Weekly Wrap-up: Days 162-166 - T Minus 9 Days!

Over the weekend, we attended J's Spring Court of Honor ceremony for Boy Scouts where he received his Tenderfoot, the first level towards Eagle, and his American Culture and Environmental Science merit badges.

J Receiving his Tenderfoot from Senior Patrol Member

S Trying to Figure Out How to do the Boy Scout Salute

And, after the kids saw my Mom's 2-week-old chicks, we started incubating 4 eggs on Sunday! Check out our EGG-CEPTIONAL study here! (Yeah, I know, but I couldn't help the word-play! LOL)

C with the Chick she Named Willow

S with the Chick he Named S Jr

With warmer days and nights, we worked on the gardens Monday. J is our "Master Gardener" for the veggie bed, and C is our "Master Gardener" for the new flower bed. And S is our "Dirt Digger", which he's VERY happy about! LOL Read my post As Our Garden Grows to see what we did!

S with his Tranplanted Pines

C had her first softball practice on Monday and her first game on Thursday. Her team won 8-7 and she had 2 nice hits!

J's To Complete List

• Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra
• Apologia General Science
• Jumpstart Typing 

C's To Complete List

• All About Spelling Level 2
• Handwriting Without Tears Cursive
• Daily Grams Grade 3
• Saxon Math 54
• Apologia Zoology III

S's To Complete List

• Hooked on Phonics: Learn to Read
• Handwriting Without Tears Letters and Numbers for Me
• Houghton Mifflin Math 1

Activities This Week
Occupational Therapy
Pediatrician Appointment
Dodgeball
Playground
Boy Scouts
Hang Out with Buddies
Softball

I'm linking up to Forever, For Always, No Matter What, Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers, Tiggerific Tuesday, and Hip Homeschool Hop. Share you week by joining up!

Weekly Wrap-up: Days 152-157 A Different Kind of Week

Maine's public-schooled kids were on April vacation this week, and although we don't follow public school vacations, it was a different kind of week for us. 

S REALLY Wanted a Bird

C had an eye doctor appointment on Monday and J had one on Thursday. And J needed glasses. He picked out 2 nice pairs and will get them sometime late next week or early the following.

How Did That Happen? Wrapped up in the Hammock!

S had "Astronaut Training" at OT on Tuesday and then we drove to LL Bean for some shopping. We picked out some snazzy new water bottles for our walks in the woods and got J a new mess kit for all the Boy Scout camping he does.

Our Snazzy New Water Bottles

J had a Red Cross Babysitting course at the Rec Center on Tuesday and Thursday. He learned about CPR, first aid and what a responsible babysitter does and doesn't do while caring for kids. I paid for this course in exchange for 30 hours of FREE babysitting! LOL

J Reading in the Hammock

J's friend T stayed overnight Tuesday and Wednesday. (They're the only boys taking the babysitting class.) They stayed up until 11:00pm watching History Channel's America: The Story of Us videos, studied for their course, played basketball and boardgames, and conquered Risk II on the computer.

J, S and J's Friend T playing Survive!

C had basketball day camp Thursday through Friday. She had a blast playing ball, hanging out with new and old friends, but did it tucker her out! She's ALREADY asking about NEXT year!

Foul Shot! (Missed the Focus Though!)

And inbetween classes, therapy, appointments, and camp, we did some learning activities!

• J played middle school Grammar games on the Teacher's Cafe, Apologia General Science Mod 14 Circulatory and Respiratory Systems, Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra Lesson 105-106, Jumpstart: Typing, Home Ec: Cooking, and Literature Study: Animal Farm

• C completed pages 75-76 in Handwriting Without Tears Cursive, Saxon 54 supplemental practice 76, Daily Grams Days 68-69, AAS Lesson 14 /er/, and Apologia Zoo III Ticks and Mites

• S practiced writing his FULL name, read 3 Big Hats, Ann's Hat, Pop Fox, and Sam and the Mitt, Handwriting Without Tears: Q, Houghton Mifflin Grade 1 Math Subtraction, Hooked on Phonics: Learn to Read pp 64-69, Literactive Road to Reading CVC Vowel Games, and Softschool Counting Addition Game and Subtraction Game 

Look! A Crocus Popped up!

 I'm linking up to Forever, For Always, No Matter What, Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers, Hip Homeschool Hop, and Triggerific Tuesday blog hops. Want to see what other families are up too? Check them out!

Weekly Wrap-up: Days 146-151 - Spring IS Sprung!

Movie Night! On Friday, J headed off for another weekend of Boy Scout camping, so C, S and I snuggled down on the sofa and watched "Nannie McPhee", eating brownie sundaes.

Our Flooded Backyard

The sun shone bright and warm on Saturday. A brought C and S to Lowe's Build and Grow where they constructed mini wooden pinball machines. We spent the afternoon raking the right "side-yard". (The left "side-yard" is STILL covered in snow!)

S with his Lowe's Pinball Machine

J arrived home from his camping trip on Sunday. We had a S-L-O-W day! 

Super Busy Tuesday! S had Astronaut Training at OT and then we popped into Walmart so he could spend his PENNIES on a little Lego kit and picked up some groceries. J and C went to a chocolate-making class at the library and then Dodgeball at the Rec Center with A. And J had Boy Scouts after dinner. Phew!

Wednesday afternoon the kids had 4H and learned about geocaching. We were avid 'cachers for a while, but haven't been out "treasure hunting" in over a year. It was a good refresher! 

Bright, sunny Thursday was spent doing some school assignments then playing with friends outside in the afternoon and going to PJ Storytime at the library after dinner.

Since Friday was beautiful and we had no other plans, we completed some of our daily assignments and then headed the the state park for a stroll with the dog. S got to use his metal detector (from Christmas), but wasn't successful at finding treasure. Want to see our morning at the park? Click here!

J, S, R (Dog) and C on the Trail

Our Nature Study this week was the Water Cycle and Clouds. We made cloud identification wheels, watched a fun You Tube Water Cycle video and made a paper sundial. Here's my post about it!

J's Accomplishments

Rowe English Grammar Lessons 16-18

Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra Lessons 101-104

Literature Study: Animal Farm

Apologia General Science Module 13-14

Jumpstart Typing

J with his Cloud Finder Wheel for Nature Study

C's Accomplishments

All About Spelling Steps 13

Saxon Math 54 Lessons 79-80, SP 76

Daily Grams Days 61-67

Florida Lapbook

Handwriting Without Tears Cursive pp 64-72

Apologia Zoology 3 Lesson 13

C Standing on a Log in the Lake

S's Accomplishments

Hooked on Phonics: Learn to Read pp 56-66

Readers: Ann's Hat, Sam and the Mit, 3 Big Hats, Dot and Mit

Draw Write Now Book 1 Rabbit
Handwriting Without Tears - S

Houghtlin Mifflin Math Addition and Subtraction

Train Lapbook

Train Lapbook - Rolling Dice to Make Addition Sentences

Playing in our Flooded Backyard

My Accomplishments
Decluttered, Reorganized the Master Bedroom Closet
Tidied the Linen Closet
Cleaned and Vacuumed out the Van 
Tidied up the Utility Room and Cleaned up the Floor
Cleaned and Decluttered 3/4s of the Garage

How was your week? I'm linking up the Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers, Forever, For Always, No Matter What, Hip Homeschool Hop and Bounce! Check them out for more homeschooling fun!

Weekly Wrap-up: Days 138-145 On the Island

 With the passing of my Grandma on March 21st, I filled a Bean backpack with some school work and a laundry basket with clothing and headed to my parent's house 200 miles away with the kids. How fortunate we are to be have the flexibility to be with family when they need us the most!

The Harbor at Sunset

My family lives on a small island off the coast of Maine. It's a fishing town with lobster pots piled in yards, big trucks lumbering down bumpy roads, a few convenience stores (that close by 8:00pm), and the smell of salt water and mud flats in the air. And where everyone knows your name and your parent's names and your grandparent's names...Check out my Snapshot Summary: Scenes from an Island here!

Beachcombing Finds - Lobster Tail and Claw, Limpet, Clam, Mussel, and Snail Shells, and Sea Glass

J at the Beach

Cousin N Throwing Rocks into the Water for her "Siblings"

Highlights From Our Visit

• With my sister, BIL, niece, and their puppy, we took a brisk, early evening walk along the Atlantic, seeing lobster boats floating in the ocean, seaweed swaying in the current and beautiful summer homes
• We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant before spending the afternoon with my sister and BIL and visiting a horse rescue farm to get fresh eggs
• C learned to tie square knots and made Friendship Bracelets for all of us
• J and I played many hands of Skip-Bo and Scrabble Slam!
• We went to a total of 5 dental appointments (with the hope of not going back for a while)
• C and J made new friends and spent several afternoon playing with them, mostly in the woods building forts
• I tried out several new recipes, including 2 crockpot dinners and muffins. (Check out the muffin recipe and see a photo here!)
• We spent a warm afternoon "beachcombing" on the rocky coast, finding sea glass and different shells, searching in tide pools for ocean life, throwing rocks into the ocean, and climbing granite boulders 
• C made us all pancakes for breakfast, on her own 
• S stayed overnight with my sister, BIL and niece N; his 2nd overnight without me 
• J finished up 2 Mods in Apologia General Science and several lessons in Pre-Algebra and Grammar; C finished up 2 lessons in Apologia Zoology III and several  lessons or days in Daily Grams, Saxon 54 and Handwriting Without Tears; And S continued on with Houghton Mifflin addition, Handwriting Without Tears, Days of the Week, and reading 
• We went to Pizza Hut with my sister and niece, shopped at the pet store and then saw Hop 

J and S at the Beach

C's Square Knot Bracelet...Yup! Taped to her Math Book

That was our last couple of weeks! How did your week go? Check out other homeschooling families at the links below!

 

Weekly Wrap-up - Days 128-132 A Day in the Life

I enjoy reading "A Day in the Life" of homeschooling families because we're all SO unique. It's interesting to see how others spend their school days whether they are Mason followers, Eclectic, Traditional or Unschoolers. So, here's OUR Day in the Life for Monday. 

Our White Board with Daily Assignments, School Goals and Daily Schedule

8:00am-9:00am I made pancakes for breakfast with fresh cantaloupe and pineapple and skim milk, and got a load of clothing going in the washer and tidied up the LR. After breakfast, the kids cleaned off the table and got dressed. 

J Reading After Breakfast

9:00am-10:00am We started our daily school assignments, which are written on a white board with our schedule for the day and some school goals. J read By Heresies Distress (Weber) and wrote up a few articles for Pond Press. C took her All About Spelling Level 2 Step 10 test, completed supplemental practice 68 in Saxon 54, and read the last section on snakes in Apologia Zoology III, starting her Snakes vs. Lizards Venn Diagram. S completed his Kumon mazes 29, drew his first Draw Write Now Book 1 animal and background (Hen), spelled short /i/ CVC words with All About Spelling letter tiles and homemade word cards, completed fill-in-the-blank short /i/ word sentences, and read Pig Wig and Pig Wig Can Hit. I vaccumed the LR carpet. 

C Working on Math

S Completing his Kumon Maze

S's Hen Drawing for Draw Write Now

S Spelling /i/ Words

S Reading

10:00am-11:00am S took a short break while C continued working on a few math corrections and J his Pond Press stories (although I caught him reading his book instead of typing in articles). Once finished with math, C took a break to draw a picture on the mini white board before doing her Handwriting Without Tears Cursive page 27 and 2 days of Daily Grams.  S finished up his assignments with coloring and putting stickers on 5 more US states and completing Houghton Mifflin More, Fewer and Same worksheets. I switched the laundry to the dryer and finished tidying up the kitchen.

"Yes, Mom! I'm working on Pond Press. I'm not reading my book!"

C's Cursive

S's Math

11:00am-12:00pm C moved on to her composition about a boy named Timmy and his soccer balls, finishing up for the day at 11:40am. J moved on to games at Anatomy Arcade, completed 6 mini-books for his Apologia General Science Lap n' Note and finished Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra lesson 87. I swept the kitchen, hallway, bathroom, and foyer, cleaned up the outerwear and footwear area and put lunch in the oven.

J Filling Out General Science Mini-books

Our Distraction LOL

S Settling Down to a Movie While Playing with Trains Before Lunch

J Working on Math

12:00pm-3:00pm We had homemade mini pizzas for lunch with carrot sticks. After cleaning up, C and S went outside to play in the snow with our dog while J continued on with his assignments. He finished up for the day with Geography games at Sheppard Software and Rowe Grammar Skills Test A (Unit 2) and joined his siblings outside. The kids played in the snow and spent time observing our feeder birds and squirrels (by sitting still in camp chairs a few feet from them). I folded and sorted clean laundry, chatted on-line with my homeschool friend A, deleted e-mails, and read a few chapters in my book Mistress of Rome (Quinn). 

3:00pm-4:45pm I made apple and pear salsa, sweetened with honey and cooked until soft, and baked cinnamon-sugar tortilla triangle "dippers" with vanilla yogurt for snack. J gathered trash, put away his clothing and BEGAN tidying his bedroom. C cleaned the litterbox, put away her clothing and BEGAN tidying HER bedroom. (See a trend? LOL) S put away his clothing and helped tidy up his bedroom with J. And together they put away clean dishes and put dirty ones in to the dishwasher. Once chores were completed, the kids had free time.

Apple-Pear Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips and Vanilla Yogurt

4:45pm-7:00pm I drove J to his first basketball play-off game while A stayed home and started dinner with the other kids.  His team won!

Throwing in the Ball and Yelling the Play

Making Things Difficult for the Player Throwing in the Ball

Final Score - We're the Guests

7:00pm-8:00pm  We sat down to a yummy family dinner of baked pork chops, skillet potatoes and steamed carrots. The kids helped with dinner clean-up and then C headed off for a shower while S took a bath. C, S and I gathered on my bed and I read Caps For Sale (Slobodkina), If You Give a Moose a Muffin (Numeroff) and Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Viorst) to them before tucking S into bed for the night.

8:00pm-11:00pm C stayed up until 9:00 reading The Grand Escape (Naylor) then went to sleep. J stayed up until 10:00pm, playing DSi games, reading and watching TV before showering and reading A Mighty Fortress (Weber) until 11:00pm. Phew! Day 128 completed!

Check out other Weekly Wrap-ups at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers and link up to the Hop Along Friday, Bounce!, Forever, For Always, No Matter What, and Hip Homeschool Hop to share your week! It's a GREAT way to find creative resources and fun activities!