Cycle 1 Week 1

In perhaps not the brightest moment of my life, I decided that we could, of course, hang out at the beach a little longer! We're homeschoolers! We'll just start school here at the beach!

It's really the little things that allow God to humble you the most, right?

This year, Riley's moved up to Singapore 3A, Logan to 1A, and Savannah to Kindergarten A.  We're using our IEW Primary Art of Language for English, but using MacMillan spelling.  The IEW spelling, while fantastic, has too many parts for me!  We're still journaling daily, although Riley is using his journaling time to complete his first novel.  You need to check these things off your life's to-do list, you know! For Science and History we'll be following our previous year's format of supplementing the memory work theme for the week. I purchased Story of the World on Audio CD last year, and this year bought the accompanying workbook, which is the new hotness (as opposed to the old busted hotness).  We're also going to be using our trusty rusty copy of Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, of which Logan has about 10 to go, and Savannah is about 10 in.  Savannah is also doing various copy work in some Disney workbooks which were gifted to us as I try, and fail repeatedly, to teach my child to write in 2000 easy lessons.  Good times. Riley will be starting Rosetta Stone Spanish, and I'm looking into purchasing a Latin program.

So, week one! Exciting!!

Devotions- We're running the God and Me program right now so that my two little scouts can earn their religious emblem awards.  Good times!

History- The Ten Commandments
We'll be working on a small project for the next two weeks.  Cut a file folder to look like two stone tablets, and either have your child copy work the commandments in, or provide them with picture representations of each commandment to color and glue.  Don't cut the connected side! I'll post a completed picture next week.  We're using hand motions, too.  Hold up your index finger for one, and wave it side to side (a la "no no no"), hold up two fingers and shake your head no for two, hold up three fingers to your lips for three, place four fingers on your opposite arm and lay down like you're taking a nap for four, and put five fingers up for a respective salute to your parents for five.

Geography- The Fertile Crescent
More hand motions! I'm hand-motioning this week like crazy! A C-shape with one hand for the fertile CRESCENT (which goes well with croissants, btw- go pop some in the oven!), swimming for the Mediterranean Sea, crazy motions to make a "mess" for Mesopotamia, pointing at someone else ("you") for Euphrates River, a Kung-Fu Panda pose for Tigris River, and wiping the pretend sweat off your brow because it's so hot in "Sumer".

Math- 1/2
Skip counting this week was a joy.  We're moving on to the 3s and 4s.  Even Savannah skillfully sings the 2s song!

English- We're just memorizing the definition this week, and, of course, I count on my good friends from School House Rock to help out a little ;)

Science- Classification of Living Things
We're just straight memorizing this using the "erase as you go" method.  We'll also be going through a few animals, as well as human beings, and listing each of their classifications.

Latin-
Ugh, I hate Latin.  Don't tell my children.  We're memorizing the noun cases for the next two weeks, which gives me adequate time to do it Sarah Palin style and "Drill Baby, Drill".

In other notes, this is my first week of tutoring, which is....well, what it is.  I'm a little nervous about it, and I'm not sure it's really my heart's desire to put myself out there for parents to judge, but I said I would, so I am. :) I have some very sweet children in my class, though, and I'm excited to work with them.  We're growing beans this week for science and starting off art with the OiLS lesson, so that'll be fun, and I plan on using our review time to do the full timeline song a few times and get ahead.

Have a great week :)
~Kristina