What We Studied
Literature and Poetry
We started reading The One and Only Bob. I really like Bob as a character, but I think The One and Only Ivan was better told. We’re halfway through the book and things have gotten very intense.
The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate
Rainbow Soup by Brian P. Cleary (poems)
Clark the Shark: Tooth Trouble by Bruce Hale (Arthur Read)
Math
Another week of review and games. Arthur progressed in his Khan Academy lessons. We review some concepts. Arthur and Quentin both did some math with gummy bears and then with Skittles. They definitely enjoyed eating our manipulatives afterward.
Social Studies
We covered two more lessons about the American Revolution: Loyalists and Assistance from France and Spain. Getting close to the end of the war!
Mary Geddy’s Day: A Colonia Girl in Williamsburg by Kate Waters
Fight for Freedom by Benson Bobrick
Revolutionary Friends: General George Washing and the Marquis de Lafayette by Selene Castrovilla
Science
See unit theme
Art
Nothing formal, but Arthur had some fun drawing sea creatures. I grabbed a few “how to draw” books from the library and he’s been doing that during free time.
Music
We progressed with our study of American folk music. We covered the early years 1920s-1950s including the country side. We started with The Carter Family and the Weavers; not huge fans. Arthur did not like Johnny Cash or Jack Elliott but did like Bill Monroe. Guess he falls on the bluegrass side which is fine by me. For movie night, we watched O Brother Where Art Thou? J and I love the Coen Brothers and this is one my favorites. We talked about the fact that the movie is a version of the Odyssey and enjoyed the music. I didn’t think he liked it, but afterward Arthur told me he was going to watch it again.
Unit Theme
Our ocean study focused on exploration, fish, and sharks this week! We learned about Marie Tharp, Sylvia Earle, and Jacques Cousteau. Then we moved on to all the different species of shark! Arthur’s been loving the YouTube channel Brave Wilderness for great animal encounter videos. We found some that apply to the ocean!
Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems by Karen Coombs
Oceanography: The Study of Oceans by Susan H. Gray
The Undersea World by Tamra B. Orr
Ocean Anatomy by Julia Rothman
Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Early by Claire A. Nivola
Marie's Ocean: Marie Tharp Maps the Mountains Under the Sea by Josie James
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea by Robert Burleigh
Ocean Speaks by Jess Keating
DK: Fishy Tales (Arthur read)
Goby Fish and Snapping Shrimp by Kari Schuetz
What's It Like to be a Fish? by Wendy Pfeffer
DK Oceans
Nat Geo Ocean Animals
Manfish by Jennifer Berne
The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story by Tina Cho
Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs by Kate Messner
Nat Geo Kids: Sharks (Arthur read)
Sharks by Valerie Bodden
Sharks Have Six Senses by John F. Waters
Slickety Quick: Poems About Sharks by Skila Brown
Smart About Sharks by Owen Davey
DK Eyewitness: Shark
Great White Sharks by Nico Barnes
Hammerhead Sharks by Nico Barnes
Blacktip Reef Sharks by Grace Hansen
Nurse Sharks by Grace Hansen
Basking Sharks by Nico Barnes
Whale Sharks by Nico Barnes
Mako Sharks by Nico Barnes
Zebra Sharks by Nico Barnes
Misc. - Random picture books read
Norman The Slug with the Silly Shell by Sue Hendra
There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Shell! by Lucille Colandro
Iced Out by CK Smouha
Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni
Shark Dog by Ged Adamson
The Ocean Story by John Seven
Shark Dog and the School Trip Rescue by Ged Adamson
I'm a Shark by Bob Shea
How to Spy on a Shark by Lori Haskins Houran
The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Ken Geist
Perfect Square by Michael Hall
Blue on Blue by Dianne White
Follow the Moon Home by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson
Misunderstood Shark by Ame Dyckman
Highs
We had a lovely park playdate with three other coop families on Tuesday. The weather was perfect!
On Thursday, we went to the zoo. Haven’t been there in a few weeks and it was nice to go when the weather was nice. We had to check in with Marshall the rhino. He’s getting so big! He’s about 18 months old now.
Lows
Apparently everyone went ot the zoo on Thursday along with at least 8 buses full of school kids. it was crowded and people were not masking. I really dislike going when it’s so crowded. Hopefully next time we go it will be less people. The kids were super whiny the entire time (tired, warm weather, lots of people, probably contributed) and make me regret trying to go and do something fun. It was a long day…
Next Week
We should finish our read aloud next week. Guess I need to line out our next couple. We are going to continue covering the oceans (rays, dolphins, and whales), folk music (getting to the 1960s!), and the American Revolution (ending the war). I think we need to pull out some board games for math to supplement our review. Plus we have two park playdates scheduled.
Next up on the TBR pile:
