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  • Archives - Wading Through
  • Archives - The Craft Sea

Homeschool W11: Back to a Semblance of Normal

A’s History and ELA/Math

Art and Music Books

What We Studied

I think that I’ve accepted that this past week is going to be a new normal. We just don’t have enough hours in a week to shove everything in and I need to make some cuts. Basically, I have slowed down our book work to continue our nature hikes, extra coop activities, and errands. At some point I have to actually go to the grocery store and the library. We made time for all of that this week and I don’t feel like our school work completely disappeared. This year has really been about adjusting expectations with two kids doing full-time work.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur is all in with reading Tristan Strong Destroys the World. It’s number two in the series. B&R has the first book in its curriculum for grade 4, but we’ve already read it. So I’m just adapting. We are enjoying this sequel. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills and starting our writing journey. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.

  • Poetry for Young People: American Poetry

  • Reading Explorer: Intro

  • Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia

Quentin covered the B&R theme of Tell it in Three with books on the Goldilocks and Three Little Pigs fairy tales. He loved them! We also did a mini unit on pumpkins. He also worked on some basic grammar.

  • Sing a Song of Seasons

  • Fairy Tales Collection

  • The Three Bears by Paul Galdone

  • Goldilocks and the Three Knocks by Gregory Barrington

  • Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim

  • Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems

  • The Other Side of the Story

  • You Choose: Goldilocks and the Three Bears

  • The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone

  • The Three Little Pigs by Barry Moser

  • The Three Little Pigs by James Marshall

  • The Three Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas

  • The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

  • Three Three Superpigs by Claire Evans

  • The Three Swingin' Pigs by Vicky Rubin

  • It's Not the Three Little Pigs by Josh Funk

  • The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf by Mark Teague

  • The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell

  • Let's Celebrate Halloween by J. Patrick Lewis

  • The Pumpkin Mystery by Carol Wallace

  • Pumpkin. by Jackie Lee

  • Ten Little Pumpkins by Rosie Greening

  • Pumpkin Heads by Wendell Minor

  • When Pumpkins Fly by Margaret Lawrence

  • The Bumpy Little Pumpkin by Margery Cuyler

  • The Great Zombie Pumpkin Parade by Robert Burleigh

  • Flat Stanley and the Missing Pumpkins by Lori Haskins Houran

  • Mystery Vine by Cathryn Falwell

  • Rocket and the Perfect Pumpkin by Tad Hills

  • Oh My, Pumpkin Pie by Charles Ghigna

  • Duck, Duck, Dinosaur: Perfect Pumpkin by Kallie George

  • Pumpkin Day by Candice Ransom

  • Mr. Pumpkin's Tea Party by Erin Barker

  • A Unicorn Named Sparkles and the Pumpkin Monster by Amy Young

  • Pumpkin Trouble by Jan Thomas

  • Let's Explore Pumpkins by Jill Colella

  • The Great Pumpkin Contest by Angie Rozelaar

  • Runaway Pumpkins by Teresa Bateman

  • 10 Spooky Pumpkins by Cris Grimly

  • The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis

  • It's a Pumpkin by Wendy McClure

Ancient Egypt

ELA/Math and Goldliocks Books

Math

Arthur continued to dive into Singapore 5A. We are definitely going to slow down our math lessons a bit to make sure that Arthur achieves mastery. These past weeks, the units were very much a review of decimals and fractions. We also continued our next logic book.

  • Singapore Common Core 5A

  • Orbiting with Logic

Quentin started a Tinkeractive Math Book and worked through about half of it this week. We’re all about review right now. I don’t anticipate starting Singapore 2A until January. We also continued our logic book.

  • Lollipop Logic Book 3

  • Tinkeractive Math Grade 1

Happy Halloween!

The Great Candy Sort of 2023 (complete with math lesson)

Social Studies

Arthur covered cowboys vs. farmers and the end of the west for this week’s history. Our next big unit is all about Industrialization, Immigration, and Urbanization. We’re getting to my favorite time period in U.S. History.

  • DK American History

  • We were There Too! Young People in US History

  • Words that Build a Nation

  • Heart and Soul

  • Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

  • An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States

  • Which Way to the Wild West by Steve Sheinkin

  • Bill Pickett: Rodeo-Riding' Cowboy by Andrea D. Pinkney

  • Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park

Quentin continued exploring Egypt. We focused on the famous pharaohs. We have one more week in Egypt before we cross an ocean to Mesoamerica. So much to learn and explore!

  • History Quest Early Times

  • DK When on Earth?

  • Human Wold

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • DK A Child Through Time

  • A History of Western Art

  • DK Science Year by Year

  • DK Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

  • Ancient Worlds by Miranda Smith

  • Tut’s Mummy Lost and Found by Judy Donnelly

  • Howard's Mummy: Howard Carter and the Search for King Tut's Tomb by Tracey Fern

  • Nat Geo Investigates: Ancient Egypt by Jill Rubalcaba

  • Egypt in Spectacular Cross Section

  • Ancient Egypt by Jinny Johnson

  • DK Eyewitness Ancient Egypt

  • Tutankhamun by Demi

  • The Pharaoh’s Boat by David Weitzman

  • Pharaohs and Dynasties of Ancient Egypt by Kristine Carlson Asselin

  • Hatshepsut: His Majesty, Herself by Catherine M. Andronik

Science

Arthur covered another chapter in our Story of Science. This was our break week from Chemistry class. We’ll get back into the periodic table next week.

  • RSO Chemistry

  • DK Super Simple Chemistry

  • Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim

  • DK The Elements

  • The Periodic Table of Elements by Jenny Karpelenia

Quentin got back into RSO Life with a unit on Arthropods and specifically insects.

  • RSO Life

  • DK Oversimple Biology

  • Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert

  • Are You a Ladybug by Judy Allen

  • Are You a Butterfly by Judy Allen

  • Are You a Grasshopper by Judy Allen

  • Are You a Dragonfly by Judy Allen

  • Are You a Bee by Judy Allen

  • Becoming a Butterfly by Karen Wallace

  • Nat Geo Kids: Great Migrations Butterflies by Laura Marsh

  • Insects by the Numbers by Steven Jenkins

  • Wild Kratts: Wild Insects and Spiders! by Martin Kratt and Christ Kratt

  • Insects and Spiders by Christine Taylor Butler

  • Bug Off! Creepy, Crawly Poems by Jane Yolen

  • Insects Biggest! Littles! by Sandra Markle

  • My Life as a Monarch Butterfly by John Sazaklis

  • Insect Detective by Steve Voake

  • B is for Bee y Catherine Ipcizade

  • Ants Don't Wear Pants by Kevin McCloskey

  • Insects by Seymour Simon

  • Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre & His World of Insects by Matthew Clark Smith

  • Butterflies are Pretty Gross by Rosemary Mosco

  • Bugs are Insects by Anne Rockwell

  • How to Build an Insect by Roberta Gibson

  • One Million Insects by Isabel Thomas

  • DK Eyewitness Insect

A’s Math, ELA, and History

STEAM Coop

Arthur started his exploration of board games. By the end of the six weeks, the kids will have created their own board games. I taught this week and focused on “What is a game” and the History of Board Games. The kids got to play some ancient board games. Quentin’s class started their theme on government. They learned about the city council and pretended to vote on some issues.

Q’s Math and Tell It in Three (Three Little Pigs)

Q’s Insect Unit

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

I actually fit in art and music this week! I’m so excited. We actually covered two artists (Amrita Sher-Gill and Oscar Howe) and two musicians (Miles Davis and Camille Saint Saens). The boys really enjoyed heir free art time this week.

  • DK Music and How it Works

  • DK The Arts

  • Modern Art Adventures by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw

  • 13 American Artists Children Should Know

  • A Child's Introduction to Art

  • Women in Art by Rachel Ignotofsky

  • We are Artists by Kari Herbert

  • Amrita Sher-Gil: Rebel with a Paintbrush by Anita Vachharajani

  • Birth of the Cool: How Jazz Great Miles Davis Found His Sound by Kathleen Cornell Berman

  • Looking for Bird in the Big City by Robert Burleigh

  • Welcome to Jazz: A Swing-along Celebration of America's Music by Carolyn Sloan

  • The Carnival of the Animals by Jack Prelutsky

  • Carnival of the Animals: Poems Inspired by Saint Saens' Music edited by Judith Chernaik

Q’s Insect Unit (Part 2)

Miss Allyson teaching Q chess

Field Trip

No proper field trip this week, but we did have the Coop Halloween Party on Halloween. The organizers secured an indoor space as it was freezing that day! The kids got to do some crafts and trick-or-treat indoors while hanging out with their friends. That night, I did take the boys trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. We also got in a nature hike on Friday. It was the perfect temperature. We definitely needed a bit of outdoor exercise time.

Playing the Royal Game of Ur

Q’s Math and Pumpkin Unit

High and Low

After coop, I took the boys to the Library Book Sale to use their Summer Reading Programs coupons for a free book. I forgot that the library does not take credit cards so we couldn’t really dig into the shelves (My Low). We took our three books up to the checkout where the ladies told us that each coupon actually gets us three kids books! So we went back and got a few more. Thank you to the library ladies for helping us out and getting more books that we were anticipating. I’m planning on getting some cash from the ATM and going back this week after coop. I saw some brand new workbooks and summer bridge books and hope they will still be there (I’m sure they will be…).

Q’s Pumpkin Unit (Part 2)

Next Week

  • Continuing Tristan Strong

  • Covering more classic tales

  • Reviewing multiplying and diving fractions (A)

  • Lots of math review (Q)

  • Finishing Egypt for Q’s History

  • Moving into industrialization for A’s History

  • Covering more of the Periodic Table

  • Learning about spiders and bats

  • Hitting the Library Book Sale again!

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 11.06.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

November 2023 Life Goals

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

  • Read 18 Books ✓

  • Figure Out Christmas Plans

  • Visit Vala’s 5x ✓

  • Make a TBR for the Rest of the Year ✓

November Goals:

  • Read 18 Books

  • Have a Great Thanksgiving

  • Finish Cleaning Out My Clothes

  • Make Christmas Plans

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: Monthly Life Goals
categories: Life
Wednesday 11.01.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W10: What Happened to My Weeks?

Making atoms at Chemistry class

What We Studied

This is actually a recap of two weeks: one normal week and one flex week. But, I’m really asking myself, What happened to my weeks? Everything seemed to just go off the rails these past two weeks and I wanted to get back on track. School work was all over the place. Everyone was stupid exhausted. And scheduled kept changing everyday. Not a fan. Here’s hoping we can get it together for this week.

Quentin’s Owl Unit

Arthur’s Monday ELA and Math

Literature and Poetry

Arthur wrapped up the unit on Langston Hughes with lots more poetry and a new picture book. We also started reading Tristan Strong Destroys the World. It’s number two in the series. B&R has the first book in its curriculum for grade 4, but we’ve already read it. So I’m just adapting. Unfortunately, we didn’t get very far at all. Her'e’s hoping we make some progress next week. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills and starting our writing journey. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.

  • Poetry for Young People: American Poetry

  • Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes

  • Reading Explorer: Intro

  • Tristan Strong Destroys the World by Kwame Mbalia

  • There was a Party for Langston: King O' Letters by Jason Reynolds

Quentin first covered a unit theme about owls for his reading. We then moved onto starting B&R Level 1 Language Arts. We introduced the concept of fairy tales and covered two different themes. He also worked on some basic grammar.

  • Sing a Song of Seasons

  • Where I Live: Poems About My Home, My Street, and My Town

  • Owls by Gail Gibbons

  • Berkeley’s Barn Owl Dance by Tera Johnson and Tania Howells

  • Whobert, Whoever Owl Detective by Jason Gallaher

  • Knight Owl by Christopher Denise

  • Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton

  • Hooray for Today by Brian Won

  • The Happy Owls by Celestino Piatti

  • Owl Sees Owl by Laura Godwin and Rob Dunlavey

  • Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

  • Whoo-ku Haiku by Maria Gianferrari

  • Otto the Owl Who Loved Poetry by Vern Kousky

  • Good Luck Baby Owls by Giles and Alexandra Milton

  • Owls are Good at Keeping Secrets by Sara O’Leary

  • The Owl and Other Night Creatures

  • Owls by Valerie Bodden

  • Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

  • Happy Owl-Oween by Laura Gehl

  • Knight Owls by Eric Setlzer

  • A Haunted Ghost Tour in Nebraska by Louise Martin

  • The Turnip by Jan Brett

  • The Gigantic Turnip by Aleksei Tolstoy

  • The Giant Carrot by Jan Peck

  • It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach

Quentin’s ELA and Math

Arthur’s ELA and Quentin’s History

Math

Arthur continued to dive into Singapore 5A. We are definitely going to slow down our math lessons a bit to make sure that Arthur achieves mastery. These past weeks, the units were very much a review of decimals and fractions. We also continued our next logic book.

  • Singapore Common Core 5A

  • Orbiting with Logic

Quentin finished Singapore 1B with a unit on math to 120.We will be taking a short break between levels to do a Tinkeractive Book and finish our math packets.. We also continued our logic book.

  • Lollipop Logic Book 3

  • Singapore Common Core 1B

Social Studies

Arthur continued through the passage of time with a few weeks on the Transcontinental Railroad and conflicts with the Native Americans.

  • DK American History

  • We were There Too! Young People in US History

  • Words that Build a Nation

  • Heart and Soul

  • Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

  • An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States

  • Which Way to the Wild West by Steve Sheinkin

  • In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph M. Marshall III

  • The Transcontinental Railroad by John Perritano

  • Ten Mile Day and the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad by Mary Ann Fraser

Quentin dove into Egypt. We will be sticking to that civilization for the next few weeks also. So much to learn and explore!

  • History Quest Early Times

  • DK When on Earth?

  • Human Wold

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • DK A Child Through Time

  • A History of Western Art

  • DK Science Year by Year

  • DK Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

  • Find the Journeys Around the World by David Long

  • Mummies, Pyramids, and Pharaohs by Gail Gibbons

  • Nat Geo Investigates: Ancient Egypt by Jill Rubalcaba

  • Egypt in Spectacular Cross Section

  • Ancient Worlds by Miranda Smith

  • Ancient Egypt by Jinny Johnson

  • DK Eyewitness Ancient Egypt

  • DK Eyewitness Pyramid

  • 20 Fun Facts About the Great Pyramid by Kristen Rajczak

  • Pyramids of Ancient Egypt by Christopher Forest

  • What Did the Ancient Egyptians Do for Me? by Patrick Catel

  • Nat Geo Investigates: Ancient Egypt by Jill Rubalcaba

  • Who Built the Pyramid? by Meredith Hooper

  • Mummy Cat by Marcus Ewert

  • The Mummy Makers of Egypt by Tamara Bower

Science

Arthur explored more of the periodic table and atom basics. We also covered another chapter in our Story of Science. At chemistry class, they built elements and learned about how changing the combination of elements changes the outcome.

  • RSO Chemistry

  • DK Super Simple Chemistry

  • Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim

  • DK The Elements

  • The Periodic Table of Elements by Jenny Karpelenia

Quentin ended up not covering any units from RSO Life these two weeks. He did get some great clouds and weather lessons from coop, so that’s okay. We’ll catch up soon.

  • RSO Life

  • DK Oversimple Biology

Quentin’s Turnip Stories, Poetry, and Math

Arthur’s ELA and Math

STEAM Coop

Arthur finished art mediums with two weeks spent exploring watercolors. He really got excited by the projects. Quentin covered clouds and weather. His favorite part was making a glittery red tornado bottle. .

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

And I continued not fitting in these subjects. I just could’t seem to get it to fit in our schedueles. I suspect this will be an issue until November, but hoping we can slide it in at least half of the weeks.

  • DK Music and How it Works

  • DK The Arts

  • Modern Art Adventures by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw

  • 13 American Artists Children Should Know

  • A Child's Introduction to Art

  • Women in Art by Rachel Ignotofsky

  • We are Artists by Kari Herbert

Arthur’s ELA and Math featuring Langston Hughes Unit

Arthur’s History

Field Trip

We did a fun free exploration day at Arbor Day Farm with coop friends. We really love it there. The kids enjoy the nature classroom and treehouses. Unfortunately, the trampoline had been taken down. I assume that it needed to be replaced. Just annoyed that the website didn’t notate that. The kids very disappointed about running full out to the treehouses and realizing that the trampoline wasn’t there.

Quentin’s Egypt Unit

Quentin’s ELA

High

We finished our season of visits at Vala’s. Our total for September and October was eight visits. Many rides were ridden and ciders were drunk. We had tons of fun. Until next year Vala’s.

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Low

Constant schedule changes left me a bit of a mess. I really hate last minute changes to plans.

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Next Week

  • Continuing Tristran Strong

  • Covering Tell It in Three as a read aloud theme

  • Multiplying and diving fractions (A)

  • Lots of math review (Q)

  • Continuing Egypt for Q’s History

  • Moving into cowboys and farmers for A’s History

  • Covering more of the Periodic Table

  • Learning about insects

  • Having fun for Halloween!

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Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 10.30.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

  • I am exhausted! I don’t know what it is about this week, but I am so incredibly tired. Good thing we don’t have anything scheduled for this weekend.

  • We had our 8th visit to Vala’s yesterday! I think we got our money’s worth for those season passes.

  • I took advantage of Old Navy’s 50% everything online sale this week. Very excited to get a few new tops and pants along with Christmas pjs and fleece jackets for the kids.

  • Sad that spooky movie month is almost over. But that means it’s almost…

  • Nic Cage November! We are planning on doing a retrospective of his movies. J and I each get one veto, but otherwise, we are going to dive in.

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: Odds and Ends
categories: Life
Thursday 10.26.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Fall Bucket List Update #1

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

  1. Visit Vala’s 6x ✓

  2. Celebrate Friendsgiving

  3. Read 50 Books

  4. Complete Spooky Movie Month - in progress!

  5. Execute a Halloween Party for Coop

  6. Have an Art/Craft Day

  7. Three State Park Visists (2/3)

  8. Two Zoo Visits

  9. Pick Out and Carve Pumpkins

  10. Go Trick-or-Treating

  11. Jump in a Pile of Leaves

  12. Go Through a Corn Maze ✓

  13. Make 5 Fall Recipes

  14. Make Leaf Art ✓

  15. Go Pick Apples ✓

  16. Go on a 3 Fall Forest Hikes (2/3)

  17. Make 3 Pumpkin Recipes

  18. Go Bowling

  19. Use our GetOut Pass 2 Times

  20. Decorate for Fall

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg
raeliana6.jpg
raeliana7.jpg
drop of corruption.jpg
seoulmates.jpg
jujutsu 19.jpg
jujutsu 20.jpg
jujutsu21.jpg
jujutsu22.jpg
jujutsu23.jpg
jujutsu24.jpg
black butler.jpg
jujutsu25.jpg
jujutsu26.jpg
jujutsu27.jpg
mayor of maxwell.jpg
antidote.jpg
tales accursed.jpg
raeliana8.jpg
tags: Fall Bucket List
categories: Life
Saturday 10.21.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Currently #20

Reading: I started Starling House by Alix E. Harrow. Loving this haunted house story.

Watching: We’re deep into spooky movie month. So many good choices this year.

Listening: After a very short horror audiobook, I started White Cat by Holly Black. I’m not sure that I really like it, but I’m going to give it a few more chapters.

Making: It’s soup season in this house. This coming week, I’m definitely making Chicken Tortilla Soup and Baked Potato Soup.

Feeling: The weather has turned to cool and rainy, but that’s okay. I’m cozy!

Planning: I’ve got a list of house chores for this fall. First up is finishing the clothes cleanout.

Loving: It’s the season for my nightly cup of hot tea. So good!

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: Currently
categories: Life
Tuesday 10.17.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W8-9: Two Busy Weeks Complete with a Birthday Party

A’s Monday ELA, Math, and History

Q’s Monday ELA, Math, and History

What We Studied

We had two weeks full of activities and school coming before and after the boys’ birthday party. Some day we might have a quieter week, but fall is definitely not the season for it. Maybe November… For now, we will continue with our fast speed of study.

Q’s Wednesday Math, and ELA

A’s Wednesday ELA, Math, and Science

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished reading Echo Mountain. I really enjoyed that book, and Arthur seemed to also enjoy it. The second week, we focused on Langston Hughes including his poetry and a historical fiction book. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills and starting our writing journey. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.

  • Poetry for Young People: American Poetry

  • Poetry for Young People: African American Poetry

  • Reading Explorer: Intro

  • Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk

  • Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome

  • That is My Dream by Langston Hughes and Daniel Miya

  • Langston’s Train Ride by Robert Burleigh

  • Visiting Langston by Willie Perdomo

  • The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes

  • I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes

  • Sail Away by Langston Hughes

  • Coming Home: From the Life of Langston Hughes by Floyd Cooper

Quentin spent the school days reading book tied to his fall themes. We covered apples, fall, leaves, corn, and scarecrows. He also worked on some basic grammar.

  • Sing a Song of Seasons

  • Where I Live: Poems About My Home, My Street, and My Town

  • How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro

  • Applesauce Day by Lisa J. Amstutz

  • Bad Apple by Huw Lewis Jones

  • Apples for Little Fox by Ekaterina Trukhan

  • The Poisoned Apple by Anne Lambelet

  • Corn Aplenty by Dana Meachen Rau

  • A Questzalcoatl Tale of Corn by Marilyn Parke and Sharon Panik

  • Gimme Cracked Corn and I Will Share by Kevin O’Malley

  • Popcorn Country by Chris Peterson

  • From Kernel to Corn by Robin Nelson

  • The Story of Corn: It Starts with a Seed by Robin Nelson

  • Of Corn Silk and Black Braids by Vincent L. Johnson

  • Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington

  • It's Fall! by Renee Kurilla

  • The Scarecrow’s Dance by Jane Yolen

  • Scarecrows by Calvin Harris

  • The Scarecrow's Hat by Ken Brown

  • Samurai Scarecrow b Rubin Pingk

  • Hopefully the Scarecrow by Michelle Houts

  • Scarecrow Magic by Ed Masessa

  • Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant

Math

Arthur continued to dive into Singapore 5A. We are definitely going to slow down our math lessons a bit to make sure that Arthur achieves mastery. We also continued our next logic book.

  • Singapore Common Core 5A

  • Orbiting with Logic

Quentin continued working toward the end of Singapore 1B with a unit on math to 120. I’m still debating if we should take a small review break after finishing 1B and before beginning 2A. We also continued our logic book.

  • Lollipop Logic Book 3

  • Singapore Common Core 1B

Q’s Thursday ELA, Math, and Apple Unit

A’s Thursday ELA and Math

Social Studies

Arthur continued through the passage of time with a few weeks on topics such as the Pony Express, Transcontinental Express, and conflicts with the Native Americans.

  • DK American History

  • We were There Too! Young People in US History

  • Words that Build a Nation

  • Heart and Soul

  • Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

  • An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States

  • Red Cloud: A Lakota Story of War and Surrender by S.D. Nelson

  • Which Way to the Wild West by Steve Sheinkin

  • They're Off: The Story of the Pony Express by Cheryl Harness

  • In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph M. Marshall III

  • Coolies by Yin

Quentin continued with Mesopotamia with a focus on stories. And then we did a mini introduction unit to Egypt with a focus on deserts.

  • History Quest Early Times

  • DK When on Earth?

  • Human Wold

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • DK A Child Through Time

  • A History of Western Art

  • DK Science Year by Year

  • The Genius of the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages by Izzi Howell

  • Mesopotamia by Sunita Apte

  • Lugalbanda by Kathy Henderson

  • Lost Cities

  • DK Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

  • Gilgamesh the King by Ludmila Zeman

  • Destination Desert by Laura Perdew

  • Desert Song by Tony Johnston

  • The Sahara Desert: The Biggest Desert by Aileen Weintroub

  • Life in a Desert by Carol K. Lindeen

  • Desert Biome by Grace Hansen

  • How the Sphinx Got to the Museum by Jessie Hartland

Q’s Snail Unit

A’s Monday ELA, Math, and Langston Hughes Unit

Science

Arthur explored more of the periodic table and atom basics. We also covered another chapter in our Story of Science all about Galileo.

  • RSO Chemistry

  • DK Super Simple Chemistry

  • Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim

  • DK The Elements

  • The Periodic Table of Elements by Jenny Karpelenia

Quentin covered units on Mollusca and echinoderms. I’m loving the slow progress through our main science text.

  • RSO Life

  • DK Oversimple Biology

  • Are You a Snail by Judy Allen

  • Slimy Snails by Laura Hamilton Waxman

  • Some of These are Snails by Carter Higgins

  • Snail Trail by Ruth Brown

  • How to Party Like a Snail by Naseem Hrab

  • Snail Crossing Corey R. Tabor

  • Wake Out, Snail! by Gay Hay and Margaret Tolland

  • The Rainbow Snail by Karin Akesson

  • Are You a Snail? by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries

  • Snails are Just My Speed! by Kevin McCloskey

  • Big as a Giant Snail by Jess Keating

  • The Snail with the Right Heart by Maria Popova

  • Escargot by Pashka Slater

  • A Book for Escargot by Pashka Slater

  • Snail Mail by Samantha Berger

Q’s Monday Snail Unit, ELA, and Math

Apple Tasting

STEAM Coop

Arthur continued with his Art Mediums theme with two weeks of working with clay. He really really loved working with clay. Quentin’s class covered nocturnal animals with lots of fun games.

A’s Tuesday ELA, Math, and Langston Hughes Unit

Q’s Tuesday Math, ELA, and Corn Unit

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

And I continued not fitting in these subjects. I just could’t seem to get it to fit in our schedueles. I suspect this will be an issue until November, but hoping we can slide it in at least half of the weeks.

  • DK Music and How it Works

  • DK The Arts

  • Modern Art Adventures by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw

  • 13 American Artists Children Should Know

  • A Child's Introduction to Art

  • Women in Art by Rachel Ignotofsky

  • We are Artists by Kari Herbert

Q’s Desert Unit

Fossil Hunting

Field Trip

No field trip this week, but we did go to Vala’s twice. We’re hoping to get in three more Vala’s visits before Halloween.

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High

The birthday party was amazing! The Art Party was a huge success and the kids seemed to have fun creating.

Low

I’m definitely going to need another quiet home day soon.

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Next Week

  • Starting our next read alouds

  • Finishing 1B for Math (Q) and taking the next lessons in 5A slowly (A)

  • Beginning Egypt for Q’s History

  • Completing the Transcontinental Railroad for A’s History

  • Covering more of the Periodic Table

  • Learning about insects

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 10.16.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

  • The boys’ birthday party is over… time to turn to all the other projects and tasks I put to the side for a few weeks.

  • Diving deep into spooky movie month and spooky book month. I love this time of the year.

  • We’ve now been to Vala’s five times this year. Hoping for a total of eight visits. Not tired of it yet!

  • Hoping that the rain holds off this morning for coop. I really really don’t want to host in my house today.

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: Odds and Ends
categories: Life
Thursday 10.12.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Currently #19

Reading: I picked up Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie from a list of truly terrifying novels and it’s living up to its reputation. Very, very spooky read for this week.

Watching: J had me start watching Preacher last month and we’ve been loving it so far. Onto season 2 right now.

Listening: When I get an hour or so, I queue up an episode of 99PI or Hello from the Magic Tavern. I’m to 2016 with those shows! Only many many years to go…

Making: For this year’s birthday party, our theme is an art party! I’m busing prepping the art stations all around the house. I have five stations to get ready in time for Saturday’s big event.

Feeling: Between the party, coop, regular activities, and general gigantic to do list, I am a bit stressed right now. I’m going to feel so much better after this weekend. I love doing a big themed party every year, but it is a lot of work.

Planning: Obviously I’m finalizing the birthday party plans. I have a shortlist of supplies to still buy (mostly things I forgot last week) and all the food to prep including baking two simple cakes.

Loving: So far this year, we’ve been to Vala’s three times! I still absolutely love it there. And as we are homeschoolers, buying season passes actually makes sense and is definitely worth the cost. I have five more visits scheduled between now and Halloween. Plus J has to go with us once.

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: Currently
categories: Life
Tuesday 10.03.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W7: An Exhausting Week

Q’s History

Math & ELA Monday

What We Studied

Another week, another instance of me over-scheduling events and exhausting myself. The kids seem okay. I’m just so tired after last week…

A’s Science

ELA with Apple Until

Literature and Poetry

Arthur kept reading Echo Mountain. This is a gem of a book, but be forewarned, there are lots of big topics discussed. I’m really enjoying a book that I’ve never read before. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills and starting our writing journey. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.

  • Poetry for Young People: American Poetry

  • Poetry for Young People: African American Poetry

  • Reading Explorer: Intro

  • Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk

Quentin finished our current Zoey and Sassafras book. I decided to mini theme unit about fall and apples to celebrate the season. So we spent our extra time reading picture books about those topics instead of diving into a new big read aloud. He also worked on some basic grammar.

  • Sing a Song of Seasons

  • Zoey and Sassafras 4: Caterflies and Ice by Asia Citro

  • Where I Live: Poems About My Home, My Street, and My Town

  • Apple Picking Day by Candice Ransom

  • My Autumn Book by Wong Herbert Yee

  • Fall Weather Fun by Martha E.H. Rustad

  • Leaf by Leaf: Autumn Poems

  • Hello Autumn Shelley Rotner

  • The Apple Orchard Riddle by Margaret McNamara

  • A is for Autumn by Robert Maass

  • Apples by Gail Gibbons

  • Kit and Kaboodle Visit the Farm by Michelle Portice

  • Enough Apples by Kim Kane and Lucia Masciullo

  • Apples A to Z by Margaret McNamara

  • Apples to Applesauce by Inez Snyder

  • It's Fall by Celeste Bishop

  • Amelia Bedelia's First Apple Pie by Herman Parish

  • Apples by Jacqueline Farmer

  • Fall Apple Fun by Marta E.H. Rustad

  • Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka

  • Leaves by David Ezra Stein

Zipline Fun

 

Math

Arthur continued to dive into Singapore 5A. We are definitely going to slow down our math lessons a bit to make sure that Arthur achieves mastery. We also continued our next logic book.

  • Singapore Common Core 5A

  • Orbiting with Logic

Quentin continued working toward the end of Singapore 1B with a unit on math to 120. I’m still debating if we should take a small review break after finishing 1B and before beginning 2A. We also continued our logic book.

  • Lollipop Logic Book 3

  • Singapore Common Core 1B

Apple Unit

Q ELA and Science

Social Studies

Arthur jumped back into BYL 6 and History Quest: US History with Reconstruction. We covered the time period and the impeachment of Andrew Johnson. Our curriculum also had us take a step back to reconnect with Native Americans before and during the Civil War. We will be continuing with that storyline next week.

  • DK American History

  • We were There Too! Young People in US History

  • Words that Build a Nation

  • Heart and Soul

  • Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

  • An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States

  • Red Cloud: A Lakota Story of War and Surrender by S.D. Nelson

Quentin covered the invention of writing with a focus on cuneiform. We took it easy and didn’t immediately jump into the next unit. We will get there.

  • History Quest Early Times

  • DK When on Earth?

  • Human Wold

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • DK A Child Through Time

  • A History of Western Art

  • DK Science Year by Year

  • The Genius of the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages by Izzi Howell

  • Mesopotamia by Sunita Apte

A’s ELA/Math/Science

Science

Arthur is embarking upon RSO Chemistry this year. We will be doing the experiment portions with a group of coop friends. This week’s class focused on reviewing atoms and elements and taking a look at the first ten Elements on the periodic table. The experiments this week were not anything exciting, but the kids did get to play Periodic Table Battleship. We also covered two chapters in our Story of Science all about Galileo.

  • RSO Chemistry

  • DK Super Simple Chemistry

  • Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim

  • STEMQuest: Astonishing Atoms and Matter Mayhem

  • DK The Elements

Quentin caught back up for science with mini units on cnidaria and earthworms.

  • RSO Life

  • DK Oversimple Biology

  • Jellyfish by Kristen Rajczak

  • Jellyfish by Mari Schuh

  • Jellyfish by Grace Hansen

  • How Old is a Whale? Animal Life Spans from the Mayfly to the Immortal Jellyfish by Lily Murray

  • Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer

  • This is a Book to Read with a Worm by Jodi Wheeler-Toppen

  • Earthworms by Lisa J. Amstutz

  • Thank You, Earthworms by Emma Huddleston

  • Le's Look at Earthworms by Suzanne Paul Dell'Oro

STEAM Coop

Arthur’s class finished out their 2-week dive into drawing with another great lesson on shading and shapes. He was so excited to take home the sketchbook and writing tools. Quentin’s class was taught by me and we focused on leaves and art. I had the kids make a chalk pastels silhouette of a leaf. We then scoured the park for treasures and made our own leaf men a la Lois Ehlert’s classic book. I’m very excited to not teach for the next weeks as we transition to our winter building and I prep for my board game unit starting in November.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

And I continued not fitting in these subjects. I just could’t seem to get it to fit in our schedueles. I suspect this will be an issue until November, but hoping we can slide it in at least half of the weeks.

  • DK Music and How it Works

  • DK The Arts

  • Modern Art Adventures by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw

  • 13 American Artists Children Should Know

  • A Child's Introduction to Art

  • Women in Art by Rachel Ignotofsky

  • We are Artists by Kari Herbert

Field Trip

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent at Vala’s enjoying the pumpkin patch. It was Quentin’s birthday on Tuesday and he picked the patch. For his birthday dinner, he chose the Chinese buffet. Very yummy all around!

High

Thursday night, Arthur attended his first homeschool dance. A member of our HS community started organizing three yearly dances last school year. Thankfully she has continued it. The kids (6-18) get to have a safe space to hang out and dance the night away. As Arthur is 9, I got to drop him off for his two hour dance period. I popped down the street to the cider house to read and enjoy a spiced apple cider before having to pick him up. He loved it! And he even won one of the raffles collecting a 2 liter bottle of root beer. He was in heaven!

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Low

Friday morning we were supposed to do our usual nature hike. I drove all the way before realizing that I had forgotten my wallet home. We had to turn around and drive all the way home. No nature hike for us. Pretty disappointing and threw off our whole day.

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Next Week

  • Finishing Echo Mountain

  • Deciding on Q’s next read aloud

  • Finishing 1B for Math (Q) and taking the next lessons in 5A slowly (A)

  • Getting back into our history texts

  • All the birthday party prep!

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somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 10.02.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

October 2023 Life Goals

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

  • Read 18 Books ✓

  • Plan the Boys’ Birthday Party ✓

  • Finish Out Our Summer Bucket List ✓ - We didn’t do great due to illness, but some things were check off.

  • Start Our Fall Bucket List ✓ - Focusing on our favorites this year.

October Goals:

  • Read 18 Books

  • Figure Out Christmas Plans

  • Visit Vala’s 5x

  • Make a TBR for the Rest of the Year (Hit the shortlist TBR choices!)

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: Monthly Life Goals
categories: Life
Sunday 10.01.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W6: Heading into Our Busy Season

New park has a biplane!

And lots of play areas.

What We Studied

A Flex and a normal week in this post. But, we are also heading into our busy season full of pumpkin patch and fall activities. I’m attempting to find a better balance between our activities, home chores, and curriculum work. But then I have to remember that homeschooling comes in seasons.

Finished our 14th adventure with HeroQuest

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished The Lightning Thief. We’re very interested in watching the new Disney series when it releases in December. We then started a new read aloud. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills and starting our writing journey. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.

  • The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

  • A Child's Introduction to Greek Mythology

  • Poetry for Young People: American Poetry

  • Poetry for Young People: African American Poetry

  • Reading Explorer: Intro

  • Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk

Quentin finished our read aloud and I think we enjoyed it. After, I let him pick our next read aloud and he chose Zoey and Sassafras. He also worked on some basic grammar. I tacked on a mini theme unit about leaves and fall to celebrate the season. And we started the official spelling curriculum this week. It felt like too much on Week 1, but I want to get it going with this cycle. I've been using The Moffatt Girls spelling curriculum for grades 1st-3rd. I love her word lists and activity pages. Makes it really easy to add-on. I just wish that she had lists for 4th and 5th grade.

  • Sing a Song of Seasons

  • The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

  • Zoey and Sassafras 3: Merhorses and Bubbles by Asia Citro

  • Zoey and Sassafras 4: Caterflies and Ice by Asia Citro

  • Where I Live: Poems About My Home, My Street, and My Town

  • The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee

  • The Squirrels’ Busy Year by Martin Jenkins

  • In the Middle of Fall by Kevin Henkes

  • Taking a Walk in the Country by Sue Tarsky

  • Pick a Circle, Gather Squares: A Fall Harvest of Shapes by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky

  • Leaves! by Robert Munsch

  • Leif and the Fall by Allison Sweet Grant and Adam Grant

  • Fall leaves by Doretta Holland

  • A Fall Ball for All by Jamie A. Swenson

  • One Leaf, Two Leaves, Count with Me by John Micklos Jr.

  • Leaves by Grace Hansen

  • Lilla's Sunflowers by Colleen Rowan Kosinski

Books of Fall

Q History and ELA

Math

Arthur continued to dive into Singapore 5A. We are definitely going to slow down our math lessons a bit to make sure that Arthur achieves mastery. We also continued our next logic book.

  • Singapore Common Core 5A

  • Orbiting with Logic

Quentin continued working toward the end of Singapore 1B with a unit on math to 120. I’m still debating if we should take a small review break after finishing 1B and before beginning 2A. We also continued our logic book.

  • Lollipop Logic Book 3

  • Singapore Common Core 1B

Exploring photography

Park time after pictures

Social Studies

Arthur jumped back into BYL 6 and History Quest: US History with Reconstruction. We covered the time period and the impeachment of Andrew Johnson. Our curriculum also had us take a step back to reconnect with Native Americans before and during the Civil War. We will be continuing with that storyline next week.

  • DK American History

  • We were There Too! Young People in US History

  • Words that Build a Nation

  • Heart and Soul

  • Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

  • An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States

  • Red Cloud: A Lakota Story of War and Surrender by S.D. Nelson

Quentin moved onto the the beginnings of Civilization with the Fertile Crescent. We didn’t quite finish the unit like I was hoping and still need to cover cuneiform. History is going a little slower with Q than it did with Arthur, but I have to remember that we have much more on our plates this year. We’ll get though it.

  • History Quest Early Times

  • DK When on Earth?

  • Human Wold

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • DK A Child Through Time

  • A History of Western Art

  • DK Science Year by Year

  • The Genius of the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages by Izzi Howell

Glacier Creek Prairie Preserve

Science

Arthur is embarking upon RSO Chemistry this year. We will be doing the experiment portions with a group of coop friends. This week’s class focused on atoms and I taught the experiments. The kids were super squirrely, but we got through it.

  • RSO Chemistry

  • DK Super Simple Chemistry

  • Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim

Quentin skipped science these two weeks. For Flex Week, we purposely held off. For last week, time just got away from us completely. We’ll catch up soon I know.

  • RSO Life

  • DK Oversimple Biology

STEAM Coop

Coop resumed with Arthur learning about how to make a fire and Quentin learning about photography. Moving onto his past week, Arthur started a series on art mediums. This week they learned about shading techniques and light sources. He really loved it! Quentin class was taught by me and we talked about the colors of fall. The kids made tissue paper sunflowers and pony bead colorful corn cobs.

ELA and Math

A’s History Books

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

And I finally fell off the art and music train these past two weeks. I just could’t seem to get it to fit in our schedueles. I suspect this will be an issue until November, but hoping we can slide it in at least half of the weeks.

  • DK Music and How it Works

  • DK The Arts

  • Modern Art Adventures by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw

  • 13 American Artists Children Should Know

  • A Child's Introduction to Art

  • Women in Art by Rachel Ignotofsky

  • We are Artists by Kari Herbert

ELA and Math

ELA and Math

Field Trip

On Tuesday two weeks ago, we played at the new Lewis and Clark Landing on the river. There’s a fun new playground tucked into the space by the new science museum (visiting soon!). The kids loved all the structures. I just wish that there was actually some shade… We had coop picture day on this past Tuesday. Our former coop member extended her usual picture taking to include a lesson on photography. The kids learned a bit about the technology she uses and she even let the older ones take a test picture. After, we hit up the nearby park for some playtime with friends.

Beautiful sights at Platte River State Park

High

We got two good nature hikes in (one on a rainy cloudy day that was just perfect) and our first trip to the pumpkin patch. I have us scheduled to go to the pumpkin patch 8 times from now until Halloween. I like to get our money’s worth out of those season passes!

Low

By Friday afternoon, I was exhausted. So much stuff! I didn’t balance my school work expectations and outings and general house chores very well. Something to work on…

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Next Week -

  • Finishing Echo Mountain

  • Finishing our current Zoey and Sassafras book and possibly starting the next one

  • Finishing 1B for Math (Q) and taking the next lessons in 5A slowly (A)

  • Hosting, but not teaching, the next Chemistry Class

  • Getting back into our history texts

  • Celebrating Q’s birthday with a trip to the Pumpkin Patch!

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Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 09.25.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

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.

  1. Visit Vala’s 6x

  2. Celebrate Friendsgiving

  3. Read 50 Books

  4. Complete Spooky Movie Month

  5. Execute a Halloween Party for Coop

  6. Have an Art/Craft Day

  7. Three State Park Visists

  8. Two Zoo Visits

  9. Pick Out and Carve Pumpkins

  10. Go Trick-or-Treating

  11. Jump in a Pile of Leaves

  12. Go Through a Corn Maze

  13. Make 5 Fall Recipes

  14. Make Leaf Art

  15. Go Pick Apples

  16. Go on a 3 Fall Forest Hikes

  17. Make 3 Pumpkin Recipes

  18. Go Bowling

  19. Use our GetOut Pass 2 Times

  20. Decorate for Fall

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg
raeliana6.jpg
raeliana7.jpg
drop of corruption.jpg
seoulmates.jpg
jujutsu 19.jpg
jujutsu 20.jpg
jujutsu21.jpg
jujutsu22.jpg
jujutsu23.jpg
jujutsu24.jpg
black butler.jpg
jujutsu25.jpg
jujutsu26.jpg
jujutsu27.jpg
mayor of maxwell.jpg
antidote.jpg
tales accursed.jpg
raeliana8.jpg
tags: Fall Bucket List
categories: Life
Saturday 09.23.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Summer Bucket List Finish

Illness and travel really impacted our bucket list this year.

  1. Complete the Library Reading Program ✓

  2. Ice Cream Tour of Omaha (in progress)

  3. Louisville, Two Rivers, and Fremont SRAs - Unfortunately schedules and illness derailed my plans.

  4. Trip to Indiana and Ohio ✓

  5. Cookout with Friends ✓

  6. Lincoln Day

  7. 5 Splash Pad Visits ✓

  8. 3 Movies at the Theater (1/3)

  9. 3 Omaha Zoo Visits ✓

  10. Read 50 Books ✓

  11. August Movie Month - Well, that just didn’t happen. Completely got away from me.

  12. September Game Month

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg
raeliana6.jpg
raeliana7.jpg
drop of corruption.jpg
seoulmates.jpg
jujutsu 19.jpg
jujutsu 20.jpg
jujutsu21.jpg
jujutsu22.jpg
jujutsu23.jpg
jujutsu24.jpg
black butler.jpg
jujutsu25.jpg
jujutsu26.jpg
jujutsu27.jpg
mayor of maxwell.jpg
antidote.jpg
tales accursed.jpg
raeliana8.jpg
tags: Summer Bucket List
categories: Life
Friday 09.22.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Currently #18

Reading: I was disappointed by my current Kindle read, so I picked up Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher. Loving this weird and fractured fairy tale story.

Watching: We’re finished The Misfits S4 and about to start S5.

Listening: I downloaded Nita Strauss’s new album and it’s been on repeat for me lately. I’m loving the variety of guest singers and their particular styles.

Making: It’s officially spooky season and I’m diving into all the spooky books. Making a shortlist for my must-reads.

Feeling: I was feeling very stressed out this weekend, but things have calmed down now. I think getting teaching chemistry off my plate helped.

Planning: It’s school picture time. I realized that the only non-graphic tees that the boys had were the ones that they wore for picture day last fall. So, I guess I need to go buy some new shirts that will work for fall pictures. Maybe a green and blue color scheme.

Loving: Leaning into the fall seasons with all the pumpkin foods. I picked up some pumpkin spice yogurt covered pretzels and they are delicious! My pumpkin cream cheese on bagels isn’t so bad either.

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: Currently
categories: Life
Tuesday 09.19.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

  • Our fridge died, became a room-temperature cabinet for 48 hours, but it now back to working after getting a new compressor. Cleaning out the entire defrosted freezer and main cabinet was terrible. 0/10 would not recommend… And now the fridge is incredibly empty and needs to slowly get filled.

  • The boys and I finished our two read alouds yesterday. Starting some new ones today!

  • We’re back to regularly scheduled coop today and I’m so glad to be back to a routine. We needed it.

  • Getting very excited about our first visit to Vala’s next Wednesday! It’s truly my happy place!

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: Odds and Ends
categories: Life
Thursday 09.14.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W5: Ready for a Calm Week

Arthur’s Monday books: ELA, Science, and History

What We Studied

A strange week. I had everything planned out and then our plans on Thursday and Friday drastically changed. It really threw me off a bit.

Quentin’s history books

Literature and Poetry

Arthur continued reading the Percy Jackson series with The Lightning Thief. We kept reading and have really gotten into the story. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills and starting our writing journey. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root. And finally, we finished the next coop book club selection.

  • The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

  • A Child's Introduction to Greek Mythology

  • Poetry for Young People: American Poetry

  • Reading Explorer: Intro

  • The Last Human by Lee Bacon

Quentin continued reading a new selection. I think that he finally got into the story more. His reading comprehension answers have gotten more correct. He also worked on some basic grammar.

  • Sing a Song of Seasons

  • The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Quentin’s ELA and Math books

Math

Arthur started Singapore 5A. The book starts with some basic place value review but very quickly moves to multiples, factors, and primes. We are definitely going to slow down our math lessons a bit to make sure that Arthur achieves mastery. We also continued our next logic book.

  • Singapore Common Core 5A

  • Orbiting with Logic

Quentin continued working toward the end of Singapore 1B with a review on time. I’m still debating if we should take a small review break after finishing 1B and before beginning 2A. We also continued our logic book.

  • Lollipop Logic Book 3

  • Singapore Common Core 1B

Learning about monarch butterflies

Social Studies

Arthur jumped back into BYL 6 and History Quest: US History starting at the beginning of the Civil War. He finished the war. We’ll be taking a break for our Flex Week before moving on Reconstruction. We’ll be sprinkling in various historical fiction readers to reinforce the time periods.

  • DK American History

  • We were There Too! Young People in US History

  • Two Miserable Presidents by Steve Sheinkin

  • Words that Build a Nation

  • Heart and Soul

  • Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

Quentin moved onto the Neolithic time period and focused on the agricultural revolution. We even watched a great NOVA documentary about Stonehenge.

  • History Quest Early Times

  • DK When on Earth?

  • Human Wold

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • DK A Child Through Time

  • A History of Western Art

  • DK Science Year by Year

  • Peter Kent’s City Across Time

  • The Secrets of Stonehenge by Mick Manning and Britt Granstrom

View from Hitchcock Nature Center

Science

Arthur is embarking upon RSO Chemistry this year. We will be doing the experiment portions with a group of coop friends. That portion starts today. This week we covered Unit 1 with a basic focus on chemistry. The text was super boring, but thankfully I found some good short videos to reenforce the ideas and spark some interest. I found a really good one detailing the chemistry involved in baking cookies. For the Story of Science, we learned about Tycho Brahe.

  • RSO Chemistry

  • DK Super Simple Chemistry

  • Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim

Quentin continued RSO Life with a lesson about classification systems focusing on the animal kingdom. I actually found the sorting mat pieces I had made for Arthur years ago. Good on me for keeping them and actually knowing where I put them!

  • RSO Life

  • DK Oversimple Biology

After dinner gelato taste testing. We all agreed that the Limoncello was the best.

STEAM Coop

Coop was cancelled this week due to terrible air quality. We have too many families with medical issues. Unfortunately that means that out of the first five week of coop, we have cancelled twice. Not excited about this turn of events. On a better note, we might have found an indoor location for the winter.

Art books featuring Alma Thomas

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

Another week that I actually fit in art and music! I am on a roll! We covered the music of Erik Satie, a very eccentric composer, but one we have heard a lot as background music. We also covered the colorful art of Alma Thomas. Both of the boys really got into her pieces more than previous weeks.

  • DK Music and How it Works

  • DK The Arts

  • Modern Art Adventures by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw

  • 13 American Artists Children Should Know

  • A Child's Introduction to Art

  • Women in Art by Rachel Ignotofsky

  • We are Artists by Kari Herbert

  • Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas by Jeanne Walker Harvey

Free expression art time

Field Trip

On Tuesday, we traveled over to Iowa for a guided field trip at the Hitchcock Center. The kids learned about monarch butterflies and specifically Monarch Watch. Then we attempted to find some monarchs for tagging. We found a few, but were unable to actually catch any. Still it was great day out in nature.

Shapes and colors inspired by Alma Thomas

High

(Reluctant high) Because coop was cancelled on Thursday, we had more time in our week. We ended up spending the entirety of Thursday morning shopping for birthday party supplies, coop supplies, chemistry class supplies, and fall service project donation items. I had been stressing a bit about how to fit all this in and not do the shopping on the weekend (I hate shopping on the weekends). Our impromptu cancelling gave us the opportunity to get it all done (well mostly) in one outing.

Imitating the blocky pieces style of Alma Thomas

Low

I kind of ran out of steam by the end of the week. Because our nature hike was cancelled, we ended up schooling Friday morning and then for the afternoon, I just took the kids to the park. They had been begging for some outside scootering time, so it worked out. I was just very tired by that point.

Arthur’s ELA, math, and science

Q’s history books

Next Week - Will be a Flex Week. It’s our chance to catchup on things we delayed and take a breath from big planning.

  • Finishing Percy Jackson and Starting Echo Mountain

  • Finishing The One and Only Ivan and Starting a Zoey and Sassafras book

  • Reviewing for Math

  • Watching a Documentary or two

  • Playing a board game or two

  • Hosting the first Chemistry Class

  • Lots of coop related activities

Sorting animals

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 09.11.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Currently #17

Reading: Nerdy Bookish Friends is reading Timeline by Michael Crichton this month. I’ve never actually read this one. Interested to see how it goes.

Watching: J and I finally started watching Andor. So much better than some of the other Star Wars shows. W'e’ll be finishing it this week. Maybe we will watch Ashoka next.

Listening: I have actually been listening to an audiobook this week. The only version of the book from the library was the audiobook. I’m not usually an audiobook fan, but I managed to listened to most of it this week. Wrapping up soon.

Making: I’ve been making scones lately and really loving it. I want to try a few new scone bases. I think raspberry will be next.

Feeling: After a cooler week, we are back to temps in the 90s. I am not a fan at all. Here’s hoping that the cooler temps come soon.

Planning: Along with two friends, I am teaching the first three weeks of our Chemistry class. I’m working on the plans for the atoms lesson.

Loving: Coop is back in swing and I’m really loving the weekly get together of our friends. Teaching has gone as soon as it can right now. And we even have a lead on an indoor space.

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: Currently
categories: Life
Tuesday 09.05.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W4: We Went Somewhere Every Day This Week!

What We Studied

We ended up leaving the house every day this week and I very much disliked it. We did managed to cover most of our planned curriculum for the week including a documentary.

Literature and Poetry

Arthur started reading the Percy Jackson series with The Lightning Thief. We kept reading and have really gotten into the story. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills and starting our writing journey. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root. And finally, we started the next coop book club selection.

  • The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

  • A Child's Introduction to Greek Mythology: Intro through Gods Galore

  • Poetry for Young People: American Poetry

  • Reading Explorer: Intro

  • The Last Human by Lee Bacon

Quentin started reading a new selection. I’m not sure how engaged he really is right now. It is a big chapter book and he hasn’t listened to many of them. He also worked on some basic grammar.

  • Sing a Song of Seasons

  • Be the Bus: The Lost and Profound Wisdom of The Pigeon

  • The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

  • My Body is a Rainbow: The Color of My Feelings by Mallika Chopra

Math

Arthur continued his math year with some review packets. We will start his next Singapore book next week. We’ll see how that goes. We also continued our next logic book.

  • Orbiting with Logic

Quentin continued working toward the end of Singapore 1B with a unit on time. I’m still debating if we should take a small review break after finishing 1B and before beginning 2A. I’m still deciding. We also continued our logic book.

  • Lollipop Logic Book 3

  • Singapore Common Core 1B

Social Studies

Arthur jumped back into BYL 6 and History Quest: US History starting at the beginning of the Civil War. He covered the rest of 1864 this week. We’ll be sprinkling in various historical fiction readers to reinforce the time periods.

  • DK American History

  • We were There Too! Young People in US History

  • Two Miserable Presidents by Steve Sheinkin

  • Words that Build a Nation

  • Heart and Soul

Quentin continued a journey through the Ice Age focusing on how animals and humans lived together. We even watched a great NOVA documentary about the time period.

  • History Quest Early Times

  • DK When on Earth?

  • Human Wold

  • A Child's Introduction to Natural History by Heather Alexander

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • DK A Child Through Time

  • A History of Western Art

  • DK Science Year by Year

Science

Arthur is embarking upon RSO Chemistry this year. But before we officially start the curriculum, we are covering some basic Chemistry and Science lessons. Once we start the actual book, we will be doing the experiment portions with a group of coop friends. This week we did a bit of review. We also attended an informational meeting about a mousetrap race car project. A close friend organized this large project for our homeschool aquaintances. We chatted about specs and ideas and set some dates. Arthur task for the next few weeks is to brainstorm and make a supply list.

  • RSO Chemistry

  • DK Super Simple Chemistry

  • Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim

Quentin continued RSO Life with a lesson about cells. He will also be engaging in various nature science lessons and explorations throughout the year. We did a fun little experiment looking at a chicken egg and labeling the parts.

  • RSO Life

  • DK Oversimple Biology

  • Many Creatures: A Song About Animal Classifications by Laura Purdie Salas

  • A Mammal is an Animal by Lizzy Rockwell

  • Animal School: What Class are You? by Michelle Lord

  • Animal Classification by Jenny Fretland VanVoorst

STEAM Coop

Quentin covered insects even making his own creative insect and going on a bug hunt. The bug hunt was his favorite part of coop. Arthur’s group learned about water filtration and even made their own systems. It was nice to get back into the groove with all our coop friends.

We had a meeting to discuss renting the Volunteer Firefighter’s Hall during the winter months. They are (probably) willing to rent us the space for $100 per week. It’s a chunk of month, but we can handle it. On Thursday, a coop member brought us another potential rental for half the price. We need to get confirmation, but we might just have a space for the winter months.

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

Another week that I actually fit in art and music! I am on a roll! We covered the music of Gabriela Lena Frank, a modern composer, and the art of Jason Lawrence.

  • The Science of Song: How and Why We Make Music by Alan Cross, Emme Cross, and Nicole Mortillaro

  • A Child's Introduction to the Orchestra by Robert Levine

  • DK Music and How it Works

  • DK The Arts

  • Modern Art Adventures by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw

  • The Great Migration: A Children's Story by Jacob Lawrence

  • Harriet and the Promised Land by Jacob Lawrence

  • Jacob Makes a World: Jacob Lawrence, a Young Artist in Harlem by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts

  • Jacob Lawrence in the City by Susan Goldman Rubin

  • 13 American Artists Children Should Know

  • A Child's Introduction to Art

Field Trip

We didn’t do a big field trip this week, but we did make it out for a few events. On Friday, we had a nature hike at Heron Haven. Lots and lots of frogs were spotted in the pond. A’s friends even caught multiple to check out.

High

On Thursday, the boys made a plan with some friends to get boba tea at the mall. The adults agreed and we had a good old-fashioned social time at the mall food court. We grabbed lunch and boba tea. After social hour, I even snuck in about an hour of schoolwork before we headed home.

Low

Leaving the house every single day this week was not my favorite. I was completely drained by Friday, but had to go to coop book club on Saturday morning.

Next Week

  • Continuing Percy Jackson

  • Continuing The One and Only Ivan

  • Getting close to finishing Singapore 1B (Q)

  • Starting Singapore 5A (A)

  • Moving into the last stages of the Civil War

  • Covering the Neolithic Period

  • Admiring Alma Thomas’s art

  • Listening to Erik Satie’s music

  • Exploring survival skills (A) and photography (Q) for coop

Friday’s book

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 09.04.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

September 2023 Life Goals

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

  • Read 18 Books ✓

  • Kick-Off Our Homeschool Year and Coop ✓

  • Knock Out 5 More Items from Our Summer Bucket List ✓

  • Limit My Personal Library Check-outs ✓

September Goals:

  • Read 18 Books

  • Plan the Boys’ Birthday Party

  • Finish Out Our Summer Bucket List

  • Start Our Fall Bucket List

Next up on the TBR pile:

somewhere beyond.jpg raeliana6.jpg raeliana7.jpg drop of corruption.jpg seoulmates.jpg jujutsu 19.jpg jujutsu 20.jpg jujutsu21.jpg jujutsu22.jpg jujutsu23.jpg jujutsu24.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu25.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg mayor of maxwell.jpg antidote.jpg tales accursed.jpg raeliana8.jpg
tags: Monthly Life Goals
categories: Life
Friday 09.01.23
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 
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