Hymn of the Week–“Prepare the Royal Highway” (Lutheran Service Book #343)

What a whirlwind week! We kept up with all of our Advent activities (the Jesse Tree, Tabitha’s Travels, and A Christmas Carol, plus our daily Lego build). In addition to that, Turkey and Bunny graphed with the first derivative in calculus. In advanced biology they finished the chapter on the nervous system…the brain is up next! They read about the connection between physical and emotional well-being in psychology. They continued their study of A Tale of Two Cities.

Ladybug learned how to factor trinomials with a beginning coefficient greater than one in algebra. I’m not going to lie…I really had to stretch my brain to remember how to do that, and it’s only been a few years since I taught Turkey and Bunny how to do it! She finished reading the next section of Treasure Island. In history, she and Chickadee learned about WWI and the Russian Revolution. Here’s a look at the beautiful Advent picture she colored in The Illuminated Hymnal:

Chickadee learned about equivalent fractions in math. She finished the chapter on eggs and baby birds in science. She continued to choose books from our Christmas collection for us to read out loud…there were a lot of them this week!

• Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend
• An Orange for Frankie
• The Crippled Lamb
• The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet
• The Day Before Christmas
• The Nutcracker in Harlem
• Silent Night
• Christmas in the Trenches
• Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
• The Queen and the First Christmas Tree

Next week, we’re going to have a fun week of Christmas School. I’m planning on finishing A Christmas Carol, and reading some more of our favorite picture books out loud. We’re also going to make ornaments and gingerbread houses, and watch many versions of The Nutcracker! And we’re going to bake a different (and new to us!) kind of Christmas cookie every day next week. I’m really looking forward to it!