Homeschool Update: Weeks of 8/23/21 and 8/30/21

As summer comes to an end, we have slowly been winding down our summer studies in preparation for starting the new school year after Labor Day. Here is the last of our summer work. 

Morning Read-Alouds 

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters,  illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read "The Eagle" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, "Hurricane" by Dionne Brand, and "I Went Up the High Hill" by Anonymous. 

For the week of 8/23 our author/illustrator was Leo Lionni. I read aloud Swimmy, Fish is Fish, Frederick, and Inch by Inch,  and Grandma read Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse, The Biggest House in the World, The Alphabet Tree, and Theodore and the Talking Mushroom, all from Frederick's Fables.

For the week of 8/30 our author/illustrator was Maurice Sendak. I read aloud I'll Be You and You Be Me by Ruth Krauss, A Hole is to Dig by Ruth Krauss, Outside Over There, In the Night Kitchen, and The Sign on Rosie's Door, and Grandma read Where the Wild Things Are. The girls also watched Really Rosie on YouTube. 

Music

We reviewed the songs we learned this year and tested to see which the girls had memorized.  They practiced piano and recorder daily. 

Art

The girls made birthday cards for a friend who turned 4. M and C painted with watercolors on the easel, and C. and E. drew with chalk in the driveway. 

Catechism

M. is scheduled to receive her first Communion in October. We had a meeting at church to practice and we have been preparing for her first Confession. 

History 

From The Golden Book of America adapted for young readers by Irwin Shapiro (Simon & Schuster, 1957), we read the chapter entitled " It Happens Every Four Years" about the history of presidential campaigns. From Yankee Doodle's Cousins by Anne Malcolmson (Houghton Mifflin, 1941), we read "Pecos Bill," "Pecos Bill and his Bouncing Bride" and "John Darling." From American Adventures by Elizabeth Coatsworth (Macmillan, 1968). we read "The Sod House" and "Cherry Ann and the Dragon Horse." From The Great Heritage by Katherine B. Shippen (Viking Press, 1947), we read "The Long Trail." We finished the month with two chapters about WWII from The Landmark History of the American People from Appomattox to the Moon by Daniel J. Boorstein (Random House, 1968). 

Math

Both girls continued working in Khan Academy. C. worked on quadrilaterals and area. M. worked on data and statistics along with algebra basics. 

Reading and Writing

M. read Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye and The Number Devil by Hans Magnus Enzensberger,and finished reading A Book for Jennifer by Alice Dalgliesh to Gran. C. started reading the Orphelines series by Natalie Savage Carlson. 

Physical Education

The girls did three trips the pool during these two weeks. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 8/16/21

Morning Read-Alouds

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters,  illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read "The Pike" by Amy Lowell, "Brown-river Brown-river" by Anonymous, "Row Row Row Your Boat" by Anonymous, "The Last Rose of Summer (Extract)" by Thomas Moore, "What is Pink?" by Christina Rossetti, "The Secret Song" by Margaret Wise Brown 

We finished the remaining poems in A Book of Americans by Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benet (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1933).

This week Grandma read an apple picture book to accompany our Johnny Appleseed readings for history. She picked Apples Apples Apples by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. 

Music

We learned to sing "Goodnight Irene" as performed by The Weavers. M. and C. practiced piano and recorder every day.

Art

The girls made birthday cards for my husband's birthday as well as a place card they gave him as a gift. 

Catechism

We started reviewing what M. needs to know to receive first Communion in preparation for a meeting at church next week. She worked on memorizing the Act of Contrition. 

History

This week we read "The Old Country Store" from The Golden Book of America adapted for young readers by Irwin Shapiro (Simon & Schuster, 1957), "Johnny Appleseed" from Yankee Doodle's Cousins by Anne Malcolmson (Houghton Mifflin, 1941), and "The League of the Iroquois" and "Indian Versus Indian" from The American Indian adapted for children by Anne Terry White (Random House, 1963). 

Math

M. and C. did some work in Singapore Math and Khan Academy every day.

Reading and Writing 

At lunch, we started listening to the audiobook of The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks. C. started working on her cursive again. 

Physical Education

The girls went to the pool on Saturday.

Homeschool Update: Week of 8/9/21

The first week in August, we spent at the beach in the Southern Outer Banks. We had planned to do some reading aloud and some nature study, but we mostly ended up taking a very leisurely week. The girls enjoyed building sandcastles, collecting shells, and swimming in the pool, and they had a fun visit to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. We arrived home on Saturday and used this week to slowly return to our normal routine.

Morning Read-Alouds 

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters,  illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018), we read "If All the Seas Were One Sea" by Anonymous, "Until I Saw the Sea" by Lilian Moore, "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" by William Butler Yeats, "Squishy Words (To Be Said When Wet)" by Alastair Reid, "At the Seaside" by Robert Louis Stevenson, "Sea Shell" by Amy Lowell, "The Shell" by John Foster, "Days" by Brian Moses, "August Heat" by Anonymous, "The Mockingbird's Song" Tigua song translated by John Comfort Fillmore, "I am the Rain" by Grace Nichols, "Little Fish" by D.H. Lawrence, and "There Was an Old Man in a Tree" by Edward Lear. 

From A Book of Americans by Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benet (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1933) we read poems entitled: "Daniel Drew" and "Jesse James." 

Our author/illustrator for this week was Wanda Gag. We read Wanda Gag: The Girl Who Lived to Draw by Deborah Kogan Ray, Millions of Cats, and Nothing-at-All. On Skype, Grandma read Gag's version of Snow White.

Music

We learned to sing "The Titanic (When That Great Ship Went Down)" as recorded by Pete Seeger.  

M. and C. practiced piano and recorder daily.

History 

Our readings for the week were "Old Whirlwind" from American Adventures by Elizabeth Coatsworth (Macmillan, 1968), and "Davy Crockett" and "Mike Fink" from Yankee Doodle's Cousins by Anne Malcolmson (Houghton Mifflin, 1941). 

Math 

M. worked on algebra basics and C. worked on addition with renaming using the soroban. They both did Khan Academy every day.

Reading and Writing

We read aloud Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea by Lynne Rae Perkins at lunch. In the evening, I started reading The Happy Hollisters at Pony Hill Farm with C. 

Physical Education

The girls went swimming twice this week.

Homeschool Update: Week of 7/26/21

Morning Read-Alouds 

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters,  illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018), we read: "Thistles" by Karla Kuskin, "Cow" by Ted Hughes, "The Pasture" by Robert Frost, "Littlemouse" by Richard Edwards, and "The Falling Star" by Sara Teasdale. 

From A Book of Americans by Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benet (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1933) we read poems entitled: "David Farragut" and "Clara Barton." 

Instead of an author, this week we did a theme: the beach. I read The Beach Before Breakfast by Maxine Kumin, A Jellyfish is not a Fish by John Frederick Waters, Shimmer and Splash by Jim Arnosky, Houses from the Sea by Alice Goudey, and An Octopus is Amazing by Patricia Lauber. On Skype, Grandma read some seashore poems and Chirri and Chirra Under the Sea by Kaya Doi.

Music 

We continued singing "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond" as performed by The Corries. We listened to Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Johannes Brahms, Dance of the Reed Pipes from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, The Firebird: Infernal Dance by Igor Stravinsky, and Piano Sonata No. 11 in A: Turkish Rondo by Mozart. 

M. and C. practiced piano and recorder daily.

Art 

We studied The Edge of the Forest of Fontainbleau, Setting Sun by Theodore Rousseau from the Louvre Art Deck: 100 Masterpieces from the World's Most Popular Museum by Anja Grebe and Erich Lessing. 

C. followed the instructions on two how-to-draw videos from Art for Kids Hub: How to Draw a Playground Slide and How to Draw a Fishbowl. M followed the instructions in How to Draw a Coral Reef.

Catechism 

We continued working on Lesson 7: "Jesus Opens Heaven For Us" in The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism. 

History 

This week's readings were "Highwaymen of the Seas" and  "The New World Changes Warfare" from The Golden Book of America adapted for Young Readers by Irwin Shapiro (Simon & Schuster, 1957) and "Aunt Flora" from American Adventures by Elizabeth Coatsworth (Macmillan, 1968).  

Science 

The girls watched Mr. Wizard's World and finished the series. 

Math 

M. worked on algebra basics and C. worked on addition with renaming using the soroban. They both did Khan Academy every day.

Reading and Writing 

We finished our read-aloud of One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street and my husband finished reading aloud Serendipity Tales. M. continued to read A Book for Jennifer to Gran on Skype, and C. read a Houndsley and Catina book to Gran as well. 

Physical Education

We went to the pool with friends. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 7/19/21

Morning Read-Alouds 

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters,  illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read "I Wish..." by Anonymous, "It Was / So Hot"  by Malcolm de Chazal, "Colouring In" by Jan Dean, and "Where the bee sucks" from The Tempest by William Shakespeare.

From A Book of Americans by Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benet (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1933) we read poems entitled: "Zachary Taylor," "John James Audubon," "Nancy Hanks," "Daniel Boone," "Crawford Long and William Morton," "Sam Houston," "Western Wagons," "Clipper Ships and Captains," "James Buchanan," "Crazy Horse," "Stonewall Jackson," "Abraham Lincoln," "Negro Spirituals," "Ulysses S. Grant," and "Robert E. Lee." 

Our author for the week was Jan Brett. I read aloud On Noah's Ark and Town Mouse Country Mouse and Grandma read Comet's Nine Lives. 

Music 

We sang "The Bonnie Banks o' Loch Lomond" as performed by The Corries. We listened to Lt. Kijé Suite: Troika by Sergei Prokofiev, Pictures at an Exhibition: Promenade by Modest Mussorgsky, Simple Symphony: Playful Pizzicato by Benjamin Britten, Album for the Young: The Happy Farmer by Robert Schumann. 

M. and C. practiced piano and recorder daily.

Art

We studied Saint Mary Magdalene by Gregor Erhart from the Louvre Art Deck: 100 Masterpieces from the World's Most Popular Museum by Anja Grebe and Erich Lessing. The girls made bookmarks for our friend that we met up with in New York to thank her for the books she gifted to us. 

Catechism 

We continued working on Lesson 7: "Jesus Opens Heaven For Us" in The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism. 

History

This week's readings were "Timber!" from The Great Heritage by Katherine B. Shippen (Viking Press, 1947), "Ol Paul Bunyan," "How Paul Bonjean Became Paul Bunyan," and "Ol' Paul's Camp on the Big Onion River" from Yankee Doodle's Cousins by Anne Malcolmson (Houghton Mifflin, 1941), and "Boston Bells" from American Adventures by Elizabeth Coatsworth (Macmillan, 1968). 

Science

The girls watched Mr. Wizard's World every day.

Math 

M. worked on algebra basics and C. worked on algebra with renaming using the soroban. They both did Khan Academy every day.

Reading and Writing 

We continued reading One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin. At dinner, my husband finished reading aloud The Three Princes of Serendip and started Serendipity Tales. C. started reading Heartwood Hotel Book 1: A New Home by Kallie George. M. started reading The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder and continued reading A Book for Jennifer aloud to Gran. E. recorded her video of Dad and Sam and started working on Pig Wig. 

Physical Education

We went to the pool with friends on Friday and the girls went back on Saturday with my husband for a swim lesson.

Homeschool Update: Week of 7/12/21

Morning Read-Alouds 

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters,  illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read "The Moon at Knowle Hill" by Jackie Kay, "The Song of Hau, the Red Fox," a wintu song translated by Jeremiah Curtin, "First Fox" by Pamela Gililan, "The Blue Water In," a Southern Paiute song translated by John Wesley Powell, and "A Dragonfly" by Eleanor Farjeon. 

From A Book of Americans by Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benet (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1933) we read poems entitled: "John Paul Jones," "Abigail Adams," "John Adams," "Benjamin Franklin," "Benedict Arnold," "Thomas Jefferson," "Alexander Hamilton," "Aaron Burr," "Johnny Appleseed," "Lewis and Clark," "Dolly Madison," "James Monroe," "John Quincy Adams," and "Andrew Jackson." 

Our author for the week was Margaret Wise Brown. We read Three Little Animals, Love Songs of the Little Bear,  The Diggers and Sleepy ABC. We also listened to the CD from Goodnight Songs and watched the Weston Woods video of The Wheel on the Chimney. Grandma read The Old Mill on Skype on Saturday. 

Music

We sang "On Top of Old Smokey" from Go In and Out the Window: An Illustrated Songbook for Young People (The Metropolitian Museum of Art, 1987). 

We listened to the Russian Dance from the Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, Háry János Suite: Viennese Musical Clock by Zoltán Kodály, Water Music: Hornpipe by George Frideric Handel, Triumphal March from Aida by Giuseppe Verdi and Brandenburg Concerto No. 2: Movement 1 by Johann Sebastian Bach. 

Art

We studied The Rialto Bridge by Canaletto from the Louvre Art Deck: 100 Masterpieces from the World's Most Popular Museum by Anja Grebe and Erich Lessing and watched some videos about the bridge itself. The girls made wind chimes using kits from Dollar Tree. 

Catechism

We continued working on Lesson 7: "Jesus Opens Heaven For Us" in The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism.

Memory Work

E. recited the months of the year, days of the week, four directions, marks of the church, and continents. She continued to practice "Happiness" by A.A. Milne. 

C recited the 50 states, planets, Great Lakes, countries of Europe, the oceans, the books of the Bible, and our address and phone number. She continued practicing "maggie and milly and molly and may" by e.e. cummings. 

M recited the 50 states, the countries of Asia, the books of the Bible, the Kings and Queens of England, and our address and phone number. She continued to practice Oberon's speech from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II, Scene 1 by William Shakespeare.  

History 

This week's readings were: The Legend of New Amsterdam by Peter Spier, "The Wishing Pear" from  American Adventures by Elizabeth Coatsworth (Macmillan, 1968), and "The Gift of Saint Nicholas" and "The Ghost of Dark Hollow Run" from Yankee Doodle's Cousins by Anne Malcolmson (Houghton Mifflin, 1941). 

Science

The girls are still watching episodes of Mr. Wizard's World. We'll resume BFSU in September.

Math

M. and C. both did some work in Singapore and Khan Academy every day. C. is doing addition with renaming and M. is working on converting units of measure. 

Reading and Writing 

At lunchtime we're reading One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin. At dinner, my husband read from The Three Princes of Serendip. M. started reading A Book for Jennifer by Alice Dalgliesh aloud to Gran and finished the second Borrowers book. C. read a review copy of a forthcoming beginning chapter book, Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord. E. read and recorder her video for Dad and Sam.

Physical Education

We went to the pool with friends during the week, and M. and C. went again on the weekend with my husband to practice swimming. M. and C. also ran around outside on the hill next to our neighbor's house. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 7/5/21

Morning Read-Alouds

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters,  illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018), we read "She sells seashells on the seashore," "Inside a Shell" by John Foster, "Five Little Peas," and "The Back Step" by Lee Knowles. 

From A Book of Americans by Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benet (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1933) we read poems entitled: "Christopher Columbus," "Indian," "Hernando de Soto," "Peregrine White and Virginia Dare," "Pocahontas," "Miles Standish," "Pilgrims & Puritans," "Peter Stuyvesant," "Southern Ships and Settlers," "Cotton Mather," "Captain Kidd," "French Pioneers," "Oliver DeLancey," and "George Washington." 

Our picture book author for the week was Charlotte Zolotow. Grandma read The Seashore Book to the girls before we left New York, and I read The Storm Book at home. We also watched some videos of Zolotow's daughter, Crescent Dragonwagon, reading aloud her mother's books, Someday and One Step Two.

We read several articles from National Geographic Explorer magazine Volume 19, Number 2 (Pathfinder edition): "The Galapagos Islands," "Islands Born of Fire," "Home Only Here," and "Darwin."

Music

We learned to sing "Home on the Range" from Go In and Out the Window: An Illustrated Songbook for Young People (The Metropolitian Museum of Art, 1987). 

We listened to Tritsch-Tratsch Polka by Johann Strauss Jr, Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, maman" by Mozart, and  L'Arlésienne Suite: "Farandole" by Georges Bizet. 

Art

This week's painting was the Mona Lisa. We studied the card from the Louvre Art Deck: 100 Masterpieces from the World's Most Popular Museum by Anja Grebe and Erich Lessing and watched the SmartHistory video about the painting.

Catechism

M. and C. started learning the questions and answers in Lesson 7: "Jesus Opens Heaven For Us" in The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism.

Memory Work

E. recited the months of the year, days of the week, four directions, marks of the church, and continents. She continued to practice "Happiness" by A.A. Milne. 

C recited the 50 states, planets, Great Lakes, countries of Europe, the oceans, the books of the Bible, and our address and phone number. She continued practicing "maggie and milly and molly and may" by e.e. cummings. 

M recited the 50 states, the countries of Asia, the books of the Bible, the Kings and Queens of England, and our address and phone number. She continued to practice Oberon's speech from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II, Scene 1 by William Shakespeare.  

History 

In the summer, we typically do a quick American history study, so we started that this week. From The Great Heritage by Katherine B. Shippen (Viking Press, 1947), we read "The Great Heritage," "Beavers, Otters, and Furres of Price," and "Men of the Sea." From Yankee Doodle's Cousins by Anne Malcolmson (Houghton Mifflin, 1941) we read "Stormalong." From American Adventures by Elizabeth Coatsworth (Macmillan, 1968), we read "First Adventure." 

Math

M. and C. both did some work in Singapore and Khan Academy every day. C. is still working on multi-digit addition and subtraction. M. is working on algebra basics and time word problems.

Reading and Writing 

M. continued reading Thee, Hannah to Gran, and she also continued reading the Borrowers series. C. started the second Far-Away Tree book. In the evenings, C. and I started reading aloud Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field. At dinner, my husband read aloud from The Three Princes of Serendip.

Other Activities

On the way home from New York, we met up with a bookish friend my husband met on Goodreads who has been exchanging letters with M. We had lunch and the kids played on the playground at a park in her neighborhood. 

On Friday, we met up with friends at the Adventure Playground. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 6/28/21

Morning Read-Alouds

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters,  illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018), we read "Insect" by Tony Mitton, "All Day Long" by Kanoko Okamoto, translated by Kenneth Rexroth and Ikuko Atsumi, and "A Hot Day" by A.S.J. Tessimond. 

This week, our picture book theme was America. We read A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution by Betsy and Giulio Maestro and America the Beautiful published by Cottage Door Press, and Grandma read An American ABC by Maud and Miska Petersham during our visit to her house on the weekend.  

Music 

We learned to sing "America" from Go In and Out the Window: An Illustrated Songbook for Young People (The Metropolitian Museum of Art, 1987).  We listened to Appalachian Spring: "Variations on a Shaker Tune" by Aaron Copland, A Midsummer Night's Dream: "Scherzo" by Felix Mendelssohn, Marche Militaire by Franz Schubert, and Piano Sonata No. 11 in A: "Turkish Rondo" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 

M. and C. practiced piano and recorder every day except Friday, Saturday, and Sunday when we were away. We had a sing-along on Sunday with Grandma and Aunt B.

Art

 We studied Angel with an Olive Branch by Hans Memling from the Louvre Art Deck: 100 Masterpieces from the World's Most Popular Museum by Anja Grebe and Erich Lessing. 

The girls made drawings for all of our New York relatives as well as birthday cards for Aunt B. 

Catechism 

We continued working on Lesson 6, "The Son of God Becomes Man" in The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism.

Memory Work

E. recited the months of the year, days of the week, four directions, marks of the church, and continents. She continued to practice "Happiness" by A.A. Milne. 

C recited the 50 states, planets, Great Lakes, countries of Europe, the oceans, the books of the Bible, and our address and phone number. She continued practicing "maggie and milly and molly and may" by e.e. cummings. 

M recited the 50 states, the countries of Asia, the books of the Bible, the Kings and Queens of England, and our address and phone number. She continued to practice Oberon's speech from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II, Scene 1 by William Shakespeare.  

History

As review, M. read the sections of A Little History of the World  that corresponded to the time periods she learned about this past year.  C. had the week off from history. 

Math

M. and C. did Khan Academy. C. did some work with subtraction without renaming in Singapore.

Reading and Writing

We finished all of our outstanding books before we left for New York: Eleven Kids, One Summer, A Necklace of Raindrops, Baby Island, and Anne of Green Gables. C. and I also read Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man by Robert McCloskey, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig, and Phoebe's Revolt by Natalie Babbitt. 

Physical Education

In New York on the weekend, the girls learned to play wiffle ball. They also ran around outside at my grandmother's house. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 6/21/21

Morning Read-Alouds 

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters,  illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018), we read: "Puddle" by Nick Toczek, "The Sun Has Long Been Set" by William Wordsworth, "The Pond" by Amy Lowell, "One Two Three Four Five" by Anonymous, and "Where Go the Boats" by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Our illustrator this week was Virginia Lee Burton. We read Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, Choo Choo, The Little House, and The Emperor's New Clothes as well as Big Machines, a picture book biography of Burton by Sherri Duskey Rinker and John Rocco. Grandma read Maybelle the Cable Car. 

We also read the articles from National Geographic Explorer Volume 20, Number 1 (Pathfinder Edition): "Rethinking Spinosaurus" by National Geographic Staff, "The Transformer" by Brenna Maloney, and "Turning Trash into Treasure" by Glen Phelan. 

Music

We listened to Rodeo: "Hoe Down" by Aaron Copland, "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from the Peer Gynt Suite by Edvard Grieg, Orpheus in the Underworld: "Can-Can" by Jacques Offenbach, and the William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini. 

 We learned to sing "The Fly and the Bumblebee" from More Songs to Grow On by Beatrice Landeck (Edward B. Marks Music Corporation, 1954). 

M. and C. practiced piano and recorder daily.

Art 

This week's painting was The Two Sisters by Theodore Chasseriau, found in from The Louvre Art Deck: 100 Masterpieces from the World's Most Popular Museum by Anja Grebe and Erich Lessing. 

Catechism

We continued working on Lesson 6, "The Son of God Becomes Man" in The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism. We read about Saints  Aloysius Gonzaga, Thomas More,  and John the Baptist from Picture Book of Saints by Lawrence G. Lovasik (Catholic Book Publishing, 1979).

Memory Work

E. recited the months of the year, days of the week, four directions, marks of the church, and continents. She continued to practice "Happiness" by A.A. Milne. 

C recited the 50 states, planets, Great Lakes, countries of Europe, the oceans, the books of the Bible, and our address and phone number. She continued practicing "maggie and milly and molly and may" by e.e. cummings. 

M recited the 50 states, the countries of Asia, the books of the Bible, the Kings and Queens of England, and our address and phone number. She continued to practice Oberon's speech from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II, Scene 1 by William Shakespeare.  

History 

In Builders of Old World, M. read:  "The Father of Modern Astronomy," "Magic Glasses," and "The Struggle to Advance Knowledge." This marks the end of her history for curriculum for second grade. 

C. and I finished reading Norse Gods and Giants. 

Math

In Singapore, M. worked on converting time between hours, minutes, and seconds, and years and months. She started doing some algebra basics in Khan Academy. 

C. worked on addition and subtraction without renaming in Singapore and continued working in Khan Academy. 

Reading and Writing

I started reading aloud Eleven Kids, One Summer by Ann M. Martin at lunch and my husband continued reading A Necklace of Raindrops at dinner. We also continued listening to Anne of Green Gables in the car. M. read Jasmine Green Rescues: A Lamb Called Lucky on the Kindle Fire. With C., I continued reading aloud Baby Island. E. listened to the audiobooks of Raggedy Anne and Andy stories. 

Physical Education

M. and C. went to the splash park with friends on Wednesday. All three girls played on the playground and in the field at the church potluck on Thursday, and they played with friends at the Adventure Playground again on Friday morning. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 6/14/21

Morning Read-Alouds

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters,  illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018), we read: "Mr. Snail" by Celia Warren, "Solitude" by Archibald Lampman, "The Intruder" by James Reeves, "The Moon" by Iain Crichton Smith, and "Cat" by Brian Morse.

This week's author/illustrator for our summer reading project was Paul Galdone. We read: Three Ducks Went Wandering (written by Ron Roy), The Gingerbread Boy, The Teeny-Tiny Woman, George Washington's Breakfast (written by Jean Fritz), and Three Fox Fables, and Grandma read The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse. 

Music 

We listened to The Stars and Stripes Forever by John Philip Sousa, Rhapsody in Blue: "Andante" by George Gershwin, William Tell Overture: "Finale" by Gioachino Rossini, and Symphony No. 5: "First Movement" by Beethoven. We learned to sing My Grandfather's Clock. 

Art 

This week we looked at The Last Supper by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo from The Louvre Art Deck: 100 Masterpieces from the World's Most Popular Museum by Anja Grebe and Erich Lessing. 

Catechism 

We started working on Lesson 6, "The Son of God Becomes Man" in The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism. We read about Saint Anthony of Padua, whose feast day was June 13. 

Memory Work

E. recited the months of the year, days of the week, four directions, marks of the church, and continents. She continued to practice "Happiness" by A.A. Milne. 

C recited the 50 states, planets, Great Lakes, countries of Europe, the oceans, the books of the Bible, and our address and phone number. She continued practicing "maggie and milly and molly and may" by e.e. cummings. 

M recited the 50 states, the countries of Asia, the books of the Bible, the Kings and Queens of England, and our address and phone number. She continued to practice Oberon's speech from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II, Scene 1 by William Shakespeare.  

History

In Builders of the Old World, M. read the sections entitled "From Superstition to Science" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much." She read about Roger Bacon in The Story of Science by Joy Hakim, and she read Blockhead: the Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D'Agnese. She also watched some YouTube videos about Fibonacci, fractals, and the golden ratio. 

Math

M. didn't work on Singapore this week, but C. did some addition and subtraction without renaming. Both girls did Khan Academy.  

Science 

M. and C. watched several episodes of Mr. Wizard's World. 

Reading and Writing

M. is still reading The Borrowers. She also started reading Thee, Hannah by Marguerite deAngeli aloud to Gran on Skype. I also read Charlotte's Web aloud to her. She liked it so much, we finished it in just a few days. C. is still reading Little House on the Prairie, and I'm still reading aloud Baby Island to her. I finished reading aloud Winnie-the-Pooh to E. 

At lunch, I finished reading aloud The Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright. At dinner, my husband read aloud from A Necklace of Raindrops by Joan Aiken. In the car, we're still listening to Anne of Green Gables. 

Physical Education

On Monday, we had a playdate where the girls bounced on a trampoline. On Thursday night, we went to an outdoor potluck at church, where the girls ran around with a ball and played on the playground. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 6/7/21

Morning Read-Alouds 

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters,  illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018), we read: "The Sea" by James Reeves, "Busy Bugs" by James Carter, "Worm Words" by Tony Mitton, "The Song of a Mole" by Richard Edwards, and "The Snail's Monologue" by Christian Morgenstern, translated by Max Knight. 

We also read the last two articles from the digital edition of Vol. 20 number 4 of National Geographic Explorer (Pathfinder edition): "Newfoundland Wildlife" by Justine Ammendolia and "The Wonder of the Falls" by Libby Romero.  

We're also doing a summer reading project with Grandma. Each week, Grandma and I choose an author or illustrator to focus on. I read books by that person during the week, and Grandma reads one aloud on Skype on Saturday. This week, we chose Roger Duvoisin, and I read Veronica,  Nubber Bear (written by William Lipkind), and Donkey - donkey by Roger Duvoisin and my mom read The Camel Who Took a Walk (written by by Jack Tworkov). 

Music 

We attempted to learn to sing "Little White Duck" but it was too difficult, so we switched to "Polly Wolly Doodle." On Friday, we did a sing-along of all the songs we've learned so far. 

We listened to Piano Sonata No. 11 in A: "Turkish Rondo" by Mozart, Pictures at an Exhibition: "The Gnome" by Modest Mussorgsky,  and Háry János Suite: "Viennese Musical Clock" by Zoltán Kodály. 

M. and C. both practiced piano and recorder daily. 

Art 

This week, we studied Reader at the Window by Adriaen van Ostade from The Louvre Art Deck: 100 Masterpieces from the World's Most Popular Museum by Anja Grebe and Erich Lessing. 

Catechism 

We reviewed lessons 1 through 5 in The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism. 

Memory Work 

E. recited the months of the year, days of the week, four directions, marks of the church, and continents. She recorded her video recitation of "First Fig" by Edna St. Vincent Millay and started to learn "Happiness" by A.A. Milne. 

C reviewed the countries of Europe, the oceans, the books of the Bible, and our address and phone number. She recorded her video recitation of "The Owl and the Pussycat"  by Edward Lear and started to learn "maggie and milly and molly and may" by e.e. cummings. 

M reviewed the countries of Asia, the books of the Bible, the Kings and Queens of England, and our address and phone number. She recorded her video recitation of "The Goat and I" by Robert Service and started learning Oberon's speech from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act II, Scene 1 by William Shakespeare.  

History 

For M., this week was all about Shakespeare. In Builders of the Old World, she read the sections called "Education Spreads Among the People" and "Great Poets and Playwrights." She also read Bard of Avon by Diane Stanley;  Shakespeare: His Work and his World by Michael Rosen (part of which she read with Gran on Skype), and William Shakespeare and the Globe by Aliki, as well as A Midsummer Night's Dream retold by Georghia Ellinas and illustrated by Jane Ray and William Shakespeare's Macbeth by Bruce Coville and A Midsummer Night's Dream from Shakespeare Stories by William Garfield. 

She also watched Shakespeare's Globe (Films for the Humanities and Sciences, 2006) and a recording of a 2016 performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the New Globe Theater. (I've never seen her laugh so hard).  

C. and I continued reading Norse myths from D'Aulaires' Norse Gods and Giants. 

Science 

M. and C. watched several episodes of Mr. Wizard's World during the week. 

Reading and Writing

E., C., and M. all wrote thank -you letters to Gran for the fun things they did on their visit to her house. 

In the car we continued listening to Anne of Green Gables. I started reading aloud Charlotte's Web to M. and Baby Island to C. and continued reading aloud Winnie-the-Pooh with E. At lunch, we continued reading aloud The Four-Story Mistake. 

Physical Education

On Tuesday, we went to homeschool field day. E. ran around on the playground and M. and C. participated in traditional lawn games: egg toss, wheelbarrow race, sack race, relay race, tug-of-war. M. made a new friend who shares her first name, and we had another playdate with her on Thursday, followed by another playdate with the neighbors' grandkids that same afternoon.  

Homeschool Update: Week of 5/31/21

This week we did school at Gran's! This was a bit more of a relaxed schedule than we have at home, but we still hit all of our subjects. 

Morning Read-Alouds

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read "May" by John Updike, "Finding Magic" by Eric Finney, "All in June" by W.H. Davies, "Bee! I'm Expecting You!" by Emily Dickinson, and "Bedtime" (Extract) by Thomas Hood. 

We read all of the articles in the digital edition of Vol. 20 number 5 of National Geographic Explorer (Pathfinder edition): "Curing What Ails You" by Alex Greene, "Nature's Mysteries" by Lynn Brunelle, and "Lake Tour" by Beth Geiger. We also read one article from the digital edition of Vol. 20 number 4 of the same magazine: "Mishmash Mammal" by Lynn Brunelle. 

Music

Each morning at breakfast, we listened to a piece of classical music. The selections were:  La Gioconda: "Dance of the Hours" by Amilcare Ponchielli, Symphony No. 94, "Surprise": Second Movement by Franz Joseph Haydn, Aida: "Triumphal March" by Giuseppe Verdi, and The Firebird: "Infernal Dance" by Igor Stravinsky. 

With Gran, M. and C. read The Magic Flute retold by Anne Gatti and illustrated by Peter Malone, and listened to selections from the opera. They also watched the OperaVox adaptation together. 

M. and C. both practiced their piano lessons on Gran's piano, which was a fun change from the keyboard at home. 

On Friday night, we had a sing-along on Gran's deck featuring all the songs the girls have been learning to sing. 

Art

For art appreciation, we studied The Beggars (or The Cripples) by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. M. and C. also discussed Monet with Gran and looked at some of his paintings in one of her books.

They also created some chalk drawings in the driveway. 

Catechism

We continued working on the questions and answers in Lesson 5 of The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism. 

History 

Gran has her own copy of D'Aulaires' Norse Gods and Giants and she read to C. several stories: "Loki's Monstrous Brood," "Balder, the God of Light," "Heindall, the Watchman of Asgard," and "Njord, Frey, and Freya." 

M. watched The Machine that Made Us  and read From the Good Mountain by James Rumford, as well as several sections from Builders of the Old World: "Block Books," "The Printing Press," "The Making of Many Books" and "How Printing Helped Men to Be Free." 

M. also got a taste of family history by asking Gran questions about her school years. 

Science

For science, M.and C. watched episodes of Mr. Wizard's World. 

E. and C. also brought their Kiwi Crates to do with Gran. C. made a treasure chest and treasure map and E. made farm animal finger puppets, a vegetable garden, and a cardboard barn. 

The girls also spent quite a bit of time exploring the garden behind Gran's house, and one evening they caught and studied some fireflies. All three girls also had the chance to bake cookies with Gran. 

Reading and Writing

In the car on the way to and from Gran's, we listened to the audiobook of Anne of Green Gables.

We started reading aloud The Four-Story Mistake at lunchtime. This turn out to be one of Gran's favorite books from childhood. 

E. practiced sounding out consonant-vowel-consonant words in The Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading and also started listening to a read-aloud of Winnie-the-Pooh. 

M. started reading The Borrowers and C. continued with Little House on the Prairie. 

Math

M. and C. did some work on Khan Academy daily at Gran's. They also did their math flashcards a couple of times.

Physical Education 

M. and C. spent a lot of time running around outside. They also ran in the sprinkler, took a walk with Gran through her neighborhood, and played hopscotch. 

Special Activities

We all watched the original animated Disney movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs together. The girls also ate ice  cream and played with their dolls that live at Gran's house. Each night when her siblings went to bed ahead of her, M. also played a make-believe game with Gran in which she pretended to be the mother of a young baby and had Gran play the role of great-grandmother. C. enjoyed playing Uno with Gran.  

Homeschool Update: Week of 5/24/21

Morning Read-Alouds 

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read "The Poultries" by Ogden Nash, "The Way Through the Woods" by Rudyard Kipling, "Queen Anne's Lace" by Mary Leslie Newton, "Whispering Leaves" by Julie O'Callaghan, and "Buttercup" by Mandy Coe.

We read all the articles in Vol. 8 No. 4 of National Geographic Explorer (Pathfinder Edition): "Nature's Solutions" by Leslie Hall, "Gold Fever" by Ruth Kassinger, "Spectacular Seahorses" by Twig C. George, and "Icebergs" by Luc Desjardins. 

Music

We listened to The Firebird: "Infernal Dance" by Igor Stravinsky, Album for the Young: "The Happy Farmer" by Robert Schumann, Tritsch-Tratsch Polka by Johann Strauss, Jr., L'Arlésienne Suite: "Farandole" by Georges Bizet, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2: Movement 1 by Johann Sebastian Bach.

We practiced singing "Sweet Betsy from Pike", using the music from Go In and Out the Window: An Illustrated Songbook for Young People and had a sing-along of all the songs we've been learning on Friday night. 

M. and C. practiced piano and recorder daily.

Art Appreciation

This week we studied "Portrait of Anne of Cleves" by Hans Holbein the Younger, which complemented M.'s history reading about King Henry VIII. 

Catechism 

We read about Saints Philip Neri and Madeleine Sophie Barat on their feast days. We reviewed Lessons 1 to 4 in The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism, and I introduced the questions and answers in Lesson 5, "Our Own Sins."

Memory Work

C. reviewed the planets, four directions, 50 states, and marks of the church, worked on the countries of Europe and books of the Bible, and continued learning "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear. 

M reviewed the countries of Europe and 13 colonies, the books of the Bible, and the 7 sacraments, worked on the monarchs of England,  the countries of Asia, and continued learning "The Goat and I" by Robert Service. 

E. continued learning "First Fig" by Edna St. Vincent Millay, and she started working on memorizing the continents, oceans, months of the year, and days of the week.  

Science

We finished all the BFSU work we had planned for this school year and also spent a little more time on cicadas. At the end of the week, we watched a few Operation Ouch videos just for fun. We won't start formal science time again until September, but we will do some informal nature study, read-alouds, and videos through the summer. 

E. and I started reading Little Kids First Big Book of Reptiles and Amphibians by Catherine D. Hughes (National Geographic Kids, 2020). We read about snakes and lizards. 

History 

C. continued reading D'Aulaires' Norse Gods and Giants. 

M. has switched  her history text to Builders of the Old World and she read sections called "The Struggle for Freedom to Worship" and "Men Create New Forms of Beauty," which involved King Henry VIII and his wives and the Protestant Reformation. She also read Good Queen Bess by Diane Stanley and some of Rulers of Britain by Plantagenet Somerset Fry. 

Math

M. and C. both worked on Khan Academy. M finished fourth grade math and was allowed to take a break after that. C. and M. also both worked on Singapore Math in their respective workbooks. 

Reading and Writing 

We finished our read-aloud of Gone-Away Lake and my husband finished reading aloud Tal. 

E. and I finished Old Mother West Wind. C. and I read some picture books at bedtime, just the two of us, and she absolutely loved my choices: In the Middle of the Night by Aileen Fisher and Adrienne Adams, Town and Country by Alice and Martin Provensen, One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey, and The Great Blueness by Arnold Lobel. C. is also still reading Little House on the Prairie. M. finished Rinkitink of Oz. 

Physical Education

We were getting ready to go to Gran's house, and she asked us to quarantine the kids, so we stayed home from playdates for the week. M. did get a chance to take a bike ride with Daddy one afternoon.   

Homeschool Update: Week of 5/17/21

Morning Read-Alouds

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read: ""Only My Opinion" by Monica Shannon, "The Heron" by Gregory Harrison, "Sneezing" by Anonymous, "O Dandelion" by Anonymous, "Yellow Weed" by Lilian Moore. 

We read all the articles from Vol. 7 No 5 of National Geographic Explorer (Pathfinder edition): "Doctor Bugs" by Mark W. Moffett, "Rock Stars" by Beth Geiger, and "Wild Cats" by Dana Jensen 

Music 

We listened to Appalachian Spring: "Variations on a Shaker Tune" by Aaron Copland, Lt. Kijé Suite: "Troika" by Sergei Prokofiev, Aida: "Triumphal March" by Giuseppe Verdi, Nutcracker: "Dance of the Reed Pipes" by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and Comedians: "Galop" by Dmitri Kabalevsky. We continued practicing singing "The Ash Grove."  

Art Appreciation

We looked at St Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata by Giotto di Bondone from The Louvre Art Deck: 100 Masterpieces from the World's Most Popular Museum by Anja Grebe and Erich Lessing. We also watched the video about it that is posted on Khan Academy. 

Catechism 

We reviewed Lessons 2 and 3 in The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism and moved on to Lesson 3, "The Blessed Trinity" and Lesson 4, ""The First Sins." 

Memory Work

C. reviewed the planets, four directions, 50 states, continents, oceans, months of the year, days of the week, and marks of the church, worked on the countries of Europe and books of the Bible, and continued learning "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear. 

M reviewed the countries of Europe and 13 colonies, the books of the Bible, and the 7 sacraments, worked on the monarchs of England, thirteen of the countries of Asia, and continued learning "The Goat and I" by Robert Service. 

E. continued learning "First Fig" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. 

Science 

We started BFSU Lesson B-8: How Animals Move III: Coordinating Body Movements (The Nervous System). using EESE as our guide. We read Use Your Brain by Paul Showers and watched an Operation Ouch video about the nervous system. On Friday, we took a break from this topic to go on a cicada hunt. We found a bunch and M. collected some exoskeletons to examine under the microscope. She is working on writing about her experience and observations. 

History

M. read "The Great Awakening" section of A Picturesque Tale of Progress, which included these topics: "The New Spirit," "Religion Takes New Forms," "A Monk Brings Changes in Religion," and "Reforms Within the Catholic Church." 

C. started reading D'Aulaires' Norse Gods and Giants. We read five sections: "Introduction," "The First Gods and Giants," "The Creation of the World," "The Creation of Man," and "Yggdrasil, the World Tree."

Math 

M. worked on more time exercises in Singapore 3B. C. worked on greater and less than in Singapore 2B. Both girls did flashcards and Khan Academy. M. also did a chapter in Life of Fred: Honey.

Reading and Writing 

M. is now reading Rinkitink in Oz by L. Frank Baum. C is still reading Little House on the Prairie. Our read-alouds of Gone-Away Lake and Tal are still ongoing. E. is still hearing Old Mother West Wind. She also began working in The Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading, sounding out consonant-vowel-consonant words. 

Physical Education

M. went on a long bike ride with Daddy. We also had two playdates with friends, one of which included jumping on a trampoline. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 5/10/21

Morning Read-Alouds

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read: "Badgers" by Richard Edwards, "Ducks' Ditty" by Kenneth Grahame, "The Tickle Rhyme" by Ian Serraillier, "The Yellow Tulip" by George Swede, "The Caterpillar" by Christina Rossetti

We read all the articles from Vol. 8 No 5 of National Geographic Explorer (Pathfinder edition): "Madagascar: A World Apart" by Mireya Mayor, "Nature's Spirals" by Wendy Lichtman, "Tales from Timbuktu" by Marissa Moss, and "Body Works" by Terri L. Jones. 

Music 

This week we listened to Slavonic Dance No. 7 by Antonin Dvorák, The Peer Gynt Suite: In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg, Water Music: Hornpipe by George Frideric Handel, Simple Symphony: Playful Pizzicato by Benjamin Britten,  and Polonaise in A Major: No. 1, "Military" by Frederic Chopin. We started learning to sing The Ash Grove. 

Art Appreciation 

We looked at The Virgin and Child with St. Anne by Leonardo da Vinci from The Louvre Art Deck: 100 Masterpieces from the World's Most Popular Museum by Anja Grebe and Erich Lessing. 

Catechism 

We reviewed Lesson 1 in The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism and moved on to Lesson 2, "God is Great." 

Memory Work

C. reviewed the planets, four directions, 50 states, continents, oceans, months of the year, days of the week, and marks of the church, worked on the countries of Europe and books of the Bible, and started learning "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear. 

M reviewed the countries of Europe and 13 colonies, the books of the Bible, and the 7 sacraments, worked on the monarchs of England, thirteen of the countries of Asia, and started learning "The Goat and I" by Robert Service. (She suggested the goat theme.)

E. started learning "First Fig" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. 

Science 

Since the cicadas are supposedly soon to emerge in our area, we took a week to study them. We read Cicadas! Strange and Wonderful by Lawrence Pringle. I had the girls label a cicada's body parts, draw a cicada, and fill out a diagram of the cicada's life cycle. 

History 

M. read "The Conquest of Peru" section in A Picturesque Tale of Progress, which included sections on "Explorations of Central and South America," and "Ancient Peru." She also read Macchu Picchu by Elizabeth Mann. 

Math 

M. continued working on time in Singapore 3B. C. started Singapore 2B, the beginning of which is review of numbers up to 1000. Both girls also worked on Khan Academy and were quizzed on their math facts using flashcards.

Reading and Writing 

We started a new lunchtime read-aloud, Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright. Daddy continued reading Tal: His Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom by Paul Fenimore Cooper after dinner. 

E. also started a new read-aloud with me: Old Mother West Wind by Thornton Burgess. She learned the vowel rhyme for the letter U and practiced identifying letters with flashcards and magnet letters. 

M. finished Mattimeo. C. finished The Enchanted Wood and started Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. 

Special Activities 

M. and I took the babies for an hour-long walk. M. took a couple of bike rides with Daddy. We had a surprise late afternoon playdate with friends. We all took a ride in the car for my second vaccine and listened to audiobooks in the car while we waited for Daddy to get groceries. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 5/3/21

Morning Read-Alouds

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read: "New Day" by Ian McMillan, "The Cock Crows in the Morn" by Anonymous, "A Little Talk" by Anonymous, "Tall Nettles" by Edward Thomas, "The Farmyard" by A.A. Attwood

We read all the articles from Vol. 8 No. 6 of National Geographic Explorer (Pathfinder Edition): "Living Color" by Gary Miller, "Arctic Adventurer" by Dolores Johnson, "The Invaders" by Lana Costantini, "Back to the Future" by Terri L. Jones

Music

This week we listened to Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Rodeo: "Hoe Down" by Aaron Copland, Symphony No. 5: "First Movement" by Ludwig von Beethoven, and The Four Seasons: "Spring" by Antonio Vivaldi. We learned to sing "All Through the Night" using the arrangement in The Fireside Book of Children's Songs. (I sang the descant; the girls sang the melody.)

M. and C. both practiced piano and recorder daily. We had a Friday evening sing-along after dinner.

Art Appreciation 

We studied Fast Break by Red Grooms from Come Look with Me: World of Play by Gladys S. Blizzard. (This was the last painting in this book.) 

Catechism

We bought a copy of The New Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism in the interest of moving things along a bit, and we did Lesson 1, "God Made Us." All three of the big girls are picking it up really quickly. On his feast day (May 6), we read about St. Dominic Savio from Picture Book of Saints by Lawrence G. Lovasik. We attended the Latin Mass on Sunday. 

Memory Work

C. reviewed the planets, four directions, 50 states, continents, oceans, months of the year, days of the week, and marks of the church, the countries of Europe, and finished learning "The Tiger" by William Blake. She recorded her video of her recitation of "The Tiger." 

M: reviewed the countries of Europe and 13 colonies, the books of the Bible, the 7 sacraments, the monarchs of England, thirteen of the countries of Asia, and finished learning "Sea Fever" by John Masefield. She recorded her video of her recitation of "Sea Fever."

E. finally recorded her video for "Icicles" by Anonymous. 

Science 

We continued BFSU Lesson B-4: Life Cycles. We read How Heredity Works by Jeanne Bendick and watched a Dr. Binocs video about DNA. E. did the activities in her latest Koala Crate, Music. She made a xylophone and a tambourine and composed her own music to play on the xylophone. She also decorated a streamer to dance with. 

History 

M. read "The Indians of the Southwest" in book 8 of A Picturesque Tale of Progress, which included these sections:  "Spanish Exploration," "The Pueblo Indians and Their Dances,"  "The Poetry of the Indians," "Arts of the Indian," and "Acoma, the Sky City." She watched a video on YouTube of a Hopi snake dance. 

C. read the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece from D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, which finished out the book. 

Math 

C. and M. both did math facts flashcards. C. did timed two-digit addition with regrouping on the soroban, and she worked on 3rd grade math in Khan Academy. M. did Singapore Math 3B Exercise 38, which asked her to convert hours to minutes. She worked on 4th grade math in Khan Academy. M. also participated in World Math Day online and worked on extrapolation and interpolation in Life of Fred: Honey. 

Reading and Writing

Our lunchtime read-aloud was Away Goes Sally by Elizabeth Coatsworth. At dinner, Daddy read the Choose Your Own Adventure Book, The Mystery of Chimney Rock and then started reading Tal: His Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom by Paul Fenimore Cooper. 

M. read and listened to Mattimeo by Brian Jacques. 

C. started The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton. She also started writing a story about her younger sister, E. 

E.'s read-aloud during her school time was the Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook (we finished the book). She also listened to All Falling Down by Margaret Bloy Graham and Gene Zion, Do You Know What I'll Do? by Charlotte Zolotow,  and The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey and Don Wood. She also played runaway letter and worked on learning the vowel rhymes from The Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading. 

Special Activities 

On the weekend, M. and C. attended a friend's amazing Boxcar Children themed birthday party. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 4/26/21

Morning Time 

Poems

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read:  

• "Mare" by Judith Thurman
• "Swaybacks in the Springtime" by Kit Wright
• "Weather" by Yetta Schmier
• "Catch a Rainbow" by Brian Whittingham
• "The Rainbow" by Christina Rossetti

Read-Alouds 

We read all the articles from Vol. 8 No. 7 of National Geographic Explorer (Pathfinder Edition): 

• "Return to the Moon" by Dottie Raymer (This article is from 2009 and talks about a now-canceled plan to return to the moon. After reading the article, we read about its cancellation online and about what the space program is working on now.) 
• "A Glimpse of Gorillas" by Gary Miller
• "Pedal Power" by Susan Blackaby 
• "Dinosaurs in Motion" by Gary Miller 

Music

We are starting to go back and review the pieces we have been listening to for music appreciation this year. This week we listened to Andante from Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, Symphony No. 94, "Surprise": Second Movement by Franz Josef Haydn, "Jupiter: Bringer of Jollity" from The Planets by Gustav Holst, Orpheus in the Underworld: Can-Can by Jacques Offenbach, and the finale from the William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini. 

We continued to practice singing "Down in the Valley."

Art Appreciation 

We studied Baseball Players by Elaine de Kooning from Come Look with Me: World of Play by Gladys S. Blizzard. 

Memory Work

C. reviewed the planets, four directions, 50 states, continents, oceans, months of the year, days of the week, and marks of the church  and worked on "The Tiger" by William Blake, the countries of Europe, and addition and subtraction flashcards.

M: reviewed the countries of Europe and 13 colonies, and worked on "Sea Fever" by John Masefield, the books of the Bible, the 7 sacraments, the monarchs of England, thirteen of the countries of Asia, and multiplication and division flashcards.

Science 

We started BFSU Lesson B-4: Life Cycles. I showed the girls a variety of videos about animal and plant life cycles:

• Butterfly: A Life 
• Trials of a Tadpole 
• How Does a Seed Become a Plant?
• Amazing Cicada Life Cycle
• Elephant Life Cycle

Preschool

E. practiced the alphabet with magnet letters and learned the second part of the Vowel Rhyme from The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading ("E is the next vowel, don't you see...").  

History 

M. read "The Conquest of Mexico" section in A Picturesque Tale of Progress, which included these subheadings: "Aztec Conquerors," "The Empire of the Aztecs," "The Spanish in America," "Hernando Cortez Leads the Spaniards to Tenochtitlan", and  "The Conquest of Mexico." She also read One Day in Aztec Mexico by G.B. Kirtland, illustrated by Jerome Snyder. 

C. read about Theseus in D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. 

Math 

C. and M. both did math facts flashcards. C. did timed two-digit addition with regrouping on the soroban, and she worked on 3rd grade math in Khan Academy. M. did some more exercises about time in Singapore math and worked on 4th grade math in Khan Academy.

Reading and Writing 

We started a new read-aloud, Away Goes Sally by Elizabeth Coatsworth, and M. started reading and listening to Mattimeo by Brian Jacques. C is still reading Ramona the Pest. She also read Elisa Michaels, Bigger and Better by Johanna Hurwitz. After dinner each night, my husband read from Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore. 

On the weekend, the three big girls wrote Mother's Day messages for both grandmothers. 

Physical Education

We had one outdoor playdate at the playground in our neighborhood, during which E. and C. enjoyed using their friend's stomp rocket. C. is also working on learning to cross the monkey bars. 

Instrumental Music

M. and C. both practiced piano and recorder daily. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 4/19/21

Morning Time

Poems 

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read: 

• "The Trout," a Southern Paiute song translated by John Wesley Powell
• "The Wind" by James Reeves
• "The Storm" by Sara Coleridge
• "What is Green?" by Mary O'Neill
• "The Woodpecker" by Elizabeth Madox Roberts

Read-Alouds 

We read all the articles in Vol.9 No. 2 of National Geographic Explorer (Pathfinder Edition): 

• "Eye in the Sky" by Jonathan McDowell (this one inspired M. to build a satellite from Legos)
• "Frightful Animals Hall of Fame" by Shirleyann Costigan
• "America the Beautiful" by Dana Jensen and Dolores Johnson

Music

We listened to the Triumphal March from Aida by Giuseppe Verdi. We practiced singing "Down in the Valley." 

Art Appreciation

This week we studied "La Piñata" by Diego Rivera from Come Look with Me: World of Play by Gladys S. Blizzard. 

Memory Work

C. reviewed the planets, four directions, 50 states, continents, oceans, months of the year, days of the week, and marks of the church  and worked on : "The Tiger" by William Blake and the countries of Europe. 

M: reviewed the countries of Europe and 13 colonies, and worked on "Sea Fever" by John Masefield , the books of the Bible, the 7 sacraments, the monarchs of England, and six countries of Asia.   

Science 

We finished up Lesson C-2 in BFSU, Sound, Vibration and Energy. We focused on how the eardrum works, and on sound waves. We also watched a lot of videos: 

• Operation Ouch - The Eardrum
• Operation Ouch - How Do Our Ears Work?
• Science for Kids - What is Sound Energy?
• Dr. Binocs - Invention of Morse Code
• The Coolest Things Sound Waves Do
• The Science of Hearing

*The information about hearing also qualifies as health.

Preschool

E. practiced her letters, and she learned the first part of the Vowel Rhyme from The Ordinary Parent's  Guide to Teaching Reading ("A is the first vowel we will say...). She also listened to some chapters in  The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook.  

History 

M. read "The Brilliant Civilization of the Mayas"  from A Picturesque Tale of Progress, which included sections called "Migrating Mayas," "Coast Dwellers," "The Old Empire in the South," "The Story of Creation," "Ceremonies and Customs," "The New Empire in Yucatan," "A Tale of Canek the Chieftain," "Kukulcan, Hero and God," "The League of Mayapan," "Chichen Under Toltec Rule," and "Last Days in Yucatan." This was review, as we covered the Maya last year. 

C. read about Hercules (Heracles) in D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths and then I printed out a Hercules coloring book for her to work on. 

Math

C. and M. both did math facts flashcards. C. did timed two-digit addition with regrouping on the soroban, and she worked on 3rd grade math in Khan Academy. M. did some exercises about time in Singapore math and worked on 4th grade math in Khan Academy. 

Reading and Writing 

We finished reading aloud Peppermints in the Parlor. C. finished Betsy-Tacy and Tib and moved on to Ramona the Pest. M. read Prince Caspian. M. also composed the message in her friend's birthday card all by herself and wrote it out without any assistance. 

Physical Education 

M. and C. have been struggling with seasonal allergies, but we still had a playdate here in our neighborhood, which included C.'s first-ever attempt at hopscotch. M. and C. and I also attended an outdoor birthday party for a friend who has a huge backyard and swingset and they did lots of running around there as well. I also took them to the playground near us a handful of times.

Instrumental Music

M. and C. both practiced piano and recorder daily. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 4/12/21

Morning Time 

Poems 

From Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018) we read: 

• "Chook, Chook, Chook" by Anonymous
• "Cuckoo" by Jane Taylor
• "Birdland" by Anonymous
• "Five Little Owls" by Anonymous
• "Voices of Water" by Tony Mitton 

I'm noticing that a whole lot of the poems in this book are anonymous and that is making me like it somewhat less. The girls especially liked "Voices of Water" and had me read it twice.  

Read-Alouds

We read all the articles from Vol. 8 No. 1 of National Geographic Explorer (Pathfinder edition): "Reef Rainbow" by Maxine Rose Schur, "Firestorm!" by Leslie Hall, "Terrific Tales" by Dana Jensen, "Wind at Work" by Beth Geiger, "The Wonder of Water" by Jim Enote. M. loved the one about wildfires, and C. liked the one about the reef.   

Art Appreciation

This week we looked at Domino Players by Horace Pippin from Come Look with Me: World of Play by Gladys S. Blizzard. 

Catechism 

This week we worked on  Lesson 21, "The Commandments of the Church: The First and Second Commandments" from The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism. 

Music 

We sang "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore" (with the recording by The Highwaymen) and listened to "Viennese Musical Clock" from the Háry János Suite by Zoltán Kodály. 

Memory Work 

C. reviewed the planets, four directions, 50 states, continents, oceans, months of the year, days of the week, and marks of the church  and worked on : "The Tiger" by William Blake and the countries of Europe. 

M: reviewed the countries of Europe and 13 colonies, and worked on "Sea Fever" by John Masefield , the books of the Bible, the 7 sacraments, the monarchs of England, and six countries of Asia.   

Science 

This week we worked on Lesson C-2 in BFSU, Sound, Vibration and Energy. My husband demonstrated for the girls on his guitar and we also used a rubber band and videos from Dr. Binocs, SciShow Kids, and Operation Ouch (Measuring Sound and Vocal Cords). On Friday, M. and C. went to their friend's house to visit some baby chicks the family was renting and to help with the first stage of making violet petal jam. 

C. also did her Marble Timer Kiwi Crate, which was her favorite of the ones she has done so far.

Preschool

E. and I read a chapter from The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook each day of the week. On Friday, she wrote with chalk on the driveway and played with play dough while the older girls were out. 

History 

M. read the Land in the West section from A Picturesque Tale of Progress, including the subheadings "Adventurous Northmen," "Christopher Columbus," "The Voyage to the West." She also read about Columbus in Follow the Dream by Peter Sis and The Log of Christopher Columbus' First Voyage to America in the Year 1492 published by Linnet Books, and she also looked through Columbus by Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire, The Columbus Story by Alice Dalgliesh and Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus? by Jean Fritz. She also drew a picture of Columbus and wrote a few accompanying sentences. For review, she also read A Long and Uncertain Journey by Joan E. Goodman and Tom McNeely. 

C. continued reading from D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths.

Math

C. and M. both did math facts flashcards. C. did timed two-digit multiplication and M. continued working on Singapore 3B Review 5 and 6.

Reading and Writing 

We started a new read-aloud, Peppermints in the Parlor by Barbara Brooks Wallace. M. worked on a story about pirates. She also finished reading The Road from Roxbury by Melissa Wiley and started Encyclopedia Brown Keeps the Peace by Donald Sobol. C. is still reading Betsy-Tacy and Tib.

Physical Education

We played at the playground a few times, and M. and C. played on their friend's swing set. They also did their Ten Thousand Method exercise video on Wednesday.

Instrumental Music

M. and C. both practiced piano and recorder daily.

Field Trip

On Saturday, we surprised the kids with a day trip to meet up with Grandma and Aunt B. in Hershey, PA. We visited ZooAmerica and the Hershey Gardens. The girls saw alligators, a bear, a lynx, a bobcat, owls, eagles, and deer at the zoo and played in a wigwam and a garden inspired by The Wind in the Willows, visited the butterfly atrium, and tested out a sundial at the gardens. It was a much-needed day out for everyone. 

Homeschool Update: Week of 4/5/21

Easter Week Activities

To celebrate the Easter octave, we did a different craft or activity each day. These included: an Alleluia coloring page from Catholic Family Crate, Bunny Bingo, pom pom craft kits from Dollar Tree, Bunny Go Fish, spring sticker scenes, and a Brother Francis video about the Resurrection on Formed.org. I also rewarded correct answers to math flashcards with chocolate candies and jellybeans. 

Morning Time 

• Poems from Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year selected by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon (Nosy Crow, 2018): "First Primrose" by Leonard Clark, "Blow,  breezes, blow!" by Anonymous, "Treading on the tail" by Yosa Buson, translated by R.H. Blyth, "When a fish..." by Anonymous, "Freckled fishes, flirting. flitting" by Anonymous 
• Articles from Vol. 17 No. 2 of National Geographic Explorer (Trailblazer edition): "Tall Tales" by Lynn Brunelle, "Show Me the Money" by Brenna Maloney, "In Search of Pristine Seas" by Dr. Enric Sala
• Art appreciation:  Snap the Whip by Winslow Homer from Come Look with Me: World of Play by Gladys S. Blizzard 
• Catechism: Review of the first few lessons in The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism
• Singing: "The Happy Wanderer" (recording by the Stargazers)
• Music Appreciation: Slavonic Dance No. 7 by Antonin Dvorak 
• Memory work: 
• C: "The Tiger" by William Blake, planets, four directions, 50 states, continents, oceans, months of the year, days of the week, marks of the church 
• M: "Sea Fever" by John Masefield, countries of Europe, 13 colonies, books of the Bible, the 7 sacraments, countries of Asia  

Science 

This week's topic was Time and the Earth's Turning. On Monday, the girls went outside several times to mark the movement of their shadows. The rest of the week, we discussed sundials and time zones. We finished the week with a video: What is Time? from Sunburst Visual Media, available through the public library's subscription to Just For Kids Access Video. 

Preschool

E. did her letter flashcards several times and listened to several chapters from The Milly-Molly-Mandy storybook. 

History 

M. read India, Land of Wealth and Splendor in A Picturesque Tale of Progress, including sections entitled "Ancient India," "Buddha, the Enlightened," "The Development of India," "The Spread of Buddhism, "The Golden Age of Hinduism," "The Mohammedans in India," "Tamerlane," and "The Great Moghuls." C. continued reading D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. 

Math

We started timing C. to see how many two-digit addition problems she could do on the soroban in 5 minutes. Her record so far is 6. M. did some two-digit multiplication and she started re-doing Review 5 and 6 from Singapore 3B because her answers were impossible to understand. 

Reading and Writing 

We finished reading aloud Dandelion Cottage. M. and C. enjoyed reading some of our Easter books. They also took advantage of nice days and read outside. M. wrote a story called "The Pirates" involving three pirates named Black Feather, Jim Dodd, and Sam Krickam who are sailing to the Philippines. 

Physical Education

We visited the playground by our house several times. The girls road bikes on Saturday morning.

Instrumental Music

M. and C. both practiced piano and recorder daily.