Homeschool

2022-23 School Year–Week Thirty-Two

That’s it for the 2022-23 school year! This was a pretty light week, focused on wrapping things up. Ladybug and Chickadee took their final tests and finished what they needed to in various books. We also had one last field trip…a visit to Grant’s Farm for Maifest. I thought this was a great way to end the year, especially since our Christmas School was focused on learning about Christmas in Germany, and Chickadee has so diligently studied German with Duolingo this year.

We ended the year the way we began…with a Disney-themed Lego set. This one is an art set of Minnie Mouse that is a companion to the piece we built back in August, and they actually connect to make one large picture!

In some ways, I don’t feel like I put in as much effort as I should have this my 15th year of homeschooling. It was a complicated year, schedule-wise, and I felt stretched pretty thin. I’m already looking forward to all of the things we’ll be doing next year, though, and hopefully I’ll make up for the lack of energy I had this year!

2022-23 School Year–Week Thirty-One

The penultimate week of the 2022-23 school year is complete!

On Monday, we visited the Missouri Botanical Garden for the “Chihuly in the Garden” exhibition. The glass works are beautiful, and we’re looking forward to going back next week to see it at night!

We spent a lot of time wrapping things up this week. Ladybug completed the last chapter in her algebra 2 book, which was on vectors. All she has left is the final exam. She finished the chapter on kinetics in chemistry, and all she has left is the exam (do you sense a theme here?). She also finished reading “Everyman,” and just has to write one last paper on it. In history, she about Henry IV, the King of Germany (as well as Holy Roman Emperor)…she just has a few more chapters to go.

Chickadee learned how to read different types of graphs in math (she still has a full week of math lessons to go). We continued to read about dinosaurs in science. We finished Smoke on the Wind and started reading Meet Felicity…I’m hoping to keep reading those books over the summer. She had her last spelling test of the year this week, too.

We don’t have too much left to do next week, and a good bit of it is just for fun (including one last field trip I hope doesn’t get rained out)…stay tuned!

2022-23 School Year–Week Thirty

It’s been a busy week! On Wednesday, we took a field trip to see the new “Soccer City” exhibit at the Missouri History Museum. It was pretty cool (we even got to see some very recent history, because they had the ball that scored the first goal for St. Louis City SC on display!), and there were some fun, hands-on activities including foosball and a soccer video game that I was truly terrible at!

Even though our main purpose for driving into the city was touring that exhibit, the best part of the day was exploring the Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape in Forest Park for the first time (plus a brief stop at Turtle Park). It’s a great outdoor space, and while we were there, we got to see a few owls from the World Bird Sanctuary in Vally Park, which was really interesting.

The rest of the week wasn’t quite so exciting. Ladybug solved equations with three variables in algebra 2, which wasn’t as difficult as she was expecting. We started a chapter on kinetics in chemistry and she learned about reaction rates and rate orders. She read about William the Conqueror and the Norman Conquest in history (it was pretty exciting to learn about the first coronation at Westminster Abbey with the next coronation just over a week away!). In creative writing, she had to write a poem about a significant event (she chose COVID-19) within her lifetime. She started her last selection in literature, Everyman.

Chickadee continued to work with the metric system in math. We read more about dinosaurs in science, and I learned that Chickadee’s favorite dinosaur is the triceratops (mine is the maiasaura in case you were wondering). She started reviewing all of the poems she’s memorized this year (six of them!). We only have one chapter of Smoke on the Wind left.

Just two more weeks of school, and we’re hoping for two more field trips, too!

2022-23 School Year–Week Twenty-Nine

We’re trying to get in a lot of outdoor field trips before the end of the school year since the weather is so nice…this week, it was a visit to two playgrounds ranked among the best in the St. Louis area by St. Louis Magazine, plus an old family favorite: Queeny Park, Watson Trail Park, and Vlasis Park:

Of course, we also had our regular work (although it is beginning to wind down). In algebra 2, Ladybug figured age and boat/current problems. I thought we had wrapped up thermodynamics last week, but there was more fun with the application of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. In history, she read about the Great Schism and Leif Ericson’s exploration of North America…next week is the Norman Conquest! She read a sestina poem in creative writing and identified its rhyme scheme. In literature, she read a section of Robin Hood Ballads.

Chickadee worked with measurement conversions in math and had and introduction to the metric system. In science, we started a chapter about dinosaurs, learning a bit about how they’re named, and what makes a sauropod different from a theropod. She finished her history curriculum for the year, learning about the end of the Western Roman Empire and the contributions that Rome made to the world that we still see today. We continued reading Smoke on the Wind.

Only three weeks to go, and right now, I have a fun field trip planned for each week!

2022-23 School Year–Weeks Twenty-Seven and Twenty-Eight

Catching up on two weeks of school since Holy Week was so busy, but first, we had a fun Easter Monday field trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden to see the beautiful spring flowers in bloom!

Trying to think back over two weeks of lessons…Ladybug solved systems of equations and solved for mixtures in algebra 2. She read “The Literature of the Priest,” in literature, including a selection from The Venerable Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation. In chemistry, she wrapped up thermodynamics with entropy and Hess’ Law. She read about the unification of Korea in history. In creative writing, she wrote a villanelle poem.

Chickadee learned how to calculate percents in math. We continued reading the second Kaya book, Smoke on the Wind. She wrapped up her chapter in science by learning about amphibians. In grammar, she did an extensive review of pretty much everything she’s learned so far this year. In history, she read about Attila the Hun, Stilicho and the Visigoths, and the Vandals destruction of Rome.

We’ve only got about a month of the 2022-23 school year left to go!

2022-23 School Year–Week Twenty-Six

A few days late, but here’s a look a what we worked on in school last week!

Ladybug learned how to graph hyperbolas in algebra 2. She started a new chapter on thermodynamics in chemistry and was introduced to the concept of enthalpy. She read some examples of “The Literature of the Warrior,” including The Seafarer and Andreas: A Legend of St. Andrew. In history, she read about the formation of Germany. We finished reading The Fellowship of the Ring…she’s really looking forward to watching the movie soon!

Chickadee continued to work with decimals in math. In history, she learned about the time from Nero to Constantine, which included both the catacombs and the end of the persecution of Christians. She read all about crocodilians in science, including alligators, caimans, gavials, and, of course, crocodiles! In grammar, she reviewed abbreviations, as well as diagramming sentences that contain interjections and prepositional phrases.

We are planning on having school this week, but since it is Holy Week, we’ll probably have an abbreviated schedule, and then things will really move fast until the end of the year!

2022-23 School Year–Week Twenty-Five

This has been a long (albeit fun!) week…let’s see what I remember, because Monday seems like an eternity ago!

Ladybug learned the vertex formula in algebra 2. She memorized the poem “The Jabberwocky” in creative writing. In chemistry, she learned about calorimetry. We began a new literature study with an introduction to poetry, prose, and drama from the Old English and Medieval periods. In history, she read about the founder of the House of Normandy (formerly Rollo the Viking).

Chickadee learned about decimals in the tenths, hundredths, and thousandths places in math. In science, she continued learning about reptiles, focusing on different types of turtles. She read about the life of Jesus (all review…lucky her!), and the destruction of the temple in history. In grammar, she worked on sentences using comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs.

I hope next week is a bit more chill…I need a breather before Holy Week hits!

2022-23 School Year–Week Twenty-Four

This was our last week of school before spring break, and the theme for the week was wrapping things up…we finished a remarkable number of things!

Ladybug graphed parabolas in algebra 2. She finished To Kill a Mockingbird. In history, she read about the breaking up of the Islamic Empire and also about Vikings in Britain. She finished the chapter on the gas phase in chemistry, focusing on the Ideal Gas Law.

Chickadee worked with ratios in math. We finished reading The Journey Begins. We also finished the science chapter on snakes and lizards. In history, she read all about Julius Caesar…the battles he fought, his rise to power, and his untimely death. She diagrammed compound sentences in grammar.

We also had an opportunity for a field trip this week…the Missouri History Museum had a “History Exploration Day” about mid-century women, which was right up my alley. The workshop on “Women, War, and the Workforce” was, in my opinion, one of the best they’ve presented. There were also some cool, um, “artifacts” to explore:

While we were out, we swung by the St. Louis Science Center:

I’m looking forward to spring break!

2022-23 School Year–Week Twenty-Three

Welcome, March!

Ladybug learned how to graph circles and ellipses in algebra 2. She read about the Rus and the emergence of the Vikings, as well Michael III and Basil, in history. In chemistry, she learned about all kinds of laws and their corresponding equations: Boyle’s Law, Charles’ Law, the Combined Gas Law, and Dalton’s Law. She had another poetry assignment in creative writing. We are getting closer to the end of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Chickadee learned about reciprocals and how to divide fractions in math. She read about lizards of all kinds in science. In history, she learned about Confucius and then started a long section on Julius Caesar. She reviewed how to diagram prepositional phrases that act as adverbs in grammar. We are near the end of Kaya Book One: The Journey Begins.

I’m planning on a fun, two-part field trip next week…here’s hoping it works out!