This was a busy week of school following our Thanksgiving break (and also our only full week of subjects before we shift gears to learning about Christmas in Italy!).
This week I taught the lesson I hate most out of all of the years of math…Factoring trinomials of the form of ax² + bx + c. I don’t know why, but I have a major mental block about teaching it, but Chickadee did a fabulous job! In religion we discussed the role of the pastor, as well as the meaning behind the pastor’s “uniform.” She learned about the difference between distance and displacement as well speed and velocity in science. In history we read about the Russian revolution and the end of WWI. We continued reading Treasure Island, and I realized there’s no way we’re going to finish it before Christmas. And this week’s recipe from the American Girl Sweet and Savory Treats Cookbook was also a seasonal favorite…ginger cookies inspired by Felicity.
Next week is Christmas school, a little more math, and general catching up on anything we need to get done before our vacation!
This week was very social studies heavy! Not only did we continue our regular survey of history, focusing on WWI, but we also continued to study the US Constitution, and dove into the history of the Mayflower and the first Thanksgiving. We had plenty of other work, too. Chickadee divided polynomials and started factoring in algebra. We continued reading Treasure Island. In science she learned about catalysts. And this week’s recipe from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook was “Ice Cream Sandwiches” inspired by Molly, with a festive twist…we filled the homemade chocolate-chocolate chip sandwiches with hot cocoa ice cream we found at Target!
Next week we’re just going to wrap up a few things before Thanksgiving!
I’m not going to lie…this was another kind of weird week, starting with the fact that I went on a field trip without my single student. We had already planned to make our annual autumn visit to Cahokia Mounds on Veteran’s Day before Chickadee broke her ankle, and she wasn’t up to that kind of trail walking, so Bunny, Ladybug, and I had to go without her. It was a beautiful, cool day, and I guess I’m counting it as a teacher inservice? I promised Chickadee we’d go back in the spring, too.
To make up for Cahokia Mounds, we went to the St. Louis Art Museum to check out the Native American art, and we saw some cool things, including this bowl and necklace, but a lot of those galleries are currently undergoing renovations, so that didn’t really work as planned either.
But we did get a lot of regular work done. Chickadee reviewed the FOIL method in algebra and also multiplied larger polynomials. She learned about synthesis & decomposition reactions as well as single & double replacement reactions in science. In religion we discussed the Office of the Keys and the difference between the releasing and binding keys. She read about the Balkan wars in history…WWI approaches! We continued reading Treasure Island. We began a study of the U.S. Constitution. And our recipe from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook was a good one…we made “Day at the Beach Cupcakes” inspired by 2020 Girl of the Year Joss…they were delicious and cute!
Next week we get to delve into all of our favorite Thanksgiving stories!
On Saturday, we went on our annual autumn walk around Creve Coeur Lake. It was a beautiful day!
Chickadee and I had fun playing tennis:
We made challah from the American Girl Sweet and Savory Treats Cookbook inspired by Chickadee’s original American Girl doll, Rebecca Rubin:
And then Chickadee broke her ankle. We still got quite a bit of work done, but I’m not going to lie…some things got skipped this week! In algebra she reviewed everything she’s learned about solving systems of equations, and then graphed them, too. In history we read about the Boxer rebellion and Japan’s victory over a European army when they defeated Russia in the Russo-Japanese War. In science we continued to discuss the naming of compounds. We continued reading Treasure Island. And we stopped by Dunkin’ Donuts to try their new Wicked for Good drinks…the matcha variety was especially delicious!
I’ve had to rearrange our field trip plans for the next few weeks due to Chickadee’s broken ankle, and I definitely don’t think we’ll be playing tennis anytime soon!
This week Chickadee graphed inequalities and solved systems of equations in algebra. She worked on four-level outlines in writing. In history we read about westward expansion, the rise of stockholders, and Andrew Carnagie. She finished the chapter in science by learning about adhesion and cohesion. We continued to read Treasure Island. This week’s recipe from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook was “Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies” inspired by Josefina…they’re one of my favorite things we’ve made so far!
We’re planning on going on our favorite annual fall field trip tomorrow!
In algebra Chickadee solved inequalities with absolute values. She read about Alexander III and Nicholas II of Russia in history. We continued to read Treasure Island. In writing she focused on how to write a scientific lab report, which meant she got to do a bonus science experiment! She learned more about bonding in her actual science class. In religion we talked about what makes a church. And this week’s recipe from the American Girl Sweet and Savory Treats Cookbook was “Seashell Madeleines” inspired by 2020 Girl-of-the-Year Joss.
I’m loving that it’s finally fall and we have more opportunities to be outside!
This week in algebra, Chickadee put everything she’s learned about graphing equations together to write equations for lines that had already been graphed, and then graph parallel and perpendicular lines to go with it. She also did some word problems about roller coasters that used her knowledge of slope and graphing equations. In science, she learned about chemical bonds, and the difference between ionic and covalent bonds. She read about the Irish Potato Famine and the Boer War in history. We began Treasure Island. She practiced writing an instructional sequence in writing. This week’s recipe from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook was “Frozen Yogurt Berry Bites” inspired by Kaya. They were quick and easy to make, and tasted delicious, but I can’t help but think they could have done better than “berries were a staple of the Nez Percé diet” for Kaya.
And today we went pumpkin picking…not in our own backyard like last year, because we didn’t grow anything this time around, but at our favorite local pumpkin patch. For the first time in several years, all five children were home and available, so they all come along, and since we couldn’t decide, we ended up with four pumpkins (and apple cider donuts, too!):
It looks like next week, it’s actually going to feel like fall, and I am very excited about that!
We started the week by participating in the Illinois Heartland Library System’s “Library Crawl.” We had a lot of fun visiting a dozen libraries, and Chickadee also got some practice with maps and navigation!
The rest of the week we focused on our regular work. In algebra she learned about the standard form of linear equations, and practiced “reading” a graph to come up with a formula to go with it. In history we read about the continued colonization of Australia and Africa. We finished The Wind in the Willows…it was a charming book! In religion we read about the difference between the theology of the cross and the theology of glory. She finished the chapter on the introduction to the periodic table in science. And this week’s recipe from the American Girl Sweet & Savory Treats Cookbook was Apple Bread Pudding inspired by Kit. It might be my favorite thing we’ve made so far…it tasted just like fall!
Not sure if we have anything special going on next week, but we’ll see!
Yesterday Chickadee and I went on a really fun and unique field trip…we participated in the Illinois Heartland Library System’s “Library Crawl,” which was the perfect outing for Banned Books Week!
This is the 7th annual library crawl for the system, but it’s only the second year I’ve known about it. I thought it sounded cool last year, but I just couldn’t find time to go, so when it came around again this month, I made it a priority. There are 197 participating libraries (!!!) across a good deal of the state (minus the Chicagoland area and some other parts to the northwest), but we decided to stick pretty close to home, focusing on Madison and St. Clair counties. We managed a dozen stops, including the finale at our home library, where we had our “passports” verified (the goal is to visit at least five other locations).
Our day started in Troy, IL, at the Tri-Township Public Library:
We then traveled to the Edwardsville Public Library, which might have the prettiest exterior of the ones we visited, thanks to a beautiful fountain out front:
Next was the Glen Carbon Centennial Library, which had a really cool interior that felt like a cabin and had a huge fireplace near the entrance:
The Maryville Community Library smelled brand-new and offered a craft option in addition to passport stamping:
I’ve been to the Mississippi Valley Library District Collinsville Memorial Library before…it’s a beautiful building:
The Caseyville Public Library seemed very new, and matched the elementary school next door in architectural style and color:
We’re regular visitors to Fairview Heights, because that’s where the closest mall is, but we had never even been down the road where the Fairview Heights Public Library is located:
There was some construction right outside the O’Fallon Public Library, but we still made it:
The Lebanon Public Library was so tiny, they didn’t even have a stamp for our passports, the librarian simply signed it!
Next up was the Mascoutah Public Library:
And then down to the Freeburg Area Library District, which had a really cool mural inside:
We wrapped up our trip at the Belleville Public Library Main Library, which is an original Carnegie Library:
Along the way, we collected small gifts from the various libraries, including lunch bags, tote bags, pins, bookmarks, stickers, magnets, snacks, candy, and water. One stop also offered flower seed packets, and our home library had fun scratch-off cards (Chickadee and I both won a magnet). We also got to see a lot of places that were new to us, and we even stopped at a new coffee shop along the way. It was a really fun way to spend a nice fall day, and very different from any other field trip we’ve ever had…next year, we might head to Monroe and Randolph counties to see some of the libraries down there!
