Homeschool

2023-24 School Year–Week Nineteen

Well, we made it to February, my least favorite month of the year, and a February with an extra day to boot! Before we said goodbye to January, though, we did something really fun we’ve been planning for a while…we went ice skating! Ladybug especially loved it, and while I never did make it out to the center of the rink, I did do several laps around it, and I even let go of the wall occasionally! It was a lot of fun!!!

On to the schoolwork. Ladybug identified functions, domain, and range in pre-calculus. She finished her three-year-long grammar curriculum, ending with the difference between active and passive voice. She continued to read “The Paradiso.” In physics, she finished the chapter on momentum with angular momentum. She also finished the chapter on macronutrients in health. In history, she read about Louis IX.

Chickadee converted customary and metric measurements in math. We read about Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and the Babylonian captivity of the Jews in religion. In science, she had a brief overview of the endocrine system before taking a closer look at the central nervous system. We continued reading The Hobbit. In grammar, she learned about restrictive and non-restrictive clauses. She read about the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and Suleiman the Lawgiver in history.

I don’t know how I’m going to top the fun activity we had this week, but I’m going to have to find something to do to make February more enjoyable!

2023-24 School Year–Week Eighteen

What a week! We started with a significant amount of ice on Monday, moved on to rain and then dense fog, more rain, and even more fog, plus a bit more rain, but in spite of that, we found a good window for visiting the Missouri Botanical Garden for the first time in I can’t remember how long! It was blanketed in thick fog when we were there, which was actually pretty fun, because we’ve never seen the Garden like that before, and as an added bonus, we had pretty much had the whole place to ourselves!

Of course, we also did work during this chaotic week, too. Ladybug worked with vectors in pre-calculus. She continued reading “The Paradiso.” In physics, she learned about the Conservation of Momentum. She read about the Seventh Crusade and Louis IX of France in world history. In US history, she finished the book about the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. She continued to learn about macronutrients in health. She is almost done with her grammar curriculum for the year already!

Chickadee used what she learned about reciprocals last week to start dividing fractions in math. In science, she learned about the difference between the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. We got to read one of my favorite Bible stories in religion…the tale of Jonah. In history she learned about the Forbidden City in China, and the creation of Russia and a few of its early rulers, Ivan the Great and Ivan the Terrible. We’re about halfway through with The Hobbit.

I have another fun outing planned for next week, and I really hope it works out, because it’s something Ladybug has been wanting to do for quite a while!

2023-24 School Year–Week Seventeen

It’s been a cold and occasionally snowy week, but at least we didn’t have to leave the house for school!

Ladybug worked with polar equations and polar graphs in pre-calculus. She finished the chapter on work and energy in physics. In grammar, she reviewed when to use “who” and “whom.” She began The Divine Comedy‘s “Paradiso.” In religion, she read about the conflict of paganism and Christianity in the 4th century. She created a stock character in writing. In history, she read about the Khans, especially the chaos that ensued following the death of Genghis Khan.

Chickadee multiplied mixed number fractions in math, and also started working with reciprocals. In religion, she read about Elijah and Elisha. She learned how to use comparatives and superlatives in grammar, and also practiced diagramming coordinating and subordinating correlative conjunctions. We picked up where we left off in The Hobbit. She, too, read about the Khans in history, but she focused on Genghis and Kublai Khan only. She also read about Marco Polo and his travels.

I’m hoping that even though next week is predicted to be rainy, there will be enough of a break in the weather for us to get out of the house and do something fun!

2023-24 School Year–Week Sixteen

Back to work after Christmas break!

I’m not going to lie…we kind of eased into things this week. We all wanted to spend as much time as possible with Bunny before she goes back to college, so we had what I call a “Bare Minimum Week.”

Ladybug converted from polar coordinates to rectangular coordinates and vice-versa in pre-calculus. She reviewed using correct personal pronouns in grammar. In physics, she started a chapter on work and energy, beginning with the First Law of Thermodynamics. She also began the next book in US history, which started with the Civil War. In health, she finished the chapter on the digestive and renal systems.

Chickadee divided by decimals and learned how to plot coordinate graphs in math. We continued reading about the circulatory system in science. In grammar, she learned about “imposter” words like gerunds. She read about the Jewish Diaspora in history. She practiced using the thesaurus in writing.

Next week, we’ll be back to our full schedule!

Christmas School 2023–The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer is Singing Loud for All to Hear

Time to take a look back at this year’s Christmas School!

I had a really difficult time coming up with a theme this year, and I was getting desperate, when an idea hit me…Christmas music! I started by choosing nine hymns (two Advent, six Christmas, and one Epiphany), and after reading the lyrics, we read about their origins and authors in Lutheran Service Book: Companion to the Hymns. (We also read Silent Night: The Wonderful Story of the Beloved Christmas Carol and Christmas in the Trenches on that hymn’s designated day.)

  • “Savior of the Nations, Come”
  • “The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came”
  • “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come”
  • “Silent Night”
  • “What Child Is This?”
  • “O Little Town of Bethlehem”
  • “Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming”
  • “Where Shepherds Lately Knelt”
  • “As with Gladness Men of Old”

I came up with an original craft project to go with our hymn study. I bought some 4×4 inch wooden craft squares, and we each painted one for each of the hymns we studied. When we finished them, we attached them to a larger wooden square to resemble a quilt block of hymns. I was really happy with how the project went!

I also found a pretty and simple ornament craft that went perfectly with our theme. We didn’t even have to get out the glue gun!

In addition to our hymn study, we also learned about secular Christmas songs in the new book This is Christmas, Song by Song: The Stories Behind 100 Holiday Hits. There is a huge range of songs in this book by a wide variety of artists, and even I, the Christmas Queen, learned some things. We had a good time going through the selections and choosing our favorites to read about.

This week, we focused on reading Letters from Father Christmas, baking cookies, and watching The Nutcracker. In some ways, this was a much more low-key Christmas School than we usually have (since there was one big craft project, we didn’t have the variety of crafts we usually do), and I don’t think we read as many Christmas books (but we read more things from individual books). I didn’t even connect our cookie baking to the songs we read about (although I did try!), so we just baked all of our favorites. All things considered, though, I think it was a really fun Christmas School!

2023-24 School Year–Fifteen

This week we wrapped up a bunch of stuff before Christmas, and also started our annual “Christmas School!” We’re studying hymns this year…I choose two Advent, six Christmas, and one Epiphany hymn to make sure we covered the entire time of Christmas. We’re paining a scene to represent each one on a wooden square, which we plan to assemble quilt-style when all nine are complete. Here’s a peek at some of what we’ve done so far:

On to the regular work…Ladybug learned how to convert from degrees to radians and also from radians to degrees in pre-calculus. She finished reading “The Purgatario” section of The Divine Comedy…she’ll finish the book in the new year. In American history, she read about the events and people leading up the Civil War, including the gold rush, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Seneca Falls Convention, and Sojourner Truth.

Chickadee multiplied and divided with larger decimals in math. She learned about arteries, capillaries, and veins in science, and how the blood travels through the heart to the rest of the body and back again. We continued reading The Hobbit. She learned how to diagram demonstrative and interrogative pronouns in grammar. We read about Richard the Lionhearted, John Lackland, and Robin Hood in history.

We also went to this month’s “History Exploration Day” at the Missouri History Museum, which focused on Holiday Nostalgia and Family Traditions. It was a lot of fun, even if seeing what is counted as “nostalgia” these days made me feel old!

Next week is more Christmas School…we have five more hymns to study, plus some secular Christmas carols. We’re also planning on watching as many version of The Nutcracker as possible, and hopefully we’ll bake some Christmas cookies, too!

2023-24 School Year–Week Fourteen

Back to work after a light week for Thanksgiving!

Ladybug worked with the Law of Cosines in pre-calculus. In physics, she learned how to calculate frequency and period. She read about the fifth and sixth (unsuccessful) Crusades in history. In religion she read about the Arian controversy. She got to write a fun paper imagining she was interviewing the mice from “Three Blind Mice”…it was very clever! In health she read about digestion.

Chickadee learned how to borrow when subtracting mixed numbers in math. In religion, she read about some of Israel’s bad kings, as well as Elijah. She started the chapter on the cardiovascular system in science. In grammar, she learned the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs. We continued reading The Hobbit. In history, we read about El Cid and Saladin.

To welcome the month of December, today we took a walk around our town’s Christkindlmarkt and checked out all of the displays from the local gingerbread contest…our town does Christmas well!

Next week will be a mixture of regular subjects and the start of our annual “Christmas School”…this year, we’ll be focusing on Christmas carols!

2023-24 School Year–Week Thirteen

Ladybug used the Law of Sines to find angles and sides of a non right triangle in pre-calculus. She read about the downfall of Licinius and the reuniting of the Roman Empire under Constantine in religion. She continued reading “The Purgatorio” in The Divine Comedy. In physics, she started a new chapter on uniform circular motion and gravity. She reviewed punctuation in grammar. In history, she read about the threat of Genghis Khan moving west.

Chickadee found the least common denominator between a pair of fractions and compared fractions in math. She started a chapter on the circulatory system in science. In history, she read about the English Code of Chivalry and knights, plus the Samurai in Japan. She learned some advanced pronouns, including possessive and indefinite, in grammar. We continued reading The Hobbit. In religion, she finished the section on the first three kings of Israel, ending with Solomon and the building of the Temple. In writing, she reviewed writing and outlining a scientific description.

We also started our traditional “Thanksgiving School” by reading some of our favorite Thanksgiving-themed books and visiting Cahokia Mounds. It was actually a fairly warm day to be there, which was a little disappointing, and we were worried that we weren’t going to see any deer, but we did finally run across some, so it was a good trip!

Next week, the plan is to wrap up a few things we didn’t finish this week, and to do a few more fun Thanksgiving activities before the real Thanksgiving fun begins!

2023-24 School Year–Week Twelve

Last week was a long short week! We took Friday off, but the rest of the week seemed interminable! I guess that’s just what happens as the holidays approach.

Ladybug used double angle and half angle identities in pre-calculus. She did problems calculating torque in physics. She began reading The Divine Comedy‘s “Purgatario.” In religion, she read Eusebius’ account of the building of the church at Tyre. She read about Thomas Jefferson, the Louisiana Purchase, and the explorations of Lewis and Clark in US history. In health, she finished reading about the five senses, focusing on touch, smell, and taste. She read about the Magna Carta in history.

Chickadee learned how to calculate range, mean, mode, and median in math. She read about William the Conquerer and feudalism in history. We finished the chapter on the respiratory system in science. We started reading The Hobbit…I really think the first chapter, with all of the dwarves showing up at Bilbo’s door, is my favorite part of the whole book! She reviewed conjugating irregular verbs in grammar. We started reading Happy Birthday Felicity.

This year, we also made a craft for Martinmas for the first time. I found the directions for these lanterns last year, but the idea of Mod Podge was too intimidating for me at the time…this year, I decided I was ready. They were fun to make, and so pretty with the light shining through!

We’re hoping to make our annual trip to Cahokia Mounds sometime this week!

2023-24 School Year–Week Eleven

Ladybug worked with sum and difference identities in pre-calculus. After finishing the chapter in physics that introduced Newton’s Laws, she began a chapter applying the Second Law. She finished “The Inferno,” but she’s not done with The Divine Comedy, because we actually read the entire work! She reviewed capitalization rules in grammar. In health, she continued working through a chapter on the five senses focusing this week on the eyes and ears. In religion, she read about the Council of Nicea. She also read about the early days of the US government in US history. In world history she read about the struggle for Byzantine’s throne following the sacking of Constantinople, as well as the rise of the Cathers in western Francia.

Chickadee added and subtracted decimals with varying place values in math. In religion, she read about the end of the time of the Judges in Israel, as well as the first kings. She read about the first kings of England, beginning with Alfred the Great in history. She continued learning about the respiratory system in science, finally making her way to the lungs. In grammar, she learned how to diagram prepositional phrases acting as other parts of speech. We never did start The Hobbit this week, because she was a little under the weather and I let her take it a little easy.

We also put in a group effort to make Reformationsbrötchen for Reformation Day. Chickadee helped make the rolls themselves, and Ladybug made and applied the glaze. They were really delicious, and we had a little fun with Little Luther, too!

It’s almost time for our annual studies of Thanksgiving!