Christmas Bucket List Update #2

Instead of a separate bucket list, I’m just going to highlight our advent activities for December. I bought the cute countdown kit from Stampin’ Up and using that as my calendar.

Decorate mini tree ✓

Write a letter to Santa ✓

Go See Santa at Cabela’s ✓

Lego Build ✓

Xmas PJs ✓ - Carter’s order to the rescue!

Go See Werner Park Lights ✓ - Given that we can’t really go anywhere this year, this was totally worth the admission fee.

Coloring Books ✓ - I grabbed two from the Target Dollar Spot. The boys have been coloring in them here and there all week.

Bath bombs ✓ - The boys used one already, but we have two more bath bombs for future fun times.

Window Clings ✓ - Another Target cheap find.

Zorinsky Park Lights - canceled due to bad weather

Decorate Gingerbread Houses ✓ - More like deconstructed gingerbread houses, but we did it and the kids loved the activity.

Hot Chocolate Bar ✓ - Arthur’s favorite was the milk chocolate; Quentin’s favorite was the marshmallow; Mom’s favorite was the caramel

Watch 5 Christmas Movies - in Progress

1. Babes in Toyland ✓

2. Elf ✓

3. White Christmas ✓

4. The Polar Express

5. The Grinch

Items Left to Do:

• Stamp and Ink to Make Cards

• Go for a hike and get pine cones

• Watch The Nutcracker

• Melty Bead Kits

• Make Gingerbread Cookies

• Puzzle Day

• Cookie Decorating

• Paper wreaths and snowflakes

• Christmas music dance party

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W16: A Week and a Half in One!

What We Studied

Before we get to our W16 studies, we did some Thanksgiving activities during our pseudo-break week. There were some fun turkey based games and puzzles. Arthur really got into Captain Underpants, and made lots of comic stories based on the character. Beyond those activities, we read a ton of picture books over the week.

Picture Books We Read:

• Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

• 365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental

• Presents Through the Window by Taro Gomi

• I’m Trying to Love Math by Bethany Barton

• Pirates Aren’t Afraid of the Dark by Maudie Powell-Tuck

• Hogula, Dread Pig of Night by Jean Gralley

• Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland

• Thanksgiving with Me by Margaret Willey

• Llama Llama Gives Thanks by Anna Dewdney

• Turkey Tot by George Shannon

• The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors by Drew Daywalt

• Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler

• Boom Snot Twitty: This Way, That Way by Doreen Cronin

• This is a Book of Shapes by Kenneth Kraegel

• Bear Out There by Jacob Grant

• Swing by Michael Hall

• This is a Book to Read with a Worm by Jodi Wheeler-Toppen

• I am a Story by Dan Yaccarino

• Dump Truck’s Colors by Sherri Duskey Rinker

• Duck and Hippo Give Thanks by Jonathan London

• Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka

• The Thanksgiving Bowl by Virginia Kroll

Literature and Poetry

We started reading the story of the The Odyssey to go along with our history study of Greece. So far, Arthur seems to like it, but still has trouble settling into storytime.

• Tales from the Odyssey Part 1 by Mary Pop Osborne

Math

Instead of continuing Singapore Math, we switched over and started learning about computer science. We have a book on Ruby, but I also picked up some other books from the library to supplement. Crash Course has a 40 video series on Computer Science that is great if a bit much for Arthur right now. We did watch three episodes this week: history of computer, early computing, and early computer languages. We also did a bio on Ada Lovelace and talked a lot about how computers work, both the hardware and software. We’ll be getting more into computing languages next week. (Arthur has also been doing daily math pages to keep up his arithmetic skills.)

• Kids Get Coding: A World of Programming by Heather Lyons

• Ada Lovelace: Poet of Science by Diane Stanley

• Ada’s Ideas: The Story of Ada Lovelace, the World’s First Computer Programmer by Fiona Robinson

• Kids Get Coding: Learn to Program by Heather Lyons

• Hello Ruby: Journey Inside the Computer by Linda Liukas

• The Grapes of Math by Greg Tang

Social Studies

History was all about Greece (and will be about Greece until Christmas). This week we started with the Minoans and Mycenaeans. We learned about their culture, history, and art. We did a big of a deep dive into Akrotiri and the island of Thera. We talked about how environmental factors led to the downfall of the Minoans. Arthur really liked their sea life art. We also watched a NOVA episode about an ancient computer, the Antikythera Mechanism. Fascinating stuff! Arthur was sad that we have to wait until next week to watch another NOVA episode about Greece (I’m trying to space them out a bit). To help reinforce Greek myths, we started listening to National Geographic’s Greeking Out podcast. Each episode tells one of the Greek myths. I’m really enjoying those.

• Count Your Way Through Greece by Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson

• Lost Cities by Giles Laroche (Akrotiri)

• How People Lived in Ancient Greece by Colin Hynson

• Eyewitness: Ancient Greece

Science

Science until Christmas is all about anatomy and physiology. Arthur really got into the idea of studying the human body, so I created a huge two month unit. We began at an overall picture of the human body and will start going through each of the major systems. We only got through the skeletal system this week. But we did take a detour to watch two Magic School Bus episodes: one about cells and one about DNA. Good stuff!

• Me and My Amazing Body by Joan Sweeney

• Who We Are by Robie H. Harris

• My Body by Martha Rustad

• Inside Your Outside by Tish Rabe

• Eyewitness: Human Body

• Professor Astro Cat’s Human Body Odyssey

• My Amazing Body Machine by Robert Winston

• I Have a Skeleton by Simone T. Ribke

Art

No formal art lessons this month, but we are doing a variety of projects related to the season and to our other subjects. This week Arthur did a lot of drawing related to history and anatomy. The picture above is his version on parts of the Antikythera Mechanism from history. He also drew some pieces relating to our Magic School Bus episodes.

Music

Our composer this week was Franz Joseph Haydn. Arthur still insists that nobody can beat Beethoven (fair, fair), but he said Haydn was okay. He really did not like his Trumpet Concerto, but the string quartets were okay.

• The Farewell Symphony by Anna Harwell Celenza

• Biography by Carole Greene

Unit Theme

Our unit theme until Christmas is holidays around the world. This week we learned about Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. Next week, we’ll be adding in more holiday activities. Plus, we are doing an advent (see my Christmas Bucket List post) that is all holiday themed. Finally, I wrapped the 24 days of Christmas books again this year to enjoy. The boys love opening a package of two books every night. I got some new ones from the library along with some old favorites (both borrowed and owned).

• December by K.C. Kelley and Bob Ostrom

• Kwanzaa by Julie Murray

• Celebrate Kwanzaa by Carolyn Otto

• World Holidays by Heather Moehn

• Celebrate Hanukkah by Deborah Heiligman

24 Days of Books

• The Crayons’ Christmas by Drew Daywalt

• Over the River and Through the Woods by Linda Ashman

• A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe

• Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson

• How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas by Jane Yolen

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

• Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney

• The Biggest Smallest Christmas Present by Harriet Muncaster

• The is Christmas by Tom Booth

• There’s an Elf in Your Book by Tom Fletcher

Misc. - Random picture books read

• Violet and the Woof by Rebecca Grabill

• The Eeensy Weensy Spider Freaks Out by Troy Cummings

• Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni

• Storybots: Triceratops

• Choo Choo School by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

• Happy Birthday Thomas

• Dinosaur Farm by Frann Preston-Gannon

Highs

• Going to see Santa at Cabela’s! We didn’t think we could see Santa this year, but the store made it possible with lots of rules and restrictions, but a painless process. We made a reservation for a Thursday at 10am ensuring that the store would be relatively empty. After pictures, we made sure to check out the taxidermy animals and the aquarium. Q really loved the big catfish.

• Generally, our advent calendar is such a joy. I love Christmas and was bummed that we won’t be traveling this year. I rallied and made sure our advent was stocked with fun little gifts and activities.

• My attitude change of just letting things go has helped not feel stressed about school. I’m purposely scheduling lighter weeks to enjoy the season.

Lows

• Sound - seriously the boys can be so loud some days. My ears cannot take it. We need to find a way to enforce a quiet hour.

• Library woes - The library is quarantining all books for 6 days after they are returned. We aren’t charged late fees, but have to wait extra time. At this point, they are very behind and my books are taking almost 10 days to be checked in after returning them. Couple that with the fact that many people still haven’t returned books from when the library was closed, and I’m a bit frustrated that I cannot get certain books. We’re winding down the semester and my numbers are going back down (want to get to almost 0 on all cards by Dec. 31st), but I need to strategize for next semester.

Next Week

More of the same topics! We will be continuing with the development of Ancient Greece, reading The Odyssey, learning about computers, exploring the human body, choosing a new composer, and doing all the holiday activities!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List Update #1

Instead of a separate bucket list, I’m just going to highlight our advent activities for December. I bought the cute countdown kit from Stampin’ Up and using that as my calendar.

Decorate mini tree ✓ - As we aren’t traveling this year and we don’t have a big tree, I just bought a little tree that the boys could decorate. They love their little tree.

Write a letter to Santa ✓ - Arthur wants various Lego sets and Quentin wants dinosaurs.

Go See Santa at Cabela’s ✓ - We had to make reservations, but it was free and there was no one there on a Thursday at 10am. Perfect!

Lego Build ✓ - We got a mini Santa and Christmas tree kits to build.

Watch 5 Christmas Movies - in Progress

1. Babes in Toyland ✓

2. Elf ✓

3. The Polar Express

4. The Grinch

Xmas PJs

Items Left to Do:

• Stamp and Ink to Make Cards

• Go See Werner Park Lights

• Go for a hike and get pine cones

• Window Clings

• Zorinsky Park Lights

• Watch The Nutcracker

• Melty Bead Kits

• Gingerbread Cookies Make

• Decorate Gingerbread Houses

• Puzzle Day

• Coloring Books

• Hot Chocolate bar

• Bath bombs

• Cookie Decorating

• Paper wreaths and snowflakes

• Christmas music dance party

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Resisting the urge to load up my library holds. I really need to read the books I own.

• Heading to see Santa today (following all the precautions) and hoping to get a good picture of the boys.

• I miss having book club in person (hate the over-talking and weird ambient noise on Zoom), but clearly we will be doing this for another 6 months probably.

• My kitchen attempts have not gone well this past week. Making Italian Beef Sandwiches tonight. I know these work so fingers crossed.

• Is is strange that I want to read horror this December?

• I missed a few weird hairs when cutting the boys’ hair. Guess I need to pull out the scissors.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Christmas Bucket List

Instead of a separate bucket list, I’m just going to highlight our advent activities for December.

1. Decorate Mini Tree

2. Letter to Santa

3. Go See Santa at Cabela’s

4. Lego Build

5. Christmas Movie

6. Xmas PJs

7. Stamp and Ink to Make Cards

8. Go See Werner Park Lights

9. Go for a hike and get pine cones

10. Window Clings

11. Zorinsky Park Lights

12. Watch The Nutcracker

13. Melty Bead Kits

14. Gingerbread Cookies Make

15. Decorate Gingerbread Houses

16. Puzzle Day

17. Coloring Books

18. Hot Chocolate bar

19. Christmas Movie

20. Bath bombs

21. Cookie Decorating

22. Paper wreaths and snowflakes

23. Christmas music dance party

24. Watch The Polar Express

25. Watch The Grinch

Next up on the TBR pile:

December 2020 Life Goals

Let’s check in on November’s goals and my progress.

• Read 15 Books ✓

• Walk at Least 20 Miles on the Treadmill - Fail. I only logged 12 miles on the treadmill this past month.

• Make Christmas Cards ✓

• Clean out TBR Piles, Lists, Etc - Partially completed. I still ned to finish this before January.

• Finish Out Homeschool Planning for the Semester ✓

December’s Goals:

• Read 15 Books

• Plan Out January for Homeschooling

• Send Out Christmas Cards

• Walk at Least 20 Miles on the Treadmill

• Clean Out TBR Piles, Lists, Etc.

Next up on the TBR list:

Fall Bucket List Finish Line

I ended up with a respectable showing of 11/15 tasks completed.

1. Visit Vala’s ✓

2. Read 5 Chapter Book Read-alouds ✓

   • Half Magic by Edward Eager

   • Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

   • The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

   • The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

   • The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

3. Carve Pumpkins ✓

4. Go Apple Picking ✓

5. Read 15 Books from My UnRead Shelf (2/15)

6. Hike at Fontenelle Forest

7. Go on a Hayride ✓

8. Take Pictures of Boys in a Pile of Leaves ✓

9. Bake a Pie ✓

10. Watch 10 Fall/Spooky Movies

    • Labyrinth

    • The Nightmare Before Christmas

    • Hocus Pocus

11. Watch It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

12. Decorate the Front Porch ✓

13. Make a Leaf Craft ✓

14. Buy Halloween Pajamas ✓

15. Read 15 Spooky Kids Books ✓

    • Chicken on a Broom by Adam Lehrhaupt

    • The Ghosts Go Haunting by Helen Ketteman

    • The 13 Days of Halloween by Carol Greene

    • Only a Witch Can Fly by Alison McGhee

    • Read, Steady, Ghost by Elizabeth Bauley

    • Black Cat Creeping by Teddy Slater

    • Teeny Tiny Ghost by Rachel Matson

    • The Too-Scary Story by Bethanie Deeney Murguia

    • Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes

    • Black Cat, White Cat by Silvia Borando

    • Frankencrayon by Michael Hall

    • Trick-or -Treat by Debbie Leppanen

    • Halloween Hats by Elizabeth Winthrop

    • Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat by Sue Lowell Gallion

    • T. Rex Trick-or-Treats by Lois G. Grambling

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #19

Reading: Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff - Oh so good! But very hard to explain.

Watching: We started the second season of His Dark Materials and it is just amazing.

Listening: Loving all the episodes of Lore. I like to play the game of guessing what he is going to talk about based on the first five minutes.

Making: I finally, finally, finally started making Christmas cards! I made 18 cards in the past three days.

Feeling: I had to go grocery shopping and it started sleeting while I was in there. Very chilly day yesterday…

Planning: I’m working on getting all the Thanksgiving components scheduled out. It’s going to be a little bit harder to make everything without two ovens.

Loving: I need apple cider in my everyday life…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W15: We're Really into Weather This Week!

What We Studied

We continued our study of weather and finished our reading of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. We also slowed down a bit and let some thing go. And I spent some time planning our our second semester.

Literature and Poetry

We finished reading The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I was super excited to finish my re-reading of this volume. On Saturday night, we watched the newer movie version. Arthur loved it, but was scared at a few parts. He’s very sensitive about movies and television shows right now. On Friday, we did a literature study of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in connection with our weather unit. Arthur loved comparing the book to the movie version.

• The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

• Pickles to Pittsburgh by Judi Barrett

• Planet of the Pies by Judi Barrett

Math

Another big review week for math. We played some math games, did some Khan Academy, and did some review sheets.

• Mummy Math by Cindy Neuschwander

• Math Potatoes by Greg Tang

Social Studies

We did a mini study of the Native groups of the Southeast with focus on the Cherokee and the Seminole. We also finished watching the PBS documentary Native America. It was such a great series. I was sad that we reached the end. We also did a mini study on the continent of Europe.

• The Southeast Indians Daily Life in the 1500s by Kathy Jo Slusher-Haas

• Giving Thanks: A Native American Good Morning Message by Chief Jake Swamp

• Osceola by Santana Hunt

• The Cherokees by Michelle Levine

• The Cherokees by Anne M. Todd

• We are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

• We are Grateful by Traci Sorell

• Europe by Sandra Newman

• Europe by Mary Lindeen

• Introducing Europe by Chris Oxlade

Science

We carried over our weather study into this week. Specifically we studied extreme weather and a bit of climate change. We also watched an interesting NOVA episode about tornadoes and tornado prediction. Plus we watched a few Magic School Bus episodes about weather formation and weathering.

• Tornado or Dust Devil? by Josh Plattner

• Tornadoes! by Gail Gibbons

• Raindrop, Plop! by Wendy Cheyenne Lewison

• Little Cloud by Eric Carle

• Hurricane or Waterspout? by Josh Plattner

• What Makes a Blizzard? by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

• Hurricanes! by Gail Gibbons

• Winter Storm or Blizzard? by Kelly Doudna

• I Don’t Like Rain! by Sarah Dillard

• Good Night, Wind by Linda Elovitz Marshall

• Rain by Sam Usher

• Snow by Sam Usher

• Worm Weather by Jean Taft

• Watch Out for Muddy Puddles! by Ben Faulks

• Storm by Sam Usher

• Raindrops All Around by Charles Ghigna

• Puddle by Richard Jackson

• Home in the Rain by Bob Graham

• Stormy Weather by Debi Gliori

• Like a Windy Day by Frank and Devon Asch

Art

None formal this week.

Music

Our composer was Johann Strauss Jr. I love his waltzes and Arthur enjoyed more of them. I think he liked the Tritsch-Tratsch Polka the most.

Unit Theme

Our theme was Thankfulness in anticipation of Thanksgiving. We we all also continue this theme into next week.

• It’s Thanksgiving Poems by Jack Pretlutsky

• Giving Thanks by Ellen Surrey

• The Can-Do Thanksgiving by Marion Hess Pomeranc

• Gobble Gobble Mr. Wobble by Becky Cummings

• Thanksgiving Rules by Laurie Friedman

• We Gather Together by Wendy Pfeffer

• Over the River by Derek Anderson

• Thanksgiving and Other Festivals of the Harvest by Betsy Richardson

• Thanksgiving Mice by Bethany Roberts

• Gobble Gobble by Cathryn Falwell

• ‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey

• Gobble Gobble Crash by Julie Stiegemeyer

• Thanksgiving Day at Our House by Nancy White Carlstorm

• Thelonius Turkey Lives! by Lynn Rowe Reed

Misc. - Random picture books read

• Green on Green by Dianne White

• Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

• Thomas and Friends: Thomas and the Piglets

• Little Taco Truck by Tanya Valentine and Jorge Martin

• Henry and Mudge: The First Book by Cynthia Rylant

• Encore, Opera Cat! by Tess Weaver

• Dino School: Peter Can Fly! by Bonnie Williams

• Why Should I Protect Nature by Jen Green

• Honk! Splat! Vroom! by Barry Gott (a Quentin favorite)

Highs

• Love Arthur’s enthusiasm for our weather unit (and science in general).

• Doing a math review week was definitely a good choice.

Lows

• I’m missing our history lessons.

Next Week

We are having an off-week in terms of scheduling and planning. I have a few small packets made up to do some math and language arts review. I also have some leftover Thanksgiving themed activities to do each day. So a bit of an informal week for Thanksgiving.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I picked up almost 90 books from the library this week… This puts our checked-out total at around 270. Wow!

• I’m. so rooting for Brendan on The Bachelorette! He’s bringing me the dork energy and I’m so into it!

• I dumped a book this week and picked up Lovecraft Country. A much better choice!

• I shattered a Ball jar this week and it was terrible. I hate losing my precious babies.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W14: Not Many Pictures... Lots of Weather Talk

What We Studied

Literature and Poetry

We started The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe this week. I’ve read this one, but it’s been years. Lots of things make so much more sense after reading The Magician’s Nephew the past two weeks. Arthur is looking forward to watching one of the movie versions after we finish reading. For language arts, he had his first big sight word test. 17/20 (and one he switched his b and d). Decent showing. We’ll be doing another test right before Christmas.

• The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Math

We had another week of review and math games. Arthur completed a few levels of Khan Academy and did some logic puzzles. I’ve decided that we aren’t going to start Singapore 2A until January. In the between time, we are going to keep doing review packets, finish our Khan Academy class, and start a coding unit.

Social Studies

We covered a few U.S. History lessons from A River of Voices (Blossom and Root). We talked about the formation of the English colonies and life in the early colonies. I found a great American Experience episode about the Pilgrims that we watched over the course of a few days (it was 2 hours long!). I even learned a few little tidbits from the documentary. We also talked about the arrival of slaves in the colonies. We didn’t go into too much depth, but I did want to introduce the topic and it’s lasting impact on life in this country. This will come up again in a few lessons. As a conclusion to the week I found a great 7 part series for kids about the legacy of Jamestown from 2019 Commemoration event. The series, called Guardians of Jamestown, features a young girl traveling back in time to learning about various artifacts from Jamestown. It was engaging and informative. Extra bonus, each episode is only about 5-7 minutes long. We watched it straight through on Tuesday before lunch.

• The European Settlement in North America 1492-1763

• A Timeline History of the Thirteen Colonies by Mary K. Pratt

• Recipes of the Thirteen Colonies by Joyce Jeffries

• Slavery and Slave Trade by Richard Spilsbury

Science

Part of our unit theme.

Art

We just have a few free drawing periods this week. Next week I’m hoping to finish our fine artist study with Vermeer and Seurat.

Music

Our composer was Frederic Chopin. I love his music. Arthur was less sold on him.

Unit Theme

Our theme this week was weather. Arthur really got into learning all about the weather. We started a month long weather study along with lots of interesting little videos. He really liked learning about the different types of clouds.

• DK Weather

• Boy, Were We Wrong About the Weather! by Kathleen V. Kudlinski

• How Does the Sun Make the Weather? by Judith Williams

• Wild About Weather by Ed Brotak

• National Geographic Kids Everything Weather

• What Will the Weather Be/ by Lynda Dewitt

• Watersong by Tim McCanna

• Sun by Sam Usher

• Forecasting Fun compiled by Terry Pierce

• Weather Clouds by Ann Herriges

• Cloud or Fog by Kelly Doudna

• Hail or Freezing Rain by Josh Platner

• Kate, Who Tamed the Wind by Liz Garton Scanlon and Lee White

• The Fog by Kyo Maclear

• Singing in the Rain by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown

Misc. - Random picture books read

• A Pandemonium of Parrots

• Baby Cakes by Theo Heras

• Is It Sukkot Yet? by Chris Brash

• Hocus Pocus, It’s Fall! by Anne Sibley O’Brien

• The Legend of King Arthur-a-tops by Mo O’Hara

• Shimmer and Shine: Save the Rainbow

• Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Baral and Julian Frost

• Lego City: Look Out Below

• Cooking with the Grinch by Tish Rabe

• Thomas the Tank Engine: Stop, Train, Stop!

• Cat Traps by Molly Coxe

• Katie and the Sunflowers by James Mayhew

• Dance Like a Leaf by AJ Irving

• Gus, the Pilgrim Turkey by Ellen Joy Sasaki

• How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum by Jessie Hartland

Highs

Arthur really got into learning about and recording the weather. I also love when he really gets into a topic.

Lows

I felt very rushed this week and didn’t get as much done as I had hoped. Maybe next week things will be a bit more easy-going.

Next Week

We are continuing our weather unit into this coming week. We’ll also be finishing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and our National Parks / John Muir study. Our theme will be thankfulness with lots of Thanksgiving themed puzzles, pages, and readings. For social studies, we are going to cover the Native Americans of the Southeast, and then shift gears on Thursday to our continent study of Europe and on to the Minoans and Mycenaeans. We’ll be staying in ancient Greece until Christmas.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #18

Reading: There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins - I just started it and so far, it’s a fun slasher thriller.

Watching: We are so incredibly close to being done with Battlestar Galactica. Only the series finale remains for us to watch. I’m definitely ready to move on to a new-to-me series.

Listening: After the stress of election week, I’m pressing play on all my bookish podcasts like Currently Reading, Reading Glasses, and What Should I Read Next.

Making: In summer we hit a lull in our 52 Soups and Stews Around the World project, but fall has rekindled my motivation. We’re up to 43 recipes done. Might just make it to 52 by the end of December!

Feeling: Our new HVAC system has already made the house much more even and cozier. It’s really made a difference.

Planning: My Ikea storage finally came and has been assembled. I’ve been busy the last few days planning out where things go. Something categories are easy, but others are giving me trouble.

Loving: Life has returned to a slower pace this week and I’m totally here for it.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W13: A Week of Half Days

What We Studied

This week was a bit strange with me working on a project for J’s company. As we had so much to do, we ended up doing only half days of school this past week.

Literature and Poetry

We finished reading The Magician’s Nephew this week. I had never read it and I loved the story. It explains so much about the creation of Narnia and where certain things come from.

• The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Math

It was another review week in math. I created some math packets and little projects. One of our favorites was a mystery packet. Arthur had to use various math techniques and skills to solve the case of the missing pumpkins.

• Money Math by David A. Adler

• Me Counting Time by Joan Sweeney

• If You Were an Even Number by Marcie Aboff

• Max’s Math by Kate Banks

• How Much is a Million? by David M. Schwartz

• Peg + Cat: The Pizza Problem by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Aronson

Music

Our composer of the week was Felix Mendelssohn. I didn’t realize how much I loved Mendelssohn’s music. Arthur didn’t love his music, but liked it much better than some of the other composers we studied.

Unit Theme

Our theme was the election of course! We learned the basics of how elections work and the details of this year’s election. There are some great picture books about the election.

• Why are Elections Important? by Jacqueline Laks Gorman

• The President of the Jungle by Andre Rodrigues

• One Vote, Two Votes, I Vote, You Vote

• Buddy for President by Hans Wilhelm

• Today on Election Day by Catherine Stier

• Monster Needs Your Vote by Paul Czajak

• Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio

• Robin Hill School: Election Day by Margaret McNamara

• What’s the Big Deal About Elections by Ruby Shamir

• If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier

• LaRue for Mayor by Mark Teague

• Vote for Our Future by Margaret McNamara

Misc. - Random picture books read

• Cece Loves Science by Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes

• There was an Old Mummy Who Swallowed a Spider by Jennifer Ward

• Ghost Cat by Kevan Atteberry

• Rocket and the Perfect Pumpkin by Tad Hills

• Never Kick a Ghost by Judy Sierra

• Ollie’s Halloween by Olivier Dunrea

• How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green

• Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins

• Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

• We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger

• Because of an Acorn by Lola M. Schaefer and Adam Schaefer

• Leaves! Leaves! Leaves! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

• Peppa Pig and the Library Visit

• Steam Train Dream Train Colors by Sherry Dusky Rinker

• Summer Green to Autumn Gold by Mia Rosada

• Horrible Bear by Are Dyckman

• Thanksgiving for Emily Ann by Teresa Johnston

• Ralph and the Rocket Ship by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

• I am a Leaf by Jean Marzollo

• Be Brave, Little Elephant by Carol Bicak

• To the Beach by Thomas Docherty

• Jo MacDonald Had a Garden by Mary Quattlebaum

• Colors by Katie Wilson

• Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur by Judy Sierra

• Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson

Highs

• Our math lessons were lots of fun.

• I loved reading The Magician’s Nephew.

Our tree on Friday

Lows

• So incredibly busy!

Next Week

Back to our regularly scheduled program, hopefully… We are going to study our last four U.S. History lessons for the fall semester. We are also going to finish our formal art history lessons this week. Then we will be focusing on more creative free art. We will be studying weather for our unit theme and finishing up our National Parks research project.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Trying to work from home, do homeschooling, and all the usual house stuff (cooking, cleaning, child care)… I don’t have enough hours in a day. This sucks.

• After this project, I’m taking a day to just read.

• Coloring makes me happy

• I need to make some scones or tea bread this weekend.

Next up on the TBR pile:

2020 Soups and Stews from Around the World - September and October

Week 33: Chorba Frik from Algeria

Pretty decent, although it definitely needed more frik than the recipe called for.

Recipe used from Cuisine Culinaire

Recipe 34: Calulu from Sao Tome and Principe

A good side dish, but definitely not a great main dish.

Recipe used from Tall’s World Food Journey

Recipe 35: Lubee (Green Bean Stew) from Lebanon

Pretty darn good…

Recipe used from Pear Tree Kitchen

Recipe 36: Mtuzi wa Samaki (Swahili Fish with Coconut Rice) from Kenya

Good, but not amazing. I wasn’t super fan of the mix of flavors.

Recipe used from Pika Chakula

Recipe 37: Curried Coconut and Lime Gourd Soup from Solomon Islands

This was good! I will definitely make this again.

Recipe used from Soups of Our Planet

Recipe 38: Kartoffelsuppe from Germany

Good, although we need to add something to this, maybe paprika?

Recipe used from The View from the Great Island

Recipe 39: Zurek (Rye Soup) from Poland

This was very interesting. I actually took the 5 days to prep the sour liquid and it definitely adds an interesting flavor. We will have to make this one again.

Recipe used from The Polish Housewife

Fall Bucket List Update #2

It’s going to be another strange season still in the midst of the pandemic. And we’re homeschooling. Being at home does allow for some other fun activities, I just need to be more intentional about doing the activities. And we need to lower our expectations this year, just a bit… I few more items crossed off. We’ll see what I get to this month.

1. Visit Vala’s ✓

2. Read 5 Chapter Book Read-alouds

   • Half Magic by Edward Eager

   • Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

   • The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

   • The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

3. Carve Pumpkins ✓

4. Go Apple Picking ✓

5. Read 15 Books from My UnRead Shelf (1/15)

6. Hike at Fontenelle Forest

7. Go on a Hayride ✓

8. Take Pictures of Boys in a Pile of Leaves

9. Bake a Pie

10. Watch 10 Fall/Spooky Movies

    • Labyrinth

    • The Nightmare Before Christmas

    • Hocus Pocus

11. Watch It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

12. Decorate the Front Porch ✓

13. Make a Leaf Craft

14. Buy Halloween Pajamas ✓

15. Read 15 Spooky Kids Books ✓

    • Chicken on a Broom by Adam Lehrhaupt

    • The Ghosts Go Haunting by Helen Ketteman

    • The 13 Days of Halloween by Carol Greene

    • Only a Witch Can Fly by Alison McGhee

    • Read, Steady, Ghost by Elizabeth Bauley

    • Black Cat Creeping by Teddy Slater

    • Teeny Tiny Ghost by Rachel Matson

    • The Too-Scary Story by Bethanie Deeney Murguia

    • Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes

    • Black Cat, White Cat by Silvia Borando

    • Frankencrayon by Michael Hall

    • Trick-or -Treat by Debbie Leppanen

    • Halloween Hats by Elizabeth Winthrop

    • Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat by Sue Lowell Gallion

    • T. Rex Trick-or-Treats by Lois G. Grambling

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W12: We Embraced Spooky Season!

What We Studied

I love Halloween! So, we embraced the spooky season with our activities this week.

Literature and Poetry

We started The Magician’s Nephew, the first book of the Chronicles of Narnia. I’ve never actually read this one. We’re halfway through and I’m loving this one! It answers so many questions about Narnia and the White Witch. Excited to finish this one next week! For poetry, we read a collection of spooky nursery rhymes.

• The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

• Mother Ghost by Rachel Kolar

Woke up to this on Monday morning…

Math

We finished the last unit in Singapore Math 1B. The unit was about money. Mostly a review for Arthur. In reviewing our math curriculum so far, I’ve identified a few areas to review and increase fluency. We are going to take a break before starting 2A. We’re going to do a big review filled with puzzles and math games. Plus, I’m thinking of adding a small coding unit to start Arthur on coding lessons.

Social Studies

We covered ancient Persia, the Hebrews, and Phoenicians for world history this week. I had a hard time finding elementary-appropriate info about those groups that didn’t cross the line in a racist approach or a Judeo-Christian centered approach. I ended up doing shorter lessons on these and focused on their accomplishments.

• Ancient Persia by Don Nardo

• Eyewitness: Bible Lands by Jonathan N. Tubb

Science

Our week was a bit of catch-up and getting a start on a new unit. We did a mini lesson on living things, dissected an owl pellet, and did a pumpkin investigation. On Friday, we started out Blossom and Root Book Seed about John Muir. Next week we are going to do a National Parks research project, so today’s lesson was all about doing sone introduction. We also started the first episode of the PBS documentary: National Parks (by Ken Burns). We’ll be sprinkling the documentary in hour segments throughout next week. (It’s perfect viewing for when I’m on the treadmill.)

• John Muir Wrestles a Waterfall by Julie Danneberg

• M is for Majestic by David Domeniconi

• The 12 Most Amazing American Natural Wonders by Rebecca Rowell

Art

We covered two famous artist this week: Hokusai and Claude Monet. I found a great short video from Christie’s on YouTube about how Hokusai created The Great Wave. Arthur loved seeing a modern artist create a woodblock picture. For Monet, we review his paintings and his life and talked about our favorites. Arthur really loved the Haystacks series.

• Hokusai: The Man Who Painted a Mountain by Deborah Kogan Ray

• Hokusai: Genius of the Japanese Ukiyo-e by Seiji Nagata (adult art book; we flipped through to highlight the art)

• Monet Paints a Day by Julie Dannenberg

• Claude Monet Biography by Alix Wood

• If Monet Paints a Monster by Amy Newbold

Music

Our composer was Igor Stravinsky. I like Stravinsky’s unusual sound. Arthur wasn’t the biggest fan.

Nature Play Day

None this week as our friends were sick. And we are probably stopping this as a few circumstances have changed.

Unit Theme

It’s Halloween week! Of course our book stack and activities were all Halloween themed. I love this season so much! We also did a science experiment with dissolving candy corn and tried to build a candy corn tower.

• Seven Orange Pumpkins by Stephen Savage

• Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies

• The 12 Days of Halloween by Jenna Lettice

• The Bake Shop Ghost by Jacqueline K. Ogburn

• Ghost Cat by Eve Bunting

• The Halloween Tree by Susan Montanari

• Pumpkin Orange, Pumpkin Round by Rosanna Battigelli

• Ready, Steady, Ghost by Elizabeth Baguley

• Only a Witch Can Fly by Alison McGhee

• Pumpkin Countdown by Joan Holub

• The 13 Days of Halloween by Carol Greene

• J is for Jack-O-Lantern by Denise Brennan-Nelson

• The Witch with a Twitch by Layn Marlow

• Trick or Treat by Debbie Leppanen

• Black Cat Creeping by Teddy Slater

• Teeny Tiny Ghost by Rachel Matson

• The Too-Scary Story by Bethanie Deeney Murguia

• Lost Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes

• Black Cat, White Cat by Silvia Borando

• Frankencrayon by Michael Hall

• Trick-or-Treat by Debbie Leppanen

• Halloween Hats by Elizabeth Winthrop

• Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat by Sue Lowell Gallion

• T. Rex Trick-or-Treats by Lois G. Grambling

• Turkey Trick or Treat by Wendi Silvano

• Runaway Pumpkins by Teresa Bateman

• Boo Haiku by Deanna Caswell and Bob Shea

• How to Scare a Ghost by Jean Reagan

• I am a Witch’s Cat by Harriet Muncaster

Misc. - Random picture books read - Non as they all related to a subject or Halloween.

Highs

• I love spooky season!

• We got our hands dirty for science and it was fun.

• I loved all our Halloween picture books. We found some great ones to read.

Lows

• Our schedule was very wonky this week with HVAC install, grocery, and various appointments. Too much!

• Sad that we have to discontinue our nature play day with friends.

Next Week

We’re switching back to U.S. History to cover the early English colonies as well as Native groups of the Southeast. We’ll continue our study of the National Parks and our read-aloud.

Next up on the TBR pile:

November 2020 Life Goals

Let’s check in on October’s goals and my progress.

• Walk at least 20 miles on the treadmill/outdoors ✓ - I did almost 27 miles this month!

• Read 15 books ✓

• Cross off at least 5 items on my Fall Bucket List - Fail. Although I did get a three things checked out.

• Plan out October and 1/2 of November for Homeschool ✓

• Line up November’s TBR pile ✓

• Starting planning Christmas gifts - Started

• Thanksgiving plans? - Nope

• Plan a Halloween party for the kids ✓

November’s Goals:

• Read 15 Books

• Walk at Least 20 Miles on the Treadmill

• Make Christmas Cards

• Clean out TBR piles, lists, etc.

• Finish out Homeschool planning for the semester

Next up on the TBR list:

Homeschool W11: In Which We Covered Everything I Planned!

What We Studied

This week our subjects were Babylon, Assyria, and Asia (Social Studies), Van Gogh (art), Bats and Spiders (unit theme), Moon (science), Antonin Dvorak (music), and Winnie the Pooh (literature). Amazingly, we managed to finish everything that I had planned in my usual ambitious lesson plan. It will never happen again, but it was an accomplishment.

Literature and Poetry

We finished reading The House at Pooh Corner and did some study questions about the stories. Arthur also watched the Disney movie version of The World of Pooh.

• The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

• Candy Corn: Poems by James Stevenson

Math

We covered Unit 16 in Singapore Math 1B. These lessons were all about numbers up to 120; addition, subtraction, and basic number theory. With this unit done, we only have one more unit to cover in Singapore Math 1.

Social Studies

We covered Ancient Babylon and Assyria for World History. At the end of the week, we did a geography continent study for Asia.

• Hammurabi by John Bankston

• Ancient Babylon by Karen Bush Gibson

• The Assyrians by Elaine Landau

• Spotlight on Asia by A.R. Schaefer

• Introducing Asia by Anita Ganeri

• Asia by Mary Lindeen

• Adventures in Asian Art by Sue DiCicco

Science

We finished our moon study and started documenting the various phases of the moon leading up to and after Halloween.

• Smithsonian The Moon by James Buckley Jr

• The Moon by Michael George

• The Sun and the Moon by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano

• The Moon Keeper by Zosienka

• Earth Space Moon Base by Ben Joel Price

• The Moon by Robert Louis Stevenson

• Moon Wishes by Guy and Patricia Storms

• Once in a Blue Moon by Danielle Daniel

• Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

• The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons

• Moon by Steve Tomecek

• Wild Kratts: Glow Wild by Martin and Chris Kratt

Art

We did a study fo Van Gogh’s life and paintings. We focused on The Starry Night, Sunflowers, Bedroom in Arles, and Self Portrait. Arthur made his own versions of those paintings. We also found some great picture books about Van Gogh.

• Vincent Paints His House by Tedd Arnold

• The Yellow House by Susan Goldman Rubin

• Vincent Can’t Sleep by Barb Rosenstock

• Biography by Mike Venezia

• Vincent’s Colors by The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Music

Our composer of the week was Antonin Dvorak. J and I are big fans of Dvorak. Arthur liked his compositions, but not quite as much as Mozart and Beethoven.

Nature Play Day

No nature play this week as Q had a small cold. We didn’t want to infect our friends.

Unit Theme

Our theme was bats and spiders! We’re embracing the spooky for October. Lots of animal science this week and a ton of picture books. We also watched two Magic School Bus episodes about spiders and bats. I’m so excited that I found some great video guides to go along with the episodes.

• Spiders by Nic Bishop

• A Web by Isabelle Simler

• Miss Muffet or What Came After by Marilyn Singer

• Frank the Seven-Legged Spider by Michaele Razi

• Spartacus the Spider by Etienne Delessert

• Spiders: Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle

• Spiders Deadly Predators by Claire Llewellyn

• The Hugely-Wugley Spider by Ethan T. Berlin

• Bear’s Scare by Jacob Grant

• The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howl

• The Spider by Elise Gravel

• The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

• Bats by Sally Morgan

• Bats by Kate Riggs

• Bats After Dark by Ruth O’Shaughnessy

• Bats by Julia Vogel

• The Bat can Bat by Gene Barretta

• Bats at the Ballgame by Brian Lies

• I am Bat by Morag Hood

• Hello, Bumblebee Bat by Darrin Lunde

• A Kite for Moon by Jane Yolen

• Bats at the Library by Brian Lies

• Little Red Bat by Carole Gerber

• Bats in the Band by Brian Lies

• Bats by Julie Murray

• Bat Count by Anna Forrester

• Bats Biggest Littles by Sandra Markle

• Bats by J. Angelique Johnson

• The Bat by Elise Gravel

Misc. - Random picture books read

• Applesauce Day by Lisa Amstutz

• Ready for Pumpkins by Kate Duke

• Hooray for Fall by Kazuo Iwamura

• Hedgehugs by Steve Wilson and Lucy Tapper

• Attack of the 50 Foot Fluffy by Mike Boldt

• Manana Iguana by Ann Whitford Paul

• Penguin Problems by Jory John

• Little Lizard’s Big Party by Melinda Melton Crow

Highs

• Spontaneous dance party!

• We had a fun time doing the Boo Drive-thru at the Oak View Mall on Friday.

Lows

• Quentin had a bit of cold this week so no nature play. Sad to miss our friends!

• I think that both kids had a bit of cold and there were many meltdowns throughout the week.

Next Week

We’re going to start The Chronicles of Narnia; first up is The Magician’s Nephew. For history, we’re going to cover Persia, Hebrews, and Phoenicians. And next week is Halloween! Lots of fun spooky books in our stack.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #17

Reading: I finally started reading The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune and it is just making me so happy. I’m loving every page of it!

Watching: We introduced the kids to The Music Man (2003 version) this past weekend. We covered Sousa in music last week and it seemed appropriate. Next weekend, we’re thinking the original movie version.

Listening: I finally went back to listen to the mini series of At the Mountains of Dadness from Dungeons and Daddies. This three part Call of Cthulhu adventure is perfect for my horror heart.

Making: I’m thinking I need to make a few loaves of banana bread this week. That sounds perfect for these fall temperatures.

Feeling: The temperatures have officially dropped. I’m all about the cozy lately. I do love my fall wardrobe, full of cardigans and slippers.

Planning: We’re doing a family Halloween party instead of trick-or-treating. I’m planning some fun activities for the kiddos.

Loving: Cooler temps mean snuggling with fuzzy blankets. Yes!

Next up on the TBR pile: