Each week seems busier than the last, and frankly, I’m not OK with that! But, such is life…
In addition to our daily readings from The Christian Year of Grace in the morning, we have almost finished the first book in the Mr. Pipes series (Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers). We have now read all but the last chapter, and we’ve only encountered one British hymn writer not found in the pages of Lutheran Service Book. In fact, we’ve compiled quite a list of hymns written by the different authors we’ve read about that are found in our hymnal, and are looking forward to adding to it as we read through the entire four-book series!
Math has been…interesting. Ladybug is working on beginning equations, which she is enjoying. Turkey and Bunny, in addition to simplifying square roots, are working on more complicated equations, and I can’t say they’re huge fans. Remembering to follow the order of operations while grouping like items has been a bit challenging, but I think they’re getting it. Everyone did well on their math tests today, so that was good!
We got to do a few science experiments this week, including one involving baking soda, vinegar, a plastic bottle, and a balloon. We’ve done several experiments with baking soda and vinegar in the past, so everyone knew what to expect, but we never used the gas formed by the reaction to fill a balloon, so the children loved it! We also made gliders with different wingspans, and after measuring the distance of ten flights for each of them, found the average distance traveled, and determined which wingspan provides the best flight. Fortunately, our data matched the conclusion we were supposed to come to, which, let’s face it, isn’t always the case in our science experiments. User error or something…
In history, in addition to learning about King James and his Jamestown colony, we spent a lot of time learning about the attempt to find a northwest passage through Canada to the Pacific Ocean. We studied the travels of both Champlain and Hudson, and learned about some of the other early North American colonies started by then French and the British.
We’ve also worked on adding some dedicated P.E. time to our school days, now that the weather is (kind of) cooler. We’ve been doing a lot of jogging (OK, the children have…I don’t jog), and also playing soccer and volleyball. This has been especially helpful for Bunny, who is in the middle of her volleyball season. After several hours practicing her serve this week, she successfully served 11 points over the three games in her match last night!
Next week is looking to be just as busy as this week was…is it too much to hope that math, at least, will go a little smoother?