Playing catch up and combining two weeks because I feel like there’s not much to report. We’ve hit the January slump. Or I have, at least. And the kids are following my lead, or only living up to me expectations or something like that.
On Sunday night the kids were all wild and crazy so I pulled out my copy of The Rattle Bag and read poetry at them. They didn’t love everything, and they didn’t really ever completely settle down, but they did listen to some poetry and I didn’t lose my cool.
Monday January 15
Anthony– math and copywork
Ben– math and Explode the Code
Sophie– math and copywork, French, Geography– reading about Austria and the Blue Danube led us to watching a bunch of You Tube videos of the waltz and other waltzes and to dancing in the kitchen.
Bella– math (Khan Academy), copywork/dictation, history of Japan (Romance of Reality by Morris)
afternoon stories: King of Ireland’s Son, Adam of the Road, Augustus Caesar’s World, Saint Francis Xavier, Doorway of Amethyst.
Bedtime story: Nobody Likes a Goblin.
Tuesday January 16
Anthony– math and copywork and reading
Ben– math, copywork, and Explode the Code
Sophie– math and copywork, French (recite Je vous salut), Geography
Bella– math (Khan Academy), copywork, Latin, read and narrated history of Japan
afternoon stories: King of Ireland’s Son, Adam of the Road, Story of the World, North with the Spring, Book of Angels.
Dom has started a new tradition of playing theme music at dinner, matching it to cuisine. So Italian music with pasta, mariachi music with tacos, Japanese music with miso/noodle soup. Tonight was Indian food and so we introduced them to Bollywood, watching some videos on Dom’s phone as well as listening to the music. And then everyone got up and danced in the kitchen.
Bedtime story: Turn of the Century, a book about the change from one century to another, written shortly before the new millennium. Each page spread highlights a child at the turn of a new century beginning with the year 1000 and going through the year 2000.
Wednesday January 17
Anthony– math, copywork, reading (about St Anthony of the desert)
Ben– math, copywork, Explode the Code
Sophie– math and copywork, French, Geography
Bella– math (Khan Academy), copywork, dictation, Latin, music lessons on the iPad.
afternoon stories: King of Ireland’s Son, Adam of the Road, Augustus Caesar’s World, Catholic Tales for Boys and Girls, Doorway of Amethyst.
Bedtime story: Mary Mother of Jesus
Thursday January 18
Anthony– math and copywork
Ben– math, copywork and Explode the Code
Sophie– math and copywork, dictation
Bella– math (Khan Academy), copywork, dictation, Latin, narration of history
afternoon stories: King of Ireland’s Son, Adam of the Road, Story of the World, Book of Angels, North with the Spring.
Dinner music: Strauss waltzes to go with schnitzel. Dinner conversation: naval battles, Monitor vs Merrimac, steel clad ships, the mounting of gun turrets, pykrete ship the Habukkuk.
Bedtime story: Howl’s Moving Castle.
Friday January 19
Anthony– math and copywork
Ben– math, copywork
Sophie– math and copywork
Bella– math (Khan Academy), copywork
Grocery store day.
afternoon stories: King of Ireland’s Son, Adam of the Road, Augustus Caesar’s World, Doorway of Amethyst. Finished St Francis of the Seven Seas.
Monday January 22
Took Bella to the dentist to have two teeth pulled. (She did talk to me about the Romance of Reality books by Charles Morris which she’s been reading for history.)
Sophie: math and copywork
Ben: math, copywork, Explode the Code
Anthony: math, copywork.
Stories: King of Ireland’s Son, Adam of the Road, St Margaret Mary, Story of the World, North with the Spring.
Bedtime: Howl’s Moving Castle.
Tuesday January 23
Sophie began the day with hymn singing from the Adoremus Hymnal.
Anthony: math, copywork, Child’s History
Ben: math, copywork, Explode the Code
Sophie: math, copywork
Bella: math, copywork, Latin
King of Ireland’s Son, Adam of the Road, Augustus Caesar’s World, Doorway of Amethyst, Mass explained.
Bedtime: Midnight (book about a horse in WWI)
Wednesday January 24
Anthony: math, copywork, Child’s History
Ben: math, copywork, Explode the Code, Bob Book
Sophie: math, copywork, Child’s Geography
Bella: math, copywork, Latin, composition (story about Mt St Helens)
Read alouds: King of Ireland’s Son, Adam of the Road, St Margaret Mary, Story of the World, Blood and Guts.
Bedtime Howl’s Moving Castle.
Thursday January 25
Anthony: math, copywork
Ben: math, copywork, Explode the Code
Sophie: math, copywork
Bella: math, copywork
Grocery store.
King of Ireland’s Son, Adam of the Road, St Margaret Mary.
Bedtime: Bluebird Summer
Friday January 26
All did math and copywork.
Bella also did Latin and narrated Black Beauty to me. And then we had a history rabbit trail as she decided to determine from clues in the book what time it takes place. Her curiosity was piqued by a horse who fought in the Crimean War– a war she’s been interested in since reading a book about Florence Nightingale and the Charge of the Light Brigade. I found that the book’s forward mentioned the publication date. And then we looked up which British monarch was on the throne– Victoria. And which US president. She was curious as to how the timeline compared with The Queen’s Own Grove, which we determined happened much later.
Sophie did French and read Geography. She’s also continued with hymn singing.
Anthony read Child’s History.
Ben did Explode the Code.
Read alouds: King of Ireland’s Son– finished; Adam of the Road; Story of the World; Book of Angels.
