Summer Bucket List Update #1

Another season, another summer bucket list. In our town, it’s been feeling like summer for weeks now. I sat down with the kids the other day and they helped me come up with a list of activities for this season.

1. Complete the Library Reading Program ✓

2. Tour of Midwest Zoos ✓ - We saw four zoos in Illinois and Indiana on our trip last week.

3. Ice Cream Tour of Omaha

4. Louisville SRA ✓ - We’ve been there twice so far this summer.

5. Durham Dinosaur Exhibit

6. Trip to Indiana, Iowa, Illinois ✓

7. Cookout with Friends

8. Lincoln Day

9. Medieval, Pirate, and Prehistoric Putt - In progress. The boys went with J to Medieval Putt while I was gone at the end of June.

10. Redo the Playroom

11. Bird Watching Hike

12. Pam Nelson Farm

13. Lauritzen Gardens

14. 5 Splash Pad Visits - 3 done

15. 3 Movies at the Theater - 2 done

16. 3 Omaha Zoo Visits - 1 visit done

17. Craft/Art Day - Not yet, but we are going to The Makery tomorrow with coop friends.

18. Read 50 Books

19. July Movie Month!

20. Clear Out My Library Cart

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• We’re back home and I’ve got a huge list of things to accomplish before August 1st.

• Arthur’s got zoo camp next week and I need to make him lunches every day.

• So sad that we didn’t get to add any bald eagles to our summer count.

• But we did visit four different zoos on our trip.

• Coming home is always nice, but I do not love the laundry piles afterward.

Next up on the TBR pile:

We're Homeschooling - Year 3! Our Curriculum 3rd Grade

Two years of homeschooling under my belt, and I feel like I’ve really found my groove. It wasn’t hard to pick curriculum for this coming year. I knew that we wanted to be literature heavy so Build Your Library and Blossom and Root were obviously choices for us overall. Once I started looking into things, I went on a shopping spree and got my ducks in order. The hard part this coming year will be to balance each child’s individual needs and levels. Arthur will be in 3rd grade and Quentin will be in Kindergarten. I am working on creating a schedule that works for everyone while allowing for flexibility.

As a reminder, we are a pretty eclectic household with a strong literature base. My criteria when looking for curriculum:

• secular

• rigorous

• wide world perspective

• not necessarily all-in-one

• at least some physical items, not all online

• cheap (not necessarily the cheapest, but not expensive)

Let’s take a look at what I have for curriculum for next year!

Arthur - 3rd Grade

Math

We will be continuing with Singapore Math Common Core Edition as our base curriculum. Arthur will be starting with 4A and push through 4B. Beyond the basic text, we will be supplementing with Khan Academy, lots of math games, and random workbooks and packets. We will also be continuing with our logic puzzles.

• Singapore Math 4A and 4B

• Multiplication and Division G3-4

• Random Target Workbook

• Scholastic Math Tests G4

• Scholastic Math G4

• Sylvan Super Math Success G4

• Kumon Geometry and Measurement G4

• Logic Liftoff

• 50 Logic Puzzles

• The Math Book by Clifford A. Pickover

• Five Below Random Workbooks

Language Arts

This is Arthur’s grammar workbook selections for this year. We don’t do every page and question, but bounce around between some of them.

• Evan Moor Daily Summer Activities 3rd to 4th Grade

• Brainquest Summer 3&4

• Brainiest 3rd Grade

• Grade 3 Complete Curriculum

• Evan Moor Daily Language Review 3rd Grade

• Scholastic Grammar 3rd Grade

• Scholastic Writing 3rd Grade

• Scholastic Reading Comprehension 3rd Grade

• Scholastic Grammar 4th Grade

• Scholastic Writing 4th Grade

• Scholastic Reading Comprehension 4th Grade

• Five Below Workbooks

• Grade 3 Readiness

Arthur’s readers will be a mix of Blossom and Root’s Grade 3 Language Arts, Build Your Library 5, and our home library selections.

• Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

• The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

• The Beast of Buckingham Palace by David Walliams (coop book club selection)

• The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (coop book club selection)

• Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brien

• Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia

• Wildwood by Colin Meloy

• Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

• The Secrets of Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

• The Winterhouse Mysteries by Ben Guterson

• Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

• The Secret Garden by France Hodgson Burnett

• Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

• Insignificant Events int he Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Readers continued…

• El Deafo by Cece Bell

• Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

• The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

• Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

• Hollowpox: The Hunt of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend

• The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

• The Penderwicks at Last by Jeanne Birdsall

• Midsummer Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca

• My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

• The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

• Wings of Fire by Tui T. Sutherland

• Iggy Peck and the Mysterious Mansion by Andrea Beaty

• Word of Mouse by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein (coop book club selection)

Our language arts selections also include a mini unit on Native America stories and one on Shakespeare. I found some interesting resources for those.

• In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton

• One World, Many Religions by Mary Pope Osborne

• Bravo Mr. William Shakespeare by Marcia Williams

• Tales from Shakespeare by Marica Williams

• Shakespeare for Kids by Colleen Aagesen

• A Child’s Introduction to Poetry by Michael Driscoll

• Between Earth and Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places by Joseph Bruchac

• The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet: Native American Poems of the Land by Joseph Bruchac

• They Dance in the Sky: Native American Star Myths by Jean Guard Monroe

• Pushing Up the Sky: Seven Native American Plays for Children by Joseph Bruchac

And of course we have a stack of poetry selections.

• My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States by Lee Bennett Hopkins

• Poetry for Young People: American Poetry

• Poetry for Young People: Carl Sandburg

• Writing Down the Days by Lorraine Dahlstrom

• Poetry for Young People: Walt Whitman

• Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson

• Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes

• Poetry for Young People: Edgar Allan Poe

Social Studies

Arthur’s social studies will focus on the United States to coincide with our history selection.

• Map Skills for Today Grade 3

• License Plates Across the America

• Nat Geo Kids U.S. Road Trip Atlas

• The Geography Book

• Map Skills for Today Grade 4

• Evan Moor Geography Skill Sharpeners Grade 5

• Target U.S. Workbook

• Nat Geo Kids United States Atlas

• The 50 States Activity Book

As our history base, Arthur is using Build Your Library Level 5 (U.S. History) combined with History Quest’s new U.S. History release.

• DK American History

• DK When on Earth?

• DK Timelines of Everyone

• DK History

• Don’t Know Much About The Presidents by Kenneth C. Davis

• DK Timeline of Everything

• Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

• Words that Build a Nation by Marilyn Miller

• What Color is My World? The Lost History of African American Investors by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

• The Declaration of Independence by Rod Gragg

• Inventing America: The Life of Benjamin Franklin by Mark Regan Essig

• Remember the Ladies: 100 Great American Women by Cheryl Harness

• Evan Moor Native Americans History Pockets

• A Kid’s Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis

• Lewis and Clark for Kids by

• Target U.S. Presidents Workbook

• The American Revolution for Kids

• A Kid’s Guide to African American History by Nancy I. Sanders

• Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson

• The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton

• Trickster: Native American Tales by Matt Dembicki

Our history curriculum has a ton of extra readers. I’m very excited to get to all of these.

• King George: What was His Problem? by Steve Sheinkin

• Which Way to the Wild West by Steve Sheinkin

• Two Miserable Presidents by Steve Sheinkin

• Day of Tears by Julius Lester

• Sarah Journey’s West by Nikki Shannon Smith

• Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

• Chains by Laurie Halse Andreson

• Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson

• Ashes by Laurie Halse Anderson

• In the Shadow of Liberty by Kenneth C. Davis

• Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

• A Different Mirror for Young People by Ronald Takaki

• Pocahontas by Josephy Bruchac

• The Winter People by Joseph Bruchac

• Morning Girl by Michael Dorris

• A Young People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn

• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

• Sunnie Press Maps

Science

Our science is going to be a combination of Build Your Library Level 8 (history of science), Level 4 (Physics), and RSO Physics. Lots of interesting combinations.

• Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia

• DK Science Year by Year

• The Way Things Work Now by David Macaulay

• Build This Book by David Eckhold

• Astronomy for All Ages by Philip Harrington

• The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way by Joy Hakim

• The Handy Science Answer Guide

• A History of Earth in 100 Groundbreaking Discoveries by Douglas Palmer

• Six Easy Pieces by Richard P. Feynman

• The Annotated Flatland by Ian Stewart

• Five Equations that Changed the World by Michael Guillen

• Introducing Quantum Theory

• Nick and Tesla’s High Voltage Danger Lab by Bob Pfluffelder

• Flatterland by Ian Stewart

In addition to our formal science curriculum, we will be doing a variety of nature science lessons. We still have a ton of leftover lessons and resources from last year.

Art

This is actually all the art books for Quentin and Arthur. I took just one picture. Each one of their Build Your Library levels has a related art book to dip in and out of. Arthur’s selection is Great American Artists for Kids book to go along with U.S. History. Beyond that book, I imagine that we will occasionally do a art lesson on other people and styles. Plus, coop is supposed to be starting an art class. Very excited about this possibility.

• A Journey Through Art: A Global History by Aaron Rosen

• Storybook Art by MaryAnn F. Kohl

• The Art Lesson by Tomie dePaola

• The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning

• Great American Artists for Kids by MaryAnn F. Kohl

• Global Art by MaryAnn F. Kohl

• Frida Kahlo: The Artist Painted Herself by Margaret Frith

Currently #12

Reading: I finally started reading Katherine May’s The Electricity of Every Living Thing. I absolutely loved Wintering, but am not sure how I feel about this one quite yet.

Watching: We finally started Stranger Things S4 after the Fourth of July and I just want to binge it all. We didn’t quite finish before I left for Indiana, but I may finish while there.

Listening: I loaded up a few audiobooks for my driving day. After a few podcast episodes, I started listening to The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory.

Making: I brought my Memory Planner pages to work on this week. Hoping to knock out April, May, and part of June.

Feeling: Travel always makes me feel a bit out of place. Staying at my mom’s house also makes me feel this way. We’re excited to be here, but it’s also a weird feeling.

Planning: Still working on planning curriculum for the next school year. Obviously I’m not home, so my planning is limited, but I do have a few tasks.

Loving: The boys and I had a bit driving day yesterday, but today we’re in Michigan City visiting the Indiana Dunes and the Washington Park Zoo. Loving the adventures that I have lined up for the boys and myself.

Next up on the TBR pile:

We're Homeschooling - Year 3! Our Curriculum Kindergarten

Two years of homeschooling under my belt, and I feel like I’ve really found my groove. It wasn’t hard to pick curriculum for this coming year. I knew that we wanted to be literature heavy so Build Your Library and Blossom and Root were obviously choices for us overall. Once I started looking into things, I went on a shopping spree and got my ducks in order. The hard part this coming year will be to balance each child’s individual needs and levels. Arthur will be in 3rd grade and Quentin will be in Kindergarten. I am working on creating a schedule that works for everyone while allowing for flexibility.

As a reminder, we are a pretty eclectic household with a strong literature base. My criteria when looking for curriculum:

• secular

• rigorous

• wide world perspective

• not necessarily all-in-one

• at least some physical items, not all online

• cheap (not necessarily the cheapest, but not expensive)

Let’s take a look at what I have for curriculum for next year!

Quentin - Kindergarten

Primarily Quentin will be using Blossom & Root’s Kindergarten Language Arts curriculum and Build Your Library Level 0. B&R is focused on expanding literacy through lots of picture book studies and literature activities. I ultimately decided against using the entire B&R Kindergarten curriculum and just focus on the Language Arts. BYL 0 is a tour of the world including lots of literature, animal science, art, and poetry. Hopefully by combining these two curriculums, we will get to the amount of reading the we accomplish normally.

Language Arts

Blossom and Root and Build Your Library has some basic language lessons and activities, but my kids both seem to love workbook style for grammar lessons and such. We will be starting with the Kindergarten tagged workbooks and then move into the G1 books eventually. We use these as supplemental material. I create little weekly packets that I help the kids work through. Quentin is not good at working independently yet, but we will get there.

• Super Smart Kindergarten (we also have Super Smart First Grade if we need to crack it open)

• Beginning Phonics G1-2

• Phonics G1-2

• Preschool Handwriting Workbook

• Phonics for First Grade

• Smart Start Read and Write G1

• Scholastic Writing G1

• Sylvan Jumbo Language Arts Success G1

• BrainQuest K

• Smart Start Read and Write Kindergarten

• Tinkeractive English PreK (we didn’t get to this last year mostly because of the handwriting components; we will be starting with this book in August)

• Tinkeractive English K

Literature

This will be Quentin’s first year where we are going to try to read longer chapter books. I curated this collection from the Build Your Library and Blossom & Root curriculums and our own bookshelves.

• My Father’s Dragon Collection by Ruth Stiles Gannett

• One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest by Jean Craighead George

• James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

• The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dagliesh

• Audrey of the Outback by Christine Harris

• The Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-el

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

• Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

• Heartwood Hotel Trilogy by Kallie George

• Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne

• Now We are Six by AA Milne

• The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin

• The Witches by Roald Dahl (accidentally included this one in Q’s picture; this is actually for Arthur)

• The Children of Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren

• Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater

• The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George

This picture includes more of our literature this year. BYL includes a great collection of animal tales from around the world to go with our country study. It also has a giant list of picture books to read with specific countries. Most of those picture books will be checked out from the library, but I did end up buying a few the library doesn’t have and a few that were included in a big curriculum box.

• A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister

• Around the World in 80 Tales by Saviour Pirotta

• A Boy Called Slow by Joseph Bruchac

• Nat Geo Animal Poetry

• Katie in London by James Mayhew

• The Random House Book of Poetry for Children

• The Random House Book of Fairy Tales

• Linnea in Monet’s Garden by Christina Bjork

• Snow in Jerusalem by Deborah Da Costa

• The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka

Social Studies

Social studies is coming straight from the Build Your Library Level 0 curriculum. I love the idea of doing a tour of the world. We are going to focus on the larger picture while zooming in to specific countries.

• Nat Geo Kids Beginner’s World Atlas

• Nat Geo Kids World Atlas

• Atlas of the World Sticker Book

• Map Skills for Today G1

• Skill Sharpeners Geography K

• Nat Geo Kids Little Kids First Big Book of the World

• DK Flags Around the World Sticker Book

• Around the World Sticker Book

• Maps Activity Book

• Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney

• DK Children Just Like Me

• DK Children Just Like Me: A School Like Mine

• Carson Crosses Canada by Linda Bailey

• Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema

• Africa is Not a Country by Margy Burns Knight

• Cooking Class: Global Feast by Deanna F. Cook

• How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman

• Scranimals by Jack Pretutsky

• Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg

• Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales

Science

The Build Your Library science for Kindergarten is all about animals! We’re pairing animal studies with our tour of the world. The main bulk of the curriculum is animals.

• DK Animal

• Nat Geo Wild Vet Adventures

• Lonely Planet The Animal Book

• Nat Geo Kids Wild Animal Atlas

• African Critters by Robert B. Haas

• Nat Geo On Safari Sticker Book

• Nat Geo Ferocious Animals Sticker Book

• Random Target workbook

• Usborne Animal World

The curriculum also has some selected topics in Earth Science sprinkled throughout the year. And we will be doing nature science when the weather is nice. The coop topics will also be in the mix.

• Tree of Life: The World of the African Boabab by Barbara Bash

• On the Same Day in March by Marilyn Singer

• A Drop Around the World by Barbara Shaw McKinney

• DK First Earth Encyclopedia

• Archaeologists Dig for Clues by Kate Duke

• Tinkeractive Science K

• DK First Space Encyclopedia

Math

Math is definitely an issue in this house as both boys are at least one grade advanced in math. I am always trying to scramble to find the best choices for them. Quentin is going to be starting out with actual Kindergarten leveled books and quickly moving to G1 books. We will also be adding in some math board games and Khan academy. Looks like a lot, but Quentin loves math, so this looks just about right to me.

• Singapore Math 1A and 1B

• Lollipop Logic Book 2 and Book 3

• Highlights Thinking and Reasoning K

• Sylvan Basic Math Success G1

• Sylvan Page a Day Math G1 (this is basically the same as a portion of the other Sylvan book, so we are going to pass it along to a friend)

• Random Target workbook finds

• Time, Money and Fractions G1-2

• Tinkeractive Math K

• Smart Start Math G1

• Growing Patterns by Sarah C. Campbell

• Money Play Set (Target Dollar Spot find)

Art

This is actually all the art books for Quentin and Arthur. I took just one picture. Each one of their Build Your Library levels has a related art book to dip in and out of. Q’s is the Global Art book to go along with the tour of the world. Beyond that book, I imagine that we will occasionally do a art lesson on other people and styles. Plus, coop is supposed to be starting an art class. Very excited about this possibility.

• A Journey Through Art: A Global History by Aaron Rosen

• Storybook Art by MaryAnn F. Kohl

• The Art Lesson by Tomie dePaola

• The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning

• Great American Artists for Kids by MaryAnn F. Kohl

• Global Art by MaryAnn F. Kohl

• Frida Kahlo: The Artist Painted Herself by Margaret Frith

Misc.

• Back issues of High Five magazine - We read through a ton of these last year, but still have a few to go.

• Highlights Magazine

• Highlights Amazing Mazes

• Highlight Amazing Mazes

• I Can Draw Book

• Sunnie Press Maps - I’ve been collecting these for awhile now. Each one details a location that will pair perfectly with our Around the World tour for social studies.

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I downloaded multiple books for my travel next week. I’m hoping one of them is good.

• Speeding through my current book (like I knew I would) and I cannot wait to see how it all comes together.

• Taking the boys to the library book sale tomorrow to redeem their coupons. I’m excited to get some new books, because you know, I don’t have any books in my house…

• Maybe I won’t take too many snacks on the road trip. I feel like I might fail at this.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W36: Two Abbreviated and One Full Week. We're Done!

What We Studied

Arthur was supposed to have camp through Metro, but unfortunately he and Quentin both caught a cold. So we took it pretty easy for that week. The second week was very abbreviated as I left on Thursday for my weekend retreat. Only this past week was the only full week and it ended up as our last week of the academic year.

Literature and Poetry

We started and finished a read aloud and started a new one. For these two read aloud, we just enjoyed reading them. I didn’t make any worksheets to go along with them. Beyond the read aloud, the boys have been completing their ELA and Math packets for the summer. We’ll be continuing these through July.

• Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

• Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

• Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems selected by Paul Janeczko

Math

We’ve been doing math review through our BrainQuest summer bridge.

Social Studies

Nothing formal

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

Nothing formal

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

• Rocket Loves Hide-and-Seek by Tad Hills

• Rocket the Brave by Tad Hills

• R is for Rocket by Tad Hills

• How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills

• Rocket’s Christmas Surprise by Tad Hills

• Where is the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Spring

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Summer

• The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry

• Ick and Crud: Ick’s Bleh Day by Wiley Blevins

• Doozers have Green Thumbs

• Pigs are Prepared by Hans Wilhelm

Math

• Using Math Outdoors

Other

Field Trip

We didn’t have formal field trips, but we had a ton of outings. We visited multiple splash parks (Cimarron, Eagle Ridge, and The Grove). I took the kids to see the new Jurassic World movie and then to a Pirate Orienteering class at the library. We also went to the lake for a day of swimming.

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

• Lift, Mix, Fling! Machines Can Do Anything by Lola M. Schaefer

• Bird Watch by Christie Matheson

• All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon

• Maiasaura by Susan H. Gray

• Leonard’s Beard by Nancy Cote

High

• We had a great day swimming at the lake. I was hesitant to take both boys by myself, but it ended up being a great experience. We’re planning on going back very soon.

Low

• A week of sickness really derailed our plans. It was terrible timing.

Next Week

Nothing! We are officially done with this year’s curriculum.

Next up on the TBR pile:

July 2022 Life Goals

I have somehow not done one of these posts since March. How have I just fallen off on this? Oh well. I’m back at it this month. But first…

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

• Read 15 Books ✓

• Two Zoo Visits ✓

• Four Park Visits ✓

• Organize the Rest of the Homeschool Read Alouds ✓

• Plan a Two-Day Spring Trip ✓ - This turned into a 5 day family trip to Kansas, but was great!

July Goals:

• Read 18 Books

• Finish prepping curriculum for 2022-2023 school year

• Visit Indiana (and on-the-way states)

• Finish prepping for fall coop semester

• Redo the Playroom

• Put a pause on my library holds for second half of July-August

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #11

Reading: I finally started reading A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. So far this has been slow-going, but I’m in it until at least the end.

Watching: We started Loot starring Maya Rudolph and it is delightful. I’m totally here for this show.

Listening: While driving to and from the retreat, I enjoyed listening to multiple episodes of 99PI. I really need to listen to that podcast more often. I always enjoy the series.

Making: Currently I’m working on a puzzle that might be worth $1 million. It’s probably a $1 puzzle, but there’s always the chance. The puzzle is a giant QR code and was labeled as medium difficulty, but it’s proving to be harder than I thought it would be.

Feeling: Rested. I really needed those few days off.

Planning: Now that the retreat is done, I’m deep into planning for our July Indiana trip.

Loving: Thinking back to the bookish retreat and loving all the great memories.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I’m away on retreat right now! Four glorious days where I only need to take care of myself. Tonight, we are all going to relax, but tomorrow we are going to a few bookstores and have cocktail hour. Very excited for all the bookish fun.

• Speaking of books, I’ve had a run of not amazing books this week. Really hoping to pull up my star ratings with my retreat selections.

• Took the kids to two splash pads, two libraries, and one movie this week to tire them out. I may have overdone it a bit.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Bucket List

Another season, another summer bucket list. In our town, it’s been feeling like summer for weeks now. I sat down with the kids the other day and they helped me come up with a list of activities for this season.

1. Complete the Library Reading Program

2. Tour of Midwest Zoos

3. Ice Cream Tour of Omaha

4. Louisville SRA

5. Durham Dinosaur Exhibit

6. Trip to Indiana, Iowa, Illinois

7. Cookout with Friends

8. Lincoln Day

9. Medieval, Pirate, and Prehistoric Putt

10. Redo the Playroom

11. Bird Watching Hike

12. Pam Nelson Farm

13. Lauritzen Gardens

14. 5 Splash Pad Visits

15. 3 Movies at the Theater

16. 3 Omaha Zoo Visits

17. Craft/Art Day

18. Read 50 Books

19. July Movie Month!

20. Clear Out My Library Cart

Spring Bucket List Finish Line

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 ✓ - We’re currently sitting at 154 hours for the year.

2. Two Lincoln Excursion Days - We only made it to Lincoln once so far. But we will definitely schedule another day for laster this summer.

3. Three State park Visits - We hit Schramm a few weeks back.

4. Read 50 books ✓

5. Day trip to Des Moines

6. At least 6 zoo visits (4/6)

7. Design board for future kitchen renovation

8. Monthly bingo/trivia nights ✓

9. Do a donation drop

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 - in progress

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:

Homeschool W35: 14 Hours Outside Before It Gets Too Hot

What We Studied

We took advantage of the decent temps this week and spent 14 hours outside exploring. June is my month to enjoy the outdoors before I retreat back into the air conditioning. Unfortunately, next week we are getting a heat wave. At least we spent this week soaking up the sun.

Literature and Poetry

We finally finished reading through the entirety of The Chronicles of Narnia. I am glad to have read it, but man does Lewis get very heavy-handed toward the end of the series. Also, I’m still a bit confused as to the finer points of his theology.

• The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Math

Another week of math games, puzzles, and review. Arthur finished his logic book last week and I didn’t want to start the next one until August. So it’s review and games for the summer.

Social Studies

Arthur’s slowing working through an introduction to economics packet I saved. it’s very light and breezy taking about 5 minutes a day to complete.

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.

Q loves his BrainQuest pages

Science and STEAM Coop

No formal science, but our activities have all been about exploring nature this week so I’m counting it.

Impromptu science lesson about hail

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin “Look mom, I’m being a lion”

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

• The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry

• Rocket and the Perfect Pumpkin by Tad Hills (Q reads)

• Drop It, Rocket by Tad Hills (Q reads)

• Corduroy by Don Freeman

• A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman

• Corduroy Lost and Found by Don Freeman

• Corduroy Takes a Bow by Don Freeman

• A Christmas Wish for Corduroy by Don Freeman

Math

Other

Chilling in the spotlight

Field Trip

We started the week off with a field trip to pick strawberries with all our coop friends. This activity was definitely better with friends and cooler temps than usual. We picked over 4 pounds of strawberries to take home and make into goodies!

Wednesday we spent 6 1/2 hours at the zoo. We walked around the entire outside portion, visited the desert dome, rode the train, splashed in the splash pad, and played at the playground. We got to see one of the baby elephants outside and visits Arthur the baby giraffe inside the barn. It was a good zoo day.

Thursday was park playdate morning. We didn’t spend a really long time at the park, but a bit of running around was needed.

Baby Giraffe Arthur

Documentary Selection

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

We think baby elephant Sonny (could have been Eugenia)

Misc. Picture Books Read

• Just Right Cat by Lori Haskins Houran

• Storybots: The Best Christmas Gift

High

• Berry picking! I look forward to it every year, but struggle through the heat. This year it was much cooler and we had all our friends to chat and play with. The boys loved getting away from me and picking near their friends instead. Such a good day!

Low

• Friday we all hit a wall and needed to take a bit of quiet time individually.

Q’s finally tall enough for this slide

Q “That was awesome!”

Next Week

• Arthur is taking three camp class through Metro Community College. He will be learning about LEGO creations, roller coasters and robots, and food around the world.

• Quentin and I will be spending some time together doing errands and going to the park before the temps hit 100 degrees.

• Starting and finishing our next read aloud (it’s a short one)

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I got a bit of sunburn yesterday. I really need to get in the habit of always sunscreening…

• Guess I need to get a move on with my summer bucket list soon. Time is almost upon us.

• Two books that have made me laugh out loud in a row has been great for my mood.

• Making book recommendations may be my favorite thing right now.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #10

Reading: Deep into The League of Gentlewomen Witches by India Holton. I loved the first in this series and this one is just as delightful. I love it!

Watching: We finally started Obi-Wan Kenobi and it just very good. I love the character of Third Sister.

Listening: Still rocking the giant shuffle of all the songs in my Apple Music account.

Making: I’ve made two batches of gazpacho so far this month. I may just have to make this every week or two weeks. It’s that good!

Feeling: After a few crazy busy weeks, things have calmed down a lot lately. I’m feeling a little calmer lately.

Planning: We’re getting so close to the retreat which means that I’m to the point of planning the games. We are doing a matching game and a pub-style trivia.

Loving: We’ve been spending less time inside and more time outside which is always great. Even better, most of the days have been spent with friends. Love it!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W34: That Summer Feeling Has Hit

What We Studied

Memorial Day has passed and we are in high summer mode here. The temperatures have been cooperating and so we have spent a ton of time outside. We racked up a decent number of hours playing outside and exploring nature. The friends that we have made through coop have played right alongside us. We are definitely taking it easy with regards to book work. And July will be our month off for the most part.

Literature and Poetry

We started the last Chronicles of Narnia book with a a good reading guide I found online.

• The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Math

Another week of math games, puzzles, and review. We finished both our logic book and The School of Numbers this week. One a related project, the boys help me make gazpacho. They practiced reading a recipe and measuring ingredients.

• Logic Countdown

• The School of Numbers

Social Studies

As we have finished our history curriculum, Arthur did finish a few geography scavenger hunt. He has gotten really into exploring Google Earth. Arthur also started a simple packet introducing economics.

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

Nothing specific this week

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

• Eric Carle’s Dragons Dragons

• Eric Carle’s Book of Many Things

• Wonderful You with The Grouchy Ladybuy

• The Saggy Baggy Elephant by Tennant Redbank

• High Five April 2021

• High Five May 2021

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

• Tinkeractive PreK Science

Field Trip

Along with a park playdate and splash pad time, we explored Fontenelle Forest and the connected Raptor Rescue. Spending five hours out in nature was just what we needed on Wednesday.

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

High

• Fontenelle Forest was an amazing day spent in nature.

Low

• Thursday was just a bit of cluster when it came to attitudes from the kids. We had to have a bit of a readjustment.

Next Week

• Spending multiple days outside at parks and a zoo visit

• Finishing The Last Battle

• Watching a documentary or two

• Continuing on independent and review packets

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W33: Road Trip Madness!

What We Studied

After only one day of school for the week, we prepped to leave on a 5-day road trip to Kansas. After getting back on Sunday, we were supposed to have a normal school week. It didn’t quite work out that way. We got some school work in, but also spent two days at the park (coop field day and a regular park day), plus errands and unpacking. Good thing we have already finished our history, math, and science curriculum for the year. We’re slowing down a bit, making plans for next year, and enjoying lots of time with friends.

Day 1: Former airfield where atomic bomb pilots trained

Day 1: National Orphan Train Memorial

Literature and Poetry

We finished our current read aloud and started the next one. Arthur continued with his spelling curriculum and we read a ton of picture books and such.

• Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein

• The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis

Day 1: Former German POW Camp

Day 1: Old dugout house

Math

Another week of math games, puzzles, and review

• Logic Countdown

• The School of Numbers

Day 1: Sculpted Brick Wall

Day 1: Rock City Geologic Formation

Social Studies

Arthur did some map work and a few scavenger hunts. He really got into playing around on Google Earth and finding different places. I love when a small assignment leads to more independent research and fun. He even spotted a good restaurant in Wichita for us that wasn’t on my list. We had dinner there and it was great (Wichita Pizza and Brewing Company, if you wanted to know).

Informally we learned a lot from the various museums and attractions that we saw in Kansas. I loved learning more about the Cosmonaut program in the 1950s and 1960s from the exhibits the Cosmosphere. Arthur really got into the exhibits at the World of Treasures Museum.

Day 1: Coronado Heights Castle

Day 2: Strataca Salt Mine

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.

Day 2: Liberty Bell 7 at the Cosmosphere

Science and STEAM Coop

Nothing formal but we did go to a lot of science-related spots on our road trip. We learned a ton about salt and mining at Strataca in Hutchinson.

Day 1: Daal Horses

Day 2: Keeper of the Plain Statue in Wichita

Art/Music

None this week

Day 3: Mini Stonehenge

Day 3: Glass Mosaic Mural

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

• Eric Carle's Animals Animals

• Eric Carle’s Dragons Dragons

• The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle

• The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

• Hugs & Kisses for The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

• Pancakes, Pancakes by Eric Carle

• Do You Want to be My Friend? by Eric Carle

• Today is Monday by Eric Carle

• Eric Carle and Friends: What's Your Favorite Bug?

• A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle

• The Greedy Python by Eric Carle

• The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

• Happy Halloween from the Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

• Eric Carle and Friends: What's Your Favorite Animal?

• The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

• Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?

• Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?

• Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?

Math

• Lollipop Logic Book 1

• Tinkeractive PreK Math

Other

• Crayola Our Colorful Earth: Celebrating the Natural Work

• Tinkeractive PreK Science

• Ten Pigs by Derek Anderson

Day 3: Old Cowtown Museum

Day 3: Museum of World Treasures

Field Trip

There wasn’t a field trip this week.

Day 3: Original Pizza Hut

Day 3: Nifty Nut House

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We watched a great NOVA episode about searching for Life on Mars. It detailed the various Mars rovers and focused heavily on the Perseverance mission.

Day 4: Great Plains Transportation Museum

Day 4: Field Station Dinosaur

Misc. Picture Books Read

• The Fantastic Fishsitter by Mo O’Hara

Day 4: The Arcade

Day 5: Sedgwick County Zoo

High

• Kansas Road Trip! What started as a weekend trip to Hutchinson to see the Cosmosphere turned into a 5 day trip to Hutchinson and Wichita filled with many stops. One of my favorites was getting a private tour of the Great Plains Transportation Museum from a former rail worker. Bob gave us so much more information than was listed on the signs and handouts.

Low

• The transition back home after road trip is always a bit rough. We ended up with a lighter school week than I intended.

Next Week

• Continuing our read aloud

• Playing some math games

• Watching a documentary or two

• Making a craft?

• Exploring outside with friends.

Day 5; OZ Museum

Only pic I took at the park…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Here’s hoping the rain holds off this morning for the coop’s field day. Would be sad to have to reschedule…

• Looks like my May read pile is going to end up at 21 books. That’s a lot for one month.

• That said, I have so many reads on tap for June. We’ll see how much I get read. I do have the retreat at the end of the month which should push me through a few books.

• As for the retreat, I ordered the last of the goodies and I’m so excited about the bookish fun we get to have. Now I need to work on recommendations and games and start buying the grocery list.

• I think we are going to continue watching Hawkeye with the kids tonight.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Spring 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 spring:

1. Check off 150 hours of our 1000 hours outside project - 89/150 so far

2. Two Lincoln Excursion Days - We’ve done one so far!

3. Three State park Visits - We hit Schramm a few weeks back.

4. Read 50 books - 35/50

5. Day trip to Des Moines

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

7. Design board for future kitchen renovation

8. Monthly bingo/trivia nights - On track!

9. Do a donation drop

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 - in progress

14. Plan out the Bookish Retreat! - in progress

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

16. Weekend trip to Kansas ✓ - We are there right now!

17. Plan a redo for our homeschool space / playroom - in progress

18. Do a Closet Cleanout for Me - in progress

19. Do a Closet Cleanup for the Kids - in progress

20. Work on a Craft Project

Up Next on the TBR:

Currently #9

Reading: Ali Hazelwood just published three novellas all involving women in STEM. Somehow I got all three right in a row from the library. So I’ve been on a contemporary romance kick.

Watching: We finally started S2 of The Great and it’s still utterly delightful!

Listening: My Chemical Romance dropped a new song this past week! I’m so incredibly excited!

Making: We’re leaving on a mini family vacation tomorrow and I need to finish the packing.

Feeling: After a brief drop in temperature on Sunday, we’re back to very hot temps. I am hot and tired.

Planning: A family road trip needs carefully packed snacks. We have two bags available plus a thermal for cold drinks.

Loving: Sonic’s Cherry Limeade is amazing! It’s the perfect pick-me-up for a hot long day.

Next up on the TBR pile: