Hymn of the Week–“Awake, My Heart, with Gladness” (Lutheran Service Book #467)

I’m not entirely sure why we even bothered to have school this week…it’s always hard to come back after a break, but I feel like we didn’t accomplish much of anything this week!

Turkey and Bunny worked with inverse trigonometric functions in calculus. They finished reading Fahrenheit 451. For their next literature assignment, I assigned them each a different book to read that reflects their own interests…Turkey is reading Paradise Lost, and Bunny is reading Wuthering Heights. I did this one other time this year, when Turkey read The Screwtape Letters and Bunny read Murder on the Orient Express…except they both finished their assignments before the school year even began! They started a chapter on the digestive system in advanced biology.

Ladybug learned how to calculate exponential growth and decay in algebra. She and Chickadee learned about the assassination of JFK and the Civil Rights Movements in history. She read more about light waves in science, and now knows why the sky looks blue and why sunsets can be so beautiful.

Chickadee worked on subtracting fractions in math. She started a chapter on social insects (ants, bees, and termites) in science. We continued reading The Boxcar Children. She finished the last of the Explode the Code series of workbooks!

We also started a few nature-based projects in the last week. Chickadee and I set up a hummingbird feeder…I thought it would be fun to try to attract some birds so she could observe them since she’s studying flying creatures in science. Moose also has a science project for his biology class that we’re all enjoying…he studying the effects of different amounts of water on grass. So far, the experiment is going exactly the way we expected it to!

I hope we get more accomplished next week, but three of us are scheduled to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, so we’ll see how we all feel…

Hymn of the Week–“Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle” (Lutheran Service Book #454)

We made it to spring break!

As is often the case the week before a vacation, things were kind of a blur, especially since we took a day off for Chickadee’s birthday. So let’s take a whirlwind look at some of what we did.

Turkey and Bunny started reading Fahrenheit 451. They also had a rapid tour of the lymphatic system in advanced biology. Ladybug and Chickadee learned about the Space Race and the Cold War in history. Ladybug wrote another short essay, this time on the formation of tornados. Chickadee and I started reading The Boxcar Children. She also had her last catechesis class, which is a Big Deal, because she is being confirmed tomorrow!

Now I’m looking forward to having some time off!

Hymn of the Week–“I Bind unto Myself Today” (Lutheran Service Book #604)

It was fun to have a week with celebrations! In addition to our annual St. Patrick’s Day feast, we also celebrated Turkey’s 18th birthday yesterday…where have the years gone?!?

In between fun events, we did a lot of work this week. Turkey and Bunny faced their most challenging lesson in calculus to date, which focused on definite integrals. They finished reading The Great Gatsby. In psychology, they learned about different kinds of therapies. They did one more review of the structures of the heart in advanced biology.

Ladybug learned how to to show inequalities on a number line in algebra. She also learned about and/or compound inequalities as well as conjunctions. She wrote a short paper on the bombing of Pearl Harbor in writing. In science, she started learning about light. She and Chickadee learned about the fight for freedom in the Belgian Congo and Juan Perón in Argentina in history…we’re firmly in “We Didn’t Start the Fire” territory!

Chickadee did a lot of review in math this week, including Roman numerals, division with remainders, and converting fractions to decimals. She learned about various insect defenses in science. We finished reading Charlotte’s Web…the final paragraph of the last chapter always makes me cry, and then it occurred to me that this is the last time I’ll be teaching Charlotte’s Web, so I cried even more!

Another four-day week to look forward to next week (and another birthday!), and then spring break!

Hymn of the Week–“Lamb of God, Pure and Holy” (Lutheran Service Book #434)

This has been a long week.

Turkey and Bunny learned about Riemann sums and how to find the area under a curve in calculus. In advanced biology, they finished up the chapter on the circulatory system, and even typed their own blood, which was really cool! They started reading The Great Gatsby…so far, they like it better than A Farewell to Arms. They also read about psychological disorders in psychology.

Ladybug learned about functions and relations, as well as direct and indirect variations in algebra. She and Chickadee read about the partitioning of Vietnam and the Korean War in history. In science, she finished the chapter on sound waves, learning about the Doppler effect. She continued reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. She had to write a short paper about a person, so she chose to focus on Bunny!

Chickadee learned how to add fractions in math, and continued practicing reducing them. We’re almost to the end of Charlotte’s Web…I’m ready to cry! In science, she learned about complete and incomplete metamorphosis. We’re still working on prepositions in grammar!

We have two four-day weeks coming up, and then a week off for spring break!

Hymn of the Week–“In Silent Pain the Eternal Son” (Lutheran Service Book #432)

I’m so glad it’s finally March! At least I think I am…it is hard to think about the fact that we’ve been dealing with COVID-19 for a whole year, so that does put a damper on things a bit.

Turkey and Bunny learned integration formulas in calculus. They finished reading A Farewell to Arms. We started discussing what is probably the most controversial book in our list for this year: A People’s History of the United States. They learned about blood typing in advanced biology.

Ladybug did word problems focusing on concentrations in solutions in algebra. In history, she and Chickadee learned about the beginning of apartheid in South Africa, and Mao and the Chinese Communist Party. She reviewed all of the topoi she’s learned in writing.

Chickadee began learning some basic geometry terms in math. We continued to add to her list of prepositions in grammar. We finished learning about the different sections of an insect’s body in science, focusing on the thorax and abdomen.

I’m already looking forward to our spring break at the end of the month!

Hymn of the Week–“O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” (Lutheran Service Book #449-450)

We made it to the end of February!

This was kind of a chaotic week…I think I had more appointments this week than I have had any other week since the pandemic began! So of course, school was kind of chaotic, too.

Turkey and Bunny were introduced to antiderivatives in calculus. They started reading A Farewell to Arms. We wrapped up our study of the unique geographic areas in the US. They finished the chapter on the endocrine system in advanced biology…it was surprisingly short!

Ladybug learned how to use the discriminant in algebra. She also graphed parabolas. She and Chickadee read about the partitioning of India and Palestine in history. She also finished a chapter in science. We discussed voting rights in her study of the US Constitution.

Chickadee started division problems with remainders in math. We continued reading Charlotte’s Web, and got to Charlotte’s first message. She learned about exoskeletons while she studied insects in science. Her writing assignments focused on passages from Little Women, one of our favorite books.

I’m looking forward to March!

Hymn of the Week–“Alleluia, Song of Gladness” (Lutheran Service Book #417)

The beginning of Lent this week meant we added a few things to our school routine, including daily Bible readings to go along with our Jesus Tree and a daily reading from Amon’s Adventure. We also said goodbye to the alleluias, which is never fun, but at least we’re on our way to Easter!

Turkey and Bunny did not enjoy calculus this week, which focused on related rates. on They finished reading A Tale of Two Cities. I have three books left I’d like them to read, but realistically, we’ll probably only finish two, so I’ll have to choose. In advanced biology, we started a chapter on the endocrine system. They also learned about humanistic psychology.

Ladybug learned how to work with radicals in quadratic equations in algebra. She focused on the fifth and fourteenth amendments in her study of the US Constitution. She and Chickadee read about the end of WWII, including the Normandy Campaign, the Battle of the Bulge, and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In science she learned about different kinds of energy and how to calculate work and power. She started reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Chickadee learned how to reduce simple fractions in math. We continued reading Charlotte’s Web. She finished the chapter on pterosaurs in science, and is looking forward to studying insects next. She got to do a narration of a picture in language arts, and I was shocked to find out she was already familiar with the art we were looking at!

Only one school week of February left to go!

Hymn of the Week–“Swiftly Pass the Clouds of Glory” (Lutheran Service Book #416)

February…ugh.

Turkey and Bunny applied what they’ve learned in calculus so far to economics problems, and they both did a great job with it (even if they did observe that neither of them is planning on going into business). Their advanced biology lessons focused on the senses. They read all about the guillotine in A Tale of Two Cities.

Ladybug started using the quadratic formula in algebra. She is working on a movie review for her current writing assignment, and was very excited to have an excuse to watch Onward again. We read about each of the three branches of government and how the US Constitution defines each of their responsibilities.

Chickadee learned how to calculate area in math. We finished reading A Bear Called Paddington…next week, we start Charlotte’s Web. She started a chapter on pterosaurs in science. She and Ladybug started reading about WWII in history.

It’s supposed to be pretty cold next week, so at least that’s something different, even if it doesn’t really have anything to do with school…I think we’re all suffering from a serious case of boredom!