2017-18 School Year

2017-18 School Year–Week Twelve+

Two weeks ago, I mentioned that we had a busy week ahead, and I wasn’t sure how much school we were going to get done. We did have school, but only for a few days, so I’m going to combine that with this week’s wrap-up.

In addition to a couple of days of regular school work last week, we did a few fun things, as well. We celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, and three of the children even got to participate in a mass children’s choir at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. It was very exciting to be part of that historic event!

We started on one of my favorite November traditions last week…we’re assembling our yearly “Thankful Tree!” As far as I can remember, the first year we did this was 2009, and that tree had handprints for leaves. We’ve also done some other variations on it over the years, including a Thankful Wreath, and maybe a Thankful Turkey, as well. Since at least 2011, though, we’ve used the current format. Laminating all those leaves was a pain at the time, but they sure have served us well!

We also went to the St. Louis Public Library Central Library to see the “We Are Shakespeare” exhibit. I almost ran out of time on that one, because it closed last weekend. It was a really cool exhibit, and I’m glad we made it!

We also took advantage of the nice weather on one of Moose’s days off last week to take a nature walk around Creve Coeur Lake. We saw snakes and birds, lots of cool leaves and fruits/nuts, and tons of other people out on bikes and boats enjoying the beautiful day.

This week was a little more standard. We got back to our regular religion lessons, after taking a break for the Reformation. Turkey and Bunny wrapped up another unit in their books, but not before they learned about the Tabernacle, and the positions of all the different tribes when the set up camp around it. Ladybug read a story that was not too familiar to her…the tale of Gideon. Chickadee learned about Elijah and the prophets of Baal.

Ladybug is working on long division in math. She does not enjoy it. She is good at it, though, which is important. Turkey and Bunny worked with regular polygons. They found out how to find the measures of the interior and exterior angles of various shapes. Chickadee is still working on counting larger numbers, and she’s getting pretty good at it!

We had a lot of fun in science this week. Turkey and Bunny have been learning about diffusion and osmosis, and they got to do a few cool experiments to see how they work. Their favorite experiment involved an egg. First, they soaked it in vinegar to remove the shell (which they’ve done in the past). Then they soaked it in syrup, to see which way the liquid moved (out of the egg into the syrup). After that, they soaked it in water, again to see which way the liquid moved (from the water into the egg). They took measurements along the way, and were very impressed with the differences they recorded! Ladybug watched every step of their experiment and was fascinated by it, even as she was learning about Old World apes in her science class.

History has also been interesting. Even though they’re using different texts, Turkey and Bunny’s and Ladybug’s lessons have overlapped again. They’ve all been learning about Babylon and Assyria. We’ve talked about rulers such as Tiglath-Pileser III and Shalmaneser V. We’ve also made some connections to Bible history, even though our religion lessons haven’t gotten there yet.

The girls had a fun little activity this week. We’ve been anxiously awaiting the release of the Lego Ideas “Women of NASA” set, and we finally received our copy. I decided since there are exactly three vignettes in the set that the girls should be the ones to build it. Turkey still enjoyed reading about the women depicted in the set (I love that Lego included that information in the instruction book) even though he didn’t get to help build it. It’s a great little set, and looks right at home next to our Saturn V rocket!

Next week, we’ll be starting on our annual Thanksgiving study…I can’t believe how quickly that holiday is approaching!

2017-18 School Year–Week Eleven

We had another very productive week of school…I can’t believe we still haven’t had a fall break!

We put aside our regular religion lessons so we could focus on the Reformation this week. We’ve been learning about not just Martin Luther, but also Katharina von Bora. We’ve also looked at some prolific Lutheran hymn writers, and have been listening to a selection of Reformation music.

Ladybug has been working on averages in math. In addition to finding the average of four or five numbers, she also learned how to express a remainder as both a fraction and decimal, and round up from there where appropriate. Turkey and Bunny have been focusing on triangles, particularly equilateral and isosceles. They had big exam this week, and both did an excellent job! Chickadee has been working on reading the hour on both analog and digital clocks.

After covering the first three kingdoms in science, Turkey and Bunny are studying the chemistry of life. Before we get into the specifics of the cell, we’re first learning about the make-up of atoms. Ladybug has moved on to primates in her study of land animals. She has learned about the two sub-orders of Strepsirrhini and Haplorrhini so far, and will be learning about animals specific to each next.

Chickadee read her first little book this week! It’s the first in the Sonlight “Fun Tales” series: Pam. Yes, there were only four words in the story (and one of those was the plural form of another). But this is a big deal, and she’s so excited!

Ladybug finally made it to King Tut in history. Both she and Chickadee have been looking forward to this chapter, especially after touring the King Tut exhibit at the St. Louis Science Center. Before King Tut, we also read about Thutmose I and Hatshepsut. Turkey and Bunny learned about the end of the New Kingdom of Egypt. They also learned about the Rigveda in India.

Yesterday, we finally had our long-awaited P.E. field trip day that I’ve been promising. I found out that a park in Hazelwood, MO, opened a new Ninja Warrior training course last month, and the children have begging to go ever since. We were definitely not disappointed…there were over 10 obstacles, and they were pretty much just like you see on TV! We have a new appreciation for how hard the ninja warriors train, and for what a beating their hands take! While we were there, we also enjoyed the regular playground, the swings (just enough for all four children, and since no one else was at the park, they didn’t even have to take turns!), and a lovely walking path. We had a fantastic day outdoors, even if the children were definitely sore this morning!

I’m not sure how next week is going to look…Moose has a short week, and we have a big Reformation 500 event to attend. We’ll try to get at least a few days of school in, but we’ll see!

2017-18 School Year–Week Ten

I’m really hoping that next week, we’ll finally get out and go on one of the outdoor field trips I’ve been saving for the actual fall weather!

Even without field trips, we’ve been busy this week! Turkey and Bunny have been finding the area of rectangles, triangles, and trapezoids in math. Nothing too challenging, although some of the bonus questions were a little tricky because they involved breaking an irregular shape down into its parts. Long division has returned in Ladybug’s math, and she’s not terribly thrilled about it! Chickadee has been working on patterns and sequences.

I am still grudgingly reading Heidi with Ladybug. Bunny has been enjoying listening in, because it’s one of the few books in the house she hasn’t read already. She and Turkey are also looking forward to finishing up Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but they’re not quite done with the fourth fit yet. I started reading Ramona and Her Mother to Chickadee, and she’s doing a great job listening to and recalling parts of the story.

Turkey and Bunny have been all over the place in history this week. They’ve been learning about the Amenhoteps and Ramses in Egypt, the Hittites, and even the Trojan war. Ladybug got to read a few fables from ancient Africa, and also learned about the Middle Kingdom of Egypt.

One of my favorite things about Turkey and Bunny’s biology course this year is the fact that we get to use our microscope so often! This week, as we wrapped up the chapter on fungi, we looked at yeast under different magnifications. We started with yeast straight out of the packet, which frankly was rather boring. But once we added warm water and sugar, and let it “burp” a bit, it got very interesting. And even though they don’t really get what they’re looking at, Ladybug and Chickadee also love microscope days!

I’m really hoping that we get out next week, at least once, but we’ll see. We have very strict standards for what constitutes an actual fall day with weather we truly enjoy!

2017-18 School Year–Week Nine

In an unusual twist for us, our school week started on Sunday. Since we were already in the city, we decided to stop at the St. Louis Science Center to see the Omnimax Theater Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs film. It was an excellent movie, and went perfectly with the King Tut exhibit we saw earlier in the school year, as well as what we’ve been studying in history. Of course, while we were there, we also checked out some of the other exhibits, too!

The fun continued on Monday, when we went to our first “Homeschool Day” of the year at the Missouri History Museum, and since Moose had the day off school, he got to come with us! We learned all about cameras, photography, and the importance of photography in modern history, and we got to tour the new Panoramas exhibit while we were there. When we were done at the History Museum, we went back to the Science Center to see the new star show we saw on the schedule when we were there on Sunday: Mission Mars. It was excellent, and we got to try out the new and very comfortable chairs in the planetarium!

After all that, the rest of the week seemed rather boring, I suppose, but we got a lot done. Turkey and Bunny have been reviewing perimeter in math, in preparation for discussing area next week. They also worked on figuring out the measure of multiple angles in a shape with different bisectors given a few beginning figures. Ladybug has entered into the exciting world of exponents. Chickadee is still working on counting by tens.

Ladybug learned about kangaroos and koalas in her study of marsupials…next week, she’ll be learning about animals like sugar gliders and possums. Turkey and Bunny had to create another biological key in science…this time, one focused on Kingdom Fungi. So far they’ve learned about the most recognizable members of that kingdom…mushrooms, puffballs, and shelf fungi.

Even though they’re reading different books, Turkey, Bunny, and Ladybug all learned about the Shang dynasty in history. Ladybug also learned about rice farming and Chinese pictograms. In addition to the Shang dynasty, Turkey and Bunny also read about Hatshepsut, and Thutmosis I-III, which was great since we learned all about the Valley of the Kings at the Science Center on Sunday!

Turkey and Bunny finally finished the third fit of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Curiosity got the better of me, so I looked ahead to see how it ends. Don’t worry, I won’t let them know! We have reached the part in Ladybug’s study of Heidi where I really start hating the book (when Heidi is taken away from Grandfather), so I’m dreading next week’s lessons, but I guess we’ll survive. We’re also already almost done with Ramona and Her Father, and Chickadee is already looking forward to the next book.

I can’t believe we’ve finished nine weeks of the school year, and I haven’t schedule a fall break yet. This year is going really well, though, so we’ll keep at it for a while yet!

2017-18 School Year–Week Eight

It’s been a rough week for all of us, right? There’s a certain point where you just can’t ignore current events, no matter how hard you try, or how much you’d like to. Talking to your children about awful tragic events is always hard. Teaching it, trying to make sense of it, is next to impossible. But as parents and teachers, that’s what we do. And I had good opportunities to do so, talking about the events in Las Vegas as they related to world and Bible history. We especially talked about the power of words, how they can start wars, cause chaos, or be calming and helpful.

In spite of what seems like almost constant chaos in the world, we had a fairly normal week of school. Turkey and Bunny learned about transversals in math, while Ladybug practiced factoring numbers. Chickadee is still working on counting by tens.

Ladybug started her literature study of Heidi this week. I’m not going to lie…when I was a child, I hated that book. I don’t think I ever actually read the whole thing. But I know it’s a classic, so we’re giving it a go. So far, it’s been less painful than I remembered! Turkey and Bunny are working on the third fit of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and I think we’re all enjoying the story. I also started reading Ramona and Her Father out loud to Chickadee. I wasn’t planning on reading through the whole series this year, but she likes them so much, I don’t think I really have a choice!

Turkey and Bunny finished up their study of Kingdom Protista in science, and we’re looking forward to beginning the chapter on Kingdom Fungi. We’re hoping to find some good samples to look at under our microscope! Ladybug is done with the  cats chapter of her science book, and is moving on to marsupials. I’ve also been reading The Berenstain Bears’ Big Book of Science and Nature out loud to Chickadee…her siblings are very excited for her, because they all have fond memories of the times I read it them!

We enjoyed the cooler weather by working on some of our lessons outside. Division facts and letter sounds are so much more fun when you’re writing with chalk on the driveway! And Turkey turned the transversal I drew into a “math dragon,” which I thought was pretty creative.

We’re looking forward to attending a “Homeschool Day” at the Missouri History Museum next week, and since Moose has the day off, he gets to come with us!

2017-18 School Year–Week Seven

It’s hard to believe, but we’re already about 1/5 of the way through our school year!

Math has continued to go extremely well. Turkey and Bunny have been working with complementary, supplementary, and vertical angles. Ladybug has been working on word problems, and Chickadee is still practicing counting by tens.

History has been fun. Ladybug learned about some things her older siblings already covered, including the Epic of Gilgamesh. Turkey and Bunny, meanwhile, learned about something Ladybug already studied…Hammurabi’s Code. They are currently reading about the Hyksos and King Minos of Crete.

They may not like it, but Turkey and Bunny have continued doing well with diagramming sentences. Much to their annoyance, Ladybug keeps mentioning how much she enjoys doing so (although that’s not always so obvious to her teacher!). Chickadee has added her first vowel to her letter studies this week, and can now read words like mat and rat! She’s very excited to finally be reading something!!!

Today we took a break from everything but math to attend the Divine Service for the feast of St. Michael and All Angels at the LC-MS International Center, where our pastor happened to be preaching. This is one of my favorite church days of the year, so I was very happy to be there. We also took a walk through the museum while we were in the building. Even though we’ve visited several times in the past, we always notice something new!

It’s finally starting to cool off…hopefully we’ll get to do some of the outdoor field trips I’ve been planning soon!

2017-18 School Year–Week Six

This has been the kind of week where on Monday afternoon, you think to yourself, “It’s been a long week.”  No real reason for it…we had a good week. It just seemed like an eternity!

In religion, Turkey, Bunny, and Ladybug have all been learning about Joseph and all of the things that happened to him. Chickadee has fewer lessons in her book, so she has already moved on to the Israelites wandering in the desert.

Math is still going extremely well. Turkey and Bunny continued to draw perpendicular bisectors and bisect various angles. Ladybug has been rounding numbers while adding. Chickadee is starting to count by tens, using dimes as a reference point.

Our literature studies are moving very quickly. Ladybug has already finished The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Turkey and Bunny wrapped up the second fit of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. And we’re over half done with Ramona the Brave…those of us who have read it before are looking forward to the “guts” chapter!

Turkey and Bunny are learning about Kingdom Protista in science. They’re sick of writing their own biological keys, but I think it’s a fun assignment. Ladybug is focusing on the big cats in her science studies…we’ve learned about how stripes and spots work as camouflage, and studied lions and tigers in-depth.

Even though today is the first day of fall, it’s been in the 90s all week, so all of the outdoor field trips I’ve been planning will have to wait until it actually feels like fall…hopefully we won’t have to wait too long!

2017-18 School Year–Week Five

It was another busy week, and we never even did go on a field trip!

All of the children have been learning about Abraham and his many relatives in their various religious lessons. Turkey and Bunny have been studying about Abraham in history, as well, so that has worked out rather nicely. I think Ladybug may learn about him in history next week, too…I love when multiple subjects collide!

Math has continued to go well for everyone. Chickadee is a very mathy little girl, and if I let her, she’d probably be halfway through her kindergarten curriculum already. As it is, even with me holding her back a bit, some days she does two (or even three!) lessons just for fun! Turkey and Bunny learned how bisect angles this week (although I did learn that Turkey looked up how to do that some time ago, because he was curious). Ladybug learned how to measure area and volume. This is the least trouble we’ve had with math as a whole for years, and I love it!

The big excitement this week was science. We took samples of water from a pond in our neighborhood, and have been culturing them. Yesterday, we got out our microscope to see what we had caught. In addition to the bacteria we were looking to find, we also discovered paramecium! All four of the children were truly delighted to see those tiny, microscopic creatures moving through the water. It was one of those thrilling homeschool moments! We get to check back in on our samples in a few days, and we’re looking forward to seeing if there are any changes.

Maybe next week we’ll go on one of the several field trips I’ve been considering…we’ll just have to see how it goes!

2017-18 School Year–Week Four

I have to admit, I’m kind of shocked that we’ve already finished four weeks of school!

It was mostly a regular week, although, since Moose had off for Labor Day on Monday, we only did a few subjects that day. But something is better than nothing, right?

Anyway, the rest of the week was fairly regular. Turkey and Bunny have continued to excel in geometry, even as they learn some more new terms, like “reflex angles.” Ladybug has been reviewing Roman numerals and perimeter. And Chickadee has started working on dot-to-dots!

Our history lessons still have us in ancient Egypt and the surrounding areas, although Turkey and Bunny’s studies have begun to diverge from Ladybug and Chickadee’s, as they are going more in-depth with the people and events of that time. They have been learning about Gilgamesh and Sargon, while Ladybug has been focused on Cheops, pyramids, and mummies, and the difference between hieroglyphics and cuneiform….she really enjoyed trying to write in both styles!

In science, Ladybug has learned all about different species of bears, and we’re really looking forward to seeing some bears in action after Grizzly Ridge opens at the St. Louis Zoo next week! Turkey and Bunny have been learning about Kingdom Monera…they even created their own biological key down to the class in that kingdom.

Turkey and Bunny finally started their writing curriculum for the year. Right now, they’re working on writing things in both the subjective and objective voice. They’re also continuing the review of parts of speech in grammar, and have started diagramming parts of sentences. Ladybug is working her way through her writing curriculum, as well, and had her second spelling test of the year this week. Chickadee has now learned three letter sounds, for F, B, and M, and is chomping at the bit to learn how to read!

Our literature studies are moving along quickly. Ladybug is already about halfway through The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and Turkey and Bunny are on Fit II of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I finished reading Ramona the Pest to Chickadee this week, so of course we had to start reading Ramona the Brave!

I don’t know if we’ll make it to the zoo next week…I imagine the crowds will be pretty heavy for the first few weeks the new exhibit is open. I have a few other field trip ideas planned for the coming weeks, though, so we’ll find something to do!

2017-18 School Year–Week Three

It was another busy week of school!

We are in a fairly comfortable routine now. The teacher is still working on handling everything for three different grades, but I’m getting it figured out. Surprisingly, religion has been one of the hardest things for me to learn how to balance. Turkey and Bunny do all their Bible readings on their own, but we then discuss all the questions from the lesson together. Meanwhile, I still read the stories (from two different books) out loud to both Ladybug and Chickadee, in addition to going through the questions for each with them. Sometimes, I can’t keep up with who I’m talking to at any given moment, but we’re managing.

Math has continued to go well. Turkey and Bunny have gotten into some new stuff in geometry, but they’re picking it up quickly, and they both like it. Ladybug has been reviewing fractions and decimals, and Chickadee is working on counting higher. She has some trouble after fourteen…she always wants to skip straight to sixteen, and I think it’s because she ignores fifteen because it’s not pronounced “five-teen!”

Ladybug has really been enjoying science. She learned all about different kinds of dogs this week, including wolves, jackals, and dingoes. Turkey and Bunny had their first test (both received As!), and are now learning about the kingdom of Monera. They’re looking forward to getting out the microscope soon, and seeing what kind of weird stuff lives in the ponds around here!

Today we took a field trip. There has been a men’s fashion exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum (Reigning Men), that I had wanted to see, but almost forgot about. Fortunately, they offer free tickets on Fridays, so we were able to get in at no cost before it leaves town. Since we’re all learning about ancient Egypt right now, we also stopped to see the galleries dedicated to Egypt while we were there.

We don’t have any big plans next week, but we are attending a Japanese Festival this weekend, and hopefully we’ll learn something while we’re there!