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Learning Notes Week of August 7

Learning Notes Week of August 7

A snug Bella reading in the yard.
Reading Bella.

Sunday August 6

Sunday afternoon we went to see a community theater Shakespeare in the Park production of The Merchant of Venice. We took a picnic dinner and bought ice cream there. The children all loved the play, their first experience of live Shakespeare. It was especially gratifying to see them light up at references to Jason and the Argonauts, since we’re currently reading The Golden Fleece by Padraic Colum.

Waiting for the play to begin.
At Shakespeare in the Park.
The had Crescent Ridge ice cream for sale

Monday August 7

Began with drawing, blind contour drawings of forks and a little bronze horse from Greece.

Bella did Latin and copywork and math, watched a Khan Academy video about stars.

Sophie did math, copywork, and reviewed her French.

Ben did math and his letters book.

Anthony did math and read to me from Stories of Great Americans and did copywork.

Afternoon stories: Read about St Cajetan, All of a Kind Family Downtown, Golden Fleece, St Elizabeth of Hungary, Minn of the Mississippi, today’s lectionary readings.

Bedtime story: Shakespeare’s Star Wars.

Sketching Sophie.
Reading The Merchant of Venice, what else?

Tuesday August 8

Bella did Latin and copywork and math, some Miquon and some Khan Academy.

Sophie did math, copywork, and reviewed her French prayer. Also read from her Geography.

Ben did math and copywork and we did a letter review.

Anthony did math and read me the story of St Dominic and did copywork from the story.

Afternoon stories: All of a Kind Family Downtown, Augustus Caesar’s World, St Elizabeth of Hungary, Minn of the Mississippi.

Bedtime Story: Shakespeare’s Star Wars, Verily a New Hope.

Bella’s reading Girl of the Limberlost.

Sophie discovered Understood Betsy: “Hey, I found this cool book on the shelf and started reading it!”

Crisis as Sophie finished her saint book last night and didn’t have another one lined up. We found the Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque and that saved the evening. She’s also trying to read from her Bible daily.

The dots on the paper towels are irresistible.

Wednesday August 9

Feast day for St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (St Edith Stein). I had a strong desire to go to the celebratory Mass our parish was having for our patronal saint. She’s been very special saint to me since I was at her canonization in Rome. For the most part the kids were eager to go to Mass, but Lucy was rebelling. Ben gently rebuked her “ I don’t like Mass,” with a gentle pronouncement that “Mass is the best thing in the world because you get to have Jesus.”

Mass was lovely and afterwards there were lots of sweet treats and my children gorged themselves on cookies, pound cakes, danishes, and brownies. There was a brief talk by Fr McCarthy, the local Melkite priest whose daughter was miraculously cured through the intercession of St Terese Benedicta. 

He spoke about her name, Teresa Benedicta. Teresa, after St. Teresa of Avila— after reading her autobiography Edith Stein was convinced of the truth of the Catholic faith and decided to convert. And Benedicta a Cruce— the good word, bene dicta, of the cross. Edith Stein was a life-long seeker of the truth and the great truth that she found was the cross of Christ, where God’s love becomes manifest. He handed out a prayer card with a picture of the monument at Auschwitz, where St Teresa Benedicta was martyred. It read, “Love will be our Eternity.” Love, the love of God, the love of Christ on the cross.

It was a wonderful way to begin the day.

But then we had to do the grocery shopping and I had to go home first because I forgot my phone, and the list.

Afternoon stories: Hitty Her First Hundred Years, Story of the World, St Elizabeth of Hungary, Minn of the Mississippi.

Bedtime story: finished Shakespeare’s Star Wars: Verily a New Hope.

Thursday August 10

I forgot to take any notes. I think we just went grocery shopping. Maybe did a read aloud or two.

Friday August 11

Bella did Latin, math, copywork.

Sophie did math and copywork. She finished copying Tolkien’s Oliphant and is working on memorizing it. She’s become obsessed with memorizing and reciting poetry. I’ll take it.

Anthony did math. Later in the afternoon came back and read to me about a saint, one of the Popes named John, I forget which, and did copywork in order to earn an iPad turn.

Ben did math and copywork and we read several pages of a Bob book. I prepared the reading lesson ahead of time, writing out all the letters in the book. First, we practiced the sounds of the letters he would meet. All the letters instead of just the ones the editors highlight. And then when it came to reading he was much more fluent. Only stumbled a couple of times over letters he couldn’t remember. Prepping the lesson definitely helped. I need to do that more often.

Took the kids to the playground after lunch. They ran around for about an hour and a half while I sat in the shade and read and dozed a bit. Very refreshing for us all. We stopped by the library on the way home.

Afternoon stories: Hitty Her First Hundred Years, Story of the Chosen People, Roman Myths. And a picture book from the library.

I got Bella an Isaac Asimov book about novas and some other astronomy books. One about the Hubble. She’s still on a big astronomy kick. Liking the history of astronomy at the beginning of the book. She’s also reading a historical novel (about Ninevah, I think) and I’ve seen her with little house books too.

Sophie is reading a book about St Margaret Mary Alocoque and one about the Hawaiian princess, Kailulani.

Sophie gives me a tour of the pantry.
Washing cars.
Boys doing math.
Light pie and dark pie.
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