Here's my randomness for the week:
The temperatures increased and I am so hot and sweaty. I hate summer…
I actually read a regular book with regular text. I might actually be moving beyond just reading manga.
Lining up all my projects for the next month, and goodness, it is a lot!
My motivation to cook dinner to quickly waning… I may need to change our meal plan.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Reading: I’m almost finished listening to the next Dungeon Crawler Carl book, The Inevitable Ruin, by Matt Dinniman. I only have about 2 hours left. I have loved every book in this series, but this one is a doozy! So much is happening!
Watching: Stray Kids performed in Japan on May 10th and 11th. I’ve been working through a variety of concert clips online.
Listening: As part of their Japan concerts, Stray Kids debuted one of their new songs. “Hollow” will appear on the new Japanese mini album dropping on June 10th. But I have been listening to the concert clip repeatedly this week. Love it!
Making: I have cooked every night since we got back home. So much food! Thankfully we have mostly kept up with eating the leftovers and not wasting food. It’s just a lot.
Feeling: The temps increased and I am hot and sweaty. I hate summer.
Planning: Starting this week, I teach co-op for the next month. I have this week’s lesson finished (catapults), but am still working on the other weeks. I know we are going to do straw towers next week but need to write out the lesson. And then I need to finalize the other weeks.
Loving: Being hot is no fun, thankfully I have a collection of cheap paper fans to use. If they get destroyed, I just grab a new one. Every bag that I routinely use has one inside.
Next up on the TBR pile:
We completed one regular school week and then a few days of another week before leaving for Indiana for Alex’s graduation. So I decided to combine these two weeks into one post.
Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. Arthur started and finished another Applegate book. We have loved every book that she has written. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.
Willodeen by Katherine Applegate
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G1 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 2 and random books that we have around the house. We finished reading two classics.
Poetry: A First Book of the Sea by Nicola Davies
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. We finished the textbook and will be doing review for the summer.
Math in Focus Course 1 Book B
Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 2B and 3A.We are close to finishing 3A, but not quite there.
Singapore Primary 3A
Primarily Logic
Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. Beyond random documentaries and museum visits, we will be pausing our history study until August.
Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 as his main history curriculum. We will be pausing history until August.
Arthur finished his RSO Biology 1 course with the end of the academic co-op. We switched gears a bit and covered a few BookSeeds from Blossom & Root.
Quentin finished RSO Earth & Environment and RSO Astronomy 1 as a base. He started a side unit about oceans. We got through multiple topics and watched a few episodes of Blue Planet to reinforce.
A First Book of the Sea by Nicola Davies
Ocean Anatomy by Julia Rothman
DK Earth's Incredible Oceans by Jess French
DK Ocean
DK Eyewitness Ocean
The Ocean in Your Bathtub by Seth Fishman
The Girl Who Built an Ocean: An Artist, an Argonaut, and the true Story of the World's First Aquarium by Jess Keating
A Turtle's View of the Ocean Blue by Catherine Barr
Oceanography: The Study of Oceans by Susan H. Gray
Manfish by Jennifer Berne
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
Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle by Claire A. Nivola
We covered our fourth week of co-op. Arthur covered slime chemistry. Quentin wasn’t feeling it and stay home that day.
Art will be very sporadic this year, but we do have some fun excursions planned. And I will incorporate art projects into a lot of other subjects and unit studies.
For music, we are using Music Lab: We Rock! as our spine. Each week we will be learning about a different rock musician and focus on a particular song. I have also created Spotify playlists so we can listen on the go. We listened to Blondie, David Bowie, The Smiths, and Depeche Mode these weeks. Many winners for our listening.
Music Lab: We Rock!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
Before leaving for Indiana, we had our twice a year visit to Arbor Day Farm. We absolutely love that place and can spend all day exploring and playing. A ton of homeschool friends joined us for a full day.
Thankfully we have reached the point in the year where we can slow down the lessons to allow for travel and activities.
Arthur hasn’t gotten to all the literature pieces that I had hoped for this year. Not a huge deal as we will just continue, but I think I need to recalibrate for next year’s plans.
We are currently in Indiana and not covering any big lessons. We brought a bag of work to complete and will just fit it in here and there.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
We’re currently traveling to Indiana for Alex’s graduation… I wasn’t looking forward to the travel part of this year’s trip.
Thankfully we are having fun exploring the Field Museum in Chicago today.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Reading: My reading brain is still a bit broken and so I’m all about horror manga right now. I checked out so many Junji Ito story collections for the next few weeks.
Watching: Working my way through all the Stray Kids content. I’m up to early 2021. Still far behind, but loving the journey.
Listening: Still love my Stray Kids, but I have branched out in the Kpop world. BabyMonster and BlackPink (and Jennie, Lisa, and Rose’s solo albums) are on current rotation.
Making: We’re heading to Indiana next week for Alex’s graduation. I haven’t started actively packing, but you better believe that I have travel piles around the house.
Feeling: Sleep has been elusive lately. I am tired.
Planning: Co-op Field Day is coming at the end of the May and it’s a big to-do. Thankfully this year I have a cohost to help me pull this off. It’s a big project, but years of doing it has helped me create a workflow.
Loving: After falling down the K-Pop hole, I’m slowly converting a friend to a STAY. Beyond the fun SKZ content I send her, we have an ongoing fun message exchange on Insta. Her messages are always a bright spot of my day.
Next up on the TBR pile:
We pushed through and finished a pretty normal week for us. My body decided to make me cancel Friday’s hike, but we did engage in a few other activities this week.
Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. Arthur started and finished the June Co-op Book Club selection. I was feeling in the mood for some good adventure fantasy and this one looked perfect. Arthur ended up not loving the second half, but I did. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G1 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 2 and random books that we have around the house. We continued reading a classic.
Poetry: Fresh-Picked Poetry: A Day at the Farmer’s Market by Michelle Schaub
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. We got back into our math textbook and completed a chapter about Statistics. Only one more chapter to go!
Math in Focus Course 1 Book B
Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 2B and 3A. We moved onto 3A starting slow to easy back into our lessons. Taking it slow but moving along.
Singapore Primary 3A
Primarily Logic
Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. Beyond random documentaries and museum visits, we will be pausing our history study until August.
Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 as his main history curriculum. We will be pausing history until August.
Arthur finished his RSO Biology 1 course with the end of the academic co-op. We switched gears a bit and covered a few BookSeeds from Blossom & Root.
Quentin finished RSO Earth & Environment and RSO Astronomy 1 as a base. He started a side unit about oceans. We got through multiple topics and watched a few episodes of Blue Planet to reinforce.
A First Book of the Sea by Nicola Davies
Ocean by Stacy McAnulty
Oceans by Peter Benoit
Ocean Anatomy by Julia Rothman
DK Earth's Incredible Oceans by Jess French
DK Ocean
Discover the Oceans: Southern Ocean by Emily Rose Oachs
Discover the Oceans: Pacific Ocean by Emily Rose Oachs
Discover the Oceans: Indian Ocean by Emily Rose Oachs
Discover the Oceans: Atlantic Ocean by Emily Rose Oachs
Discover the Oceans: Arctic Ocean by Emily Rose Oachs
How Deep is the Ocean? by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record-Setting Dive of the Bathysphere by Barb Rosenstock and Katherine Roy
Diving Deep: Using Machines to Explore the Ocean by Michelle Cusolito
Sandy Feet! Whose Feet? Footprints At the Shore by Susan Wood
Seashores by Cathryn Sill
DK Shell
Seashells: More Than a Home by Melissa Stewart
A Nature Walk at the Beach by Louise and Richard Spilsbury
Tide Pool by Louise Spilsbury
A Turtle's View of the Ocean Blue by Catherine Barr
Coral Reefs by Precious McKenzie
One Night in the Coral Sea by Sneed B. Collard III
Coral Reefs by Cathryn Sill
Seagrass Dreams by Kathleen M. Hanes
We covered our third week of co-op. The transition to a new park worked well. The classes seemed to go really well. Arthur learned about sugar chemistry. Quentin learned about the scientific method through experiments with Peeps.
Art will be very sporadic this year, but we do have some fun excursions planned. And I will incorporate art projects into a lot of other subjects and unit studies.
For music, we are using Music Lab: We Rock! as our spine. Each week we will be learning about a different rock musician and focus on a particular song. I have also created Spotify playlists so we can listen on the go. We listened to Fleetwood Mac to finish the New Rock Sound chapter. The boys were not huge fans (I do not understand this sentiment). We moved onto the New Wave chapter with Roxy Music and Devo. Boys weren’t super excited about these bands but we had fun discussing how different they are from the last chapter’s bands.
Music Lab: We Rock!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
Wednesday we had our monthly exploration at Joslyn Art Museum. The kids focused on light and shadow by taking pictures in the outdoor sculpture gardens. I think Arthur had more fun chatting with friends than taking pictures, but it was a lovely day to look at some art.
We got so much schoolwork done this week. We are in a great position to take off from school the two weeks we are in Indiana. And when we come back, our load will be light.
Very sad to miss our Friday hike at Platte River State Park. My body was revolting and I just couldn’t bring myself to drive down there and then hike.
Reading more literature
Moving forward with our math textbooks; very close to being done
Exploring the ocean (Q) for science
Listening to Blondie and David Bowie for music!
Transitioning to a more summer routine of activities and schoolwork
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
Exploring the local art museum with other homeschool families is always so delightful. It helps that it was a beautiful day yesterday.
Finally going beyond just Stray Kids in my Kpop obsession. But don’t worry, I still love my Stray Kids so much.
I really need to focus on a brain dump this week to help get it all out. I have so many projects in progress and need to organize a bit.
Went to the Asian Market yesterday for kimchi and came out with my new favorite treat: Green Tea Samanco! So good!
Next up on the TBR pile:
We had a normal week and a flex week. Basically it means that we came other the end of my preplanned weeks. I like to take a flex week to catch up on anything we pushed to the side and plan the next few weeks. This flex week was a bit different as we are nearing the end of the big school year. I spent time planning our activities as some of our curriculum is basically done.
Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. Arthur started the June Co-op Book Club selection. I was feeling in the mood for some good adventure fantasy and this one looked perfect. We’re about halfway through it and very much enjoying the story and characters. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G1 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 2 and random books that we have around the house. We finished our comedy book and started a classic.
Poetry: Hailstones and Halibut Bones by Mary O’Neill
Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. We got back into our math textbook and started a chapter about the Area and Circumference of Circles.
Math in Focus Course 1 Book A
Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 2B and 3A. We moved onto 3A starting slow to easy back into our lessons. Taking it slow but moving along.
Singapore Primary 3A
Primarily Logic
Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. Arthur finished the history curriculum with a chapter about Manifest Destiny in the US and Social Reforms movements around the world. Beyond random documentaries and museum visits, we will be pausing our history study until August.
Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 as his main history curriculum. We finished the chapters with one focusing on Elizabethan Times. We will be pausing history until August.
History Quest Middle Times
DK When on Earth?
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare by Diane Stanley
Shakespeare's Theatre by Andrew Langley
The Tudors: Kings, Queen, Scribes, and Ferrets by Marcia Williams
Good Queen Bess: The Story of Elizabeth I of England by Diane Stanley
Arthur finished his RSO Biology 1 course with the end of the academic co-op. We finished the Story of Science Vol. 3. We switched gears a bit and covered a few BookSeeds from Blossom & Root.
Story of Science Vol. 3 by Joy Hakim
One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul
The Tree Lady: The True Story of How One Tree-Loving Woman Changed a City Forever by H. Joseph Hopkins
Quentin finished RSO Earth & Environment and RSO Astronomy 1 as a base. He joined Arthur in the BookSeeds. As a bonus we did a review of the biomes of earth before concluding our RSO focus. We are also adding an oceanography unit for the rest of April and maybe into May.
RSO Earth and Environment
DK First Earth Encyclopedia
What on Earth? Trees by Kevin Warwick
Muse: Secrets of Trees
We Planted a Tree by Diane Muldrow
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
Many Biomes, One Earth by Sneed B. Collard III
Desert Biome by Grace Hansen
A Day in the Life of the Desert: 6 Desert Habitats, 108 Species, and How to Save Them by Roxie Munro
Deserts by Gail Gibbons
Forest Biome by Grace Hansen
Over and Under the Rainforest by Kate Messner
Tundra Biome by Grace Hansen
Marine Biome by Grace Hansen
Art will be very sporadic this year, but we do have some fun excursions planned. And I will incorporate art projects into a lot of other subjects and unit studies.
For music, we are using Music Lab: We Rock! as our spine. Each week we will be learning about a different rock musician and focus on a particular song. I have also created Spotify playlists so we can listen on the go. We listened to Queen, Heart, Bruce Springsteen, Kiss, and Journey. There was favorite was Queen (as it should be!) followed by Heart and Journey. They were not big fans of The Boss and Kiss, but that tracks.
Music Lab: We Rock!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
We traveled to Lincoln for a Morrill Hall visit focusing on our favorite exhibits there. It was our first time using our membership at the museum, but we have used the reciporcal benefits all across the midwest. We will be renewing this pass at the end of May and plan to go back to Morrill Hall at least once more this summer. After the museum, the friends we were with joined us at Lost in Fun for an afternoon of free play.
On Friday, we finally got back into our biweekly nature hikes! I had been craving some time out in the woods and we made it to Schramm. One other family joined us for the 3 mile hike. The rangers have thinned the trees in preparation for planting oaks in their place. (A lot of the existing trees were not native to Nebraska; oaks are native.) The trails were a bit strange, but we made it through. I was thoroughly tired and sweaty, but it was a great walk.
Not a big low, but co-op this past week was a bit of a chore. It was warm enough outside, but the wind was fierce! We had to battle flying everything while attempting to complete the activities. I got home and my lips were completely wind burnt.
Continuing our read alouds
Moving forward with our math textbooks
Exploring more BookSeeds and the ocean (Q) for science
Listening to Fleetwood Mac for music!
Transitioning to a more summer routine of activities and schoolwork
Next up on the TBR pile:
Reading: Finally got and started reading Sweet Obsession by Katee Robert. Not sure if it is one of my favorites in this series, but I am enjoying it.
Watching: I’m into 2019 with my Stray Kids content. I’m finding all those silly little clips that get used in compilation videos. Now I know where they came from.
Listening: I moved beyond Stray Kids to dabble in some other Kpop groups. On the way, I dowloaded some BlackPink albums and found Jennie’s new album. Really digging it!
Making: I started making the name tags for the retreat. I always love digging into my paper stash and finding some cute designs.
Feeling: I have not slept well in weeks lately. I’m just tired.
Planning: I need to get started on planning my Enrichment lessons for May. I have no idea what th do for a lesson, but I imagine I need to just google some things for a few minutes to find some great ideas.
Loving: Enjoying Stray Kids has really kept me afloat lately. They are a lifesaver.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
Weather issues caused co-op to relocate indoors this week. Not the best start to our semester.
I have completely fallen down the Stray Kids web series hole. So many shows that I had to search through the Wiki to get the complete list and the airing dates. Currently in 2018 working through some of these shows. (Now I know where a ton of famous clips come from.)
The colony of bees that live in my head that get angry sometimes and cause me problems seems to have all died. I think I am in the middle of a colony collapse. Not a good place to be…
Next up on the TBR pile:
After a March filled with weird weather, this week finally cooperated and we took full advantage. Our schoolwork was shortened to spend multiple days outside with friends. It was well worth it to boost our general mental health. Apparently I took like no photos this week. All of our photos in this post were ones that Arthur took at Heron Haven.
Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. Arthur took a break from novels to focus on some short stories. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G1 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 2 and random books that we have around the house. We started a fun book of a young girl and an intelligent squirrel. So much comedy in this story. We love it.
Poetry: The Tree That Time Built
Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. We got back into our math textbook and started a chapter about the Area and Circumference of Circles.
Math in Focus Course 1 Book A
Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 2B and 3A. We moved onto 3A starting slow to easy back into our lessons. Taking it slow but moving along.
Singapore Primary 3A
Primarily Logic
Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. We covered a section about the potato famine in Ireland and then social reform movements. We also watched more PBS Eons vides. Getting closer to finishing the entire series.
Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 as his main history curriculum. We covered a chapter focused on New Ideas for Europe, exploring the Reformation and the Scientific Revolution. We have one more chapter left in the curriculum.
History Quest Middle Times
DK When on Earth?
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Arthur finished his RSO Biology 1 course with the end of the academic co-op. We switched gears and focused on reading some more chapters from the Story of Science. We only have about six chapters left in the book. I also want to work through a few Blossom & Root Bookseeds this late spring.
Story of Science Vol. 3 by Joy Hakim
Quentin is using RSO Earth & Environment and RSO Astronomy 1 as a base. Of course, we have a ton of extra science resources laying around the house. And I will be hosting some one-off science exploration days that align with the units. We covered climate and climate change.
RSO Earth and Environment
DK First Earth Encyclopedia
With the cancellation, our spring semester has ended.
Art will be very sporadic this year, but we do have some fun excursions planned. And I will incorporate art projects into a lot of other subjects and unit studies.
For music, we are using Music Lab: We Rock! as our spine. Each week we will be learning about a different rock musician and focus on a particular song. I have also created Spotify playlists so we can listen on the go. We listened to Parliament-Funkadelic and Hall & Oates this week. Arthur preferred the funk and Quentin preferred H&O, which was surprising. I love seeing how they have such different opinions about different bands.
Music Lab: We Rock!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
On Friday, we got back into our nature walk routine with a visit to Heron Haven. Our last few attempts have been thwarted by weather issues. It was lovely to explore the wetland and spot signs of spring and some animals. We had a good group of multiple families join us allowing for some socializing time for the kids and the adults.
Thursday we had our enrichment kick-off playdate. We were supposed to be at Chalco, but the Papio RND had closed the playground for a field trip (hate when they do that and do not post anywhere in advance). We had to scramble to relocate and made it to Zorinsky. Not my favorite park, but most of the families joined us for some great playtime. It was also a chance for some of the new families to meet the old families. Love seeing our little community come together and form relationships.
We had another playdate on Friday afternoon downtown. Nine families RSVPed and only three (including myself) actually showed up. Very disappointed in all these families who claim to want to community and just never show up to anything but make posts in the FB group about needing friends and activities. So come? Frustrating.
Finishing our read alouds
Moving forward with our math textbooks
Traveling to the United States and then War in Europe (A) and Elizabethan Times (Q) for history
Exploring astrophysics (A) and soil (Q) for science
Listening to Queen for music!
Going to Lincoln to explore Morrill Hall and whatever else we decide to do while there
Next up on the TBR pile:
Reading: My brain is a bit broken and so I have turned to manga to help myself out. Currently, I’m reading multiple series, but my current obsession is Parasyte.
Watching: We started watching Alice in Borderland S1 and I am so in love with the series.
Listening: All Stray Kids all the time!
Making: I got back into making scones this week and now I just want all of the scones. So good! My lemon poppy seed mini scones are still my favorite to make and eat.
Feeling: My sleep has been trash lately and I am so incredibly tired.
Planning: We’re heading to Indiana at the end of April for Alex’s college graduation. I’m planning a stopover in Chicago before and another after to hit a few museums.
Loving: Stray Kids dropped their new Mixtape a few days ago and I am absolutely obsessed! “Escape” is my absolute favorite song, but all four new songs are good. “Truman” is really growing on me, but will not be surpassing “Escape” as my favorite. Definitely love my Bang Chan/Hyunjin pairing!
Next up on the TBR pile:
We had a full week planned with multiple activities and the last week of Academic Co-op. Unfortunately, a blizzard hit us on Tuesday night cancelling our Wednesday Joslyn visit and Thursday co-op meeting. Oh well. At least we finished up a ton of schoolwork.
Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. Arthur took a break from novels to focus on some short stories. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G1 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 2 and random books that we have around the house. We started a fun book of a young girl and an intelligent squirrel. So much comedy in this story. We love it.
Poetry: The Tree That Time Built
Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo
Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. We got back into our math textbook and started a chapter about the Area and Circumference of Circles.
Math in Focus Course 1 Book A
Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 2B and 3A. We moved onto 3A starting slow to easy back into our lessons. Taking it slow but moving along.
Singapore Primary 3A
Primarily Logic
Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. We covered two more sections of history focusing on Victorian Britain and British Imperialism. We actually only have two more sections left in the curriculum. We also watched more PBS Eons vides. Getting closer to finishing the entire series.
Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Victorian Servant, by Fiona MacDonald
You Wouldn’t Want to Work in a Victorian Mill!, by John Malam
Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 as his main history curriculum. We covered two chapters exploring the Mughal Empire and the Ottoman Empire. We have two more chapters left in the curriculum.
History Quest Middle Times
DK When on Earth?
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
DK Explorers
Taj Mahal by Cynthia Kennedy Hanzel
Where is the Taj Mahal? by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
Arthur is using RSO Biology 1 this year has the main science text. Our academic coop will also be using RSO Biology 1 as a basis for the fall and spring semester courses, so we will be just supplementing at home. We will also be doing some of Blossom & Root’s Book Seeds and various other small units in between. We read some more chapters from the Story of Science.
RSO Biology 1
Story of Science Vol. 3 by Joy Hakim
Quentin is using RSO Earth & Environment and RSO Astronomy 1 as a base. Of course, we have a ton of extra science resources laying around the house. And I will be hosting some one-off science exploration days that align with the units. We covered extreme weather which was appropriate given the blizzard.
RSO Earth and Environment
DK First Earth Encyclopedia
DK Eyewitness: Weather
Wind by Grace Hansen
What on Earth? Wind by Isabel Thomas
Cloud or Fog? by Kelly Doudna
Hail or Freezing Rain? by Josh Plattner
Extreme Weather by Ann O. Squire
A Child's Introduction to the Environment
Hurricane or Waterspout? by Josh Plattner
Tornado Alert by Franklyn M. Branley
Tornado or Dust Devil? by Josh Plattner
Tornadoes by Gail Gibbons
Tidal Wave or Tsunami? by Kelly Doudna
Winter Storm or Blizzard? by Kelly Doudna
All About Heat Waves and Droughts by Steve Tomecek
With the cancellation, our spring semester has ended.
Art will be very sporadic this year, but we do have some fun excursions planned. And I will incorporate art projects into a lot of other subjects and unit studies.
For music, we are using Music Lab: We Rock! as our spine. Each week we will be learning about a different rock musician and focus on a particular song. I have also created Spotify playlists so we can listen on the go. We covered Madonna this week. The boys were not huge fans, but it was better than last week’s selections.
Music Lab: We Rock!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
On Friday, we attended board game club at a local coffee shop. I had a nice time chatting with other homeschool moms.
Tuesday we renewed our Fontenelle Forest membership to meet up with friends to play at the new nature play area. And then we went on a nice walk on the boardwalk. It was lovely to get out in nature, especially as a blizzard came in that night. .
Sad that we couldn’t finish out our Academic Co-op semester.
Finishing our read alouds
Moving forward with our math textbooks
Traveling to the Ireland (A) and Europe (Q) for history
Exploring astrophysics (A) and climate (Q) for science
Listening to Parliament-Funkadelic and Hatt & Oates
Going to the park for a playdate and the nature preserve for a hike
Next up on the TBR pile:
Another week full of regular schoolwork, co-op, and a few activities. Very very normal.
Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. Arthur finished the co-op book club selection. We cannot wait to discuss it in two weeks. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G1 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 2 and random books that we have around the house. We finished our read aloud at the end of the week. Perfect timing.
Poetry: The Tree That Time Built
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. We ended up taking a short break from our textbook to explore more logic and algebraic expressions and do some review and catchup.
Math in Focus Course 1 Book A
Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 2B and 3A. We moved onto 3A starting slow to easy back into our lessons. Taking it slow but moving along.
Singapore Primary 3A
Primarily Logic
Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. We covered North America and the attempts at colonization.
Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 as his main history curriculum. We covered a chapter about Russia and the Ivans.
History Quest Middle Times
DK When on Earth?
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
DK Explorers
The Mongol Empire from Britannica Educational Publishing
Follow Me Around: Russia by Wiley Blevins
Let's Explore Russia by Walt K. Moon
Living In Russia by Jesse Burton
Russia ABCs by Ann Berge
Matreshka by Becky Hickox Ayres
The Flying Witch by Jane Yolen
The Black Geese by Alison Lurie
Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave by Marianna Mayer
Grandma Chickenlegs by Geraldine McCaughrean
Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll by Hiawyn Oram
Baba Yaga by An Leysen
Arthur is using RSO Biology 1 this year has the main science text. Our academic coop will also be using RSO Biology 1 as a basis for the fall and spring semester courses, so we will be just supplementing at home. We will also be doing some of Blossom & Root’s Book Seeds and various other small units in between. Other than co-op, we watched a ton of PBS Eons videos this week.
RSO Biology 1
Story of Science Vol. 3 by Joy Hakim
Quentin is using RSO Earth & Environment and RSO Astronomy 1 as a base. Of course, we have a ton of extra science resources laying around the house. And I will be hosting some one-off science exploration days that align with the units. We started a small unit about weather But we also just watched a ton of PBS Eons videos.
RSO Earth and Environment
DK First Earth Encyclopedia
Nat Geo Kids: Weather
The Child's Introduction to the Environment
What Will the Weather Be? by Lynda Dewitt
Weather Words and What They Mean by Gail Gibbons
DK Eyewonder: Weather
Boy, Were We Wrong About the Weather by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
We’re entering the home stretch of this semester of co-op. For biology, the kids learned about reptiles and birds. In art, they covered blind contour drawing. And for writer’s workshop, we conferenced the fictional narratives. Only one week to go!
Art will be very sporadic this year, but we do have some fun excursions planned. And I will incorporate art projects into a lot of other subjects and unit studies.
For music, we are using Music Lab: We Rock! as our spine. Each week we will be learning about a different rock musician and focus on a particular song. I have also created Spotify playlists so we can listen on the go. We covered Donna Summer and The Bee Gees, so I guess it was disco week. The boys liked The Bee Gees more than Donna Summer, but neither were favorites.
Music Lab: We Rock!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
No specific field trip this week, but we did finally get back to the zoo. We visited the desert, jungle, and aquarium with some friends. It was lovely to get back to our favorites.
The boys got to attend the winter homeschool dance on Thursday night and then sketchbook club on Friday afternoon. So two big activities with friends.
I’m getting some attitude and laziness from both of the boys. I’m annoyed…
Starting our new read alouds
Moving forward with our math textbooks
Traveling to the Victorian Britain (A) and the Mughal Empire (Q) for history
Exploring weather and climate for science
Listening to Madonna
Moving into the last week of Academic Co-op
Next up on the TBR pile:
Reading: I’m almost finished reading Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. It’s our book club selection this month and I have some mixed feelings. Waiting until I finish the book before making my official determination.
Watching: J and finally started watching Alice in Borderland as I finished the manga series last month. I am enjoying the changes while retaining the basic ideas from the manga.
Listening: Stray Kids all the time, every day. That’s all.
Making: J and I have officially started our podcast about War and Peace. I’m excited to get into the book more and establish a routine.
Feeling: Since Christmas, I’ve been feeling weirdly disconnected. My depression has been harder to keep at bay.
Planning: The Enrichment Co-op is starting at the beginning of April. I need to start planning my lessons, but I guess I need to reconfirm the weeks that I am actually teaching.
Loving: I finally got my birthday cake this past weekend and of course it was German chocolate. Love it so much!
Next up on the TBR pile:
We had a pretty normal week. Lots of schoolwork, a few activities, but also weather that interrupted some plans. We had a big blizzard blow through on Tuesday night that cancelled our Wednesday plans. We pivoted by covering more schoolwork and watching some more documentaries. Not a big deal.
Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. Arthur dove into our next coop book club selection. We’re both really loving it! It’s a gentle story, but with a lot to say. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Science Verse by Jon Scieszka
The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G1 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 2 and random books that we have around the house. We started our next read aloud that aligns with our Blossom and Root curriculum. We’re both really loved it!
Poetry: Out of This World: ICE Poems About Polar Life by Douglas Florian
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. We ended up taking a short break from our textbook to explore more logic and algebraic expressions.
Math in Focus Course 1 Book A
Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 2B and 3A. We moved onto 3A starting slow to easy back into our lessons. Taking it slow but moving along.
Singapore Primary 3A
Primarily Logic
Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. Because of our changes in scheduled, we ended up covering three sections of history this week. We learned about the Latin American Revolutions in South America, the revolutions in Brazil and Mexico, and the African Zulu Empire and Central African caliphates
Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Simon Bolivar: Latin American Liberator by Frank de Varona
A Kid’s Guide to Latino History: More than 50 Activities, by Valerie Petrillo
Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers, by Juliet Menendez
Where Is the Amazon?, by Sarah Fabiny
DK Eyewitness: The Amazon
Fiesta Femenina: Celebrating Women of Mexican Folklore, by Mary-Joan Gerson
Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection, by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy
Brazil: Enchantment of the World, by Ann Heinrichs
Mexico: Enchantment of the World, by Liz Sonneborn
A Kid's Guide to Latino History by Valerie Petrillo
Shaka Zulu by Richard Spilsbury
Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 as his main history curriculum. We covered two chapters, one about the Inca Empire and one about the Renaissance..
History Quest Middle Times
DK When on Earth?
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
DK Explorers
Ancient Civilizations: Aztecs, Maya, Incas! by Anita Yasuda
The Inca Empire by Sandra Newman
20 Fun Facts About Machu Picchu by Janey Levy
Inca by Lawrence Kovacs
Lost Treasure of the Inca by Peter Lourie
A Look at Renaissance Art by J. Jean Robertson
Raphael by Mike Venezia
Leonardo, Beautiful Dreamer by Robert Byrd
Leonardo da Vinci by Mike Venezia
The Renaissance by Enzo George
Arthur is using RSO Biology 1 this year has the main science text. Our academic coop will also be using RSO Biology 1 as a basis for the fall and spring semester courses, so we will be just supplementing at home. We will also be doing some of Blossom & Root’s Book Seeds and various other small units in between. Other than co-op, we watched a ton of PBS Eons videos this week.
RSO Biology 1
Story of Science Vol. 3 by Joy Hakim
Quentin is using RSO Earth & Environment and RSO Astronomy 1 as a base. Of course, we have a ton of extra science resources laying around the house. And I will be hosting some one-off science exploration days that align with the units. We jumped back into RSO Earth & Environment to cover the atmosphere. But we also just watched a ton of PBS Eons videos.
RSO Earth and Environment
DK First Earth Encyclopedia
We’re entering the home stretch of this semester of co-op. For biology, the kids learned about fish and amphibians. For art, they focused on abstract and absurdist art. And for writing, we started our unit on Fictional Narrative. Only two weeks to go!
Art will be very sporadic this year, but we do have some fun excursions planned. And I will incorporate art projects into a lot of other subjects and unit studies.
For music, we are using Music Lab: We Rock! as our spine. Each week we will be learning about a different rock musician and focus on a particular song. I have also created Spotify playlists so we can listen on the go.
Music Lab: We Rock!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
No specific field trip this week.
We got a lot of curriculum covered…
The weather brought a fun winter storm and some terrible road conditions that disrupted our week. We had to skip our nature walk due to sleet and soggy ground. And our social meetup was cancelled due to the blizzard.
Finishing our read alouds, probably starting our next ones
Moving forward with our math textbooks
Traveling to the United States and Russia (A) and Russia (Q) for history
Exploring weather for science
Visiting the zoo
Attending a nature class
Moving into the last two weeks of Academic Co-op
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
I’m currently reading six books right now. It might be a bit much.
A blizzard came through on Tuesday night, disrupting my plans for yesterday. No birthday dinner out for me. Instead, we have pushed it to this weekend at some point.
Trying to take advantage of all the birthday offers from various places. We’ll see what I can work into my plans for Sunday.
Next up on the TBR pile:
We had a week of a ton of activities. Seriously, we only did book work school one day between a birthday party, a parent meeting, co-op, and the Valentine’s Day party. And then the next week was technically a flex week, but we pushed in some school. So that we could leave on Friday to go on a mini trip to Kansas City and Great Wolf Lodge with friends. We’re back this week on Tuesday, but will be taking a bit of a break from school to regroup. Plus we have co-op as usual on Thursday, so we won’t be just sitting around.
Arthur is primarily using Hearth and Story G5 for his language arts this year. Arthur started and finished the next Co-op Book Club selection. It was written in verse, so something a little different for him. We also covered more grammar and extra language arts assignments.
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Quentin is primarily using Blossom & Root G1 for his language arts this year. We will pull some elements from Build Your Library Level 2 and random books that we have around the house. We dove into a modern classic. Q even tried to read it himself, but said that the words were too hard. It is above his independent reading level right now, but we’ll get there.
Poetry: Out of This World: Star-Studded Haiu by Sally M. Walker
The Tale of Despeareaux by Kate DiCamillo
Arthur is using Singapore’s Math in Focus Course 1. Effectively this is Singapore’s 6th grade math text. We took a short break so Arthur could catch up on some independent work, and then dove back into area of polygons and triangles.
Math in Focus Course 1 Book A
Quentin is using Singapore’s Primary Mathematics Common Core edition 2B and 3A. We moved onto 3A starting slow to easy back into our lessons. Taking it slow but moving along.
Singapore Primary 3A
Primarily Logic
Arthur is using Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 this year. Arthur covered the Industrial Revolution and the Rise of Romanticism. From there, we learned about Napoleon. We are blazing through this history curriculum this year.
Curiosity Chronicles Early Modern History Vol. 1
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
Crossing on Time: Steam Engines, Fast Ships, and a Journey to the New World by David Macaulay
Cars, Trains, Ships, and Planes: A Visual Encyclopedia of Every Vehicle, by DK and the Smithsonian Institution
Train: The Definitive Visual History by DK and the Smithsonian Institution
Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey
She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lynn Fulton
DK Eyewitness Books: Judaism by DK
Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers: Ludwig van Beethoven, by Mike Venezia
Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers: Frederic Chopin, by Mike Venezia
Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley and Gris Grimly
Beethoven’s Heroic Symphony, by Anna Harwell Celenza
Blades of Freedom: A Tale of Haiti, Napoleon, and the Louisiana Purchase (Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales 10), by Nathan Hale
Napoleon vs. the Bunnies, by J. F. Fox
Battles that Changed History, by DK and Smithsonian Institution
The Game of Hope, by Sandra Gulland
Who Was Napoleon?, by Jim Gigliotti
Quentin is using History Quest Middle Times with Build Your Library Level 2 as his main history curriculum. We covered the chapter about the Aztec Empire.
History Quest Middle Times
DK When on Earth?
DK History
DK Timelines of Everything
DK Timelines of Everyone
DK A Child Through Time
DK Explorers
The Aztec Empire by Sunita Apte
The Aztec Empire by Ellis Roxburgh
The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes by Duncan Tonatiuh
Ancient Aztec: Archaeology Unlocks the Secrets of Mexico's Past by Time Cooke
Ancient Civilizations: Aztec, Maya, Incas! by Anita Yasuda
Arthur is using RSO Biology 1 this year has the main science text. Our academic coop will also be using RSO Biology 1 as a basis for the fall and spring semester courses, so we will be just supplementing at home. We will also be doing some of Blossom & Root’s Book Seeds and various other small units in between. We did read some chapters from our Story of Science to keep up. Added science bonus, we watched more PBS Eons videos.
RSO Biology 1
Story of Science Vol. 3 by Joy Hakim
Quentin is using RSO Earth & Environment and RSO Astronomy 1 as a base. Of course, we have a ton of extra science resources laying around the house. And I will be hosting some one-off science exploration days that align with the units. Lots of science this week! We covered Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and beyond. We finished the documentary series The Planets. But we also just watched a ton of PBS Eons videos.
RSO Earth and Environment
DK First Earth Encyclopedia
RSO Asttonomy 1
DK Eyewitness Astronomy
DK Space
DK First Space Encyclopedia
DK Eyewitness The Planets
13 Planets: The Latest View of the Solar System by David A. Aguilar
Professor Astro Cat's Frontiers of Space by Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman
Goodnight, Astronaut by Scott Kelly
Starry Messenger by Peter Sis
Back at it with weeks 4 and 5. In biology, they covered climate change and started the unit on evolution. Art focused on perspective. And in Writer’s Workshop, we started our opinion writing project.
Art will be very sporadic this year, but we do have some fun excursions planned. And I will incorporate art projects into a lot of other subjects and unit studies.
For music, we are using Music Lab: We Rock! as our spine. Each week we will be learning about a different rock musician and focus on a particular song. I have also created Spotify playlists so we can listen on the go. We listened to Earth, Wind, and Fire and Chic. Not our favorites, but a good exploration.
Music Lab: We Rock!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
So many incredible activiites over the last few weeks. So many activities…
It finally snowed properly! The boys got to play outside multiple days. It was even powdery snow, perfect for sledding down to the neighbors yards. Their record was sledding four houses down.
We had our co-op Valentine’s Day party at a bowling alley. A great idea, and the planners did awesome. Unfortunately, there was some logistical miscommunication and my group of boys that wanted to bowl together lost their lane and we had to split them up on other lanes. Q was especially upset that he couldn’t bowl with the kids he had originally wanted to bowl with. The planners and I chatted about how to avoid that issue next time we do a bowling party.
Starting new read alouds
Moving forward with our math textbooks
Traveling to Latin America (A) and the medieval Incan Empire (Q) for history
Exploring the atmosphere for science
Moving into the last three weeks of Academic Co-op
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
We caught another cold. The boys got over it fairly quickly; I have not. I’m still feeling pretty terrible, Just in time for our trip tomorrow. Really sucks.
Between sickness and general crap, my depression really kicked in these past few weeks. I’ve slowly been sinking, frantically trying to keep myself afloat. My usual tricks hav not been working at all. Because of that… my broken brain has gone into obsession-mode.
My current obsession — Stray Kids. They have been on repeat in my ears this week. Between the music and watching their videos and stupid TikTok videos, I’m staying somewhat afloat. But not really. It’s bad.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Reading: Finishing reading The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang for Dirty Book Month for book club. I actually have liked it a lot more that I was expecting.
Watching: J got me addicted to Pantheon. I’ve been watching some episodes during lunch, but wasn’t going fast enough. We’re watching the rest of S2 at night to finish before my trip.
Listening: My mom got me addicted to Stray Kids. I am obsessed now…
Making: I made a version of Kimchi Jjigae (just Kimchi stew with tuna and tofu) and we loved it. I think this needs to go into regular rotation.
Feeling: After being sick last week, I haven’t really slept well lately. Consequently I am tired. The cloudy weather is not helping me.
Planning: I’m finalizing the travel plans for the end of the month. I have just a few things to finish before we leave.
Loving: As a result of my Stray Kids obsession, I’ve been listening to more dancing music while making dinner. Makes the tasks a little less annoying.
Next up on the TBR pile:
