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Learning Notes Week of August 17

Learning Notes Week of August 17

Sophie says the Millennium Falcon broke and they had to find a new space ship.
Sophie says the Millennium Falcon broke and they had to find a new space ship.
Big brother Ben takes Lucy for a walk.
Big brother Ben takes Lucy for a walk.
Big brother Ben takes Lucy and Anthony for a walk down the block.
Big brother Ben takes Lucy and Anthony for a walk down the block.

Sunday August 16

We had a painting afternoon. First, while Lucy was napping, I rolled out a big sheet of paper and the kids and I painted all together, each taking a little section of the paper, but also each encroaching on everyone else’s bits and collaborating. Then when that was drying I put out smaller papers for Lucy, Ben, and Bella and they each did their own painting while Sophie and Anthony went to watch the race with Dom.

Group painting, made by Ben, Sophie, Bella, and me while Lucy was asleep.
Group painting, made by Ben, Sophie, Bella, and me while Lucy was asleep.
Ben paints.
Ben paints.
Bella paints.
Bella paints.
Lucy paints.
Lucy paints.
Ben paints with Lucy.
Ben paints with Lucy.

Monday August 17

Bella did a page of Miquon math and a bit of cursive and copywork. Sophie did a page of Miquon math (counting by fours) and a bit of copywork. Ben did a bit of math, copying linking cube patterns. And also words that begin with H. Anthony did some tracing of Ee and words that begin with E.

Grocery store run. We did some real world math.

Afternoon stories: Peter Duck, My Family and Other Animals, Bible story: Elijah. (Real world math: 4 jugs of water poured three times equals how many jars of water? And what is the significance of the number 12?) Sophie gave a very good narration of the Elijah story, hitting many of the essential details and showing a lively interest in the story. Her first really successful narration and now I know she can do it I really want to get her to do it with history. (Why does she struggle so with history, with paying attention to names?) When she was done Anthony and Ben filled in some details she missed. Anthony jumped straight in with a detail she’d got wrong, she said volcano instead of earthquake. That irked my detail-minded boy. Elijah’s altar with 12 stones for the twelve tribes led to a discussion about the names of the 12 Tribes of Israel. I looked them up, but first Sophie remembered they were in her copy book and pulled it out. I wrote a list so we can memorize them and hung it on the wall in the dining room.

Our new National Geographic Atlas of the World came today and we spent a lot of time looking at maps. First, I flipped through it with the kids looking over my shoulder. Then they fought over who got to look at it first. Favorites were the charts of the ocean floors and the section on space. My kids love maps so this book is a huge treat.

Independent reading: Today Bella read selections from: Biographies of women astronauts, Across the Puddingstone Dam, Friendly Gables, the world atlas, her visual dictionary.

Bedtime stories: Bella asked for Smithsonian Backyard Chipmunk book. Lucy wanted Papa’s Mechanical Fish. Sophie had Bad River Boys.

Exploring the new atlas.
Exploring the new atlas.

Tuesday August 18

I began the day with Morning Prayer. Anthony joined me for the day’s lectionary readings and remembered them from an earlier day this week, recognizing a name that reappeared.

Sophie did a page of Miquon and copied books of the Old Testament. Bella did a page of Miquon and copied a few lines of a poem. Ben traced some Hs and Is and we talked about words that begin with H. Anthony did G and what words begin with G. Ben did math, pattern blocks. Then everyone played with pattern blocks:Anthony, Sophie, Lucy, Bella, Ben.

I copied out a verse from a psalm and drew one of my flowers.

Sophie read me Chipmunk at Hollow Tree Lane.

I did part two of the organizing and categories lesson from BFSU, organization and memory: remembering 20 objects on a tray by organizing them into groups. I also introduced them to the idea of using s narrative as an aide memoire, which was not really the lesson. I think I need to do the memory game some more, perhaps with easier to define categories.

Bella is reading Beyond the Heather Hills.

Afternoon stories: Peter Duck, My Family and Other Animals. I was nodding and gave up after that.

We all spent time watching the hummingbirds which have been coming to the hostas along the back of the house. They go from flower to flower and then settle for a rest on a branch of the maple tree.

Bella read to me from Little Town on the Prairie.

Bedtime stories: Hedgie’s Surprise, Goodnight Moon, Chipmunk at Hollow Tree Lane.

Dom brought me flowers for our anniversary.
Dom brought me flowers for our anniversary last week.
My sketch of one of the anniversary flowers.
My sketch of one of the anniversary flowers.

Wednesday August 19

I had an early appointment. The girls did Miquon and copywork and Sophie did cursive. Bella’s cursive book has gone missing.

I spent a long time photographing the hummingbird in the hostas. The kids took turns observing him with me. Bella has also been observing the goldfinches.

Afternoon reading: Peter Duck.

My mom arrived for a visit. Sophie read to Grandma. Grandma talked to them about paisley and other patterns and looked at images of them on her ipad.

Bedtime stories: Hedgie’s Surprise, Bella had Dom read her a chapter of a novel.

Looking at paisley patterns with Grandma.
Looking at paisley patterns with Grandma.
Hummingbird on the hosta.
Hummingbird on the hosta.
Hummingbird perching on the trellis
Hummingbird perching on the trellis
Hummingbird nectaring at the hosta.
Hummingbird nectaring at the hosta.
Hummingbird on the hosta.
Hummingbird on the hosta.
Hummingbird perching on the maple tree.
Hummingbird perching on the maple tree.

Thursday August 20

Bella and Sophie each did Miquon. Sophie did copywork. Bella did cursive. We all worked on memorizing the 12 Tribes of Israel.

Anthony went through the Kumon lowercase letters workbook and identified all the letters and worked on the sounds they make. I sat with him and helped him sound out a few words where he couldn’t identify the picture. Ben joined in on thinking of objects that begin with W and a couple of other letters.

Ben filled out his calendar and we practiced buying objects with dimes, from $.60 to $1.00. Anthony joined in counting by 10s, so he got some math practice too.

Sophie asked about sand dollars and so we read about them in The Seaside Naturalist and then looked at some videos online.

I drew the hostas in the vase and tried to model some hostas out of clay. Then showed Bella and Sophie how to make roses out of clay. Ben and Lucy and Anthony played with the clay too.

Afternoon stories: Peter Duck, My Family and Other Animals. Story of the World: Waterloo. Faith and Life.

Bella spotted a bird she’d never seen before while she was climbing in the tree. She came in and described it to me and we tried to find it in the books and online and she couldn’t make an id. So we wrote down her observations and she drew a sketch of it in our bird notebook.

Bedtime stories: Three Billy Goats Gruff and the one about the butterfly and the lizard that’s really about confirmation.

Dinner with Grandma.
Dinner with Grandma.

Friday August 21

Sophie did math and copywork and cursive. Frustration with copywork, but she did a couple of words. Also Xtra Math.

Bella did most of a page of math, some copywork.

Anthony did a very short little reading lesson with me: at, am, an, ad.

Bella decided yesterday’s bird was a great crested flycatcher. I’m not fully convinced, but she was happy about the id.

Afternoon stories: Peter Duck, My Family and Other Animals, Lobster’s Secret, Angel’s Alphabet. The latter two Anthony’s choice. Also more of the Caterpillar’s Crusade book for Anthony.

Playing cards with Grandma.
Playing cards with Grandma.
Playing cards with Grandma.
Playing cards with Grandma.
Playing cards with Grandma.
Playing cards with Grandma.
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