Currently #6

Reading: After a few complicated and series books and a middle grade series, I started the space horror Dead Silence by SA Barnes.

Watching: After a long wait, Moon Knight S1 finally started airing. I am very intrigued.

Listening: ice Nine Kills just dropped a new song, “Hunting Season,” and I’m really loving it!

Making: Working on next year’s curriculum and that means piles of books everywhere.

Feeling: A big dentist appointment yesterday means that I have a slightly sore mouth today.

Planning: Working on all our travel plans for the rest of the year. I think we’re ready to start booking hotel rooms this week.

Loving: I have not had a good night’s sleep for awhile now. Sleep sounds amazing right now.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W27: Adding to Our Outside Hours!

What We Studied

We combined a “break week” and a regular week for this post. Our break week have turned into a way to catch up on unfinished units, add some special activities, and take a few hours off.

Literature and Poetry

We continued our read aloud and did a few literature studies. A fairly normal week when it came to language.

• City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda

• I’ve Lost My Hippopotamus by Jack Prelutsky

• Butterfly House by Eve Bunting

• Three Hens and a Peacock by Lester L. Laminack

• Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

• The Happy Lion by Louise Patio

• Mossy by Jan Brett

• John Philip Duck by Patricia Polacco

• Ginger and Petunia by Patricia Polacco

Math

Arthur covered Unit 12: Geometry and even did a special project. He created a Multiplication Grid art project.

• Logic Countdown

• Math Art + Drawing Games

Social Studies

We covered two chapters in History Quest: Middle Times learning about Kievan Russia and Mughal India. We did a mini focus on St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Taj Mahal. (Side note: I think I want to add an architecture unit into next year’s curriculum.) And I threw in a mini unit about the stories of Baba Yaga.

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• When on Earth

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• Follow Me Around: Russia by Wiley Blevins

• Let’s Explore Russia by Walt K. Moon

• Living in Russia by Jesse Burton

• Russia ABCs by Ann Berge

• Matreshka by Becky Hickox Ayres

• The Flying Witch by Jane Yolen

• The Black Geese by Alison Lurie

• Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave by Marianna Mayer

• Grandma Chickenlegs by Geraldine McCaughrean

• Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll by Hiawyn Oram

• Baba Yaga by An Leysen

• Whole Wide World: Kristine Spanier

• Taj Mahal by Cynthia Kennedy Hanzel

• Where is the Taj Mahal? by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler

• Taj Mahal by Elizabeth Mann

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop, we

Beyond coop, we did a mini unit on the Spring Equinox.

• Goodbye Winter Hello Spring by Kenard Pak

• Sorting Through Spring by Lizann Flatt

• My Nature Sticker Activity Book: In the Forest by Olivia Cosneau

And we continued our geology unit focusing on rocks and minerals and plate tectonics and earthquakes. Arthur loved growing his own lava rock crystals.

• Radical Rocks by Rena Korb

• These Rocks Count! by Alison Formento

• Geology: The Study of Rocks by Susan H. Gray

• Nat Geo Rocks and Minerals by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

• Fantastic Forces and Incredible Machines

• Astonishing Atoms and Matter Mayhem

• Dirtmeister's Nitty Gritty Planet Earth by Steve Tomecek

• I'm Trying to Love Rocks by Bethany Barton

• Rocks by Sally M. Walker

• All About Rocks by Alessandra Potenza

• DK Rocks and Minerals

• DK Rocks and Minerals (other edition)

• My Little Book of Rocks, Minerals, and Gems by Claudia Martin

• My Book of Rocks and Minerals

• The Island that Moved: How Shifting Forces Shape Our Earth by Meredith Hooper

• DK Volcano and Earthquake

• Fault Lines and Tectonic Plates by Kathleen M. Reilly

• Everything Volcanoes and Earthquakes by Kathy Furgang Ch. 3

• Geo Detectives: Volcanoes and Earthquakes by Anita Ganeri

• Earthquakes on Shaky Ground by Lesley McFadzean

• Zhang Heng and the Incredible Earthquake Detector by Randel McGee

Art/Music

We discovered Rosa Bonheur and her animal paintings. The kids loved looking at a big collection of her work and learning a little of her life. Afterward, they did some free drawing inspired by Bonheur’s work.

• Rosa's Animals: The Story of Rosa Bonheur and Her Painting Menagerie by Maryann MacDonald

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Q finished his big general unit on the farm.

ELA

• Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals by Nicola Davies

• Biscuit by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Biscuit Plays Ball by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Biscuit and the Baby by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Biscuit’s Day at the Farm by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Biscuit Goes Camping by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Spring Story by Jill Barkley

• High Five November 2018

• High Five December 2018

• High Five February 2020

• Flubby will NOT Play with That by JE Morris

• Food from Farms by Nancy Dickmann

• Let’s Visit a Dairy Farm by Alyse Sweeney

• What’s It Like to Live Here? Farm by Katie Marsico

• Mrs. Wishy-Washy’s Farm by

• Farm by Elisha Cooper

• On the Farm by Victoria Taylor

• Let's Go to the Farm! by Caryl Hart

• Seasons on the Farm by Nancy Dickmann

• Mighty Truck on the Farm by Chris Barton

• Big Read Barn by Margeret Wise Brown

• Farm Machines by Kathryn Clay

• Finish Farm Packet

• I Spy on the Farm

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

• I Spy Learn and Go

• I Spy on the Farm

• Smart Start Beginning Coding Grade 1

Field Trip

We had a fun day exploring Arbor Day Farm last Friday. We started with a guided lesson about bees and blossoms and then played on our own. Thankfully I remembered to pack a picnic lunch. We ended up spending 6 hours there making it a 8 hour day away from the house. Still, it was a great 6 hours!

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We watched a NOVA episode about gemstones. I learned a lot about how they are made and what distinguishesd one from another. Not a documentary, but a podcast - We started listening to PBS Eons: Mysteries of Deep Time. The first two episodes cover the only human remains in the La Brea Tar Pits and the Piltdown Man Hoax. Fascinating listens as we traveled this week.

Misc. Picture Books Read

• The Universe and You by Suzanne Slade

• Dear Librarian by Lydia M. Sigwarth

• Poo on the Savanna by Emilie Dufresne

• A Pizza with Everything on It by Kyle Scheele

• Dear Reader by Tiffany Rose

• Ten Thank-You Letters by Daniel Kirk

• Nobody Hugs a Cactus by Carter Goodrich

High

• Arbor Day Farm was incredibly per usual. I wish it was a bit closer to home.

Low

• Thursday’s coop meeting was more hectic and chaotic than usual. We were very sad to have to hold it in doors at the temps were hovering in the 30s.

Next Week

• Wrapping up City of the Plague God

• Starting the last three books in the Chronicles of Narnia

• Covering half of 3B Unit 13 about area and perimeter

• Exploring the Ottoman Empire

• Beginning a Beatrix Potter unit for literature

• Continuing our geology unit for science as well as spring and bees for coop

• Hoping to sneak in a study of Beethoven’s music

• Taking a backpack hike at Fontenelle Forest

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Middle Grade March was a great idea. I read some great ones.

• Starting planning the retreat for June and I’m getting so excited!

• But first, I need to finish planning our Kansas trip for May.

• I need some new slip-on sneakers that I can throw on for spring and summer.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #5

Reading: The Blackbird Girls by Anna Blankman, so far a very stressful but good story about two girls in the aftermath of the Chernobyl meltdown.

Watching: We started Severance S1 and it is so weird.. We love it!

Listening: Really I’m just listening to the usual podcasts. Nothing that exciting.

Making: March is almost over. That means that I’m making plans for my April reading. I really really need to read from my shelves, but I keep getting distracted by shiny new library books.

Feeling: I’m doing okay right now. Feeling a bit of a lull.

Planning: We’re over halfway through the semester. It’s about time to do a survey to start planning our next year.

Loving: We ordered a lemon cake for J’s birthday (a week earlier), and it was incredibly delicious.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W26: We Had a Week...

What We Studied

So… we had a week. Overall, it was that exciting, but we made it through the week with a few fun outings.

Literature and Poetry

We started a new read aloud and do a few literature studies this week. A fairly normal week when it came to language.

• City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda

• Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost by Gary D. Schmidt

• Me… Jane by Patrick McDinnell

• Sally Jean, Bicycle Queen by Cari Best

• Superworm by Julia Donaldson

• Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

Math

Arthur covered Unit 11: Data Analysis for math. It was a short unit,. but we worked through all the problems.

• Logic Countdown

Social Studies

This chapter of History Quest focused on the Renaissance. We covered a lot of the art and architecture and compared to the earlier Medieval period. Arthur was very focused on Brunelleshi’s cathedral in Florence.

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• When on Earth

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• Human World

• Leonardo da Vinci by Stephen Krensky

• Leonardo da Vinci by Mary Pope Osborne

• Renaissance by Alison Cole

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop, we talked about first responders and had talk from a local wildlife rescue group. I learned a lot, but the boys were a bit more interested in the crafts we did. Beyond that, we did read some other books and chatted about a variety of first responders.

• Show Me Community Helpers by Clint Edwards

• Helping Hospital by Lindsay Ward

• Real Superheroes by Julia Seal

• First Responders by Allan B. Cobb

• Itty Bitty Kitty Firehouse Fun by Joan Holub

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Q finished Sh, Ch, and Th digraphs and started moving into Level 1 readers. We kept working on math skills and pencil control.

