What We Studied

After a few weeks of light schoolwork and complete break, we were back at it last week with a full curriculum load. We had planned on chemistry class, a field trip, coop, and a nature hike, but the weather took a turn. Everything except for coop was cancelled due to two winter storms and below zero temps with whiteout conditions. So, I had to seriously modify our schedule and pulled in a lot more curriculum. Even with the heavier load, the boys ended up playing outside for hours most days. We are trying to enjoy the snow while it lasts.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur started one of my favorite childhood books. We should finish next week.. We also moved on to starting the next coop book club selection. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills. We finished the first Reading Explorer book which focuses on reading comprehension. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.

• From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg

• The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm

• Reading Explorer: Intro

• My America poem collection

Quentin started a very winter themed book with me. We are pushing our Blossom and Root lessons out two weeks. He also worked on some basic grammar.

• Sing a Song of Seasons

• Just Beyond the Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-El

• Polar Bear by Candace Fleming

• Polar Bear Morning by Lauren Thompson

• Polar Bear Night by Lauren Thompson

• Polar Bear Postman by Seigo Kijima

• Polar Bear's Underwear by Tupera Tupera

• The Little Polar Bear Tales a Stand by Hans de Beer

• Polar Bear Island by Lindsay Bonilla

• Once Upon a Winter Day by Liza Woodruff

• My Winter City by James Gladstone

• Bright Winter Night by Alli Brydon

• Winter is Here by Kevin Henkes

Math

Arthur started the last unit for Singapore 5A. We covered ratios this week. We will finish this unit next week and move on to 5B.

• Singapore Common Core 5A

• Orbiting with Logic

Quentin started Singapore 2A with a big review of numbers to 1000. We also continued our logic book.

• Lollipop Logic Book 3

• Singapore Common Core 2A

Social Studies

Arthur covered two weeks worth of history lessons because of our snow days. We talked about the Progressive Era reforms as well as Teddy Roosevelt and Taft.

• DK American History

• We were There Too! Young People in US History

• Words that Build a Nation

• Heart and Soul

• Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States

• A Different Mirror for Young People

• This is Our Land: A History of American Immigration

• Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom

• Alice Paul and the Fight for Women’s Rights

• The Remarkable Rough-Riding Life of Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Empire America by Cheryl Harness

Quentin also covered two weeks of history with a chapter on the Hebrews and Phoenicians and a chapter on the Minoans and Mycenaeans.

• History Quest Early Times

• DK When on Earth?

• Human Wold

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK A Child Through Time

• A History of Western Art

• DK Science Year by Year

• DK Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

• Find the Journeys Around the World by David Long

Science

Chemistry class was canceled due to the first winter storm. Instead, we read two chapters in our Story of Science book.

• RSO Chemistry

• DK Super Simple Chemistry

• Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim

• DK The Elements

Quentin took a detour from our RSO curriculum to learn about the Arctic, Antartica, polar bears, and penguins. We talked a lot about winter and how animals survive.

• The Coldest Places on Earth by Jennifer M. Besel

• Plants in Winter by Jenny Fretland VanVoorst

• Weather in Winter by Jenny Fretland VanVoorst

• All About Winter Weather by Kathryn Clay

• Why Do Bears Seep All Winter? A Book About Hibernation by Mary Englar

• Polar Bears by Gail Gibbons

• Nat Geo Kids: Polar Bears

• Polar Bears by Valerie Bodden

• Polar Bear by Dee Phillips

• Do You Really Want to Meet a Polar Bear? by Marcie Aboff

• Polar Bears by Elaine Landau

• Polar Bear Fur Isn't White and Other Amazing Facts by Thea Feldman

• The Polar Bear by Jenni Desmond

• Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner

• Click Magazine: No Place Like Home

• Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold by Joyce Sidman & Rick Allen

• Frozen Wild: How Animals Survive in the Coldest Places on Earth by Jim Arnosky

• Penguins by Seymour Simon

• Penguins by Ann O. Squire

• Penguin Chick by Betty Tatham

• RSO Life

• DK Oversimple Biology

STEAM Coop

Another January, another coop semester begins. It was a little touch and go for a few days as to if we would actually have coop, but the weather settled enough to get to our meeting hall. All the levels explored Geometry and Art for their first theme. I taught the oldest class and we learned about how artists use basic shapes, played the shape game, and then made collages with shapes.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

This was another area that I pulled from later weeks to take advantage of the time. We ended up covering two artists (Picasso and Chagall) and two composers (Haydn and Debussy). This will help us when we hit a week and I cannot fit in art and music.

• DK Music and How it Works

• DK The Arts

• DK Art and How It Works

• Modern Art Adventures by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw

• 13 American Artists Children Should Know

• A Child's Introduction to Art

• Women in Art by Rachel Ignotofsky

• Iconic Composers by Nicholas Csicsko & Emi Ferguson

• 13 Art Movements Children Should Know

• 13 Artists Children Should Know

• 13 Modern Artists Children Should Know

• The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning & Brita Granström

• Why is Art Full of Naked People? by Susie Hodge

• Just Behave, Pablo Picasso! by Jonah Winter

• Pablo Picasso by Mike Venezia

• Paris in the Spring with Picasso by Joan Yolleck

• Papa Chagall Tell Us a Story by Laurence Anholt

• Marc Chagall by Jude Welton

• Through the Window: View of Marc Chagall's Life and Art by Barb Rosenstock

Field Trip

The weather cancelled our planned field trip. Thankfully we got it rescheduled for later in the month.

High

• January always makes me want to hibernate. The winter storm really added to it, but I was okay with it. The boys got to spend a lot of time playing in the snow. I got to spend a lot of time reading and drinking hot tea.

Low

• The schedule changes did throw me a bit, but we managed to make it through.

Next Week

• Finishing our two read alouds

• Covering the Spanish American War and American Imperialism

• Competing our math units

• Exploring some new elements on the periodic table

• Easing into Greece with some myths and stories

• Learning about birds for science

• Hopefully heading outside for a nature walk and field trip

Next up on the TBR pile: