Homeschool W29: So Much Outside Time!

What We Studied

On the schoolwork front, we had a normal week. Outside of the table work, we spent a lot of time outside. It was great to take advantage of the great weather especially as this week’s forecast is calling for a ton of wind, rain, and lower temps.

Literature and Poetry

Instead of starting the next coop book club selection, J continued reading the Bromeliad trilogy to the boys.

We finished Midsummer’s Mayhem and it was utterly delightful. We loved how it puts a new spin on the classic Shakespeare story.

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson

• On the Wings of Words: The Extraordinary Life of Emily Dickinson by Jennifer Berne

• Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca

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 finished the second book in the Heartwood Hotel series. I imagine that we will read the third book soon.

• Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry

• Heartwood Hotel: The Greatest Gift by Kallie George

• 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). We continued our financial literacy unit. Quentin has very small lessons. Arthur is going more in depth. I had him quickly work through the Financial Literacy books for grade 1 and 2. We didn’t do the big activities, instead we just worked through the concepts and questions.

• Evan Moor Financial Literacy Grade 1

• Evan Moor Financial Literacy Grade 2

• A Penny's Worth by Kimberly Wilson

• Follow the Money by Loreen Leedy

• What is Money? by Kate Marsico

• Nat Geo Kids: Not-So-Common Cents by Sarah Wassner Flynn

• Singapore 1B

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 covered the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark, and the independence of Texas.

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

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

• We were There Too by Philip Hoose

• Words that Built a Nation

• History Quest: U.S. History

• A Different Mirror

• DK American History Visual Encyclopedia

• Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

• Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

• Smart About the First Ladies

• Which Way to the Wild West by Steve Sheinkin

• Lewis and Clark: A Prairie Dog for the President by Shirley Raye Redmond

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We finished our study of Africa with a focus on South African countries.

• 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

• Africa is Not a Country by Margy Burns Knight and Mark Melnicove

• Jaha and Jamil Went Down the Hill by Virginia Kroll

• Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales

• Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa by Verna Aardema

• Nubiah’s Well by Donna W. Guthrie

• Honey Honey Lion by Jan Brett

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. There has been many drawing projects lately.

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 boys didn’t quite finish their model engines this week, so we are going to take one more week to finish those before moving on to optics.

• RSO Physics

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

• The Way Things Work Now

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We continued watching a new documentary series called Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s a behind the scenes look at caring for the animals at the park. Each episode is less than 30 minutes, so it’s a perfect length for Q. We also covered more animals from Africa.

• Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas

• DK Animal

• Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

• The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George

• African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways by Avis Harley

• African Critters by Robert B. Haas

• Life-Size Anaimals by Rita Mabel Schiavo

• Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema

• Grasslands by Laura Purdie Salas

• Over in the Grasslands by Marianne Berkes

• Here is the African Savanna by Madeleine Dunphy

• Hippopotamuses by Kari Schuetz

• Meerkats, Moles, and Voles: Animals of the Underground by Jody Sullivan Rake

• Meerkats by Jody Sullivan Rake

• Zebras by Amelie von Zumbusch

• Lake of the Big Snake by Isaac Olaleye

• Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae

• Draw by Raul Colon

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

STEAM Coop

The oldest group has moved on to their last theme of the year: Math + Art in Science. This week, there was a bit of a mix-up, but they ended up making art from found nature objects and a shelter with tree branches. Q’s group started on a gardening theme focusing on how bean plants grow.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

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.

Field Trip

On Tuesday, we had a guided field trip to Lauritzen Gardens. The older group walked the entire gardens observing signs of spring along the way. We then identified trees and learned about various species. Thankfully the weather was perfect for our visit to the gardens. We even got to have a picnic on the patio afterwards.

We also had book club on Saturday morning. I didn’t actually have to lead the meeting this month. A friend brought a great cipher activity to add to our discussion.

High

Friday’s spring hike at Fontenelle Forest was just delightful. We got out into the woods, saw some turkeys, and generally enjoyed the perfect weather. After our hike, we visited Raptor Rescue to check out all the birds. While there, I spied a garter snake. A worked caught it and gave us an impromptu lesson about snakes in the area. Turns out that snakes were this particular guy’s specialty. I love it when we get unexpected lessons while out and about.

Low

Nothing really. We had a good week.

Next Week

• Starting two new read alouds

• Continuing a financial literacy unit (both kids)

• Finishing building engines for physics

• Taking a break from social studies (Q)

• Catching up with our math and language arts packets and random pages

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• This season of Ted Lasso is killing me. So many emotions!

• A weird reading slump this week… I’m just not feeling the books that I’m reading.