ELA

• Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals by Nicola Davies

• Biscuit Feeds the Pets by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• A Snowy Day in Bugland by David A. Carter (Q reads)

• Summer Story by Jill Barklem

• Autumn Story by Jill Barklem

• High Five April 2018

• High Five September 2018

• Farming by Gail Gibbons

• Night on the Farm

• In! Over! and On! (The Farm) by Ethan Long

• Spring on the Farm by MJ York

• Go to Sleep, Little Farm by Mary Lyn Ray

• On the Farm by David Elliott

• Poo on the Farm by Emilie Dufresne

• On the Farm, At the Market by G. Brian Karas

• Old MacDonald had a Farm by Jane Cabrera

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

• I Spy Learn and Go

• Smart Start Beginning Coding Grade 1

Field Trip

On Monday we took the morning for errands and also hit the park for about an hour or so. It was a bit chilly, but not bad at all. The boys really needed some time to run.

Wednesday was a nature hike at Schramm with some coop friends. We did the 3 mile loop, had a picnic, played at the playground, and looked for fossils. It was a glorious 4 1/2 hours out in nature.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies.

Misc. Picture Books Read

• Turtle Pond by James Gladstone

• The Little Piggy Went Dancing by Margaret Wild

• Cecil the Pet Glacier by Matthea Harvey and Giselle Potter

• 15 Things NOT to Do with a Puppy by Margaret McAllister

• Anzu the Great Kaiju by Benson Shum

High

• The hike through the woods on Wednesday was absolutely amazing! The boys had a great time with friends and so did I!

Low

• We didn’t get around to our earth science lesson this week and now we’re slightly behind. I don’t like being behind. Thankfully, we have a “break week” next week. I have very glad that I built in breaks in our scheduled lessons to catch up when we get behind.

Next Week

• Starting 3B Unit 12 for geometry

• Continuing reading City of the Plague God

• Finishing up first responders for coop

• Diving into rocks and minerals for science

• Covering the Kiev Russia for history

• Taking Thursday off after coop

• Looking forward to a nature hike on Friday

Next up on the TBR pile:

Winter Bucket List Finish

After taking a bit of a break from bucket lists in 2021 (seriously, that year was a trash fire), I’m back this year. We have a variety of projects that we want to accomplish this coming year and I want to make some intentions for each season. For winter:

1. Check off 150 hours of our 1000 hours outside project - Fail. The weather was really against me here. We did manage to get over 25 hours this season, but no where near my goal.

2. Have a birthday day out for my 40th! ✓ - It was glorious!

3. Weekend trip to Chicago

4. Read 50 books ✓

5. Day trip to Des Moines

6. At least 6 zoo visits (3/6)

7. Trip to see the frozen waterfall at Platte

8. Movie Month February ✓

9. Weekly Game Day/Night with Arthur ✓

10. Make winter crafts

11. Design board for future kitchen renovation

12. Make Valentine’s ✓

13. Have a monthly (indoor) picnic

14. Finish one craft project ✓

15. Monthly bingo/trivia nights ✓

16. Go sledding

17. Buy a new Nebraska State Park permit ✓

18. Do a donation drop - I’ve done a toy cleanup, just need to gather some more things before doing the drop.

19. Take the kids bowling

20. Dye my hair purple - Fail for this season, but I do have an appointment for next week!

21. Log 50 miles on the treadmill

22. Learn to knit

23. Replace 50% of my socks ✓

24. Make homemade cinnamon rolls

25. Complete 3 television series ✓

Up Next on the TBR:

Spring Bucket List

After taking a bit of a break from bucket lists in 2021 (seriously, that year was a trash fire), I’m back this year. We have a variety of projects that we want to accomplish this coming year and I want to make some intentions for each season. For spring:

1. Check off 150 hours of our 1000 hours outside project - Winter was a fail due to the weather. Here’s hoping spring cooperates at least a little bit!

2. Two Lincoln Excursion Days - We know we want to hit Morrill Hall again and maybe the zoo.

3. Three State park Visits - Trying to use that pass!

4. Read 50 books

5. Day trip to Des Moines - Carrying this over from last season.

6. At least 6 zoo visits

7. Design board for future kitchen renovation

8. Monthly bingo/trivia nights

9. Do a donation drop - Carry over from last season

10. Take the kids bowling or mini golfing

11. Log 50 miles on the treadmill

12. Make homemade cinnamon rolls

13. Plan out curriculum for next year

14. Plan out the Bookish Retreat!

15. Plan an Indiana trip for summer complete with Indianapolis mini trip

16. Weekend trip to Kansas

17. Plan a redo for our homeschool space / playroom

18. Do a Closet Cleanout for Me

19. Do a Closet Cleanup for the Kids

20. Work on a Craft Project

Up Next on the TBR:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I just figured out how to combine multiple curriculums together for Quentin. Now I need to start working on Arthur’s stuff.

• Thinking it’s survey time for the coop. Working on the topics and questions this week.

• Somehow dinner last night was a disaster. The rolls burned and the pork roast turned out incredibly dry. I gave up and we got takeout.

• Added five shirts to my spring and summer wardrobe. Finally.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W25: Midwest Weather Changed Our Plans

What We Studied

We had a schedule with a few field trips, but those changed due to the weather. After last weekend’s storm, the temperatures dropped dramatically and didn’t recover. It was cold and the wind made it even colder.

Our Book Outlet finally came! Lots of things for next year (except for the Beatrix Potter books).

Literature and Poetry

Finally finished Aru Shah this week and concluded our American Tall Tales unit. I really enjoyed both and I think Arthur did also.

• Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

• Poetry Outside Your Window by Nicola Davies

• When Green Becomes Tomatoes by Julie Fogliano

• American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne

• The 12 Most Amazing American Myths and Legends by Anita Yasuda

• Casey Jones by Stephen Krensky

• Mike Fink by Steven Kellogg

• Pecos Bill Tames a Colossal Cyclone by Eric Braun

• Pecos Bill by Stephen Krensky

• Pecos Bill, Monster Wrangler by Benjamin Harper

• Pecos Bill Colossal Cowboy by Sean Tulien

• John Henry Vs. the Mighty Steam Drill by Carl Meister

• John Henry: An American Legend by Ezra Jack Keats

• Ain't Nothing but a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson

• John Henry by Stephen Krensky

• John Henry, Steel-Drivin' Elf by Benjamin Harper

• Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg

• The Tall Tale of Paul Bunyan by Martin Powell

• The Bunyans by Audrey Wood

• Paul Bunyan's Sweetheart by Marybeth Lorbiecki

• Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Whale by Penelope Gruber

• Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox: The Great Pancake Adventure by Matt Luckhurst

• Paul Bunyan vs. Hals Halson: The Great Lumberjack Challenge! by Teresa Bateman

Both boys had successful dentist appointments

Math

We sped through Unit 10 about time. Really it was a big review while ago doing some more adding and subtracting time.

• Logic Countdown

Social Studies

We ended up not actually doing our history unit this week. No big deal, we’ll just push it a week. This is why I add in “break” weeks to our schedule. Gives us a lot of flexibility.

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

We didn’t have coop this week due to our scheduled break week. We’ll be back next week with our First Responders theme.

For science, we started our big Earth Science unit focusing on geography, geology, and volcanoes and earthquakes.

• When Planet Earth was New by James Gladstone

• Earth by Quinn M. Arnold

• Home on the Earth by Laura Purdie Salas

• Dirtmeister's Nitty Gritty Planet Earth by Steve Tomecek

• Stickmen's Guide to Mountains and Valleys in Layers by Catherine Chambers

• The Magic School Buss Inside the Earth by Joanna Cole

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Quentin started his next unit on the farm. Basically that means a ton of farm themed books, some themed ELA and math pages, and a few mini crafts and projects.

ELA

• Winter Story by Jill Barklem

• On a Farm by Alexa Andrews (Q reads)

• Life on a Farm

• Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig

• Biscuit's Snow Day Race by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Farm by Rebecca Pettiford

• My Farm Friends by Wendell Minor

• Going to a Farm by Rebecca Rissman

• Dinosaur Farm by Penny Dale

• Busy Bug Builds a Fort by David A. Carter (Q reads)

• Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals by Nicola Davies

• Old MicMickey Had a Farm

• I Like the Farm by Shelley Rotner

• The Farmer by Ximo Abadia

• Amara's Farm by JaNay Brown-Wood

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

• Smart Start Beginning Coding Grade 1

Other

• High Five January 2018

Field Trip

The weather was not cooperating with us this week. We again got below zero a few of the days. We did venture out to the zoo on Wednesday. It was chilly, but we got to visit the elephant babies (and they were right up front!) and warm up in the jungle and the desert dome. We also had a park day on the one slightly warmer day. The boys had fun, but more importantly, I had a lovely conversation with two coop moms. (The boys also had their dentist appointments this week.)

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies.

Misc. Picture Books Read

• Letters from Bear by Gauthier David

• Snickerdoodle Takes the Cake by Ethan Long

• A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers

• The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey

• A New Green Day by Antoinette Portis

• How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers

• In the Half Room by Carson Ellis

• If I Were the Sunshine by Julie Fogliano

• The Boy with Big, Big Feelings by Britney Winn Lee

High

• Getting out to the zoo on Wednesday was delightful. We got to spend 15 minutes observing the new elephant babies. They are incredibly adorable.

Low

• Super cold temps cancelled our planned hike on Friday. I was looking forward to getting out into nature more. Thankfully, we have rescheduled for Wednesday.

Baby Sonny!

Next Week

• Starting 3B Unit 11 (Data Analysis) for math

• Beginning City of the Plague God for our read aloud

• Analyzing a few picture books for literature

• Covering the Renaissance for history

• Getting acquainted with the paintings of Rosa Bonheur

• Continuing with our farm unit for Quentin

• Exploring rocks and minerals for science

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #4

Reading: A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske. I’m really digging this book full of magic, romance and mystery.

Watching: We finally watched Train to Busan and it was amazing! Of course, I had to pick a zombie movie for my birthday movie choice.

Listening: Been rocking my Apple Favorites playlist. Sometimes the mix is a bit strange, but I love it.

Making: I have a video chat scheduled with another coop member to discuss strategies moving forward. We’ll see how it goes…

Feeling: My birthday day out was amazing and felted me feel slightly refreshed.

Planning: I’ve been thinking about what events we want to plan for this spring. Of course, I’m banking on the pandemic to continue to get better. I’m hoping that we can do a couple day trip to Des Moines or KC and maybe a family trip to Chicago.

Loving: I bought myself some great presents on my birthday day out. I think my favorite might be my Frida Kahlo doll.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W24: 5 1/2 Hours Outside in One Day!

What We Studied

Arthur started the week sick canceling out planned zoo day. We did spend all day Tuesday outside and had our usual coop.

**Turns out I took basically no pictures last week. It was a strange week for us (mentally) and I just didn’t get pictures taken. Oh well. I promise we still did things.

Literature and Poetry

While continuing to read Aru Shah, we also started our unit on American Tall Tales. We’re focusing on one character per tale and reading a variety of tales and information while working through a companion packet I found. We’ll be continuing this into next week also.

• Are Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

• American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne

• The 12 Most Amazing American Myths and Legends by Anita Yasuda

• Davy Crockett Saves the World by Rosalyn Schanzer

• Davy Crockett and the Great Mississippi Snag by Cari Meister

• Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind by Steven Kellogg

• Thunder Rose by Jerdine Nolan

• Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg

• Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindbergh

• The Story of Johnny Appleseed by Aliki

• Johnny Appleseed by Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benet

• Johnny Appleseed Plants Trees Across the Land by Eric Braun

• Outside Your Window by Nicola Davies (Winter and Spring sections)

Math

Arthur’s still sitting with 3B Unit 9 covering fractions. We finished the lessons and did some extra practice. We’ll be wrapping this up next week, but I’m sure we’ll revisit later this spring.

• Logic Countdown

Social Studies

This chapter of History Quest focused on the Inca Civilization. We’ve watched enough documentaries previously, that this was almost a review for Arthur. He still learned a bit about their farming practices, and we still had a good time reading and looking up pictures.

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• When on Earth

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK Explorers

• Where is Machu Picchu? by Megan Stine

• Inca by Lawrence Kovacs

• Ancient Civilizations: Aztecs, Maya, Incas! by Anita Yasuda

• Ancient Incas by Michael Burgan

• Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

Coop was all about space. The littles group made watercolor salt space paintings and talked about space travel. The other older group finished their lap books about the solar system. At home, we did some review about space.

For our actual health unit, we talking about our senses and how they work. Lots of pointing out examples of using our senses throughout the week.

• My Five Senses by Aliki

• iDiscover the Body by Carolyn Scrace

• My Amazing Body by Ruth Martin & Allan Sanders

• My Body by Martha E.H. Rustad

House down the street had to remove a tree and now has a holiday themed inflatable every month. We stopped by after our park day.

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included.

ELA

• Nick and Nack Blow Bubbles by Brandon Budzi

• There is a Town by Gail Herman

• Little Penguin and the mysterious Object by Tadgh Bentley

• The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

• High Five August 2018

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

• I Spy Learn and Go

Field Trip

None this week

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies.

Misc. Picture Books Read

• Snow Dance by Erica Farber (Q read to me)

• This Book is Gray by Lindsay Ward

• The Love Letter by Anika Aldamuy Denise

• Big Snow by Jonathan Bean

• Love by Matt de la Pena

• Eyes that Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ho

• Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears by Corey Rosen Schwartz

• If You were a Panda Bear by Wendell and Florence Minor

• Puppy by Keith Graves

• Negative Cat by Sophie Blackall

• The Great Puppy Invasion by Alastair Heim

High

• We had a park playdate on Tuesday morning and then added another park playdate that afternoon. We basically spent all of Tuesday outside and it was amazing! We added to our outside hours and just enjoyed the break in the weather. For reference, last night it froze and snowed almost 2 inches. A little different from the temps in the 60s this past week.

Low

• Arthur got sick on Monday morning (food related, not COVID related) and we had to cancel our zoo day. We’re hoping to go again this Wednesday, but it really put a damper on our day.
  

Next Week

• Starting 3B Unit 10 for math

• Finishing reading Aru Shah and covering American Tall Tales

• Covering the Renaissance for history

• Diving into the farm for Quentin’s big unit

• Exploring the paintings of Rosa Bonheur

• Taking a break from coop (scheduled week off)
  

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Unexpectedly warm temperatures this week meant that we spent almost all Tuesday outside.

• Really need to reschedule our zoo day.

• Trying to organize my itinerary for my birthday day out. I might have too many stops on my list.

• Speaking of, I’m really hoping that I can squeeze in some clothes shopping.

• I’ve finished 4 books in like 5 days. Crazy reading lately!

Next up on the TBR pile:

2021-2022 Desserts and Snacks - January and February

Week 27: Blueberry Croissant Puff

This ended up being a slightly less sweet blueberry danish and I loved it! I think I was the only one who actually ate it, but it was lovely.

Recipe used from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Week 28: Margarita Cake

This was very yummy! I will definitely make it again. And maybe this time, one of my sponges won’t break in half out of the pan making icing it a pain in the butt.

Recipe used from Southern Living

Week 29: Orange Cardamom Crumb Cake

The crumb ended up being really thick compared to the orange cake portion, and I just didn’t love it. Next time, I will cut the crumb down by at least 1/3 to help balance the flavors.

Recipe used from The View from Great Island

March 2022 Life Goals

Let’s check in on February’s goals and my progress. Wow! I actually ended up meeting all my goals for this month.

• Read 15 Books ✓

• Finish my 2021 Memory Planner ✓

• Log 10 Hours Outside ✓

• Finish Coop Tasks for Winter ✓

• Have a Movie Month ✓

• Have a Valentine’s Day Party ✓

March Goals:

• Read 15 Books

• Two Zoo Visits

• Four Park Visits

• Organize the Rest of the Homeschool Read Alouds

• Plan a Two-Day Spring Trip

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W23: A Break and a Regular Week Combined

What We Studied

We had our “winter break” two weeks back. Instead of continuing our regularly scheduled studies, we focused on some side projects and other activities. Plus, we had multiple outings that week. Arthur wasn’t a huge fan of our alternative schedule, but that’s okay, it helped me catch a breath. Last week, we were back to our usual routine.

Literature and Poetry

We started our fill-in read aloud of Aru Shah. It was nice to see Arthur make some connections to our previous history units about India. We also covered Immigrant Trickster Tales. I especially loved the Creole versions of stories.

• Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

• ICE! Poems About Polar Life by Douglas Florian

• Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky

• Trickster Tales

Math

We moved through 3B Unit 9 on fractions. Mostly it was a review, but at the end the chapter moved into different denominators and simplifying fractions. We are going to stay with that topic into next week. We also did some winter shape tangrams (always a hit!) and LEGO challenges,.

• Logic Liftoff

Social Studies

During break week, we learned about bit more about Black History and specifically how black people were (and still are) treated in this country. Tough subjects, but a good small introduction for the kids.

• 28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World by Charles R. Smith Jr

• Your Legacy: A Bold Reclaiming of Our Enslaved History by Scheme Williams

• Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson

• The ABCs of Black History by Rio Cortez

This chapter of History Quest focused on the Aztec culture. Arthur really enjoyed learning more about them and what Mexico City looks like now.

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• When on Earth

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• The Aztec Empire by Sunita Apte

• The Aztec Empire by Ellis Roxburgh

• The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes by Duncan Tonatiuh

• Ancient Aztec: Archaeology Unlocks the Secrets of Mexico's Past by Time Cooke

• Ancient Civilizations: Aztec, Maya, Incas! by Anita Yasuda

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop we finished our Black History theme with stations about some famous people and their accomplishments. Last Thursday we started our space theme and Arthur got to show off all this random space facts. The actual meeting was a bit chaotic due to other issues, but the lesson itself was great.

In our own studies, we talked about anatomy and did some basics. Quentin loved the StoryBots episodes about the human body. We will continue this a bit into next week.

Art/Music

We covered Pierre Auguste Renoir and the idea of the Impressionist movement. We looked at a ton of his paintings, read about his life, and made our own versions. Q likes looking at the art, but not really making his own.

• Katie Meets the Impressionists by James Mayhew

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included.

ELA

• Biscuit Visits the Big City by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Miffy Can Play by RJ Cregg (Q reads)

• Max Finds an Egg by Wiley Blevins (Q reads)

• Nick and Nack See the Stars by Brandon Budzi

• Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss

• A Potato on a Bike by Elisa Gravel

• Truck Parade by Melinda Melton Crow (Q reads)

• Monkey Play by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• Nick and Nack Float a Boat by Brandon Budzi (Q reads)

• Biscuit Flies a Kite by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

• I Like Fish by Margaret Wise Brown (Q reads)

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

• Winter Shape Tangrams

Other

• The Sun is My Favorite Star by Frank Asch

Field Trip

We visited the UNO Planetarium for a private showing with our coop friends. We got to see a fun video about the Parker Solar Probe, an in-depth look at the solar system, and some constellations. I do enjoy planetariums and super excited that we got to secure a private showing for the group (and the pricing wasn’t bad).

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. During break week we watched a NOVA episode about “The Ship that Changed the World.” Fascinating look at how shipbuilding changed in the age of exploration.

Boys joined us for Lord of the Rings trivia

Misc. Picture Books Read

• Thankful by Eileen Spinelli

• My Pet Wants a Pet by Elisa Broach

• The Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera

• Arlo Draws an Octopus by Lori Mortensen

• Can Anybody Hear Me? by Jessica Meserve

• The Word Pirates by Susan Cooper

• The Zebra-Riding Cowboy by Angela Shelf Medearis

• Tad and Dad by David Ezra Stein

• Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

• It Fell from the Sky by The Fan Brothers

• What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas

• Sheep Count Flowers by Micaela Chirif

• Truck Stop by Anne Rockwell

• Wolves by Emily Gravett

• Into the Snow by Yuki Kaneko

• There was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro

• The Pied Piper's Magic by Steven Kellogg

High

• During our break week, we visited the zoo, had a park playdate, and attended the coop Valentine’s Day party. We packed multiple outings into one week! By the end we were tired, but happy.

Low

• Unfortunately, Arthur scratched his glasses during our park playdate. Not great at all. They are still under the protection plan, so new lenses have been ordered and should be here early next week.

Selfie at the Planetarium

Next Week

• Finishing 3B Unit 9 for math

• Finishing reading Aru Shah and starting our American Folk Tales unit

• Covering space for coop again

• Going south to the Andes Mountains for the Inca civilization for history

• Introducing the paintings of Rosa Bonheur

• Continuing to work on phonics for Quentin

• Fitting in one zoo, two park playdates, and a grocery run

Next up on the TBR pile:

Winter Bucket List Update #2

After taking a bit of a break from bucket lists in 2021 (seriously, that year was a trash fire), I’m back this year. We have a variety of projects that we want to accomplish this coming year and I want to make some intentions for each season. For winter:

1. Check off 150 hours of our 1000 hours outside project - No way that we are going to rack up 150 hours this season, but we do have almost 20 hours so far. It’s been incredibly cold this past month. Way to go to be outside for more than 5-15 minutes.

2. Have a birthday day out for my 40th! - I have it scheduled!

3. Weekend trip to Chicago

4. Read 50 books (33/50)

5. Day trip to Des Moines

6. At least 6 zoo visits (2/6)

7. Trip to see the frozen waterfall at Platte

8. Movie Month February ✓

9. Weekly Game Day/Night with Arthur ✓ — We’ve been playing HeroQuest on a weekly basis now. The kids really got into the role playing aspect.

10. Make winter crafts

11. Design board for future kitchen renovation

12. Make Valentine’s ✓ - We had a fun Valentine’s Day party with our coop friends.

13. Have a monthly (indoor) picnic

14. Finish one craft project ✓

15. Monthly bingo/trivia nights ✓

16. Go sledding

17. Buy a new Nebraska State Park permit ✓ And we’ve even used it once already.

18. Do a donation drop - I’ve done a toy cleanup, just need to gather some more things before doing the drop.

19. Take the kids bowling

20. Dye my hair purple

21. Log 50 miles on the treadmill

22. Learn to knit

23. Replace 50% of my socks ✓

24. Make homemade cinnamon rolls

25. Complete 3 television series - We finished The Witcher S2 and It’s Always Sunny S15, but no big series yet. I really want to finish Hustle something this season.

Up Next on the TBR:

Currently #3

Reading: Fuzz by Mary Roach - I’m enjoying this nature writing book even if it’s not as funny as some of her others.

Watching: Continuing our February Movie Month. Our viewings have been incredibly varied.

Listening: Found a new band on the Apple Music New Hard Rock playlist. Loving the punk sound of The Rumjacks

Making: I got on a kick last weekend and made three different baked goods for D&D and the weekend. I made Alton Brown’s Blueberry Muffins, Earl Grey Tea Bread, and Sicilian Orange Cake.

Feeling: My back has been very sore this week. Not sure what I did, but it’s not been feeling good. I’ve been trying to do more yoga this week to help.

Planning: Pulling all my piles for March’s homeschool curriculum. We’re moving through the semester.

Loving: My comfy bed has really been calling me this week. I love it when it’s a bit cold so I can snuggle.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• The temperatures are all over the place this week. It’s currently about 10 degrees but is supposed to be 60 degrees tomorrow afternoon. Wild times in the Midwest.

• I forgot how much I loved Just One Damned Thing After Another

• 90s Music Bingo is just amazing. I definitely needed that last night. Very excited that they are repeating Musicals Bingo in late March.

• Picking up 70 library books at one time is a challenge when you have three bags and two kids. I ended up carrying them all. 70 books are heavy.

• Coop is such chaos some weeks, but is still great.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W22: Guess We Focused on ELA and Math...

What We Studied

Overall, we did a big focus on ELA and Math for this week and left some of the other subjects be put on pause. I really love the flexibility of home schooling to go with our flow instead of forcing subjects or time.

Literature and Poetry

We finish our read aloud. By the end of the book, Arthur claims that he didn't really like it, but believe me, he kept asking for “one more chapter” every day. I think he did like the book.

• The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky

• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

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

View of the Missouri River

Math

Arthur started Unit 9 all about fractions. The first lesson was a basic review (“Mom, I already know this!”), but lesson two started exploring equivalent fractions. A bit harder! The second half of the unit will talk about adding and subtracting fractions and getting into simplifying and finding common denominators.

• Logic Liftoff

Social Studies

We covered the Age of Exploration for history this week. Our HistoryQuest chapter focused on four different explorers: Zheng He, Ibn Battuta, Christopher Columbus, and Ferdinand Magellan. Sad to say that even with my background I knew little to nothing about Zheng He and Ibn Battuta. This week rectified that gap and then some some. I loved learning about the Chinese Treasure Fleet in particular.

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• When on Earth

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• Explorers

Turkeys down by the river

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Videos about explorers

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop, we learned about some famous African Americans. Ms. Anna put together some great stations to explore and participate in activities. Arthur loved pretending to be FloJo and sprint through the yard.

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Q focused on basic phonics and math skills. We are going to dive into more focused phonics lessons and started Singapore Math soon, so I wanted him to get a good foundation this week. As a bonus, his pencil skills are improving!

ELA

• Old Hat, New Hat by Stan & Jan Berenstain

• Duck and Cat’s Rainy Day by Carin Bramsen

• 30 Minutes a Day Preschool

• High Five Magazines

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

• Arithmechicks Add Up by Ann Marie Stephens

Other

• Kumon Tracing Book

Field Trip

On Tuesday, we spent over 4 hours outside in nature at Fontenelle Forest with some friends. The weather was going to be decent and it seemed like we needed some outdoor time. A few coop families joined us for most of the time. We even decided to buy a membership for the year. My goal is to go to Fontenelle at least once a month. If we go three times, the pass is more than paid for. Twelve times would be an awesome value!

After Fontenelle, we had to drive over to Council Bluffs to get the coop basket and stopped at the Golden Spike Monument while there. This monument erected in 1939, commemorates the Eastern Terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad put into place in Abraham Lincoln back in the 1960s. It’s the strangest random monument between the railroad tracks and a road and trailer park. But we added it to our collection of random roadside markers.

On Friday, we joined some other coop families for a visit to the Great Plains Black History Museum for our Black History theme. The museum is small, but a treasure trove of interesting artifacts and information. Overall the kids were bored, as it was geared toward an adult audience, but I’m hoping that at least the exposure of different places will sink in a bit.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. we had planned on a documentary morning, but we pivoted to puzzle hour this week. Still, a good time.

Misc. Picture Books Read

• A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams

• How Big is the World by Britta Teckentrup

• Snow by Cynthia Rylant

• Louise Loves Art by Kelly Light

High

• An almost whole day in nature was great! We only covered the boardwalk, Raptor Rescue, and play area, but it was just lovely to be outside for a time. With that 4 hours, we added a 60% of our January outside hours to our big goal of 1000 Hours Outside. February is looking to be a much better month. (We’re planning a zoo day for this coming week to get in some more hours!)

Low

• Due to COVID, I had to host coop on Thursday. Not a huge deal, but I just came off teaching the first four weeks of the semester. I was beyond tired on Thursday afternoon.

Next Week

• Taking a “break” week - not really a break, just a break from our usual routine for some special projects and subjects

• Beginning Aru Shah and the End of Time for read aloud

• Deciding coop plans for the week (am I hosting? not certain yet)

• Getting acquainted with Renoir for art (didn’t get to it this past week)

• Hoping to spend more hours outside

• Having a fun Valentine’s Day Party with coop friends!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #2

Reading: Nearing the end of Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. it’s just so so good…

Watching: It’s February Movie Month. So far, it’s been a mile bag, but we are committing to a varied list of movies to watch.

Listening: Definitely moving back to my hard rock playlists. They are my favorite.

Making: I finished my 2021 Memory Planner and have started working on collages for my 2022 Memory Planner. I am waiting for photo paper to be delivered so that I can print them.

Feeling: The past four days I had a huge scar tissue flare-up that resulted in a ton of pain. Thankfully it is subsiding. I’m feeling a lot better. And hoping that our walk in the woods today helps loosen everything.

Planning: We don’t have a full extra events calendar prepped for February yet. Guess I need to add some extra fun to our plan.

Loving: J has been making cognac sazeracs and I have been loving them! Definitely my current cocktail of choice.

Next up on the TBR pile: