Here's my randomness for the week:
Feels so weird to have a lump of concrete in my mouth where my missing tooth is. Two weeks until I get a permanent tooth.
Hopefully this week was our last frost and we plant some veggies this coming week.
I’m on a historical romance reading spree this week.
Dreaming of being able to eat substantial food again…
Next up on the TBR pile:
Literature and Poetry
We started reading Pippi Longstocking. I don’t remember ever reading this as a child (just watching the movie from the late 80s), so this is a treat. There are a few word choices here and there that are problematic, but mostly we’re really enjoying the story of Pippi.
We also started our rainbow reading challenge! Each day we read books whose titles including the color of the day. By Saturday, we had worked through the colors of the rainbow. Each day, the boys picked their favorite story to write onto our rainbow.
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lundgren
Raining Cats and Dogs by Will Moses (idioms)
Ruby, Violet, Lime: Looking for Color by Jane Brocket
Goodnight, Rainbow Cats by Barbara Castro Urio
Red House Tree House Little Bitty Brown Mouse by Jane Godwin
A Fire Truck Named Red by Randall de Sève
Red by Jan De Kinder
Little Red Writing by Joan Holub
Red by Jed Alexander
Orange Peel’s Pocket by Rose Lewis
Who Eat’s Orange? by Dianne White
Black Bird, Yellow Sun by Steve Light
Yellow Kayak by Nina Laden (Tobe favorite)
Linus the Little Yellow Pencil by Scott Magoon
Hare and the Big Green Lawn by Katharine Crawford Robey
A Green, Green Garden by Mercer Mayer (Arthur read)
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Green Pants by Kenneth Kraegel
Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni
Blue by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family by Ibithaj Muhammad
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Violet the Snowgirl by Lisa L. Walsh
Shrinking Violet by Cari Best
Math
We finished Unit 8 and started on Unit 9 in our Singapore Math 2B. More review, but it’s good practice to strengthen Arthur’s math skills before we move on to more difficult material.
Social Studies
We had a combo week of geography and history. For geography, we studied our last continent: Australia. Arthur really got into that continent. We kept referring back to a three part NOVA series on Australia that he watched months back independently. Some days I’m amazed at how much he retains. For U.S. History we continued with the American revolution focusing on the Declaration of Independence and Soldiers and Leaders (mostly George Washington with a side of Henry Know and others).
D is for Down Under by Devin Scillian
Australia and Oceania by Mel Friedman
Introducing Australia by Anita Ganeri
Bilby: Secrets of an Australian Marsupial by Edel Wignell
Over in Australia: Amazing Animals Down Under by Marianne Berkes
Wombat Walkabout by Carol Diggory Sheilds
Ready to Dream by Donna Jo Napoli and Elena Furrow
Under the Souther Cross by Frane Lessac
Sun Mother Wakes the World adapted by Diane Wolkstein
Birrarung Wilam by Aunty Joy Murphy and Andrew Kelly
Wombat Stew by Marcia K. Vaughan
The Declaration of Independence by Elaine Landau
The Declaraction of Indepdendence in Translation by Annie Jane Leavitt
Fight for Freedom by Benson Bobrick
DK American Revolution
George Washington by Mike Venezia
Henry Knox: Bookseller, Soldier, Patriot by Anita Silvey
Henry and the Cannons by Don Brown
Science
For science, we continue learning about rainbows, spring, and gardening.
Who’s Awake in Springtome? by Phillis Gershator and Mim Green
Growing Season by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
Curious George Discovers the Rainbow
Take a Walk on a Rainbow by Miriam Moss
The Rainbow by Felicia Law
Raindrop Plop by Wendy Cheyenne Lewison
A Peaceful Garden by Lucy London
Spring for Sophie by Yael Werber
A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston
Spring Blossoms by Carole Gerber
The Seasons of the Year by Emma Carlson Berne
Plant a Little Seed by Bonnie Christensen
Spring Thaw by Steven Schnur
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
A Bunny for All Seasons by Janet Schulman
Grow Kind by Jon Lasser and Sage Foster-Lasser
Grow Happy by Jon Lasser and Sage Foster-Lasser
Quiet in the Garden by Aliki
Digger and Daisy Plant a Garden by Judy Young (Arthur read)
Springtime Blossoms by Jerdine Nolen
Art
Nothing formal
Music
We started listening to Alexandre Desplat’s movie scores, but actually only got to one this week. We’ll carry over to next week.
Unit Theme
We focused on poetry this week to celebrate Poetry Week! We read a variety of poems, including different styles, and tried our hand at writing some poetry. This theme will probably continue into next week.
Pieces: A Year in Poems and Quilts by Anna Grossnickle Hines
Handsprings by Douglas Florian
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Earth Verses and Water Rhymes by J. Patrick Lewis
Misc. - Random picture books read
If You Ever Want to Bring a Circus to the Library, Don’t by Elise Parsley
No Pirates Allowed! Said Library Lou by Rhonda Gowler Greene
Ming’s Adventure in the Forbidden City by Li Jian
The Library Book by Tom Chapin and Michael Mark
Ready, Jet, Go: Mission to the Moon!
Luna Loves Library Day by Joseph Coelho
I want a Monster by Elisa Gravel
Homer the Library Cat by Reeve Lindbergh
Do NOT Bring Your Dragon to the Library by Julie Gassman
Wild Kratts: Wild Insects and Spiders
If I Had a Raptor by George O’Connor
We had a lovely park playdate with multiple families that are interested in forming a STEAM coop for the fall. I’m so excited to be able to see other people again!
Weird attitudes from the kids. We’ve hit a doldrums. It was sunny most of the week and the kids just wanted to play outside (but not for any length of time). Everyone was in a bit of a funk.
Next Week
I have a ton of weird appointments that are going to negatively affect our school plans. So we are going to do a week of 1/2 days next week. Two of the days, Arthur will have independent packet. the other three days i hope to actually teach a bit. We are going to focus on doing math and reading every day and add in Earth Day and climate change. Plus we will probably listen to more Alexandre Desplat movie scores. That’s it. No history or formal art. I’m going to try to make it easy on me, but keep the kids engaged.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Literature and Poetry
We finished reading The One and Only Ivan. I’ll admit that I teared up at the end. I really enjoyed that story. Arthur seemed to also. We might read the sequel, The One and Only Bob, during our July break.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Max Goes to the Library by Adria F. Klein (Arthur read)
Max Goes to the Nature Center by Adria F. Klein (Arthur read)
Springtime Surprises by Anna Jane Hays (Arthur read)
Miffy at the LIbrary (Arthur read)
Pete the Kitty and the Unicorn’s Missing Colors by Kimberly & James Dean (Arthur read)
Let’s Go to the library (Arthur read)
Olivia Goes to the Library (Arthur read)
Math
We worked through Unit 7 (multiple and divide 4, 5, and 10) and most of 8 (money) for math this week. We also added in some extra math packets to review some skills and read some math books.
Corkscrew Counts by Donna Jo Napoli
Marvelous Math Poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
How High Can a Dinosaur Count! And Other Math Mysteries by Valorie Fisher
Social Studies
We covered the Byzantine Empire this week! We learned about how the Roman Empire was split, all about Justinian’s reign, and watched a NOVA episode about the mysteries of the Hagia Sophia. We also watched a NOVA episode about the prehistoric horse riders. Fascinating random documentary pick from Arthur.
Science
We continued with gardening, plants, and rainbows this week. Really diving into a gentle pace for sciences, but having lots of fun exploring. Nature science is clearly a preference for the boys.
Spring: A Haiku Story selected by George Shannon
A New Beginning: Celebrating the Spring Equinox by Linda Bleck
Spectacular Spring by Bruce Goldstone
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
Can You Touch a Rainbow by Sue Nicholson
Nature’s Paintbox: A Seasonal Gallery of Art and Verse by Patricia Thomas
Gardening by Nessa Black
Gardening by the Numbers by Cecilia Linden
The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons
How Does My Garden Grow? by Gerda Muller
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
Ready, Set, Grow
Try This! Gardening by Stephanie Turnbull
Color Me a Rhyme by Jane Yolen
It’s Raining by Gail Gibbons
Rainbows: Nature’s Light Show by Kristen Rajczak
A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman
Ava and the Rainbow (Who Stayed) by Ged Adamson
Art
Nothing formal
Music
Nothing formal
Unit Theme
We celebrated Library Week this week. We learned all about how to use the library including the Dewey Decimal system. Arthur learned how to navigate the online library catalog and even picked specific books to find. We did our library visit on Thursday and found our books! One Friday we focused on the variety of libraries around the world. Arthur loved learning about the alternatives to library buildings.
Jumping Off the Library Shelves: A Book of Poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
ABC Letters in the Library by Bonnie Farmer
Karl and Caroline Uncover the Parts of a Book by Sandy Donovan
A Library Field Trip by Isabel Martin
Out and About at the Public Library by Kitty Shea
Manners in the Library by Carrie Finn
Library Day by Anne Rockwell
Peppa Pig and the Library Visit
Bored Bella Learns About Fiction and Nonfiction by Sandy Donovan
Pingpong Perry Experiences How a Book is Made by Sandy Donovan
Bob the Alien Discovers the Dewey Decimal System by Sandy Donovan
Our Library by Eve Bunting
The Library Doors by Toni Buzzeo
Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children by Jan Pinborough
Library on Wheels: Mary Lemist Titcomb and America’s First Bookmobile by Sharlee Glenn
Biblioburro: A True Story from Colombia by Jeanette Winter
My Librarian is a Camel: How Books are Brought to Children Around the World by Margriet Ruurs
The Library Bus by Bahram Rahman
Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen
Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk
The Lady of the Library by Angie Karcher
When the Library Lights Go Out by Megan McDonald
Misc. - Random picture books read
Max and Marla are Having a Picnic by Alexandra Boiger
Flower Garden by Eve Bunting
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
Nesting by Henry Cole
Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham
Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole
When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes
Hi Jack by Mac Barnett
Every Color of Light by Hiroshi Osada
Thank You, Garden by Liza Garton Scanlon
Sunshine Brightens Springtime by Charles Ghigna
My Garden by Kevin Henkes
We had a rainy, but fun park playdate on Tuesday with a new friend. According to Quentin, R is his new best friend.
I bought and put together a new shelf to house our homeschooling supplies. So excited to get all the stuff off my floor!
My energy level was low all week. Hoping I have more next week!
Next Week
We’ll be covering a usual amount of topics and subjects including:
Starting Pippi Longstocking for our read aloud
Poetry featuring a Shel Silverstein deep dive (It’s poetry week!)
Australia for geography
The Declaration of Independence and Soldiers and Leaders for U.S History
Continuing gardening, rainbows, and spring for science
Money and Fractions for math
Listening to Alexandre Desplat’s movie scores for music
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
88 degrees and sunny on Monday, 40 degrees and rainy today. Welcome to the Midwest!
My removable wallpaper came yesterday! So excited to jazz up our built-ins flanking the fireplace. Hopefully it will get done this weekend.
I also have a bookshelf arriving today. I need a place to store all our homeschooling resources. Piles on my craft room floor is not cutting it now.
Read a picture book last night that made me cry. Hit me right in the feels. It’s a time capsule for the first few months of the pandemic. Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham
I have my first haircut in 9 months this afternoon and I’m still deciding what to do. I’m thinking a dramatic asymmetrical bob.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Beyond our usual school work, we had multiple outings this week. We started with a park playdate with potential coop families. Monday was a windy but warm and sunny day to be at the park. We found a new-to-us park that wasn’t busy (until right at noon) and has a variety of playground structures.
On Tuesday, we joined a friend and visited the animals at a farm. It was cold and windy, but the animals were fun to meet. We got up close and personal with goats, chickens (and chicks!), horses, donkeys, a llama, and two baby sheep. One of the employees gave us some important farm lessons and even got a chick out for us to pet. The boys loved feeding the baby sheep and playing in the nature classroom. We are going back in a few weeks to see the piglets and baby ducks they are getting!
Wednesday afternoon, we braved the chilly weather to go find all the easter eggs scattered about Lauritzen Gardens. We walked down almost every path and even traveled all the way to the back gate. I didn’t even know they had a back gate. I’ve never been back that far… After finding all the eggs, we explored the fantastical fairy lands in the indoor greenhouses. I loved looking at all the fairy houses.
On Friday, I (and J) got the first COVID vaccine. Someday we might actually get to have friends over for a cookout.
Literature and Poetry
We have almost finished The One and Only Ivan. I am actually really enjoying the story. Can’t wait to see how it ends next week.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Math
For math we covered Unit 7 which was multiplying and dividing by 4, 5, and 10. We also did some random math review throughout the week.
Found a snake friend outside
Social Studies
We went to ancient China for this week’s history lessons. Lots of great information and videos pertaining to Ancient China. Even I learned some things.
D is for Dancing Dragon by Carol Crane
Ancient China by Mel Friedman
20 Fun Facts About the Great Wall of China by Therese Shea
Secrets of the Terracotta Army by Michael Capek
The Ancient Chinese by Jane Shuter
Science
We counted our farm visit and garden visit as impromptu science lessons for the week.
Art
Nothing formal
Found a ton of turkeys at the gardens
Music
Our composer was Danny Elfman. I really enjoy his scores (Edward Scissorhands might be my favorite), and we listened to a few good ones for Arthur. He loved The Nightmare Before Christmas, but that’s about it. I don’t think Arthur was into appreciating music compositions this week.
Unit Theme
Instead of a unit theme this week, we just focused on Easter activities on Saturday. We colored eggs, had an egg hunt, decorated cookies, and did some games and puzzles. My favorite part was the jelly bean math. Arthur guessed that the bad held 50 jelly beans. When we counted, we found 185 jelly beans in the bag!
Easter by Elaine Landau
Turkey’s Eggcellent Easter by Wendi Silvano
Here Comes the Easter Cat by Deborah Underwood
The Littlest Easter Bunny by Brandi Doughtry
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Chick by Lucille Colandro
How to Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace
Misc. - Random picture books read
Bloom by Deborah Diesen
The Best Pet of All by David LaRochelle
999 Frogs Wake Up by Ken Kimura
Spring Hare by Eugene Yelchin
Rabbit’s Spring Gift by Anita Loughrey
The Little Gardener by Emily Hughes
Raindrops Fall All Around by Charles Ghigna
Hail to Spring by Charles Ghigna
Lola Plants a Garden by Anna McQuinn
There’s a Monster in Your Book by Tom Fletcher
And Then It’s Spring by Julia Fogliano
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
My Spring Robin by Anne Rockwell
Good Morning, Neighbor by Davide Call
I can’t decided between the park, the farm, and the gardens. We had so much fun during this very busy week!
Thursday’s dental appointment took me out of commission for the day. We wasted a whole day…
Next Week
We’re back to more of a normal schedule. We do have a park playdate on Tuesday and a library visit on Thursday, but that’s it for outings. We will be studying the Byzantine Empire, Australia, rainbows, gardening, and libraries (It’s Library Week!). We will be finished The One and Only Ivan and Unit 8 in math.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Let’s check in on my March goals and my progress.
Read 15 books, including 5 Unread Shelf reads - 50% success. I read over 15 books, but only 2 of them were from my Unread Shelf
Layout podcast episodes - On hold… while J takes care of some other projects and tasks
Make 4 52 Dessert Recipes - Fail. I had hoped to make some more, but I only ended up with three recipes made. So close!
Walk at least 20 miles on the treadmill ✓ - I’m calling this a win even though I didn’t do all 20 miles on the treadmill. We ended up with multiple outings that included long walks.
Make eye appointments - Fail
April’s Goals:
Read 15 Books, Including 5 Unread Shelf Reads - Hoping for a big unread shelf month!
Walk at Least 15 Miles on the Treadmill - Hoping to transition from the treadmill to outdoor walks.
Work on My December Daily Projects - I will finish this at some point…
Make 4 52 Dessert Recipes - I’ve got some good ones lined up.
Weekly Field Trips! - We’ve got the ball rolling again. Still taking tons of precautions, but excited to to get a bit more out and about. I’m shooting for at least one outing a week.
Plan Out the Rest of Spring Homeschool Weeks - Gotten a good jump on this, but hoping to tidy it up soon.
Next up on the TBR pile:
**I somehow took a total of three pictures this week. Terrible on my part…
Literature and Poetry
We started reading The One and Only Ivan for our read aloud. I’m enjoying the
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Lucky Tucker by Leslie McGuirk (literature study)
Mouse Loves Spring (Arthur read)
Duck, Duck, Dinosaur: Spring Smiles by Kallie George (Arthur read)
Spring is Here by Joan Holub (Arthur read)
The Garden by Gwendolyn Hooks (Arthur read)
Poems Have Roots by Lilian Moore
Math
We covered Unit 6 in Singapore 2B. It was a bit of review for Arthur, but we got back into the hang out it. Arthur also completed another unit in Khan Academy math. I’m hoping we can get through K-2nd grade math before the end of May.
Social Studies
We covered three lessons this week: native groups of the plains, rising tensions in the colonies, and the beginning of the revolution. It felt good to get back into U.S. History for a week. I especially loved going through the run-up to the Revolutionary War. Lots of good resources out there now.
The Pawnee: Farmers and Hunters of the Central Plains by Karen Bush Gibson
Shawnee by Sarah Tieck
Ojibwe by Torren Ramsey
Ladder to the Sky retold by Barbara Juster Esbensen
Young Jim Thorpe Bright Path by Don Brown
Our Colonial Year by Cheryl Harness
Fight for Freedom by Benson Bobrick
George vs George by
Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak by Kay Winters
DK American Revolution
The Boston Tea Party by Sarah Gilman
Let It Begin Here! Lexington and Concern First Battles of the American Revolution by Dennis Brindell Fradin
Sybil Ludington’s Midnight Ride by Marsha Amstel
Science
See Unit theme
Art
Nothing formal
Music
This week started our movie composer cycle. We listened to John Williams first. Of course, Arthur immediately recognized a lot of the pieces I pulled. And his favorite was Jurassic Park, no surprise there.
Unit Theme
The theme was all about spring and plants and growing. We’ll be continuing this through the rest of March and into April. We worked through the chapters of our Tinkeractive Books, talking about plant group, and watched a few episodes of Magic School Bus.
The Spring Equinox: Celebrating the Greening of the Earth by Ellen Jackson
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Spring is Here by Will Hillenbrand
Are You Ready for Spring by Sheila Anderson
Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms by Julia Rawlinson
Splish, Splash, Spring by Jan Carr
Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson
Mud by Mary Lyn Ray
The Little Red Ant and the Great Big Crumb retold by Shirley Climo
Anywhere Artist by Nikki Slade Robinson
Rain by Linda Ashman
Misc. - Random picture books read
Jack Blasts Off by Mac Barnett
I Want to Take a Nap by Mo Willems
Let’s Play in the Forest While the Wolf is Not Around by Claudia Rueda
Coelophysis by Josh Gregory
Swarm of Bees by Lemony Snicket
There’s a Dragon in Your Book by Tom Fletcher
Huff & Puff by Claudia Rueda
Little Lucy Goes to School by Ilene Cooper
Robo-Sauce by Adam Rubin
Pete the Cat’s Got Class by James Dean
We jumped back in and I feel so much better!
We say Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: The Musical at the Rose Theater. A lovely socially distant and masked up event!
We jumped back in and Arthur had to do some adjustment…
Next Week
We’ll be having a very strange week next week. We have a ton of outings (feels so weird to write that after a year in quarantine). Our outings are going to be a mix of educational (farm visit and botanical garden visit), playtime, and necessary errands (dentist appt and groceries). We will end up with three half days and one full day of regular style homeschool.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
Been on a huge romance binge right now and I’m totally okay with it
Finally started watching Ted Lasso and it is just what we need right now
I need to pick a new dessert recipe for this week. Maybe an orange cake?
While I love falling asleep to the rain, I’m very over the rain and need a bit of sunshine this week.
In a weird twist of life, I’m actually pretty excited to go to my dentist appointment next week. It’s a big step to fixing my teeth problems.
Next up on the TBR pile:
The past two weeks were our spring break. We didn’t leave the house much, but tried to slow our schooling pace and engage in some school field trips. We even met a new friend and hope to have more outdoor playtimes.
Literature and Poetry
We read Peter Pan over break and I forgot how muddled the writing is. I had to do a lot of editing on the fly and even skipped some sections here and there. We won’t be revisiting that one.
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Snowmen at Night by Carolyn Buehner (literature study)
A Crankenstein’s Valentine by Samantha Berger (literature study)
The Popcorn Astronaut by Deborah Ruddell (poems)
Math
We did our daily (or almost daily) math pages, but also engaged in math games and fun projects. We also continued with our Lollipop Logic and a few sessions of Khan Academy.
Double the Ducks by Stuart J. Murphy
3 x 4 by Ivan Burnetti
Social Studies
We sorta celebrated St. Patrick’s day with some books and a few crafts.
The Littlest Leprechaun by Brandi Dougherty
The Leprechaun Who Lost His Rainbow by Sean Callahan
There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover by Lucille Colandro
The Gingerbread Man and the Leprechaun Loose at School by Laura Murray
The Leprechaun Under the Bed by Teresa Bateman
Science
Instead of a formal science study, we got out into nature with some field trips. We got a free library pass to Fontenelle Forest and had a lovely hike through the forest. We will definitely be checking out that pass more often and tracking how the forest changes. On Thursday, we traveled to Lincoln to visit Morrill Hall and the natural history museum. The museum was fun even if parking was a bit of a nightmare. Afterward we had a fun picnic at a park and then stopped at the candy outlet on the way home. We also had a few park days and a trip to the zoo.
Art
Instead of a formal art unit, Arthur completed daily LEGO challenges. We had a mix of challenges and design ideas. I loved the low-key nature of the project and Arthur loved creating all kinds of fun constructions.
Music
As we were skill covering space, we studied Gustav Holst’s The Planets. Arthur liked Mars and Jupiter best. I am partial to Saturn.
Unit Theme
All about space! We continued our study of space. Lots of great library books were read! We also watched a few more NOVA episodes about various subjects including Saturn, the Ice Worlds, and Apollo 8. We did some fun free-form art projects including making a constellation poster. Finally, we had a box of fun space themed crafts
Mars’ First Friends by Susanna Leonard Hill and Elisa Paganelli
A Trip into Space by Lori Haskins Hour
Sadie Sprocket Builds a Rocket by Sue Fliess
Pluto Gets the Call by Adam Rex
Goodnight Astronaut by Scott Kelly
Moon by Britta Teckentrup
What Miss Michelle Saw by Hayley Barrett
My Rainy Day Rocket Ship by Markelle Sheppard
DK Space
Once Upon a Starry Night by Jacqueline Mitton and Christina Balit
What We See in the Stars by Kelsey Oseid
A is for Astronaut by Clayton Anderson
Professor Astro Cat’s Space Rockets by Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman
The Stellar Story fo Space Travel
Space Visual Catalog
The Complete Guide to Space Exploration by Ben Hubbard
The First Men Who Went to the Moon by Rhonda Gowler Greene
Daring Dozen: The Twelve Who Walked on the Moon by Suzanne Slade
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing by Dean Robbins
To the Stars by Carmella Van Vleet and Kathy Sullivan
Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed
Space Heroes by Hannah Dolan
You Should Meet Mae Jemison by Laurie Calkhoven
Rockets and Spaceships by Karen Wallace
The 100 Year Starship by Mae Jemison
She Caught the Light: Williamina Stavens Fleming Astronomer by Kathryn Lasky
Mars! Earthlings Welcome by Stacy McAnulty
Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet by Curtis Manley
Misc. - Random picture books read
Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light by Apryl Stott
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Daniel Learns to Ride a Bike
Paw Patrol: Mission Paw
The Magic School Bus Rides Again: Deep-Sea Dive
Porcupine Cupid by Jason June
Spy Guy by Jessica Young
The Owl Who Asks Why by Michelle Garcia Anderson
Meet a Baby Zebra by Lisa Ownings
A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na
A Thousand White Butterflies by Jessica Betancourt-Perez & Karen Lynn Williams
Stuck by Oliver Jeffers
Fowl Play by Travis Nichols
Duck & Goose: Honk! Quack! Boo! by Tad Hills
Lego Ninjago Movie: Shark Attack
Can You Tell a Velociraptor from a Deinonychus? by Buffy Silverman
Shy Willow by Cat Min
Rabbids Invasion: Attack of the Zombie Rabbids
Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes by Eva Chen
Let’s All Creep Through Crocodile Creek by Jonny Lambert
When the Wind Blew by Alison Jackson
Road Trip by Steve Light
How Tall was a T Rex? by Alison Limentani
I figured out the free library pass to Fontenelle Forest so we had a lovely morning in nature without having to pay. Definitely doing that again and hoping to use to pass for Lauritzen Gardens during their Easter Egg hunting weeks.
The Raptor Refuge at Fontenelle was a delightful surprise. We got up close to many birds of prey (including the bald eagle pictured). An employee took the time to chat with us and give us much more information than what’s on the signs. Lots of fun!
The cold and rainy weather meant less park days than I had wanted.
Quentin had a random sick day the first Monday of break which meant no outside time that day (and it was gorgeous outside).
Next Week
Back to our regularly scheduled homeschool… We’ll be diving into the following topics:
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Singapore Math 2B Unit 6 (reviewing mental addition and subtraction)
Composer John Williams
Spring Equinox
Plants and Growing
Native Groups of the Plains
The Start of the American Revolution (thru Lexington and Concord)
Daily Doodling Journal
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
We’ve been on a smoothie kick lately and I’ve found some great recipes. Our favorite so far was a mango turmeric one. Oh so good!
Today is our third outing of the week. We are not used to being out of the house. I’m exhausted.
Found rhubarb at the store, which means I need to make a strawberry rhubarb dessert of some kind.
Also, I need to make a batch of gazpacho tomorrow for weekend lunches.
Totally forgot we have a virtual wine tasting tonight. I can’t wait to open those bottles! From our favorite winery, Gundlach Bundschu, of course!
Need to do some car care next week (key fobs, gas, oil change). Not my favorite thing to do.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Quentin rocking the dentist
Things did not go as planned this week. I had originally planned to do the grocery shopping on Wednesday, which takes me away from active teaching for an entire morning. Usually I give Arthur an independent packet or a project to work on. Wednesday morning, I woke up and immediately realized that none of that would be happening that day. I was hit with a vertigo-inducing migraine. I didn’t leave my bed all day and it was terrible. An entire day where no schooling was done. Then I had to push grocery shopping onto Thursday. Being sick really threw off my entire plan for the week. Thank goodness we had a normal Monday and Tuesday and we’re doing a modified schedule for Spring Break for the next two weeks.
Literature and Poetry
We ended up finishing Sideways Stories from Wayside School this week. Arthur liked some of the stories, but didn’t seem to appreciate the absurdist humor. Oh well! we still did a lot of reading both from our read aloud and independently.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll (literature study)
Math
Singapore Math 2A has been completed! Woot! We have 2B, but will be taking a bit of a break for Spring Break and get back into it in late March.
Social Studies
This week we covered two U.S. History lessons, one on Ben Franklin and one on The French and Indian War. We are slowly working our way to the Revolutionary War.
Making Thirteen Colonies by Joy Hakim (decent textbook style book)
Ben of All Trades by Michael J. Rosen
Ben Franklin Thinks Big by Sheila Keenan
Science
See Unit Theme
Art
Nothing formal, but lots of random inventions and crafts.
Music
We finished our Jazz unit. We’ve had a great time tracing jazz through the ages up to modern interpretations. Arthur still loves ragtime, swing, and big band styles the best. He hasn’t really been a fan of any of our selections post 1950s. At least he got a lot of exposure to different artists.
Jazz by Walter Dean Myers (poems)
Nina by Alice Briere-Haquet
The 5 O’Clock Band by Troy Andrews
Ruby Sings the Blues by Niki Daly
Unit Theme
We finished learning about our Solar System this week, covering the Outer Planets. We also watched a few more episodes of The Planets from NOVA. We covered Mars and Jupiter. I learned so much from the Jupiter episode. We will definitely be continuing our study of space into Spring Break.
Planet Jupiter by Ann O. Squire
DK Space
Space Visual Catalog by Sean Callery and Miranda Smith
Saturn by Elaine Landau
Planet Uranus by Christine Taylor-Butler
Neptune by Elaine Landau
All My Friends are Planets by Alisha Vimawala
Pluto: From Planet to Dwarf by Elaine Landau
Beyond Pluto by Elaine Landau
Astronaut Handbook by Meghan McCarthy
Hedgie Blasts Off by Jan Brett
Astro Girl by Ken Wilson-Max
Under the Milky Way by Frank Lessac
The Girl Who Named Pluto: The Story of Venetia Burney by Alice B. McGinty
A Place for Pluto by Stef Wade
Astronaut Annie by Suzanne Slade
The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot by Margaret McNamara
Garcia & Colette Go Exploring by Hannah Barnaby
Misc. - Random picture books read
Night Tree by Eve Bunting
The Shy Little Kitten by Kristen Depken
Tiny T. Rex and the Perfect Valentine by Jonathan Stutzman
Are You a Bee? by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries
Good Night Little Bot by Karen Kaufman Orloff
Leaf by Sandra Dieckmann
Lego Jurassic World: Owen to the Rescue
Mickey and the Roadster Racers: Mickey’s Perfecto Day
Curious George: Lemonade Stand
In the City by Chris Raschka
Look Out! It’s a Dragon! by Jonny Lambert
Our happy place: the library!
Friday was my birthday and it was decent weather. We took the opportunity to go to the library and the spend some time at the park.
That migraine really threw me off.
Next Week
For the next two weeks, we will be having our version of Spring Break. We aren’t completely stopping school, but scaling back and focusing more on crafts and games. We are also planning on doing a few field trips (one to Lincoln!) and spending a part of almost every day at a park.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Let’s check in on February’s goals and my progress.
Read 15 books, at least 5 Unread Shelf reads ✓
Layout podcast episodes - Until J gets the hang of editing, this is on hold for a bit.
Make 4 52 Dessert Recipes - Fail
Walk at least 20 miles on the treadmill - Fail. Although I did a respectable 17 miles.
Put together drawers for boys ✓
Make eye appointments - Fail. It was dentist month apparently.
Make dentist appointments ✓
Make driver’s license appointment ✓
Make a spring wish list ✓
March’s Goals: Lots of carry-over goals for this month.
Read 15 books, including 5 Unread Shelf reads
Layout podcast episodes
Make 4 52 Dessert Recipes
Walk at least 20 miles on the treadmill
Make eye appointments
Next up on the TBR pile:
Week 1: Cranberry and White Chocolate Cake
This was such a tasty and easy recipe to start off the year. I loved the tart cranberries and extra sweet white chocolate chunks scattered through this simple cake. Arthur also loved it!
Recipe used from Kylee Cooks
Week 2: Peanut Butter Cookie Gooey Bars
Oh so incredibly good! Next time I should use less condensed milk (just a tad too much), but I loved the balance between peanut butter and chocolate flavor.
Recipe used from Crazy for Crust
Week 3: Earl Grey Tea Bread
Another great recipe! I have some ideas of how to tweak it (smaller prune pieces for one), but this was great as is toasted with a bit of butter and a cup of tea.
Recipe used from Food & Wine
Week 4: Sicilian Apple Cake
I liked the taste of this one, but it just didn’t really hit for me. For one, I dislike raisins and unfortunately the ones of the top got really hard. the cake portion didn’t bake like I wanted it to.
Recipe used from Recipe Winners
Week 5: Inside Out S’mores Bars
These were amazing! i was afraid that these would be too sweet, but they have a great balance of flavors. Definitely will make these again.
Recipe used from Tablespoon
Week 6: Baked Banana Oatmeal
Meh. This tasted okay (make sure to drizzle it with extra maple syrup), but I wasn’t wowed at all.
Recipe used from Five Heart Home
This ended up being a very strange week. I had an emergency dentist appointment on Tuesday and the office could fit Arthur in for a regular cleaning on Thursday. And I had promised the kids a trip to the zoo, so we went on Wednesday (along with a library visit). All in all, I felt very discombobulated this week…
Literature and Poetry
We continued reading Sideways Stories and finally got to my favorite story: Sammy! Arthur didn’t seem to love the absurdist humor of that story, but I loved sharing it with him.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog selected by Paul B. Janecko
Space Cows by Eric Seltzer (Arthur read)
Math
We worked through Unit 4 from Singapore 2A. We did a concept review of multiplication and division. Arthur grasped it very easily again and so we added in some challenge pages throughout the week.
Social Studies
We went back to A River of Voices United States History and did lessons on the Salem Witch Trials, the Triangular Trade, and Fort Mose. Definitely not the happiest week for history class, but I found some good sources for videos and readings.
A Young People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn and Rebecca Stefoff
Making Thirteen Colonies by Joy Hakim
The Salem Witch Trials by Sarah Gilman
A Child’s Introduction to African American History by Jabari Asim
If You Lived When There was Slavery in America by Anne Kamma
Fort Mose by Glennette Tilley Turner
A Kid’s Guide to African American History by Nancy I. Sanders
Playground in the snow. How Midwest of us.
Science
Wrapped into our Unit Theme
Art
Nothing Formal
Music
Continuing with our jazz study. We finished the 1940s and 1950s and started the 1960s.
Jazz ABZ by Wynford Marsalis
Jazz Day by Roxane Orgill
Birth of the Cool by Kathleen Cornell Berman
Before John was a Jazz Giant by Carole Boston Weatherford
Spirit Seeker by Gary Golio
Sonny’s Bridge by Barry Wittenstein
Unit Theme
We started a 2-3 week unit on Space and the Planets! We started with the big picture and then started to narrow down to our own solar system. We started a great series of episodes from NOVA focusing on space. This particular selection was all about the Hubble Telescope. I learned so much about the history of the program and what we have learned. We also watched an episode from the series The Planets about the Inner Worlds. I learned a ton about Mercury and Saturn’s moon, Titan.
G is for Galaxy by Janis Campbell and Cathy Collision
Me and My Place in Space by Joan Sweeney
Boy We Were Wrong About the Solar System by Kathleen Kudlinski
Galaxies Galaxies by Gail Gibbons
Looking Beyond by Steve Parker
The Stellar Story of Space Travel by Patricia Lakin
70 Thousand, Million, Million, Million Stars in Space by Paul Rockett
Galaxies by Howard K. Tramnel
The Solar System Through Infographics by Nadia Higgins
DK Space
Space Visual Catalog by Sean Callery and Miranda Smith
The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet by Tom Fletcher & Douglas Poynter
In the Sky at Nighttime by Laura Deal
The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield
There was an Old Astronaut Who Swallowed the Moon by Lucille Colandro
Space: Planets, Moons, Stars, and More! by Joe Rhatigan
Journey Through Our Solar System by Mae Jemison
Planet Earth by Christine Taylor-Butler
If Pluto was a Pea by Gabrielle Prendergast
Life on Mars by Jon Agee
The Space Walk by Brian Biggs
Earth Space Moon Base by Ben Joel Price
Space Mice by Lori Haskins Houran
Planet Mercy by Ann O. Squire
11 Planets by David A. Aguilar
Planet Venus by Christine Taylor-Butler
Planet Mars by Ann O. Squire
Letters from Space by Clayton Anderson
Mousetronaut Goes to Mars by Mark Kelly
Space Dog by Mini Grey
Lego Man in Space by Mara Shaughnessy
Misc. - Random picture books read
Froggy’s First Kiss by Jonathan London
A Scent-sational Valentine by Mary Man-Kong
Love, Z by Jessie Sima
Snuggle Down Deep by Diane Ohanesian
Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian
This is NOT a Valentine by Carter Higgins
10 Fascinating Facts About Dinosaurs by Rachel Grack
The zoo visit was much needed.
Emergency dental visit made me lose all momentum.
Next Week
We will be finishing Jazz, Sideways Stories, and Singapore Math 2A,. We continuing over our Space Theme and U.S. History.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
Movie month has taken some interesting turns. I’ve really been loving our weird selections. The other night we watched The Guest House starring Pauly Shore and it was delightful.
All soft foods for me for this month before I finally get my dental work done in April.
Historical romances are my sweet spot right now.
Not having a dryer is really not great. I hate having to hung the clothes everywhere.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Lion was flying like a rocket…
This was our last week covering Rome (and boy am I ready to move on). We also continued with jazz, finished one read aloud and started another, and completed another unit in math. It was much too cold to do anything or even go outside (average temperature was -20). Here’s hoping this is a bit warmer.
Literature and Poetry
We finished Fortunately, the Milk on Tuesday and started Sideways Stories from Wayside School on Wednesday. Beyond that, we continued with Arthur reading books to me and a few literature studies.
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Polar Bear, Arctic Hare by Eileen Spinelli (poems)
Dumpy’s Valentine by Julie Andrews Edwards (Arthur read)
Thomas & Friends: Valentine’s Day in Vicarstown (Arthur read)
Thomas & Friends: A Valentine for Percy (Arthur read)
Mouse Loves Love by Lauren Thompson (Arthur read)
Valentine Surprise by Corinne Demas (Arthur read)
Too Many Valentines by Margaret McNamara (Arthur read)
Porcupining by Lisa Wheeler (literature study)
The Littlest Valentine by Brandi Dougherty (literature study)
Brave Irene by William Steig (literature study)
Robot in Love by T.L. McBeth (literature study)
Math
We finished off Unit 2 (review of addition and subtraction) and Unit 3 (measurement) along with another unit on Khan Academy. Next week we should be moving back into more challenging units. We also covered the basic idea of algebra.
Mystery Math by David A. Adler
Social Studies
We are dong with Rome! This week we covered the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, various art and mythology from Rome, and a general wrap-up of the main people and events we covered.
Eyewitness Ancient Rome
Barbarians by Steven Kroll
The Ancient Romans by Shuter
Ancient Rome by Mack
Roman Myths by Eric Braun
Science
Nothing formal this week
Art
Nothing formal this week
Music
Continuing jazz! We got through 1930s-1950s this week. Arthur still likes swing and ragtime over all the other forms we listened to. I’m partial to the blues. He really did not like bebop.
Jazz by Walter Dean Myers (poems)
Jazz ABZ by Wynton Marsalis
Sophisticated Ladies by Leslie Gourse
Looking for Bird in the Big City by Robert Burleigh
Dizzy by Jonah Winter
Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown
Jazz on a Saturday Night by Leo and Diane Dillon
The Little Piano Girl by Ann Ingalls and Maryann Macdonald
Unit Theme
Another week, another two holidays to celebrate. We finished up our Valentine’s Day Study in the beginning of the week. And then we covered Presidents’ Day toward the end of the week.
Valentine’s Day
Celebrate Valentine’s Day by Carolyn Otto
If You’ll be My Valentine by Cynthia Rylant
Love by Matt de la Pena
There’s This Thing by Connah Brecon
Moo-Moo, I Love You! by Tom Lichtenheld
Here’s Comes Valentine Cat by Deborah Underwood
A Short History of Valentine’s Day by Sally Lee
Love Ruby Valentine by Laurie Friedman
Duck and Hippo: The Secret Valentine by Jonathan London
Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day is Cool by Kimberly and James Dean
A Giant Crush by Jennifer Choldenko
Ruby Valentine Saves the Day by Laurie Friedman
Groggle’s Monster Valentine by Diana Murray
Mr. Goat’s Valentine by Eve Bunting
Hedgehog: A Sharp Lesson in Love by Ben Sutton
The Valentine Express by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Love by Stacy McAnulty
Tucker’s Valentine by Leslie McGuirk
Love, Splat by Rob Scotton
Chick n Pug: The Love Pug by Jennifer Sattler
A Valentine for Frankenstein by Leslie Kimmelman
Presidents’ Day
Presidents’ Day by Anne Rockwell
Presidents’ Day by Rachel Grack
Abraham Lincoln by Peter Benoit
George Washington by Peter Benoit
Misc. - Random picture books read
Snow Day by Lester L. Laminack
Penguin Flies Home by Lita Judge
Snow Sounds by David A. Johnson
William’s Winter Nap by Linda Ashman
If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall
This Pretty Planet by Tom Chapin
We started reading Sideways Stories from Wayside School. This was one of my early elementary favorites and I’m really hoping Arthur loves it just as much.
We read so many books this week! I love reading and I’m so glad that the boys are into it also. Arthur’s reading has improved dramatically since Christmas and I’m super excited!
Epic “snack” dinner that Arthur helped me prepare
We didn’t get to spend any time outside because of the frigid temperatures. It’s really hard as we still don’t feel comfortable going to the open gyms and indoor play spaces this winter. Here’s hoping next week gets a bit warmer and we can go outside at least.
Next Week
If the temperatures hold, I’m thinking about a trip to the zoo Wednesday or Thursday. And we’ll make sure to get to the library like usual. As for our subjects, we going to try and finish our jazz unit, complete Unit 4 in math (multiplication), read a chunk of Sideways Stories, and start our Plants and Solar System unit for science. I can’t wait for the Planets and Solar System unit, it’s always one of my favorites. We will be focusing more on space exploration and will definitely highlight the landing of Perseverance last week!
Next up on the TBR pile:
We crammed in two holidays this week: Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day. Even though February is the shortest month, it’s full of holidays and events! We’re trying to hit most of them. Beyond that, we stayed into most of the week as the high temperatures were below zero. The boys lasted about 10 minutes outside one day attempting to play in the snow.
Literature and Poetry
We finished Just Beyond the Very Very Far North and started Fortunately, the Milk for our read aloud. I was sad to leave Duane the Polar Bear and his friends. I really enjoyed those two books.
Just Beyond the Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-el
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
The Missing Mitten Mystery by Steven Kellogg
It’s Snowing! It’s Snowing! Winter Poems by Jack Prelutsky
Thomas & Friends: James Goes Buzz Buzz (Arthur read)
Outside Your Window by Nicola Davies (poems)
My Friend Rabbit and the Snow Geese by Eric Rohmann (Arthur read)
Math
We continued with Singapore Math 2A Unit 2. The material is not a challenge (mostly 3 digit addition and subtraction), but it’s been good practice for Arthur before we move on to Unit 3 next week.
Social Studies
We moved on to the Roman Empire. We did a day on the Celts, a day on Julius Caesar and the fall of the Republic, a day on Pompeii, a day on the Colosseum and Roman mosaics, and a general day about the rest of the Empire. We ended up watching three documentaries throughout the week: Nat Geo’s Secrets of the Dead (Pompeii), NOVA’s Roman Catacomb Mystery, and NOVA’s Colosseum. We will be wrapping up Rome next week.
What Do We Know About the Celts by Hazel Mary Martell
Hands-on History! The Celts by Fiona Macdonald
Ancients in Their Own Words: Roman by Michale Kerrigan
The Ancient Romans by Cohn
The Ancient Romans by Shuter
Ancient Rome by Mack
Eyewitness Ancient Rome
The Genius of the Romans by Izzi Howell
Pompeii: Lost and Found by Mary Pope Osborne
Pompeii: One Roman City, One House… More Than 2000 Years of Change by Richard Platt
Roman Amphitheaters by Don Nardo
Science
Nothing formal
Art
Nothing formal
Music
Continuing our jazz unit for the month. Turns out Arthur really enjoys swing jazz but not blues jazz. Every week we are covering between 4 and 10 jazz artists. I have a giant stack of picture books featuring various artists and lots of music pieces notated.
Jazz by Walter Dean Myers (poems)
Jazz ABZ by Wynton Marsalis
Sophisticated Ladies by Leslie Gourse
Stompin’ at the Savoy by Bebe Moore Campbell
Bring On that Beat by Rachel Isadora
Piano Starts Here by Robert Andrew Parker
Duke Ellington by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Ella Fitzgerald by Ma Isabel Sanchez Vergara
Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat by Roxane Orgill
Ella Queen of Jazz by Helen Hancocks
The Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt
Swing Sisters by Karen Deans
Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Unit Theme
We covered Chinese New Year for the first half of the week. I found a great stack of picture books from the library and we learned a lot!
Behold… the Dragons by Gail Gibbons
Celebrate Chinese New Year by Carolyn Otto
How to Catch a Dragon by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton
Chelsea’s Chinese New Year by Lisa Bullard
The Nian Monster by Andrea Wang
Chinese New Year Colors by Rich Lo
Ruby’s Chinese New Year by Vickie Lee
Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim
Nian, the Chinese New Year Dragon by Virginia Loh-Hagan
The Little Pigs and the Sweet Rice Cakes by Li Jian
Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin
Peppa’s Chinese New Year
On Friday, we make Valentine’s and talked about the holiday. We’ll be continuing Valentine’s Day into next week.
Valensteins by Ethan Long
Misc. - Random picture books read
What’s That Noise? by Naomi Howarth
Lego Star Wars: A New Hope
Snow by Uri Shulevitz
I Wish It Would Snow! by Sarah Dillard
Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin
Pizza Day by Melissa Iwai
Winter White by Christianne C. Jones
Henry and the Yeti by Russell Ayto
Terrible Storm by Carol Otis Hurst
Be Brave, Little Penguin by Giles Andreae
Oh That Snow! by JeongHo Kim
My Penguin Osbert in Love by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
All Right Already! A Snowy Story by Jory John & Benji Davies
We celebrated National Pizza Day on Tuesday with takeout pizza! We don’t do pizza very often so the boys were very excited.
It was too cold to get outside. Meaning I had two kids full of energy and no where to get it out. Pre-pandemic, we would have gone to the gym or the indoor playground. But obviously not right now.
Next Week
We’ll finish our read aloud and start another one (one of my childhood favorites!) and continue with our poems. For social studies, we’ll wrap up Rome to head back to U.S. History of the last week in February. I think we’ll finish Unit 3 in math and get to the 1960s in Jazz. Our theme will be split between Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, and Presidents’ Day.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
Temps have been hovering around 0 degrees. I’m definitely feeling the cold this week.
Started a new giant project last night and I’m super excited about it. Hush hush for now, but I’ll share soon!
The kids want to make Saturday morning crafting session and regular thing. Ooof! I may have to beg off a few Saturdays, but I think I can make this happen more regularly.
Trying to hold myself back from blowing through the rest of the Scythe series by Neal Shusterman. Loved the first one!
Dreaming of the day when I can meet my book club at a restaurant or coffeehouse. Maybe this summer…
Next up on the TBR pile:
Reading: Scythe by Neal Shusterman. It’s been on my list and comes highly recommended by many bloggers. I’m enjoying it so far.
Watching: We’re a week into New-to-Us movie month. It’s going really well right now. We’ve watched some decent movies and a couple of good documentaries.
Listening: I’ve had A Day to Remember on repeat for about a week now. Really really digging the new songs.
Making: I finally got back into our 52 Desserts and Snacks projects with two different recipes this week.
Feeling: It’s so incredibly cold this week! The highs are all in the single digits. It’s too cold to even play outside right now.
Planning: I’ve got a huge list of Valentine’s crafts. I really need to look at the list and find a few that we can do on Saturday morning.
Loving: It’s cold and I need hot tea every night!
Next up on the TBR pile:
We had a big week full of snow and jazz!
LEGO creation of the Week
Literature and Poetry
We made progress with our read aloud and covered a few literature studies and Arthur read alouds.
Just Beyond the Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-el
A Snowflake Fell compiled by Laura Whipple
Little Penguins New Friend by Tadgh Bentley (Arthur read aloud)
Math
We continued working through Singapore Math 2A not quite finishing Unit 2 yet.
Social Studies
We had a slow history month, but did cover the Roman Republic.
Ancients in Their Own Words: Roman
The Ancient Romans by Cohn
The Ancient Romans by Shuter
Ancient Rome by Mack
Eyewitness Ancient Rome
The Genius of the Romans by
You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Roman Soldier by David Stewart
We also did a mini unit on Groundhog Day on Tuesday. Arthur loved reading the books and recording the various groundhog’s predictions.
Groundhog Day by Julie Murray
Grumpy Groundhog by Maureen Wright
Groundhog’s Day Off by Robb Pearlman
Gregory’s Shadow by Don Freeman
Groundhog’s Runaway Shadow by David Biedrzycki
Science
Nothing formal, but we did so a decent amount of science with the Winter Unit Theme.
Art
We spent all of Saturday morning doing various winter themed crafts. We covered our big picture window with the completed projects!
Music
My favorite unit so far in homeschooling! I created a whole jazz unit for the month of February. Every week we are covering between 4 and 10 jazz artists. I have a giant stack of picture books featuring various artists and lots of music pieces notated. This is going to be a great month!
Jazz Music History by Kenny Abdo
Jazz by Walter Dean Myers (poems)
Welcome to Jazz by Carolyn Sloan
Jazz ABZ by Wynton Marsalis
How Jelly Roll Morton Invented Jazz by Jonah Winter
Just a Lucky So and So by Lesa Cline-Ransome
When Louis Armstrong Taught Me Scat by Muriel Harris Weinstein
Born to Swing by Mara Rocklife
Jazz Age Josephine by Jonah Winter
Unit Theme
We finished penguins and our general winter theme this week. To wrap up everything, we watched two great Magic School Bus episodes about winter. Plus we did an experiment to see what liquids would freeze when places outside on the ~20 degree weather. Arthur got 4 out of the 6 predictions correct.
My Penguin Osbert by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
Poles Apart by Jeanne Willis
Polar Bear Island by Lindsay Bonilla
Virgil and Owen Stick Together by Paulette Bogan
Glaciers by Larry Dane Brimner
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
Brownie Groundhog and the Wintry Surprise by Susan Blackaby
The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino
Freddie the Farting Snowman by Jane Bexley
Lucy Tries Short Track by Lisa Bowes
The Wildlife Winter Games by Richard Turner
Misc. - Random picture books read
Winter Waits by Lynn Plourde
Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Yee
First Snow by Bomi Park
Crash, Splash, and Moo by Bob Shea
A Day So Gray by Marie Lamba
The Snow Day by Komako Sakai
Once Upon a Winter Day by Liza Woodruff
A Winter Walk by Lynne Barasch
One Mitten by Kristine O’Connell George
Whale Snow by Debby Dahl Edwardson
Snowy Farm by Calvin Shaw
Penguin and Moose by Hannah C Hall
White Snow Bright Snow by Alvin Tressalt
When the Snow is Deeper Than My Books are Tall by Jean Reidy
My Footprints by Bao Phi
Winter is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer
Kate Mim-Mim: Little Kate Riding Hood
How to Build a Snow Bear by Eric Pinder
Chapter Two is Missing by Josh Lieb
Saturday craft morning was a great success! It was a bit of work on my part, but pulling supplies and ideas earlier in the week made it less stressful than I anticipated. I’m thinking of making this a weekly or biweekly event.
Even though we didn’t do any field trips, we did manage to make it to the library. Love that place so much!
We were going to head to the zoo on Thursday or Friday, but snow and a drop in temperatures squashed that plan.
We had a bit of a regression with screen time this week. We need to find a better system…
Next Week
We should finish our read aloud Wednesday or Thursday and have another lined up. We’re hoping to cover the rest of Unit 2 and Unit 3 for math. Continuing with our jazz unit through the 1930s and 1940s. And our theme is split between Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day.
Next up on the TBR pile:
