Summer Bucket List Finish

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.

Complete the Library Reading Program ✓
Tour of Midwest Zoos ✓
Ice Cream Tour of Omaha
Louisville SRA ✓
Durham Dinosaur Exhibit ✓
Trip to Indiana, Iowa, Illinois ✓
Cookout with Friends ✓
Lincoln Day
Medieval, Pirate, and Prehistoric Putt - In progress. The boys went with J to Medieval Putt while I was gone at the end of June.
Redo the Playroom ✓
Bird Watching Hike
Pam Nelson Farm
Lauritzen Gardens ✓ - We went with coop for a field trip.
5 Splash Pad Visits ✓
3 Movies at the Theater - 2 done
3 Omaha Zoo Visits ✓
Craft/Art Day ✓
Read 50 Books ✓
July Movie Month! ✓ - We made the instead a September music documentary and movie month. So far, it’s going great.
Clear Out My Library Cart ✓ - I returned basically all my library holds and focused on my own books for September.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #17

Reading: I finally started The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George from my giant Unread Shelf. After multiple dark and depressing books, this might be just what I need this week.

Watching: As part of our music documentary month, we started watching Sonics Highways and I am very into the stories

Listening: After binging S3 of Unobscured about the Whitechapel murders, I quickly moved into S4 about Rasputin. I’m really enjoying this deep dive.

Making: I’m deep into birthday party planning mode. I’ve got some games and crafts that I need to finish before the actual day,

Feeling: We got our COVID boosters (J and I) on Sunday and feel like I had no ill-effects. J was done for almost 24 hours feeling terrible, but I’m totally fine. Very surprising.

Planning: Thursday we have our fall semester parent meeting and I’m finishing out my agenda. So many things to discuss.

Loving: I made coconut rum cake this past weekend and it was absolutely delightful. Will be making again and again.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Getting back into our regular schedule has reenergized me… thank goodness, I was flagging.
Looking forward to pumpkin patch season.
But first, I need to finish planning the boys’ birthday party.
We’re going a Jamaican food night and a Cuban food night this week to celebrate our geography study. I’m looking forward to the coconut rum cake.
I’ve read three horror books in a row and it’s been glorious I’m leaning into my comfort reads this month.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W6: Busy as Bees

What We Studied

It was a very busy week for us. We had a field trip, our regular activities, a trip to the airport (drop off for J), and the start of a weekend trip. Being so busy and attempting to stay on top of the house meant that we cut back a bit on schoolwork to accommodate. That’s okay. This week (like starting today) is a flex week where we get to take some time to catch up on units and rearrange things for the next block of weeks.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished reading Word of Mouse as our coop book club selection. We finished in time to take to coop so another family to borrow our book. As for our actual big ELA read aloud, we started reading The Wild Robot and Arthur is very into the story. I loved how the chapter give us little vignettes that connect with Roz’s longer storyline. Loving it! Hopefully we finished next week and then can dive right into the sequel. Arthur officially started his spelling curriculum this year. I hadn’t planned on doing a formal spelling curriculum, but one of my favorite resources, The Moffatt Girls, released a 3rd grade version and offered a discount for the first week. I snapped it up we will continue with spelling for another year.

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry
In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton
Word of Mouse by James Patterson

Quentin focused on reading animal stories from around the world. I’m trying to line them up with our continents as we move across the world.

Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry
A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister
Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta

Math

For both boys, we have scheduled math for three days a week. One day is focused on logic, games, puzzles, and special projects. The two other days are focused on covering the main math curriculum (Singapore 4A and 4B for Arthur and Singapore 1A and 1B for Quentin). I also found a fun packet of logic puzzles based on Alice in Wonderland. We will be spreading these out over our reading of the text.

Logic Liftoff (Arthur)
Singapore 4A
Tinkeractive Math Kindergarten
Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

Social Studies

Arthur continued his large study of United States history using a combination of Build Your Library Level 5 and History Quest United States History. We did a bit more exploration of the various groups of Native Americans. Turtle Island is my current favorite resource. I love how the chapters are divided. We get a little snapshot of many different cultures and areas. Arthur also continued reading a graphic novel collections of Native American tales as part of his independent work. We also started a history read aloud for our Native American study.

A Kid’s Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis
Native Americans: A Visual Exploration by SN Paella
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet: Native American Poems of the Land by Joseph Bruchac
Turtle Island: The Story of North America’s First People by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger
What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger
Trickster: Native American Tales by Matt Dembicki
History Quest: U.S. History
Sees Behind Trees by Michael Dorris

Quentin began his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We did a study of the United States. We covered Mexico this week with a lot of stories and books.

Nat Geo Beginner’s World Atlas
DK Countries of the World
DK Children Just Like Me
DK Children Just Like Me; A School Like Mine
Mexican Art and Architecture by Anna Carew-Miller
Mexico by Elaine Landau
Living In Mexico by Chloe Perkins
Follow Me Around Mexico by Wiley Blevins
P is for Pinata by Tony Johnston
Let's Explore Mexico by Walt K. Moon
Mexico ABCs
Cinco de Mouse-O! by Judy Cox
Just a Minute by Yuyi Morales
Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto
The First Tortilla by Rudolfo Anaya
My Family Celebrates Day of the Dead
Danza! by Duncan Tonatiuh
Holy Mole by Caroline McAllister

Arthur Independent Time

We are working on following a checklist in a planner for weekly independent work. There’s usually some math workbook pages, an ELA packet, weekly writing prompts (1-2 times a week), independent reading time, and a special creative project. Beyond the paperwork, Arthur focused on his game he’s been making (Lord of the Book) and some random side creative projects. This week he also had an Outschool class on creative writing. It was a big brainstorming session with tips and tricks to write better stories. Afterward, he dove right into making up some new stories.

Science

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

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We talked about animals of North America. Specially we learned a bit about the American Bison this week. Lots of fun as we have seen bison up close on a number of occasions.

Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas
DK Animal
Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

STEAM Coop

The older class finished their geology unit with a study of volcanoes and earthquakes. After some good discussion, we made lava flows with puffy paint and flower pots. With the conclusion of this week, I am done teaching for the semester. Now I get to just participate and fix problems as they arise. The younger two classes learned about fungi. Quentin learned about yeast and took home some to make bread net week..

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking

We’re planning one doing on art project and one cooking project each week as well as picking a composer or musician to listen to and enjoy. This week, art and music just didn’t happen. But that’s okay. This is why I have built in flex weeks to catch up on some of the things that get pushed aside during a normal week. We also didn’t do much cooking this week due to the busy schedule.

Field Trip

Tuesday we did a guided tour of Lauritzen Gardens with a special emphasis on spotting mushrooms through the gardens. We did some interesting specimens on our walk. Afterward, we went into the classroom to learn a bit more about mushrooms and make our own out of rocks, felt, and yarn. It was a big, busy field trip, but I enjoyed our walk.

Friday was took off on a weekend trip to Des Moines. Specifically we were going to visit the Living History Farms for their homeschool day, but I didn’t want to drive over 4 hours in one day. So, we added two more days and explored the area. After the Living History Farms, we spent the afternoon at a local arcade and stayed for pizza dinner. Saturday it rained all day so we ended up visiting the Science Center of Iowa. We will definitely be back there soon! It was full of interactive exhibits and shows. We snuck in a bookstore browsing session after the Science Center. On Sunday, we traveled northwest to Boone to take a ride on the Fraser Excursion Train. The trip is an 11 mile round trip through the Des Moines River Valley area. We saw some beautiful countryside and even a few eagles. As an added bonus, it was Day Out with Thomas this weekend, so we got to enjoy those exhibits as well.

High

Coop was lots of fun and low pressure this week. I think all the kids are finally settling in and getting comfortable.

Low

A hectic schedule meant that we had to skip art class this week. Oh well, maybe next week.

Next Week

Continuing an ELA read aloud and a History read aloud (A)
Catching up on history (A)
Moving on to Energy for Physics (A)
Reading some animal stories (Q)
Covering Central America and the Caribbean (Q)
Covering telecommunications (A) and maps and geography (Q) for coop
Introducing the art of John Singleton Copley?
Listening to Bach

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #16

Reading: I grabbed an ebook of Sarah Gailey’s new book, Just Like Home. it was described as gothic horror, so of course, I needed to read it like now. I’m only about 40 pages in and the mystery has yet to really be revealed. But it definitely has a ton of atmosphere.

Watching: J and I are focusing on music documentaries and movie for September. We started watching Sonic Highways, one of the two docu-series done by the Foo Fighters. I’m loving this look at different music scenes and people around the country.

Listening: I’m finally catching up on my small backlog of Currently Reading podcast episodes.

Making: Working through my August Memory Planner pages. I’m hoping to stay on top of this throughout the end of this year.

Feeling: The boys and I are doing a weekend trip to Des Moines starting on Friday. We all want to go now. Unfortunately, we still have to get through today, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Planning: Slowly planning out the boys’ birthday party in early October. We’re doing a Knights of the Round Table theme.

Loving: Sometimes I want a bit of sweetness in my iced tea, but don’t really want proper sweet tea. So excited that Gold Peak sells Slightly Sweet Tea. So good!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W5: Spontaneous Trips are Fun, but Also Tiring

What We Studied

We left the house every single day this week (again). This wee was the Nebraska State Fair and I randomly decided on Saturday to take the kids on Monday. The fair location in Grand Island is about a 2 hour drive from home. So we left the house early on Monday morning to spend the day at the fair. Fun, but my goodness, it was exhausting when you add on a lake trip on Tuesday, science on Wednesday, coop on Thursday, and a Fontenelle Forest trip on Friday. A full week of activities!

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished reading Through the Looking-glass this week. He didn’t like the sequel as much as the first book, but we wanted to cover the two volumes before watching a movie version. He also has a weekly poetry selection. We continued our Myths and Maps extra curriculum from B&R. We began covering creation stories from around the world. I’m liking these short retellings of myths. Eventually we will add our squares to a world map and see where all the civilizations are. We continued our next book club selection, Word of Mouse. Trying to finish this coming week.

Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll
Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry
In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton
Word of Mouse by James Patterson

Quentin covered some interesting books focused on Native American cultures. We also started sprinkling in animal stories from around the world. I’m trying to line them up with our continents as we move across the world.

Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry
A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister
Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta
We are Grateful / Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorell
A Boy Called Slow: The True Story of Sitting Bull by Jospeh Bruchac
Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard

Math

Logic Liftoff (Arthur)
Singapore 4A
Tinkeractive Math Kindergarten
Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

Social Studies

Arthur skipped history this week in favor of science. No problem, we’ll pick up where we left off next week.

Quentin began his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We did a study of the United States. To celebrate, we made s’mores.

Nat Geo Beginner’s World Atlas
DK Countries of the World
DK Children Just Like Me
DK Children Just Like Me; A School Like Mine

Arthur Independent Time

Science

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

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We talked about animals of North America.

Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas
DK Animal
Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

STEAM Coop

This was our first week post-closing registration. We have 21 families that have joined coop with a total of 38 students participating. We are just about at capacity! But I’m very excited about creating deeper bonds with everyone in coop. The older class continued their geology lessons this week with a focus on weathering and erosion. The younger two classes learned about fungi. Quentin was super excited to paint with mushrooms.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking

For our cooking, Quentin made s’mores. Pretty basic for the U.S., but it was tasty. Next week’s Mexico menu will be better.

Field Trip

Our actual field trip was Friday’s visit to Fontenelle Forest. All the kids were tasked with spotting mushrooms along our hike. We found many different kinds and took tons of pictures. Of course the kids had to play at the playground after our walk and have a picnic before seeing the birds at Raptor Rescue.

High

The State Fair was an experience! The boys are already asking if we can go next year. Only 360 days to wait…

Low

So many activities meant that we are a bit behind on our book work. We’ll catch up (that’s why I build in flex weeks), but I’m not a fan of feeling behind.

Next Week

Starting an ELA read aloud and a History read aloud (A)
Learning about Native American cultures of the West Coast (A)
Moving on to Friction for Physics (A)
Reading some animal stories (Q)
Covering Mexico (Q)
Covering geology (A) and fungi (Q) for coop - last week for geology (and me teaching!)
Introducing the art of John Singleton Copley?
Finishing Word of Mouse for coop book club
Listening to Bach

Next up on the TBR pile:

September 2022 Life Goals

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

Read 18 Books ✓
Kick off the Coop for the Fall Semester ✓
Make 4 Recipes for Our 52 Deserts - I fell a bit short with only two recipes.
Visit the zoo once ✓
Visit two state parks ✓

September Goals:

Read 18 Books
Have a Fun Weekend in Des Moines
Complete Music Movies and Documentary Month
Plan the Boys’ Birthday Party

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Okay, it’s officially September. Let’s cut the 90 degree days please…
Returning almost all my library books feels really good. I’m trying to dive into my own shelves for the next two months.
Only one more week of teaching coop for me. I’m almost done with the big geology unit.
I need to put the final touches on our trip to Des Moines next week. Saturday’s plans are still up in the air.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W4: A Week of Daily Activities!

What We Studied

We left the house every single day this week. Exhausting! But we had a great time exploring some places.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur started reading Through the Looking-glass this week. We hope to finish next week so we can watch one (or two) movie versions of Alice. He also has a weekly poetry selection. We continued our Myths and Maps extra curriculum from B&R. We began covering creation stories from around the world. I’m liking these short retellings of myths. Eventually we will add our squares to a world map and see where all the civilizations are. We started our next book club selection, Word of Mouse, and will probably finish late next week.

Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Found There by Lewis Carroll
Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry
In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton
Word of Mouse by James Patterson

Quentin finished reading The Very Very Far North for his read aloud. We are to going to take a break from a long read aloud book in favor of some picture books for the next few weeks.. We also started sprinkling in animal stories from around the world. I’m trying to line them up with our continents as we move across the world.

Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry
The Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-El
A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister
Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta
Biscuit and the Great Fall Day by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)
You are a Beautiful Beginning by Nina Laden

Math

Logic Liftoff (Arthur)
Singapore 4A
Alice in Pastaland: A Math Adventure by Alexandra Wright
Tinkeractive Math Kindergarten
Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

Social Studies

Arthur continued his large study of United States history using a combination of Build Your Library Level 5 and History Quest United States History. We did a bit more exploration of the various groups of Native Americans. Arthur also continued reading a graphic novel collections of Native American tales as part of his independent work.

A Kid’s Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet: Native American Poems of the Land by Joseph Bruchac
Turtle Island: The Story of North America’s First People by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger
What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger
Trickster: Native American Tales by Matt Dembicki
History Quest: U.S. History

Quentin began his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We did a study of Canada complete with a Canada food night. We had Maple Chicken, Wild Rice, Bannock Bread, and Blueberry Crisp. I had saved a Sunnie Press map featuring Banff, Alberta, Canada that was perfect for the week.

Nat Geo Beginner’s World Atlas
DK Countries of the World
DK First Earth Encyclopedia
DK Children Just Like Me
DK Children Just Like Me; A School Like Mine
Carson Crosses Canada by Linda Bailey Kass Reich
Canada ABCs by Brenda Haugen
Follow Me Around Canada by Wiley Blevins
Canada through Time: Canada Today

Must stop for Ted & Wally’s if downtown anywhere… Cookie Monster, Lemon, and Sour Apple choices.

Arthur Independent Time

Science

Arthur is focusing on Physics this year. We are covering the text and related videos at home and then joining friends for experiments and extra projects. This week the boys learned about Newton’s Second Law of Motion. Their engineering project was to make a solar powered windmill. For our history of science, we read a chapter more about the Greeks and the three “A”s.

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

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We talked about animals of North America.

Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas
DK Animal
Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

I promise that they had fun. Just ridiculous facial expressions.

STEAM Coop

Coop continued with a slightly smaller group (thank goodness). We had a great week where the older kids learned about minerals and gems. They got to dig for their own gems. Simple, and yet, loads of fun. The younger groups finished their theme of reptiles and amphibians. Quentin make a frog and frog life cycle.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking

Thursday as a bit of a slog and we didn’t make it to art class. But I put it as a definite for next week.

Field Trip

On Monday, I grabbed a library pass for The Durham Museum so we could check out the dinosaur exhibit before it closes on Sept. 4th. We had to go through that particular section three times before we moved on to the rest of the museum. This visit, the boys really got interested in checking out the 1898 Exposition models.

On Tuesday, we had a coop field trip to Heron Haven to spy animals (specifically reptiles and amphibians). We ended up seeing a heron, lots of ducks, turtles, and some frogs. I loved spying the frogs in the algae on the pond.

High

Tween Gaming - On Friday, we met some other homeschoolers at a local game shop and played some games. I was impressed by the variety of games they stock (that I’ve never heard of). We ended up buying Pokemon: Battle Academy. The shop has open Pokemon play on Sunday afternoons. We will have to check it out soon.
Family Trivia Night - Tuesday night, we headed over to the cafe/bar for General Trivia night. We had fun, but ultimately came in second. It was still fun.

Low

Um… there was a bit of bickering between the boys this week and we had to separate often.

Next Week

Finishing the sequel to Alice in Wonderland (A)
Learning about Native American cultures of the West Coast (A)
Moving on to Newton’s Third Law for Physics (A)
Reading some animal stories (Q)
Covering United States and Mexico (Q)
Covering geology (A) and fungi (Q) for coop
Introducing the art of John Singleton Copley?
Finishing Word of Mouse for coop book club
Listening to Bach
Going to the Nebraska State Fair!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Four weeks into our homeschooling year and need to reassess our schedules. I think I need to tweak a few things to help me to not get overwhelmed.
Finally watched the new Persuasion and it’s definitely not the book. Decent overall movie, but not the Anne from the book.
Ordered a meal prep box from a local chef that features vegan and gluten free dishes. The cost is just about what we spend at the grocery store. I’m very excited. I have had some of her desserts and they were most delicious.
I need some new lightweight pajamas…
Very glad that the open house period of coop is over. That was exhausting. Now we get to see who else (if anyone) joins before September 1st.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #15

Reading: Almost finished with Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley. I started Sunday and have had a hard time putting it down to do house tasks. Can’t wait to discuss this with book club in a few weeks.

Watching: For family movie night, we started watching Ms. Marvel. I am loving the styling!

Listening: I finally started listening to Mother Country Radicals from Crooked Media about the Weather Underground. I knew very little about this group and it has been fascinating so far.

Making: Q is doing a world tour this year and we’re starting our in-depth study with North America. Part of our curriculum involves making a dish from the country. I’ve decided that we’re just going to add this idea as part of our weekly meal plan. First up is our Canada study. We will be making wild rice, maple chicken, bannock breads and blueberry crisp.

Feeling: August has been a lot. Between starting our next school year, kicking off the coop semester, and the high temperatures have left me so tired. Here’s hoping September gives me more energy.

Planning: I’m taking the kids for a long weekend to Des Moines in September. We’re starting at the Living History Farms for homeschool day and then doing a small tour of the area. I’m looking forward to our arcade visit.

Loving: We’re heading to trivia night tonight with the kids and everyone’s excited. Last time we did this as a family was back in May. And we won!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W3: Finding Our Groove

What We Studied

I think we are finding our groove this month. I cut back on some subjects, beefed up some others, and made sure to balance our weekly activities. It was such a good week that I apparently did not take very many photos. So enjoy all our adventures at the zoo!

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll for his ELA read aloud. After finishing, we were going to watch a movie version, but my favorites all include parts of the sequel. So I changed up our schedule a bit (the one I see not the one Arthur sees) and we are going to start reading Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Saw There next week. He also has a weekly poetry selection. We continued our Myths and Maps extra curriculum from B&R. We began covering creation stories from around the world. I’m liking these short retellings of myths. Eventually we will add our squares to a world map and see where all the civilizations are. We continued reading The Beast of Buckingham Palace for our next coop book club selection. Only ~40 pages more to go!

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry
In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton
The Beast of Buckingham Palace by David Walliam

Quentin continued reading The Very Very Far North for his read aloud. He finally settled in and started thinking about the book more. We also started sprinkling in animal stories from around the world. I’m trying to line them up with our continents as we move across the world.

High Five Intro Issue
Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry
The Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-El
A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister

Math

Logic Liftoff (Arthur)
Singapore 4A
Tinkeractive Math Kindergarten
Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

Social Studies

Arthur started his large study of United States history using a combination of Build Your Library Level 5 and History Quest United States History. We did a bit more exploration of the various groups of Native Americans. Last minute, I found a great Outschool class called “What are Native Americans?” This is a two week class focusing on introducing students to Native Americans and doing a bit of geography and history. It’s being taught by Kelly Tudor, who is Lipan Apache. (I’ve tagged her other classes for future reference. She has one about Indigenous Peoples’ Day that I hope works out for us time-wise.) Arthur also started reading a graphic novel collections of Native American tales as part of his independent work.

A Kid’s Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet: Native American Poems of the Land by Joseph Bruchac
Turtle Island: The Story of North America’s First People by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger
What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger
Trickster: Native American Tales by Matt Dembicki
History Quest: U.S. History

Quentin began his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We did an overview of the Arctic and general North American overview this week.

Nat Geo Beginner’s World Atlas
DK Countries of the World
DK First Earth Encyclopedia
DK Children Just Like Me
DK Children Just Like Me; A School Like Mine
What We Wear: Dressing Up Around the World by Maja Ajmera
Kumak's Fish: A Tall Tale from the Far North by Michael Bania
Arctic Communities Past and Present by Cindy Jenson-Elliott
Arctic Tundra by Ellen Labrecque

Arthur Independent Time

Science

Arthur is focusing on Physics this year. We are covering the text and related videos at home and then joining friends for experiments and extra projects. This week the boys learned Newton and his First Law of Motion. Their engineering challenge was to build an egg carrier that protected an egg from a fall. Both boys’ designs ended up failing, but we talked about the hows and whys and reviewed the concept of forces. For our history of science, we read a chapter about Ionia and Thales. I found a great clip of Cosmos with Carl Sagan that talked about Thales and the importance of the early Greek scientists.

RSO Physics
The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way by Joy Hakim
Forces Make Things Move by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Let’s Get Moving by Chris Ferrie

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We talked about ecosystems and sorted some animals into their ecosystems.

Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas
DK Animal
Lonely Planet: The Animal Book
My Home on the Ice by J. Patrick Lewis
Animal Camouflage in the Snow by Martha E.H. Rustad
The Arctic Fox's Journey by Wendy Pfeffer
Arctic Fox by Dee Philips
North: The Amazing Story of Arctic Migration by Nick Dowson

STEAM Coop

Coop continued with a slightly smaller group (thank goodness). We had a great week where the older kids learned about rocks and the rock cycle. The older kids made a sedimentary rock to take home. The younger groups started their theme of reptiles and amphibians. Quentin got to make a snake from a paper plate. He loves to paint at coop!. Afterwards, we had two more families officially join the coop. We are growing, but hopefully not too much more so we can fit in peoples’ houses for winter.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking

Thursday as a bit of a slog and we didn’t make it to art class. But I put it as a definite for next week.

Field Trip

No coop field trip this week, but we did get to the zoo for Tuesday. We had free ride tickets that expired on August 31st, so I definitely wanted to use those. The weather was very rainy and overcast in the morning which made it perfect to keep the crowds away and the animals active for our visit. We stayed five hours. The crowds started to coming after lunch so we only stayed until about 1:30pm. Still it was a good day and we got so many steps in!

High

The zoo was so lovely! I definitely like it cooler and less busy.

Low

Kid attitudes meant that we missed art class this week. I was really hoping to work this into our schedule weekly, but now I’m thinking biweekly.

Next Week

Starting the sequel to Alice in Wonderland (A)
Figuring out more logic puzzles (A)
Learning about Native American cultures of the Southeast and Plains (A)
Moving on to Newton’s Second Law for Physics (A)
Reading some animal stories (Q)
Finishing The Very Very Far North (Q)
Covering Canada and the United States (maybe) (Q)
Covering geology (A) and amphibians and retiles (Q) for coop
Introducing the art of John Singleton Copley?
Finishing The Beast of Buckingham Palace for coop book club
Listening to Bach
Going to the Durham, Heron Haven, Trivia Night, and Gaming Afternoon

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Bucket List Update #2

Complete the Library Reading Program ✓
Tour of Midwest Zoos ✓
Ice Cream Tour of Omaha
Louisville SRA ✓
Durham Dinosaur Exhibit - We’re going on Monday.
Trip to Indiana, Iowa, Illinois ✓
Cookout with Friends ✓ - We had a great cookout with coop friends.
Lincoln Day
Medieval, Pirate, and Prehistoric Putt - In progress. The boys went with J to Medieval Putt while I was gone at the end of June.
Redo the Playroom ✓
Bird Watching Hike
Pam Nelson Farm
Lauritzen Gardens
5 Splash Pad Visits ✓
3 Movies at the Theater - 2 done
3 Omaha Zoo Visits ✓
Craft/Art Day ✓ - We went to The Makery for a free crafting day.
Read 50 Books
July Movie Month!
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Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W2: Goodness, I am Tired!

What We Studied

We reached the end of our second week of regular homeschooling routine and I am exhausted. Seriously, by Friday afternoon, I could barely keep my eyes open. And we didn’t do that much! I think it’s a combination of the heat and the mental load of keeping all the plates in the air that has me so tired. The kids are fairing better, but they also get a lot more breaks and free time…

Literature and Poetry

Arthur continued Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll for his ELA read aloud. To go along with the text itself, Blossom and Root Grade 3 Language Arts gives us a ton of activities and creative projects to go along with the text. We will be reading this for one more week. He also has a weekly poetry selection. We also started our Myths and Maps extra curriculum from B&R. We began covering creation stories from around the world. One last item, we started reading The Beast of Buckingham Palace for our next coop book club selection.

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry
In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton
The Beast of Buckingham Palace by David Walliam

Quentin started a big read aloud as his main focus. I timed the read aloud to coincide with the area of the world that we are studying. The Very Very Far North seemed perfect for starting with the Arctic. He also did a day study of the Stone Soup story. We read a traditional European telling and then grabbed multiple others for variety. We did a bit of compare and contrast with the stories. I enjoyed it!

High Five Intro Issue
Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry
The Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-El
Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
Quill Soup by Alan Durant
Fandango Stew by David Davis
Bone Soup by Alissa Satin Capucilli
Some Friends to Feed: The Story of Stone Soup by Pete Seeger and Paul DeBois Jacobs
The Real Story of Stone Soup by Ying Chang Compestine
We All Play by Julie Flett

Playing Arthur’s homemade game, Lord of the Book

Math

For both boys, we have scheduled math for three days a week. One day is focused on logic, games, puzzles, and special projects. The two other days are focused on covering the main math curriculum (Singapore 4A and 4B for Arthur and Singapore 1A and 1B for Quentin). This week Arthur and I played a monster themed multiplication game. I also found a fun packet of logic puzzles based on Alice in Wonderland. We will be spreading these out over our reading of the text.

Logic Liftoff (Arthur)
Singapore 4A
Tinkeractive Math Kindergarten
Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)
Numbers Everywhere by Linda Leopold Strauss
Everyone Counts by Judy Sierra

Social Studies

Arthur started his large study of United States history using a combination of Build Your Library Level 5 and History Quest United States History. We did a bit more introduction and then started learning about the native nations of the northeast. Last minute, I found a great Outschool class called “What are Native Americans?” This is a two week class focusing on introducing students to Native Americans and doing a bit of geography and history. It’s being taught by Kelly Tudor, who is Lipan Apache. (I’ve tagged her other classes for future reference. She has one about Indigenous Peoples’ Day that I hope works out for us time-wise.)

A Kid’s Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet: Native American Poems of the Land by Joseph Bruchac
Turtle Island: The Story of North America’s First People by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger
What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger
What was the Ice Age? by Nico Medina
Prehistorical Animals: Prehistoric Mammals by David West

Quentin began his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We covered the basics of the world with a close look at maps the globe. We took this week to do some more big overview of the world and talk about the different types of climates and geography throughout the world.

Nat Geo Beginner’s World Atlas
DK Countries of the World
DK First Earth Encyclopedia
DK Children Just Like Me
DK Children Just Like Me; A School Like Mine
On Earth by G. Brian Karas

Arthur Independent Time

Science

Arthur is focusing on Physics this year. We are covering the text and related videos at home and then joining friends for experiments and extra projects. This week the boys learned about water displacement and density. They had a long experiment session that culminated in a challenge to construct a boat that would hold 30 pennies. Lots of fun there! For our history section, Arthur learned about various cultures keeping time throughout history. Talks about calendars and time-keeping.

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

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We talked about ecosystems and sorted some animals into their ecosystems.

Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas
DK Animal
Lonely Planet: The Animal Book
Many Biomes, One Earth by Sneed B. Collard III
Earth: Extreme Facts by Steffi Cavell-Clarke

STEAM Coop

Coop continued with a slightly smaller group (thank goodness). We had a great week where the older kids learned about plate tectonics and the younger groups learned about rocks and minerals. The older kids really enjoyed demonstrating the different types of plate boundaries using frosting and graham crackers. Probably helps that they got to it their creations afterward. Lots of fun there! Afterwards, we had three more families official join the coop. We are growing, but hopefully not too much more so we can fit in peoples’ houses for winter.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking

Coop art class was canceled due to illness.

Field Trip

We had a great field trip to Schramm with a guided tour of the geologic site. The kids got to dig for fossils and some free play at the rocks. We had a lovely picnic by the fish hatcheries and ended our visit back at the nature center. The boys were excited that all the imaginary play items were back out.

High

Science on Wednesday was delightful. While Arthur worked with his friend on some experiments, I sat in the other room with Quentin and did some of his packet work. I think we used our time wisely this week.

Low

So tired!

Next Week

Finishing Alice in Wonderland (A)
Figuring out more logic puzzles (A)
Learning about Native American cultures of the East Coast (A)
Moving on to Newton’s Laws for Physics (A)
Reading some animal stories (Q)
Continuing The Very Very Far North (Q)
Covering the Arctic and Canada (Q)
Covering geology (A) and amphibians and retiles (Q) for coop
Introducing the art of John Singleton Copley?
Moving through The Beast of Buckingham Palace for coop book club
Listening to Bach

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #14

Reading: Hide by Kiersten White - I totally figured out the weirdness within the first third of this book, but I’m still loving it. Almost finished.

Watching: We started The Sandman and it’s amazing! I loved the comics and the television is a beautiful adaptation of the comics.

Listening: We have a few field trips coming up and have been listening to back episodes of Eons podcast.

Making: For this week’s coop lesson, the younger groups are going to be covering rocks and minerals (biggest kids are doing plate tectonics). I’m making the rock cycle out of starburst. It is a bit time-consuming, but a very easy way to explain the rock cycle.

Feeling: The temps cooled off just a tad and I feel so much better. I can do mid-80s, I am not a fan of mid-90s.

Planning: We scrapped our bit fall family road trip (we had one in May anyway) in favor of me taking the kids for a long weekend to Des Moines. We’re going for a living history event on Friday and then staying to explore the area.

Loving: The bakery inside Baker’s makes these amazing brown butter caramel cookies, but I don’t love paying the price they are marked. Lucky me that I keep finding them on the bakery clearance rack! 50% is totally my price point for these delicious cookies.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W1: We're Back at It!

What We Studied

We dove into our third year of homeschooling with Arthur entering 3rd grade and Quentin entire kindergarten. This first week was all about attempting to figure out our weekly schedule. We have to work in coop on Thursday morning, art class on Thursday afternoon, physics with friends on Wednesday afternoon, and a weekly field trip. I’m attempting to decide if we will be doing art class and field trips weekly or on a different schedule. I’m still thinking about that. As for the curriculum itself, we dove right in and accomplished a ton this week.

Attempting to make a paper hole to step through a la Alice

Literature and Poetry

Arthur started Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll for his ELA read aloud. To go along with the text itself, Blossom and Root Grade 3 Language Arts gives us a ton of activities and creative projects to go along with the text. We will be reading this for two more weeks. He also has a weekly poetry selection. We also started our Myths and Maps extra curriculum from B&R. We began covering creation stories from around the world. One last item, we finished reading The Penderwicks in time for coop book club on Thursday evening. Only one other family joined us, but we chatted about the book for awhile before the kids scampered off to the playground.

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry
In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

Quentin has a mixed week. We started with a few books related to traveling the world (preview of our social studies curriculum). He also covered the Blossom and Root Kindergarten Language Arts week dealing with names and the importance of identity.

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman
Johnny Appleseed: A Tall Tall retold by Stephen Kellogg
Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal
Your Name is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
Me and My Family Tree by Joan Sweeney
High Five Intro Issue
Rocket Finds an Egg by Tad Hills (Quentin read)
Rocket’s Very Fine Day by Tad Hills (Quentin read)
Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry

Math

For both boys, we have scheduled math for three days a week. One day is focused on logic, games, puzzles, and special projects. The two other days are focused on covering the main math curriculum (Singapore 4A and 4B for Arthur and Singapore 1A and 1B for Quentin). This week Arthur and I played a Pirate themed place value game. I also found a fun packet of logic puzzles based on Alice in Wonderland. We will be spreading these out over our reading of the text.

Logic Liftoff (Arthur)
Singapore 4A
Tyrannosaurus Math by Michelle Markel
Tinkeractive Math Kindergarten

Social Studies

Arthur started his large study of United States history using a combination of Build Your Library Level 5 and History Quest United States History. We covered an introduction to Native American history and a general geography review. We also started some great resources for stories from Native American societies. Arthur did a short research project about the Omaha and Ponca tribes as we live on their ancestral land.

If America were a Village by David J. Smith
The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller
A Kid’s Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet: Native American Poems of the Land by Joseph Bruchac
Turtle Island: The Story of North America’s First People by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger
What the Eagle Sees: Indigenous Stories of Rebellion and Renewal by Eldon Yellowhorn and Kathy Lowinger

Quentin began his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We covered the basics of the world with a close look at maps the globe. He worked through some activities and completed most of the introduction box from Atlas Crate. He also prepped his world passport for our studies.

The World is Waiting for You by Barbara Kerley
Our Earth by Anne rockwell
Exploring by Alain Gree
Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney
Nat Geo Beginner’s World Atlas
DK Countries of the World
DK First Earth Encyclopedia
DK Children Just Like Me
DK Children Just Like Me; A School Like Mine
My Bed: Enchanting Ways to Fall Asleep Around the World by Rebecca Bond

Arthur Independent Time

Science

Arthur is focusing on Physics this year. We are covering the text and related videos at home and then joining friends for experiments and extra projects. The first week was an introduction to the realm of physics and a review of the scientific method. We also started The Study of Science, which we will be slowing moving through the first book over the entire year. We wrapped up the week with a documentary about our human ancestors (NOVA S36 E15 Becoming Human Episode 3: Last Human Standing).

Where Did We Come From by Chris Ferrie
RSO Physics
The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way by Joy Hakim

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We did a small introduction of animals across the world. Next week we will dive in more.

Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas
DK Animal
Lonely Planet: The Animal Book
The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George

STEAM Coop

Coop started with a crowd! Seriously,, we had about 43 kids come to the first meeting of the semester. The oldest group (4th-8th grade) had 20 kids by itself! All three groups learned a bit about the layers of the Earth (more in-depth for the oldest kids obviously) and then make models of the layers of the Earth using Model Magic Clay. Some of the kids really got into adding their green continents as accurately as possible. I loved the attention to detail! Of the 8 new families that came, 2 have already officially joined us! Next week, we will be continuing with the geology theme.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking

We’re planning one doing on art project and one cooking project each week as well as picking a composer or musician to listen to and enjoy. This first week we scrapped the intended craft project of making a carved apple doll for an apple taste test and scientific observation. I just knew that I would end be be the one doing the entire apple doll and wanted to give the kids something hands on. While doing our apple taste test, we enjoyed listening to a variety of composition from Beethoven. We even went on a Fifth Symphony deep dive and listened to about 20 different variations of the piece. I really liked the Bossa Nova version. Arthur liked the organ version, and Quentin like the marching band version. Lots of fun with that one! My goal is definitely to keep this light and fun.

At coop art class, the boys learned about landscapes featuring a background, middle ground, and foreground. They then created their own versions. A nice low-key art class was just what we needed.

Field Trip

None this week due to my Monday afternoon to Tuesday morning migraine.

High

We loved getting back with our coop friends for a fun session (and art class and book club). We missed them so much on our mini summer break.

Low

I overloaded the curriculum a bit this week. I knew the first week would be a bit rough in terms of the schedule. Hopefully next week will be better balanced.

Next Week

Continuing to read Alice in Wonderland (A)
Figuring out more logic puzzles (A)
Learning about Native American cultures (A)
Moving on to Density and Water Displacement for Physics (A)
Reading some animal stories (Q)
Starting The Very Very Far North (Q)
Covering Biomes and Ecosystems of the World (Q)
Covering geology for coop
Introducing the art of John Singleton Copley
Starting The Beast of Buckingham Palace for coop book club
Listening to Bach or Mozart - haven’t decided which exactly

Ice cream to wrap up the week: Blue Moon for Quentin, Blood Orange sorbet for me, German Chocolate for Arthur

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

A bit nervous about today’s coop meeting. We are going to have 47 children!
Deep into my current read and it’s giving me The Magicians vibes but with a faster moving plot.
My Bachelorette predictions: Gabby will end up picking Nate and Rachel will end up picking TIno.
I feel the urge to make a fun dessert this week, but do I have the energy?
Currently looking at the giant stack of books for homeschooling week 2. It’s really a lot…

Next up on the TBR pile:

August 2022 Life Goals

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

Read 15 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 ✓

August Goals: Sticking with just a few goals for the month as I know it’s going to be a busy one.

Read 18 Books
Kick off the Coop for the Fall Semester
Make 4 Recipes for Our 52 Desserts
Visit the zoo once
Visit two state parks

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #13

Reading: I’m about halfway through A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham. It’s a murder mystery thriller that’s not really my jam, but It was a book club pick. I’m really scared that there’s going to be some big silly twist coming soon.

Watching: While at my mom’s house, I discovered that there was another Below Deck variation that I didn’t know about. This one is set in the waters off of Australia. I most definitely added the series and started watching it. Now I have two different Below Decks to watch during lunch.

Listening: Arthur has zoo camp this week and is gone from 9am-3:30pm every day. Already Quentin has taken the opportunity to be a little chatterbox with Arthur away. So many silly conversations with him!

Making: With the start of the new coop semester and the new homeschooling year, I’ve been making a ton of Facebook events.

Feeling: I’m being stretched mentally as well as physically. I’ve got a ton of plates to juggle to get the coop started off right. And my scar tissue has been acting up leading to more stretching and uncomfortable nights.

Planning: I’m almost got everything prepped for our first Homeschool week. I still need to gather some random supplies and make the day piles, but the rest is ready to go.

Loving: With the terrible high temperatures, it was nice to have a few days of lower temperatures. More exciting was the cloud cover. It really helped to not feel like we are on the surface of the sun.

Next up on the TBR pile:

We're Homeschooling - Year 3! Planning and Schedule

Our Schedule

So now I have the supplies, it’s time to start planning and gathering everything I want to do. I’m a Type A planner that always feels better with a good plan going in. I’m always up for flexibility and change in the spur of the moment, but I need a plan to reference when things change. I started with making a simple list of of the various curriculum we will be using.

I’m a big fan of time blocking, but we have multiple events outside of our house to account for. This coming year, we have our STEAM coop, coop art class, and science with a friend family.. My first pass at scheduling our day began with the outside items. From there, I came up with this basic schedule:

Next, I broke the week schedule down into days to better see if everything would fit. Arthur’s schedule is set and I am still tweaking Quentin’s schedule. I primarily use Roam to accomplish my day to day planning.

My next step was to create an overview calendar with our big themes. I used index cards cut into smaller pieces laid out on my desk so I could see everything at once and move things around. Very low tech solution, but sometimes paper really is better.

I was having trouble remembering if I was including all the pieces, so I created this weekly checklist to make sure. I’m certain that I will be tweaking this as the semester progressed. Right now this is what I have… (after taking this picture, I added Cooking and Q STEM to the checklist).

My last big planning step is to create very detailed lesson plans including videos, books, and details. This will be my second year using a special note talking app called Roam. I’ve been actively using Roam to collect all my notes, lesson plans, scheduling, and other miscellaneous items. (Also, you can see from the sidebar that I use Roam for a wide range of projects, not just homeschooling.) I’m still exploring the various tools on Roam and I’m sure that my planning with get more advanced and efficient as this year goes on. This screenshot is the start of our first week.

And that’s it! My planning and scheduling process seems very complicate but most of it is prep work before the year begins. Once we start, I mainly use the paper planner as reference and work inside Roam for the day-to-day planning. As usual, I tweak the process as I go along but this is my starting place.

We’re officially starting our homeschool adventure the first week of August. Starting August 8th, I’ll post a weekly wrap-up. I hope to do weekly updates highlighting our highs and lows on this journey.

Next up on the TBR pile: