Homeschool W10: A Very Chill Week

What We Studied

After the epic birthday party weekend, we decided to have a very chill week. We went minimal places and didn’t go so heavy on the schoolwork. It was nice to have a bit of a break from everything. We still managed to get some work and lots of reading done.

Literature and Poetry

We finished The Wild Robot Escapes (oh so good) and paused before our next read aloud choice. We have been reading a collection of scary stories before bed each night.

The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown
Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry
In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton
Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost
The Cabinet of Curiosities

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. We wrapped up South America. We also started and finished the first book in the My Father’s Dragon series. Q really liked it, so we plan on reading the next two volumes over the next two weeks.

Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry
A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister
Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Fox at Night by Corey R. Tabor (Q reads)
Captain Cat Goes to Mars by Emma J. Virján (Q reads)
Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss (Q reads)
Bunny Will Not Jump! by Jason Tharp (Q Reads)
Bunny Will Not Smile by Jason Tharp (Q Reads)

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). We played a lot of math packet catch-up this week. We had been pushing hard and it was nice to slow down a bit and work on mastery of skills.

Logic Liftoff (Arthur)
Singapore 4A
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 paused on the larger history timeline to finish reading a historical fiction book about the founding of James Town.

A Kid’s Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
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
We were There Too by Philip Hoose
History Quest: U.S. History
DK American History Visual Encyclopedia
Blood on the Water: James Town 1607 by Elisa Carbone

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We finished our study of South America. Next up is Europe.

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
Mia’s Story by Michael Foreman
Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood
The Magic Bean Tree: A Legend from Argentina by Nancy Van Laan
Abuelo by Arthur Dorros

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. We covered the sections about levers and made a few levers.

RSO Physics
The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way by Joy Hakim
Levers by Sally M. Walker

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We talked a lot about the southern part of South America and the animals who live there. We also continued reading our true book about wild animals.

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

STEAM Coop

The older class continued their telecommunications theme. They finally learned about the internet and wireless communication. Quentin’s class focused on the structure of our government. They got to vote on some issues and see democracy in action.

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 music just didn’t happen. But that’s okay. Arthur’s continued with the Outschool drawing class. This week they made a picture of a gazelle. He even decided to trace over the lines in marker and then color it a bit afterward. Love it!

Field Trip

None this week for us

High

The quiet time was nice

Low

Sad to miss out on the homeschool fall dance on Thursday, but the boys really were not feeling it. Hopefully the organizer does it again in spring. We would definitely attend!

Next Week

Starting Howl’s Moving Castle (A)
Moving to the Pilgrims for US History (A)
Finishing levers for Physics (A)
Introducing Europe for social studies and science (Q)
Continuing to read the My Father’s Dragon series (Q)
Traveling to Nebraska City for Arbor Day Farm field trip
Getting out to Vala’s (with J) at least once this week
Covering telecommunications, one last class, (A) and government (Q) for coop

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Dealing with the management side of coop is not my favorite at all…
Temperatures are all over the place once again his week and next. I would like a week of 60-70 degree temps please. That would be magical.
My patio furniture was moved inside for the party and I think it may live in my living room for the winter. I feel silly putting it back outside, but also the space in the garage has changed since April.
COVID boosters were just approved for kids! I’m off to make appointments for the boys!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W8-9: Lots of Pumpkin Patch Time!

What We Studied

Our week 8 ended being a bit abbreviated because of lots of different activities, so I’m combining it with our week 9 for the recap. We ended our week 9 with the boys’ epic Knights of the Round Table Party, so we had another slightly abbreviated week. Still got a lot of school done and time outside, but we will be playing catch-up a bit on our next flex week (after week 10).

Literature and Poetry

As our extra read aloud, we finished A Wolf Called Wander in the middle of the two weeks. For our actual curriculum, we started and almost finished The Wild Robot Escapes. I really loved the entire duology of Roz’s adventures. I loved every part of those books. We’ll be wrapping that book up this week and diving into our next read aloud (and the coop book club selection for October).

The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown
Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry
In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton
Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost
A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry

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. We stayed in South American for our stories.

Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry
A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister
Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta
Looking for Jaguar and Other Rain Forest Poems by Susan Katz
Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection by Alma Flor Ada
Jabuti The Tortoise: A Trickster Tale from the Amazon by Gerald McDermott
Biblioburro: A True Story from Colombia by Jeanette Winter
Love and Roast Chicken by Barbara Knutson
Miro in the Kingdom of the Sun by Jane Kurtz
One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest by Jean Craighead George

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). Quentin finished his Tinkeractive text so we are ready to move onto Singapore and Smart Start Math.

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 wrapped up our exploration of the various groups of Native Americans pre-1492 and dove into the European colonization of the continent. We ended up covering Jamestown and beginnings of what would be Virginia.

A Kid’s Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
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
History Quest: U.S. History
DK American History Visual Encyclopedia
1607: A New Look at Jamestown
Blood on the Water by Elisa Carbone

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We did a study of South America covering multiple regions. We also had a Sunnie Press maps for Rio de Janeiro and a Atlas Crate box for Brazil.

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
Along the Tapajos by Fernando Vilela
Living in Brazil by Chloe Perkins

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. We covered more simple machines. and more from our Story of Science.

RSO Physics
The Story of Science: Aristotle Leads the Way by Joy Hakim
Screws by Sally M. Walker and Roseann Feldmann
The Math Book

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We talked a lot about the Amazonia rainforest and the animals that live there.

Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas
DK Animal
Lonely Planet: The Animal Book
The Rainforest Grew All Around by Susan K. Mitchell
Rainforest by Julia Groves
In the Rainforest by Kate Duke
Anteaters, Bats, and Boas: The Amazon Rainforest from the Forest Floor to the Treetops by Roxie Munro
Rainforests by Andrea Silen
Over and Under the Rainforest by Kate Messner
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets in the Rainforest by Heather Lang
Tree of Wonder: The Many Marvelous Lives of a Rainforest Tree by Kate Messner

STEAM Coop

The older class continued their telecommunications theme. Arthur got really into making a transmitter tower and a crystal radio. Quentin’s class focused on life skills.

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 music just didn’t happen. But that’s okay. Arthur’s continued with the Outschool drawing class. He has really gotten into the idea of a new animal each week. He drew an elephant and a red panda.

Field Trip

We had a Zoom tour of a radio station to align with our telecommunications unit. It was fun too see a working radio station even if it was virtual. We also had coop school pictures which led to a park playdate practically next-door to the studio. We also went to the pumpkin patch multiple times these past two weeks. Good thing we have season passes.

High

Quentin’s 6th birthday was right at the end of September. We had a fun day at the pumpkin patch even if I did just about expire afterward.

Low

My body has been hurting lately. It got much worse these past two weeks. Not a fan at all.

Next Week

Finishing The Wild Robot Escapes and staring Howl’s Moving Castle (A)
Moving to the Pilgrims for US History (A)
Covering levers for Physics (A)
Reading some animal stories from South America (Q)
Finishing the South American countries (Q)
Covering telecommunications (A) and government (Q) for coop

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #18

Reading: Somehow I currently have five different books that I’m currently reading (not counting the kid read aloud). I’m reading The Girl and the Goddess, The Yoga Store Murder, The 1619 Project, Fledgling, and her Majesty’s Royal Coven.

Watching: It’s another Spooky Movie Month and we kicked it off with a terrible choice (Morbius) and a rewatch to attempt to finish a series (Underworld).

Listening: I am finally finishing Unobscured S4 about Rasputin. I am learning so much about that man. Fascinating.

Making: I’m finishing up my big birthday party crafts by making sigils for shields. I have a ton to cut by Saturday.

Feeling: I spent all of yesterday at Vala’s and walked I don’t even know how many thousands of steps. I’m a bit sore today.

Planning: I’m deep into birthday party prep. Only a few more days until the big event and I still have some things to finish.

Loving: We had our third visit to Vala’s yesterday. And we have the fourth visit scheduled for tomorrow. I am aiming at going at least five times in October. It really is my happy place.

Next up on the TBR pile:

October 2022 Life Goals

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

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

October Goals:

Read 18 Books
Complete Spooky Movie Month
Go to Vala’s at Least 5x
Have a Fun Birthday Party for the Boys

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Birthday party prep is going well, but I still have so much to do. I’m getting there…
I overdid it at Vala’s on Monday, but I might go again on Friday. we just won’t be spending 6 1/2 hours there….
Book club was a treat this week. We spent four hours chatting about books and other things. And we spent the time out on a beautiful patio (last time probably before it gets too cold).
Looking forward to my October TBR pile.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W7: Our First Flex Week!

What We Studied

As part of my planning process, I have inserted Flex Weeks into our regular schedule. In essence, Flex Weeks help me account for random days off and delays in our schedule. (Except for the first section) I schedule 4 weeks of lessons and then insert a Flex Week. If we get behind during those 4 weeks, we can make up our lessons and time during the Flex Week. I originally called them Break Weeks, but that’s not what they are. We don’t have schedule week breaks after every session. Instead, we often take a day off during a random week. Sometimes it’s due to sickness or general attitudes and sometimes it’s due to a fun opportunity to go somewhere or see something special. Homeschool is all about flexibility and this is how I remain flexible.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished The Wild Robot and loved it. We are planning on starting the sequel next week. We must see how Roz’s journey ends. We also started a new poetry book of Robert Frost’s creations. Beyond the selections tied to curriculum, we started reading A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry for a bedtime selection. It took a very serious turn the other night and I am very sad for the characters (who are wolves).

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry
In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton
Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost
A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry

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. We moved into South American tales and stories to round out our reading.

Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry
A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister
Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead
Looking for Jaguar and Other Rain Forest Poems by Susan Katz
Abuelita and Me by Leonarda Carranza
Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection by Alma Flor Ada

Math

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 wrapped up our exploration of the various groups of Native Americans pre-1492. We also finished two history read alouds. Arthur also took another Outschool class from Kelly Tudor, this time about Indigenous People's’ Day. I really love her classes. I’ll have to check to see if she has any other good upcoming ones.

A Kid’s Guide to Native American History by Yvonne Wakim Dennis
An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Between Earth and Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places by Jospeh Bruchac and James Bruchac
The Earth Under Sky Bear’s Feet 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
Morning Girl by Michael Dorris
The Girl Who Helped Thunder retold by James Bruchac and Joseph Bruchac

Quentin began his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We did a study of Central America, the Caribbean, and started on South America.

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
Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin by Duncan Tonatiuh
Parrots Over Puerto Rico by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore
The Golden Flower: A Taino Myth from Puerto Rico by Nina Jaffe
How Music Came to the World by Hal Ober
Dalia's Wondrous Hair by Laura Lacamara
Alfredito Flies Home by Jorge Argueta and Luis Garay
Rainbow Weaver by Tejedora Del Arcoiris
Islandborn by Junot Diaz
South America by Libby Koponen
South America by Alexis Roumanis
Introducing South America by Anita Ganeri
Spotlight on South America by Karen Bush Gibson

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. I finally downloaded Flipaclip for Arthur to work on his drawing skills. A good friend of his has it and was showing him the cool creations. We has been really enjoying the drawing 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 one week, our friends were sick, so we held the experiment for the next week. We did cover work, energy, and planes and wedges.

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 Central America and the Caribbean nations. We also threw in a little discussion about the Autumnal Equinox.

Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas
DK Animal
Lonely Planet: The Animal Book
The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George
A is for Anaconda by Anthony Frederick
We're Roaming in the Rainforest: An Amazon Adventure by Laurie Krebs and Anne Wilson
Llamas by Mary R. Dunn
Howler Monkeys by Chadwick Gillenwater
Poison Dart Frogs by Julie Murray
Amazon River by Sangma Francis
Toucans by Julie Murray
Sloths by Julie Murray
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Park

STEAM Coop

The older class started their telecommunications unit. Which means that I get to sit back a bit and just assist the various classes. The younger two classes learned about maps and geography. Quentin really got into make a sample landform map in a Tupperware.

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 music just didn’t happen. But that’s okay. Arthur participated in an Outschool drawing class and really enjoyed it. They drew a falcon. Currently, he is signed up for this weekly class. We might not make it to every week, but it should be a fun class to continue with. Each week they will draw a different animal.

For our cooking projects, we had a Jamaica Night and a Cuba Night. For Jamaica, we made jerk chicken, beans and coconut rice, banana punch, and ting. For Cuba, we made pork Cubano, baked plantains, and coconut rum cake. All so good! Quentin even tried everything and liked some of it.

Field Trip

We went to the Durham with coop for a very interesting look at the founding and Omaha and the International Exposition. I enjoyed our time at the museum.

Result from Arthur’s first drawing class

High

Our coop meetings were a blast these past two weeks. I don’t have to teach (yeah!) and can spend some time observing and help all of the students. And the weather held out last Thursday making it a bit chilly but no rain for our meeting time. I really resist moving into houses with the changing weather.

Low

My body has been hurting lately which makes me less likely to take the kids places. I need to get into a better routine there.

Next Week

Starting The Wild Robot Escapes (A)
Finishing A Wolf Called Wander
Moving past 1492 for US History (A)
Covering more simple machines for Physics (A)
Reading some animal stories from South America (Q)
Covering various South American countries (Q)
Covering telecommunications (A) and life skills Q) for coop
Fall Picture Day!
Quentin’s Birthday and a trip to Vala’s!

Excited about our random Aldi find this week

Next up on the TBR pile:

Fall Bucket List

My favorite season of the year. We’re diving into the spooky season and planning on soaking up all the fall fun.

Visit Vala’s 5x - We have season passes, so we are definitely going to be living there this season.
Celebrate Friendsgiving
Read 50 Books
Complete Spooky Movie Month
Execute a Halloween Party for Coop
Have an Art/Craft Day
Two State Park Visists
Two Zoo Visits
Pick Out and Carve Pumpkins
Go Trick-or-Treating
Jump in a Pile of Leaves
Go Through a Corn Maze
Make 5 Fall Recipes
Make Leaf Art
Go Pick Apples
Go on a Fall Forest Hike
Make 3 Pumpkin Recipes
Go Bowling

Next up on the TBR pile:

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

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 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

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
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

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 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: