I’m a few days late, but that’s just how it goes the first week back after an extended break!
It was definitely challenging getting back into a routine, but we did our best. We talked about the order of the Divine Service, as well as the organization of the church year in Lutheranism 101. For the most part, this was review, because I’ve always made a big deal out of both the liturgy and the liturgical calendar, however, the few new things that popped up were really new…as in, even new to the teacher! We also had the opportunity to attend the Divine Service on the commemoration day for the Cappadocian Fathers, and even heard a sermon originally written by Gregory of Nanzianzus on the subject of Jesus’ Baptism!
In math, Turkey and Bunny continued to factor, factor, factor. Now that they’ve learned how to factor all kinds of particular polynomials, they put what they learned to use in simplifying rational expressions. I actually heard Bunny say that was kind of fun! Ladybug has continued to work on division…and having a few weeks off didn’t encourage her to like it any better!
Grammar is getting pretty intense for Ladybug, as well. The sentences she is diagramming are getting progressively longer and more complicated, and yet she breezes through them for the most part. Turkey and Bunny wrote an essay about William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings for their writing assignment this week, which also sparked an interesting discussion in which we tried (I think successfully!) to untangle the familial relationships of Edward the Confessor, Harold II, and William the Conqueror. I love when history conversations come up outside of our actual history lessons!
Speaking of history, this week, we learned about the Oregon Trail. There wasn’t much new here, in part due to the fact that all of the children (even little Chickadee!) enjoy playing Oregon Trail on the iPad. I think they were surprised at how honest that game can be about the travel experience! We also talked about the forced relocation of the Native Americans, and some of the battles that were fought by men like Sitting Bull and Geronimo.
Everyone started a new chapter of science this week. Turkey and Bunny are learning about the different layers of the earth. They got to do a fun experiment which simulated the type of plastic rock you might find in the mantle. Ladybug is now learning about sharks and rays, which is very exciting to her, especially since she has had the opportunity to touch the stingrays at the St. Louis Zoo many times!
We even picked up our literature studies where we left off. I’m really enjoying going through Greek Myths with Ladybug, especially since I now get to hear Bunny’s, and particularly Turkey’s, commentary on the stories, having studied them further for school and for fun. I’m also still enjoying reading through Treasure Island with Turkey and Bunny…we’re all trying to guess what will happen next!
We got through all of our subjects, but we didn’t get around to everything every day. Hopefully this week, we’ll get back into our routine a little better, and things will feel a bit more normal!