• I’m still on the lookout for some comfy pajamas that don’t make me hot.

• Very thankful that coop is finally outside for our meetings. Here’s hoping the weather holds for the next five weeks.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W28: Distracted By Our Foster Chicks

What We Studied

With our foster chickens, our school time was greatly decreased. They were just too entertaining to hang out with. Plus we had to farm/nature walks and our usual science and coop classes. We’ll catch back up, I’m not concerned. Some weeks we focus less on book work and more on experiences.

Literature and Poetry

We still reading the coop book club selection. I’m interested in the overall mystery, but the pacing is very slow. We finally finished the book this week, but our club meeting isn’t for another week.

• The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

To follow up after the previous week’s Shakespeare unit, our literature selection is a retelling of Midsummer Night’s Dream. I’m very into this book and Arthur has also been enjoying it.

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson

• Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca

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 continued with the second book in the Heartwood Hotel series. Quentin likes the gentle nature of these books.

• Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry

• Heartwood Hotel: The Greatest Gift by Kallie George

• 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). We started our financial literacy unit. Quentin has very small lessons. Arthur is going more in depth.

• Kumon Geometry and Measurement Grade 4 WB

• Lots and Lots of Coins by Margarette S. Reid (A)

• The Invention of Money by Nicolas Brasch (A)

• The History of Money: From Bartering to Banking by Martin Jenkins (A)

• Nat Geo Kids: Not-So-Common Cents by Sarah Wassner Flynn (A)

• DK Eyewitness: Money (A)

• One Proud Penny by Randy Siegel (A)

• What is Money? by Katie Marsico (A)

• Paper Money by Dana Meachen Rau (A)

• 10 Fascinating Facts About Dollar Bills by Chris Jozefowicz (A)

• Singapore 1B

• Froggy's Lemonade Stand by Jonathan London (Q)

• A Kids Book About Money by Adam Stramwasser (Q)

• Let's Explore Needs and Wants by Laura Hamilton Waxman (Q)

• Needs and Wants by Nadia Higgins (Q)

• Lemonade in Winter: A Book About Two Kids Counting Money by Emily Jenkins & G. Brian Karas (Q)

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 covered the lives of Irish immigrants and mill workers in the early 1800s.

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

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

• We were There Too by Philip Hoose

• Words that Built a Nation

• History Quest: U.S. History

• A Different Mirror

• DK American History Visual Encyclopedia

• Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

• Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

• What the Eagle Sees

• A is for Abigail: F for First Ladies

• Smart About the First Ladies

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We continued our study of Africa with a focus on East African countries.

• 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

• Africa is Not a Country by Margy Burns Knight and Mark Melnicove

• Jaha and Jamil Went Down the Hill by Virginia Kroll

• Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales

• Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa by Verna Aardema

• The Perfect Orange by Frank P. Araujo

• The Best Beekeeper in Lalibela by Cristina Kessler

• Only a Pigeon by Jane and Christopher Kurtz

• Fire on the Mountain by Jane Kurtz

• For You are a Kenyan Child by Kelly Cunnane

• Wangari's Trees of Peace by Jeanette Winter

• Mama Panya's Pancakes by Mary and Rich Chamberlin

• My Rows and Piles of Coins by Tololwa M. Mollel

• We All Went on Safari by Laurie Krebs

Making model engines

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. There has been many drawing projects lately.

A took the zip line gondola and made an entire station with a queue

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’ll be spending the next week finishing building model engines.

• RSO Physics

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

• The Way Things Work Now

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We continued watching a new documentary series called Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s a behind the scenes look at caring for the animals at the park. Each episode is less than 30 minutes, so it’s a perfect length for Q.

• Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas

• DK Animal

• Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

• The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George

• African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways by Avis Harley

• African Critters by Robert B. Haas

STEAM Coop

I finished teaching the oldest kids the Engineering Challenge unit. We wrapped up with creating zip line gondolas. I think the kids had fun. Now we are going to move on to Math and Art in Science for the oldest kids. Q’s group covered telescopes and microscopes. They will move on to gardening next cycle.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

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.

Field Trip

We had a visit to the Gifford Farm to see all the baby animals that have arrived. A couple of coop friends joined us for a lovely morning. We’ll be back later this month for two different guided field trips.

We had another Nature Explorers meeting. This time we traveled over to Iowa to the Hitchcock Center. We walked the ridge trail (about 1 1/2 miles) and got to see some great views. The kids really enjoyed exploring. Afterward, we had to stop at the playground there to play and eat a snack lunch.

High

• For the second year, we rented two chickens for the week. We pick up 3-day old chickens and take care of them for the week. The boys were begging to do it again. And we spent a lot of time playing with them and devising things for them to explore. We’ll be doing this again next year.

Low

• We have gotten a bit behind on our curriculum due to our multiple excursions this week and the distraction of the chicks.

Next Week

• Finishing a Midsummer Night’s Dream retelling novel and Heartwood Hotel

• Continuing a financial literacy unit (both kids)

• Finishing building engines for physics

• Moving to South Africa (our final selection)

• Fitting in animal science for Q (hopefully!)

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #6

Reading: The Night Ship by Jess Kidd - I’m actually reading a book off of my Unread Shelf. It’s interesting, but a bit sad and slow.

Watching: We finally started watching The Misfits and it is absolutely amazing! We sped through S1 and are onto S2.

Listening: Fall Out Boy’s new album is great. Didn’t realize that I needed some new music from another emo band.

Making: Working on ideas for our summer bucket list. I may do one or throw it out in preview of a summer excursion notebook.

Feeling: I’ve been feeling a bit stretched thin lately. Making some plans for the summer and fall to help myself out.

Planning: Instead of a big family road trip, I’m going to take the kids for a mini trip to Kearney and Grand Island. Getting the details worked out now.

Loving: We are fostering to baby chicks this week and they have been a delight, if not much feistier than the ones we got last year.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W27: Finally Spring has Come!

What We Studied

The temperature finally went above 60 degrees for a great day out and about. We took off the rest of Thursday in favor of joining friends at the park. As such, the school bookwork was lighter this week. And I apparently didn’t take many photos at all…

Literature and Poetry

We still reading the coop book club selection. I’m interested in the overall mystery, but the pacing is very slow.

• The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

To follow up after the previous week’s Shakespeare unit, our literature selection is a retelling of Midsummer Night’s Dream. I’m very into this book and Arthur has also been enjoying it.

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson

• Emily Writes: Emily Dickinson and Her Poetic Beginnings by Jane Yolen

• Midsummer’s Mayhem by Rajani LaRocca

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 started the second book in the Heartwood Hotel series. Quentin likes the gentle nature of these books.

• Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry

• Heartwood Hotel: The Greatest Gift by Kallie George

• 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). Arthur‘s been working on a review workbook before we move onto a Personal Finance unit. Quentin is moving through 1B now.

• Kumon Geometry and Measurement Grade 4 WB

• Singapore 1B

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 covered the harsh reality of slavery in America and learned more about Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.

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

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

• We were There Too by Philip Hoose

• Words that Built a Nation

• History Quest: U.S. History

• A Different Mirror

• DK American History Visual Encyclopedia

• Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

• Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

• What the Eagle Sees

• A is for Abigail: F for First Ladies

• Smart About the First Ladies

• Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson

• An Apple for Harriet Tubman by Glennette Tilley Turner

• Follow the Drinking Gourd by Cari Meister

• Two Friends by Dean Robbins

• Words Set Me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We continued our study of Africa with a focus on Central African nations.

• 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

• Africa is Not a Country by Margy Burns Knight and Mark Melnicove

• Jaha and Jamil Went Down the Hill by Virginia Kroll

• Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales

• Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa by Verna Aardema

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. There has been many drawing projects lately.

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 finally got back together of science and the boys make a force field engine. We’ll be spending the next week (or two) building model engines. On the other side, we finished reading The Story of Science Vol. 1. Arthur wants us to immediately continue to volume two. I’m still thinking on. it.

• RSO Physics

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

• The Way Things Work Now

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We continued watching a new documentary series called Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s a behind the scenes look at caring for the animals at the park. Each episode is less than 30 minutes, so it’s a perfect length for Q.

• Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas

• DK Animal

• Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

• The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George

• African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways by Avis Harley

• African Critters by Robert B. Haas

STEAM Coop

The little kids focused on telescopes this week, making their own simple telescope. The big kids had to create crash test dummy cars. Each pair of students had to ram their car into the wall with a raw egg passenger. Amazingly, all six eggs survived their ordeal! The kids really got into this project.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

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.

Field Trip

No field trip this week

High

• We spent many hours outside this week. Thursday afternoon was all about a park playdate with lots of friends. Friday, we walked the trail around Walnut Creek Lake (about 3 miles) with lots of friends. I’m so proud of all of the kids for making it all the way around the lake. They even had energy for the island play area and the playground.

Low

• Little school work - I don’t regret spending the time outside, but had hoped to get to school work Friday afternoon. It just didn’t happen. Oh well. I’m not too upset, but it does add more for next week.

We are renting chicks again this year.

Next Week

• Continuing a Midsummer Night’s Dream retelling novel, the coop book club selection, and Heartwood Hotel

• Starting a financial literacy unit (both kids)

• Building engines for physics

• Moving to East Africa

• Fitting in animal science for Q

Next up on the TBR pile:

April 2023 Life Goals

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

• Read 18 Books ✓

• Make Progress on Planning the Retreat ✓

• Make a Watch List for TV and Movies ✓

• Preliminary Planning on a Family Weekend Trip ✓ - This has turned into a 3-day trip with just me and the kids, but still it’s happening in June.

April Goals:

• Read 18 Books

• Make a Summer Bucket List

• Knock Out My Brain Dump List

• Plan for Coop Wrap for the Year

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• One more week of my teaching a coop cycle. It’s been a long 6 weeks… I’ll be ready to hand over the duties to someone else for a couple of weeks. I have enough admin work to get done before I teach again.

• I think we’ve decided on doing a space and scifi movie and television month for April. So many good choices that we keep forgetting about. Just need to make a list of options to work from.

• I have a couple of big projects with smaller tasks that I need to accomplish. First up is the reading retreat grocery list.

• Definitely mixed feelings about the ending of this season’s The Bachelor.

• Do I think we can fit in a grocery run after our playground playdate today? Hmmm… maybe?

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W26: The Wind Chill Killed Our Winter Hike

What We Studied

We had a Flex Week (so needed this time around) and a normal week in the past two weeks. Beyond the actual teaching, I’ve been thinking about and planning for next year. Things are not going to radically change. I think we’ve hit onto a good system. Just needs some tweaks here and there.

Literature and Poetry

We picked up the next selection and thankfully it is so much better right away.

• The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Arthur tackled his first Shakespeare with A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We covered some about Shakespeare himself the time period he lived in before reading a few version of Midsummer. We worked up to the actual Shakespeare at the end of the week and capped off our study with a movie version. We also found some great videos including three episodes from Crash Course Theater specifically about Shakespeare’s plays. The plan is to cover one Shakespeare play a year from now on. Next year I’m planning on having him read a complete scene. Not sure which play yet though.

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson

• Shakespeare’s Seasons by Miriam Weiner

• William Shakespeare and the Globe by Aliki

• Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare by Diane Stanley

• Will's Words: How William Shakespeare Changed the Way You Talk by Jane Sutcliffe

• William Shakespeare: Scenes from the Life of the World's Greatest Writer by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom

• A Midsummer Night's Dream retold by Georghia Ellinas

• A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories by Angela McAllister

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 started the next in the Pooh series and will be sprinkling in the stories when we don’t have a country specific book. He also read me the entire Little Bear book. Getting much better as reading aloud!

• Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry

• A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister

• Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta

• The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

• Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik

• Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Pak

• Penny and Her Marble by Kevin Henkes

• Penny and Her Sled by Kevin Hanks

Pasta Bridge - Their bridge collapsed almost immediately, but good try!

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). Arthur ‘s been working on a review workbook before we move onto a Personal Finance unit. Quentin is moving through 1B now. Both boys finished their logic books this past week. We might take a break and pull out a games book instead of the next logic books.

• Logic Liftoff (Arthur)

• Kumon Geometry and Measurement Grade 4 WB

• Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

• Singapore 1B

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 covered Martin Van Buren, indigenous lives, and the Trail of Tears. Hard week to discuss, but so important.

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

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

• We were There Too by Philip Hoose

• Words that Built a Nation

• History Quest: U.S. History

• A Different Mirror

• DK American History Visual Encyclopedia

• Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

• Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

• What the Eagle Sees

• A is for Abigail: F for First Ladies

• Smart About the First Ladies

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We continued our study of Africa with a focus on West African nations.

• 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

• Africa is Not a Country by Margy Burns Knight and Mark Melnicove

• Jaha and Jamil Went Down the Hill by Virginia Kroll

• Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales

• Ananse and the Lizard by Pat Cummings

• The Hatseller and the Monkeys by Baba Wagué Diakité

• Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson & Sean Qualls

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. There has been many drawing projects lately.

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. Our joint science class was cancelled due to sickness with the other family. We’ll hopefully get back at it this week. We did read about engines and watch a great Modern Marvels episode about Engines.

• RSO Physics

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

• The Way Things Work Now

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We continued watching a new documentary series called Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s a behind the scenes look at caring for the animals at the park. Each episode is less than 30 minutes, so it’s a perfect length for Q.

• Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas

• DK Animal

• Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

• The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George

• A Zeal of Zebras: Animal Groups on an African Safari by Alex Kuskowski

• Safari, So Good! All About African Wildlife by Bonnie Worth

• African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways by Avis Harley

• African Critters by Robert B. Haas

• Elephants of Africa by Gail Gibbons

• Nat Geo Kids Elephants by Avery Elizabeth Hurt

Rare sighting of the bobcat

STEAM Coop

The big kids have continued their engineering challenge making land sailboats and pasta bridges. Quentin did a study of time and seasons with a few fun little projects.

Land sail boats

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

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.

Field Trip

We took a coop trip to see The Stink Cheese Man at The Rose Theater. Very fun production! We had lots of laughs watching the show. And the school rate tickets are only $5 a piece!

High

• We had a lovely Nature Explorers meeting at Chalco this past Friday. The kids got to explore the beach area by the water and the woods. We even walked the southwest portion around the lake. Not a great lake to walk in summer as there’s no shade, but it was great in March.

Low

• We tried to do a winter hike at Neale Woods two Fridays ago, but it was a terrible idea. It was a cold day, but that usually doesn’t stop us. I didn’t realize just how high up Neale Woods is on the bluffs. The wind chill was terrible! We bailed about 15 minutes in and went to the zoo instead. Unfortunately many of the districts had spring break so the zoo was packed. We still managed to see the desert, aquarium, giraffes, and elephants. In fact, the giraffes had a new baby and the elephants had a new baby just a few days after we were there. Can't wait to the see the babies next time we go.

Next Week

• Starting a Midsummer Night’s Dream retelling novel

• Playing some logic games

• Hopefully covering engines for physics

• Moving to Central Africa

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #5

Reading: I picked up The Drift by CJ Tudor after a recommendation from my favorite book podcast. It is definitely a thrill ride!

Watching: J and I finally started the documentary series McMillion$ about the McDonald’s Monopoly fraud scandal. It just took a very serious turn and we are floored.

Listening: I went back to the beginning of 99PI (over 10 years ago) and started listening to the very old episodes. The oldest ones are around 5 minutes each, so I knocked out a ton this weekend. It’s easy to throw in a few while making dinner and picking up the house.

Making: I made a meal plan for this week and into next’s and now I’m just not feeling the meals I put on there. Scrapping it and making new plans this week.

Feeling: Not sure why, but I’m feeling really strung out and at my limit this week. I should probably take a few minutes today to figure out why.

Planning: I’ve moved on to starting the basic planning for next year’s homeschool curriculum. My favorite companies had their spring sales this month so I grabbed some things I knew we would use. Now I’m working on our literature lists.

Loving: We’ve been on a library hold tear this month. So many books! But I love going and getting a new bag of books to check out and work through.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Spring Bucket List

Another season, another bucket list. Our main goal is to get out in nature weekly.

1. Read 45 Books

2. Movie Month February

3. Go on 12 Hikes

4. Have an Indoor Picnic

5. Make a Snow Globe

6. Check Off 50 Hours Outside

7. Visit the Zoo 3 Times

8. Monthly Bingo/Trivia Nights

9. Use the GetOut Pass 3 Times

10. Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

11. Make a New Dessert

12. Have an Ice Cream Sundae Night

13. Two Lincoln Excursion Days 

14. Three State park Visits

15. Day trip to Des Moines

16. Plan out curriculum for next year

17. Plan an Indiana trip for summer complete with mini trip

Next Up on the TBR Pile:

Winter Bucket List Finish

Not quite the showing I was hoping for, but we did get out and about a ton this season.

1. Go Sledding ✓

2. Read 45 Books ✓

3. Bake Some Bread ✓

4. Make Winter Crafts

5. Movie Month February

6. Make Valentines ✓

7. Go on 5 Winter Hikes ✓

8. Have an Indoor Picnic

9. Make a Snow Globe

10. Complete 3 Puzzles ✓

11. Buy Some New Cozy Pajamas ✓ - I was actually gifted some cold weather ones for my birthday and I bought some warm weather ones.

12. Check Off 50 Hours Outside

13. Have a Birthday Day Out ✓

14. Visit the Zoo 3 Times (2/3)

15. Monthly Bingo/Trivia Nights ✓

16. Take the Kids Bowling ✓

17. Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

18. Make a New Dessert

19. Make a Bird Feeder

20. Have an Ice Cream Sundae Night

Next Up on the TBR Pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I’m in the middle of three not very fun books. My next read really needs to be fun.

• Craving some comfort food this week. Not sure exactly what, but comfort food.

• On second thought, I really want some gummies this week… Guess I need to pop back into Target for some Albanese gummy bears.

• My brain is telling me that I’ve forgotten to do something this week. I cannot remember.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W25: Mad Scramble Disrupted My Life

What We Studied

(See my Low later on to explain the title of this post.) In general, we flew through a ton of curriculum. In fact, I’m getting a little concern that we are going to run out of our current curriculum choices soon. I may need to pull some unit studies and extra stuff to throw in soon.

Literature and Poetry

We ended up only getting about 60% of the way through the coop book club selection before we gave up. It just did not work for us at all! In fact, it didn’t work for any of our book club families, so we were in good company. We picked up the next selection and thankfully it is so much better right away.

• Argos by Ralph Hardy

• The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

We finished with our read aloud. As next week is a Flex Week, we are actually going to take a break before tackling Shakespeare.

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson

• The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

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 started the next in the Pooh series and will be sprinkling in the stories when we don’t have a country specific book.

• Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry

• A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister

• Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta

• The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

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). Arthur finished 4B last week. We will be taking a break and doing a review course before moving onto 5A. Quentin is close to finishing 1A and we are planning on jumping right into 1B afterwards.

• Logic Liftoff (Arthur)

• Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

• Singapore 1A

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.

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

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

• We were There Too by Philip Hoose

• Words that Built a Nation

• History Quest: U.S. History

• A Different Mirror

• DK American History Visual Encyclopedia

• Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

• Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

• What the Eagle Sees

• A is for Abigail: F for First Ladies

• Smart About the First Ladies

• Race to Chimney Rock by Jesse Wiley

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We started Africa and covered North Africa.

• 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

• Africa by Mel Friedman

• Africa is Not a Country by Margy Burns Knight and Mark Melnicove

• A Visit to Grandad: An African ABC by Sade Fadipe & Shedrach Ayalomeh

• Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales

• Jaha and Jamil Went Down the Hill: An African Mother Goose by Virginia Kroll

• The Storyteller by Evan Turk

• Follow Me Around Egypt by Wiley Blevins

• Living in Egypt by Chloe Perkins

• The Arabic Quilt by Aya Khalil

Straw Tower Time!

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. There has been many drawing projects lately.

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. Our joint science class was cancelled due to sickness with the other family. We covered electromagnetism at home and watched a few episodes of Bill Nye: The Science Guy.

• RSO Physics

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

• The Way Things Work Now

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We continued watching a new documentary series called Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s a behind the scenes look at caring for the animals at the park. Each episode is less than 30 minutes, so it’s a perfect length for Q.

• Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas

• DK Animal

• Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

• The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George

• The Amazing African Alphabet by Kristina Jones

Arthur made a game

STEAM Coop

Both groups continued the Engineering Challenge. The big kids made straw towers. It was a heated competition right until the end. The oldest group will be doing a different challenge each week. The youngest kiddos made a marble run with toilet paper rolls.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

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.

Field Trip

No field trip this week.

Can you find Quentin?

High

• We had our first Nature Explorers meeting at Hummel Park this week. It was super cold, but the kids had fun exploring with friends.

Low

• Construction began on our nearby main street and caused some massive issues. No big deal, but then random no parking signs appeared all up and down my street. No parking 24/7 until October 30th. Um what!?!?! I was supposed to host coop on Thursday, but people would have to park on street. I had to scramble and we switched to another’s house, but I was very upset. Thankfully by the end of this week, they clarified the signs. There is now no parking on the north side of my street, but we can still park on the south side. So coop is now back at our house for next week.

Next Week

• Flex Week! We are catching up on some units and adding more games, outings, and documentaries.

Arthur contemplating going down the slide…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #4

Reading: The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler - I’m so in deep into this science fiction adventure. It’s so good.

Watching: We’re finishing Brave New World and it’s just so dramatic.

Listening: I finally downloaded the Gorillaz new album. Definitely a masterpiece.

Making: Instead of scones, I’m making banana bread this week. I might end up making a chocolate chip version also.

Feeling: I had my birthday day out on Sunday and I’m feeling refreshed.

Planning: With the huge increase in attendees, I’m updating my games plan. We’re going to spread out the activities and maybe make some new games.

Loving: I did a bit of shopping on Sunday and bought some pieces to update my closet. I ended up with just some basic pieces, but they should be good replacements for some things that are being worn out.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W24: Quite a Normal Week

What We Studied

It was a simple normal week. Nothing too out of the ordinary or special. But sometimes, that’s exactly what we need. We need the routine and the ordinary.

Literature and Poetry

We finally started the coop book club selection. It’s not exactly a favorite, but we’ll keep plugging along.

• Argos by Ralph Hardy

We continued with our read aloud and will finish early next week. This has not been my favorite of our read aloud, but it has been an interesting read. I need to decide on our next one before we move on to Shakespeare.

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• One World, Many Religions by Mary Pope Osborne

• Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson

• Emily Dickinson: Letters to the World by Jeanette Winter

• The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

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 started the next in the Pooh series and will be sprinkling in the stories when we don’t have a country specific book.

• Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry

• A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister

• Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta

• The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

• Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban

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). Arthur finished 4B this week. We will be taking a break and doing a review course before moving onto 5A.

• Logic Liftoff (Arthur)

• Singapore 4B

• Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

• Singapore 1A

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 moved onto James Monroe and John Quincy Adams. We’ll be moving onto Andrew Jackson and Indian Removal.

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

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

• We were There Too by Philip Hoose

• Words that Built a Nation

• History Quest: U.S. History

• A Different Mirror

• DK American History Visual Encyclopedia

• Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

• Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

• What the Eagle Sees

• A is for Abigail: F for First Ladies

• Smart About the First Ladies

• James Monroe by Mike Venezia

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We’re continuing with our Asian country study. We covered more of Asia and moved into the Middle East. We wrapped up Asia with this week.

• 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

• Riding a Donkey Backwards: Wise and Foolish Tales of Mulla Nasruddin retold by Sean Taylor

• What About Me? by Ed Young

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. There has been many drawing projects lately.

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. Continuing our physic study with lessons on atoms and sensors. We talked electrical circuits this week.

• RSO Physics

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

• The Way Things Work Now

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We started watching a new documentary series called Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s a behind the scenes look at caring for the animals at the park. Each episode is less than 30 minutes, so it’s a perfect length for Q.

• Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas

• DK Animal

• Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

• The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George

STEAM Coop

Both groups started the Engineering Challenge. The big kids made houses out of various materials while the littles made bridges out of straws. The oldest group will be doing a different challenge each week.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

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.

Field Trip

We had a zoo day with a few friends. We hit our favorite places and even got to see the baby elephants. The third elephant calf was born two days after our visit.

High

• Friday we had lovely 3 mile hike at Schramm with some friends. It was strenuous, but it felt nice to get outside for a few hours.

Low

• We attempted a mini golfing and things were very difficult. The boys were not interested in listening to my instructions or advance but kept getting frustrated by not making their shots. It was a trying afternoon.

Next Week

• Finishing a new read aloud (A)

• Starting a math review workbook (A)

• Covering our next unit for physics

• Moving to Jackson and Indian Removal for US History

• Maybe planning a random outing

• Joining the first Nature Explorers meeting

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• it’s week one of the engineering challenge I’m teaching for the oldest group. We’re building houses out of a variety of materials this week.

• I really need to meal plan for the rest of the month.

• Getting very excited for this Sunday and my birthday day out. Still working out my itinerary…

Next up on the TBR pile:

March 2023 Life Goals

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

• Read 18 Books ✓

• Get Back into Our School/Social Routine ✓

• Plan Another Homeschool Seminar ✓

• Set Up Coop Events for February through March ✓

• Go on Four Winter Hikes - Not quite. The weather conspired against us.

March Goals:

• Read 18 Books

• Make Progress on Planning the Retreat

• Make a Watch List for TV and Movies

• Preliminary Planning on a Family Weekend Trip

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W23: A Super Cold Week Caused Some Cancellations...

What We Studied

We were excited to start our week off with a bowling date and wanted to continue the fun with other activities. Unfortunately, we got hit with an ice storm (minor) and below zero temperatures (major). Our outside activities were all cancelled for the week. Here’s hoping next week is a bit more mild and offers opportunities to get outside.

Literature and Poetry

For the coop book club, we received the book (from the library), but have been reading a Terry Prachett book instead of starting it.

Another read aloud was started. This time, I started the book, but have been Arthur read it independently during his work time. We’re attempting to do more retelling and comprehension.

• Nat Geo Book of Nature Poetry

• One World, Many Religions by Mary Pope Osborne

• Poetry for Young People: Emily Dickinson

• Emily Dickinson: Letters to the World by Jeanette Winter

• The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

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 finished our read aloud. He didn’t seem super sad that it was over, but we did a conversation about the characters and the plot. So win!

• Nat Geo Book of Animal Poetry

• A World Full of Animal Stories by Angela McAllister

• Around the World in 80 Days by Saviour Pirotta

• Heartwood Hotel: A True Home by Kallie 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).

• Logic Liftoff (Arthur)

• Singapore 4B

• Lollipop Logic Book 2 (Quentin)

• Singapore 1A

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 covered the Presidency of James Madison and the War of 1812. I’m not going super in-depth with a lot of these topics, but we are hitting the high points.

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

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

• We were There Too by Philip Hoose

• Words that Built a Nation

• History Quest: U.S. History

• A Different Mirror

• DK American History Visual Encyclopedia

• Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

• Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

• What the Eagle Sees

• The White House is Burning by Jane Sutcliffe

• Long May She Wave: The True Story of Caroline Pickersgill and Her Star-Spangled Creation by Kristen Fulton

• Our Flag was Still There: The True Story of Mary Pickersgill and the Star-Spangled Banner by Jessie Hartland

• Words that Built a Nation Pg. 66–69 – The Star-Spangled Banner and Francis Scott Key

• The Star-Spangled Banner by Peter Spier

• The National Anthem by Elaine Landau

Quentin continued his study of the world with Build Your Library Level 0. We’re continuing with our Asian country study. We covered more of Asia and moved into the Middle East.

• 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

• Everybody Says Shalom by Leslie Kimmelman

• Snow in Jerusalem by Deborah Da Costa

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. There has been many drawing projects lately.

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. Continuing our physic study with lessons on atoms and sensors. We moved to studying atoms and molecules (very briefly) and then moved onto static electricity.

• RSO Physics

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

• The Way Things Work Now

Quentin will be focusing on animal science with BYL Level 0. We started watching a new documentary series called Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It’s a behind the scenes look at caring for the animals at the park. Each episode is less than 30 minutes, so it’s a perfect length for Q. We also talked a lot about what animals do in winter.

• Nat Geo Wild Animal Atlas

• DK Animal

• Lonely Planet: The Animal Book

• The Tarantula in My Purse by Jean Craighead George

• A Drop Around the World by Barbara McKinney

STEAM Coop

Arthur’s group finished their stop-motion animation project with finished videos. So exciting! Quentin’s group covered the moon and planets this week and then played some board games. Next week, all the groups are moving to Engineering Challenges.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

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.

Field Trip

We didn’t have a coop field trip and our first Nature Explorers meeting was cancelled due to weather.

High

• I took the boys bowling for the first time on Monday! We met ups with two friends and their kids to have two hours of bowling. The alley was packed as it was Presidents’ Day. Thankfully I prepid for a lane so we slid right in. The boys really enjoyed it. We will have to take advantage of our Get Out Pass that includes a free monthly game at a local bowling alley.

Low

• Super sad that our first Nature Explorers meeting was cancelled. I didn’t particularly want to be outside for a few hours in below zero temperatures, but still we were sad to cancel.

Next Week

• Continuing a new read aloud (A)

• Finishing Singapore 4B for math (A)

• Covering electrical circuits for physics

• Moving to J. Monroe for US History

• Watching a few more animal documentaries

• Hoping to get outside for a hike

Next up on the TBR pile:

Winter Bucket List Update #2

Entering into another winter bucket list.

1. Go Sledding ✓ - Backyard, but we still did it!

2. Read 45 Books ✓

3. Bake Some Bread ✓

4. Make Winter Crafts

5. Movie Month February

6. Make Valentines ✓

7. Go on 5 Winter Hikes ✓

8. Have an Indoor Picnic

9. Make a Snow Globe

10. Complete 3 Puzzles

11. Buy Some New Cozy Pajamas

12. Check Off 50 Hours Outside

13. Have a Birthday Day Out

14. Visit the Zoo 3 Times (1/3)

15. Monthly Bingo/Trivia Nights (2/3)

16. Take the Kids Bowling ✓

17. Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

18. Make a New Dessert

19. Make a Bird Feeder

20. Have an Ice Cream Sundae Night

Next Up on the TBR Pile:

Currently #3

Reading: In the middle of Death in the Air by Kate Winkler Dawson. It’s a narrative history weaving together the killer 1952 London smog and a serial killer. Interesting, but the writing structure could use a bit of work.

Watching: While looking at something else, I stumbled across a limited series that adapted Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World. Of course, we had to start watching. Only two episodes in, but the creators have done an interesting job trying to fill out the world. We’ll keep watching.

Listening: I finally downloaded Paramore’s new album, and it’s been my go-to listen this week.

Making: I’m hosting one of my book club’s this month and need to make some discussion questions. Of course the book I chose does not have premade questions. That’s okay, I can do this, just need to sit down and collect my thoughts.

Feeling: All weekend and into this week I’ve been very tired. Not sure why…

Planning: We’ve cycled back and I’m up for teaching science for the next two weeks. We’re covering electricity - static and circuits.

Loving: Finding the time to sit in silence and read these past few days have been a life-saver.

Next up on the TBR pile: