    Thanks for the kind words. Following you back.

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  2. Hi,
    I'm your newest follower:)
    Hope you will follow back.
    We home school to.
    Have a blessed week.
    April

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  3. Visiting from the blog hop. So glad I found you. Enjoy the rest of your Friday!
    Nancy
    http://discoverdirectselling.blogspot.com/

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  4. Hi, I found you from the blog hop and am a new follower.

    I hope someone remembers where the skip counting brushes came from. We've been using index cards, but the paintbrushes are cute.

    www.starsideacademy.com/blog

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  5. Hi! I found you on the Weekly Wrap-Ups and enjoyed reading about your week. You all have a lot going on! I also saw that you are in marvelous Maine! We spend two months there every summer.

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  6. Congrats on making it to day #100! We just managed Day #75 but I'm about two weeks ahead of where I was last year so I'm VERY happy!!!! ;-)

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  7. Great wrap-up! We need to get outdoors more. I like the idea of assigning a particular day- I may be more inclined to stick to the commitment that way. I would love to hear more about your science Sundays. I'll have to browse your blog to see what I can find.

    Thank you for your comments- it is good to find blogs that show older children. I find a lot of encouragement at Harmony Art Mom, who has two high school age boys. She is the one that got me thinking about Lego Robotics and about cooking for my boys.

    Thank you for sharing your week!

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  8. Hi I'm visiting from Weekly Wrapup. Congrats on 100 days. We are looking forward to warmer weather, too. For some reason we just can't seem to keep up our Outdoor Hour in the winter. I like your ideas with your youngest, I may implement a few with my ds4 next week. :)

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  9. Wow! Sounds like you had a very productive week! And you're in Maine...so you're even colder and more snowed in than we are in CT! Our first winter up here...it's a crazy one, but the kids have had fun. I enjoyed seeing your pics to accompany all of the wonderful info. I especially like seeing your dog "playing" too! :) (Love your beautiful header photo also!)

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  10. Hi,
    What a great week! I am now following you :-)

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  11. My kids like to erase what they've done too, on the white board! Too cute. I'm so glad to find you, thanks for the comment and finding me. I am going to follow you as I love seeing your Maine pictures and your weekly wrap up was a great read. It's nice to meet you.
    Susan

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  12. I put you in my google reader. Have a Happy Week!
    Susan

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  13. Congrats on achieving 100 days! My son enjoyed the Kumon mazes and dot-to-dots too. They're very good for developing the skills needed to get writing going.

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  14. Thank you for stopping in to my Bella's blog and commenting! She was so excited to have someone other than her grandmother commenting! She sees me blogging all the time and has taken an interest herself. It has been a great way to encourage a reluctant writer to write more!

    We do Square Foot Gardening as well. We have had only one 4x4 square for the past 2 years. This spring we are expanding to 4- 4x4 squares. The kids loving growing everything from seeds in our bay window and then moving them outside when the weather is right.

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  15. Congratulations on 100 days! :) Looks like you had a great week, love the "Real Life Learning" picture!" Thanks for stopping by my blog! :)

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  16. Looks wonderful, congratulations on your 100 days.
    I am a little down the coast from you and it is snowing like the dickens at present. You guys are getting some of the white stuff too.
    Winter has it's charms, especially here in NE doesn't it?

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  17. Hi Jessy! Maine is such a beautiful state. We went years ago to Kennebunkport (sp?). Very nice and tranquil. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Your kids look like they love school. Following you from HHH<3

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  18. Hi! You have a beautiful header!!
    Congratulations on 100 days! I am not sure where we are at, but I think we are close :)

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  19. HI there...congrats on the 100 days! I am stopping over from the HHH today! Peace!

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  20. Hi Jessy,
    Thanks for stopping by my blog from the weekly wrap up! We're a little over the 100 day hump, and it feels great! Your snow covered house is definitely what it looks like around here:)

    My 7th grader uses daily grams, and it's great for review of concepts! Hope you have a good rest of the week!

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