Monday February 29
Leap day! Very early dentist appointment with Bella and Sophie.
Sophie did half a page of math, copywork, read me psalm 51, and drew a hydrangea flower.
Bella dragged but eventually did Latin, math, copywork, and drew a hydrangea.
No math for the boys. I was too incoherent from a night of interrupted sleep combined with a very early morning. The kids ran around outside. They found the first crocus of the year and Bella caught a grasshopper. Last year at this time where they found the flower we had snowbanks that were more than 6 feet tall.
Afternoon stories: Pigeon Post, Catechism, Faith and Life— Solomon and Isaiah. Spiderweb for Two, Story of the World— stocks and philanthropists, Story Book of Science— metal plating. Lord of the Rings.
Anthony read a whole sentence in the Catechism all on his own. Not an easy sentence either. He figured out the words “himself” and “salvation”.
Bella and I read an article about bioluminescent bacteria and the Civil War. History and science!
dinner lectio divina Jesus of Nazareth
Bedtime story: Thank You Mr Falker by Patricia Polacco.
Tuesday March 1
Bella did Latin, math, copywork, drawing, and in the evening wrote a little story in her notebook. She also read aloud to Sophie.
Sophie did math, copywork, and drawing and read to me.
I did math with Ben and Anthony and they worked on writing letters.
We all went to vote and had some conversations about voting.
Afternoon stories: Pigeon Post, Catechism, Faith and Life, My Path to Heaven, Spiderweb for Two, Story of the World— Boxer Rebellion, Lord of the Rings.
Lucy has taken to managing story time. She fetches me each book as we come to it. Unprompted. She knows the usual order and recognizes each book and says the name as she hands it to me, “I’ll get Pigeon Post for you, Mommy.”
Children watched Wildest India about the Himalayas and then Monkey Thieves.
Lectio divine, Jesus of Nazareth is still going well with good conversation springing from our reading. Tonight it prompted Bella and Sophie to go find their Bibles to read Psalm 51. We keep running into it, which is appropriate, it’s a very Lenten Psalm. But funny how it comes up over and over again in various contexts.
Wednesday March 2
Anthony’s physical today. So schoolwork delayed until after we’d gone to the doctor.
We spotted the first robin of the year, singing on the maple tree in the backyard. We’re listening to The Magician’s Nephew in the car.
After yesterday I was tempted to skip school work, but it was rainy out and I figured we might as well try. I read the kids about the saint of the day and read the lectionary readings.
Then I did math with Ben and Anthony. Then Anthony drew some letters. Amazing how he could not focus on writing at first and was just scribbling and then when I said he could have an iPad turn if he really tried, he churned out a bunch of really nice l’s and i’s and o’s. And he also read me a Bob book.
Sophie did math and copywork and drew a stem of the Japanese pieris.
Bella spent the morning writing a story. She was inspired by having read an article on grammar in The Dangerous Book for Boys. She was struck by the information about conjunctions. So she wrote a little story on the whiteboard and then copied it into her notebook along with illustrations. and then helped Anthony read it.
Sophie and Ben were inspired by Bella’s story and each wanted to write a story in their notebooks. I helped Sophie spell a few words. I wrote out Ben’s words for him to copy from the white board. He got tired after 7 words, but that was so much more than the nothing I’d got him to write when I was trying to get him to do something. Yay for unschooling.
Eventually I also got her to do math and copywork. I think she finished them right before dinner.
Afternoon stories: Pigeon Post. Catechism— sacrament of Confirmation— and Faith and Life about baptism as an invitation. Spiderweb for Two. Story Book of Science— iron and gold. Lord of the Rings.
Kids watched Wildest India and Monkey Thieves.
Bedtime Stories: Father Philip Tells a Ghost Story, If Jesus Came to My House.
Thursday March 3
Skipped all morning schoolwork, though we did read about St Katherine Drexel. Went to the grocery store.
Afternoon stories: Pigeon Post, Catechism, Faith and Life, Spiderweb for Two, Story of the World— Japanese-Russian War. No Lord of the Rings. Kids went outside to play with friends.
Bedtime stories: Chanticleer and the Fox.
Friday March 4
Sophie’s birthday. We took a break from morning school again. Time to play with presents.
Afternoon stories: Pigeon Post, Catechism, Faith and Life, Spiderweb for Two, Lord of the Rings.
We watched a video about the Trappestine nuns of Mount Saint Mary Abbey where our friend Sr. Karla is a novice. A beautiful hour long video about the life of the abbey, the nun’s vocation stories. So inspiring. And nice to catch glimpses of our friend within the cloister.
