Here's my randomness for the week:
I’ve got so many plans in motion for this summer and fall. Working on my big project management charts.
Meal planning might be my least favorite reoccurring household task. It is never-ending.
Sometimes nothing is better than a glass of ice water.
I need to make a watchlist for May…
And possibly redo my TBR pile.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Reading: Diving into The Housemaid by Freida McFadden for upcoming book club. It’s a thriller, but I’m actually enjoying it right now.
Watching: We’re keeping up with the currently airing Shögun series. I am really really enjoying it and super excited that they do not dub the Japanese.
Listening: I’ve dove back into Motionless in White’s entire discography and a remembering why I love them.
Making: It’s time to make grocery lists and meal plans for the next month. It’s one of my least favorite household management tasks.
Feeling: The weather took another turn to the chilly and wet again this week. I’m craving comfy sweaters.
Planning: It’s time to start seriously planning the retreat meal plan and grocery lists. It’s a big job, but I’ve streamlined the process fairly well.
Loving: I taught chemistry yesterday to three very excited students. I really love their enthusiasm.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Let’s check in on March’s goals and my progress.
Read 18 Books ✓
Finalize Guest List for the Bookish Retreat - I ended up at 18 participants. Very good number! ✓
Start the Homeschool Supplies Cleanout ✓
Get New Glasses ✓
Finalize Spring Travel Plans - Still working on this one!
April Goals:
Read 18 Books
Pause All Library Holds (Except Book Club Selections)
Finish Planning Ashfall Trip
Launch Coop Summer Plan
Start Working on Retreat Crafts
Finish Homeschool Supply Cleanout
Next up on the TBR pile:
A’s History
Q’s ELA
Unfortunately weather caused us a few problems with this week and we had to cancel coop. Instead, we planned a few activities to fill our time. Coupled with a decent amount of school, and we had a good week.
A’s ELA and Math
Q’s Rome Unit
Arthur finished the last bit of our read aloud and started the next one. The new one is feeling very promising. For the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills. We continued the first Reading Explorer book which focuses on reading comprehension. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.
My America poem collection
Reading Explorer 1
Sweep by Jonathan Auxier
Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston
Quentin finished another read aloud. He absolutely loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Apparently, Dahl’s sense of whimsy and humor really appeals to him. He also worked on some basic grammar with some fun books.
Sing a Song of Seasons
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Hike at Fontenelle
Arthur wrapped up his unit on volumes.. We’re flying through the lessons. We also finished the Grade 4 Financial Literacy book.
Singapore Common Core 5B
Orbiting with Logic
Evan Moor Financial Literacy G4
Quentin took a break from Singapore to do some review math packets. I wanted a better mastery of basic arithmetic before we dove into multiplication and division.
Singapore Common Core 2A
Arthur covered more of World War II. We focused on Japanese Interment and the treatment of African Americans during the war.
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
A Different Mirror for Young People
This is Our Land: A History of American Immigration
DK Timelines of Everything
DK History
The Great Depression and World War II by Susan E. Hamen
Write to Me: Letters from Japanese American Children to the Librarian They Left Behind by Cynthia Grady
Rad American History A-Z by Kate Schatz & Miriam Klein Stahl
Fred Korematsu Speaks Up
Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's Story by Joseph Bruchac
Quentin finished his big unit on Rome. We had to finish out with our favorite episode of NOVA about the colosseum. Even Arthur wanted to rewatch it with us!
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
Ancient Worlds
A Journey Through Art by Aaron Rosen
Ancient Rome by Peter Chrisp
The Ancient Romans Cohn
DK Eyewitness: Ancient Rome
Stephen Biesty's Ancient World
The Genius of the Romans
Whole Wide World: Colosseum by Kristine Spanier
20 Fun Facts About the Colosseum by Drew Nelson
Obligatory neighborhood blow-up picture
A’s Math and ELA
We had a break week from chemistry class, so science was light this week. We made sure to read more chapters in our Story of Science book.
RSO Chemistry
DK Super Simple Chemistry
Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim
DK The Elements
Quentin wrapped up RSO Life’s Human Anatomy unit with a section on growth and genetics. We did a bit of big review before putting away those books. The last big section of RSO Life is all about the Plant Kingdom.
RSO Life
DK Oversimple Biology
DK Human Body
Know and Glow Human Body
DK Eyewitness: Human Body
iDiscover The Body by Carolyn Scrace
Q’s Rome Unit
Q’s Science
Coop was cancelled due to weather.
A’s History
A’s ELA and Math
No formal art and music this week.
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
DK Art and How It Works
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
Iconic Composers by Nicholas Csicsko & Emi Ferguson
13 Art Movements Children Should Know
13 Artists Children Should Know
13 Modern Artists Children Should Know
The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning & Brita Granström
Why is Art Full of Naked People? by Susie Hodge
On Friday, a fellow homeschooler organized a big group trip the Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines. A group of about 20 kids and parents caravanned to the museum for a few hours of exploration. We had been once about a year ago. It was fun to revisit and re-explore. We even caught a planetarium show. After the museum, most of the families headed back home. I decided to take the kids to the Monsterama Arcade for a few hours of playtime. They have been begging to go back for months. We had dinner at the attached pizza place and played until 7pm before driving back home. It made for a 12+ hour day, but it was worth it!
We managed to fit in a nature hike on Tuesday (just us) and an open bounce time at Bounce U on Thursday (with friends). Even with the activities, we had a good school week.
Cancelling of coop created some frustration.
Driving a Mars rover
Reading more of our read aloud (A) and starting a new collection of stories (Q)
Moving through World War II
Continuing our math units
Exploring some new concepts about the periodic table
Learning more Ancient African Kingdoms
Starting with the plant kingdom for science
Bringing back some art and music
Arcade Time!
Pizza Time
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
The weather is just not cooperating for coop this week… We couldn’t find a place and had to cancel. The location struggle has really gotten to me.
Think it’s time to send a reminder email for the retreat attendees.
And I have some coop admins tasks to finish today.
Might make some banana bread today. I’m feeling like some type of baked goods.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Spring growth for coop
We ended up taking a bit of a break for W24. All three of us were a bit burned out and needed to scale back our school work to reenergize. For W25, we were back to normal. All throughout, we focused on reading our read alouds and enjoying our activities.
Arthur dove into another read aloud and enjoyed the time. We have just a little bit left to finish this week and then move into a new book. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills. We continued the first Reading Explorer book which focuses on reading comprehension. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.
My America poem collection
Reading Explorer 1
Sweep by Jonathan Auxier
Quentin started and finished another read aloud. And then we started our newest read aloud. He is very excited to read another Roald Dahl book. He also worked on some basic grammar with some fun books.
Sing a Song of Seasons
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Arthur moved onto a few lessons about finding volume of rectangles. We’re flying through the lessons. We also continued the Grade 4 Financial Literacy book. We have one more lesson to finish in there.
Singapore Common Core 5B
Orbiting with Logic
Evan Moor Financial Literacy G4
Quentin continued Singapore 2A with a unit on measurements. We also finished our logic book!
Lollipop Logic Book 3
Singapore Common Core 2A
A’s ELA, Math, and Science
Arthur covered the beginning of World War II. We discussed the political and economic situations of various countries in the 1930s and talked about the beginnings of the war. The week ended with Pearl Harbor.
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
A Different Mirror for Young People
This is Our Land: A History of American Immigration
DK Timelines of Everything
DK History
The Great Depression and World War II by Susan E. Hamen
Dorothy the Brave by Meghan P. Browne
Quentin continued with Rome moving into the Empire. We found a good balance of videos, textbooks, and small readings.
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
Ancient Worlds
A Journey Through Art by Aaron Rosen
Ancient Rome by Peter Chrisp
The Ancient Romans Cohn
DK Eyewitness: Ancient Rome
Stephen Biesty's Ancient World
The Genius of the Romans
Cleopatra by Diane Stanley
Pompeii: Lost and Found by Mary Pope Osborne
Pompeii... Buried Alive! by Edith Kunhardt
Q’s ELA and Math
We covered the next few lessons in chemistry. This week is a break and then we will move onto acids and bases. We made sure to read more chapters in our Story of Science book.
RSO Chemistry
DK Super Simple Chemistry
Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim
DK The Elements
Quentin got back into the RSO Life curriculum moving into the unit on Human Anatomy. We covered the nervous system this week.
RSO Life
DK Oversimple Biology
DK Human Body
Know and Glow Human Body
DK Eyewitness: Human Body
iDiscover The Body by Carolyn Scrace
The Museum of Odd Body Leftovers: A Tour of Your Useless Parts, Flaws and Other Weird Bits by Rachel Poliquin
Click: The Inner You
Build a Brain by Kirsty Holmes
The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses by Joanna Cole
Q’s Rome Unit
Arthur continued his unit on spring growth. Their big project this week was creating a mini biome in a plastic bottle. Quentin learned about deserts and then about Emily Roebling, architect of the Brooklyn Bridge.
A’s World War II Unit
We managed to fit in a few documentaries to complement our book work. Arthur watched one about the mystery of the Hindenburg. Quentin watched one about the mystery of Roman catacombs and one about the eruption of Vesuvius.
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
DK Art and How It Works
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
Iconic Composers by Nicholas Csicsko & Emi Ferguson
13 Art Movements Children Should Know
13 Artists Children Should Know
13 Modern Artists Children Should Know
The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning & Brita Granström
Why is Art Full of Naked People? by Susie Hodge
Q’s Math and ELA
For my birthday day, we ventured to the zoo. I really wanted to see the new baby elephant, but he was still sequestered in the back. We did get to the see the other four babies. And we enjoyed the jungle, aquarium, giraffes, and butterfly and insect building.
A’s Math and ELA
We managed to fit in a few nature hikes. Getting outside and enjoying the signs of spring was exactly what I needed to uplift my spirits.
Q’s Anatomy Unit
The weather took some wild swings these last two weeks. I am not a fan.
A’s ELA and Math
Finishing our current read aloud and starting some new ones
Moving through World War II
Continuing our math units
Exploring some new concepts about the periodic table
Learning more about Ancient Rome
Wrapping up human anatomy for science
Traveling to Des Moines for a group field trip and visit to the arcade
Lovely walk on the prairie
Next up on the TBR pile:
Reading: I grabbed the new Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett and I am so in love with it! There’s an element of cozy fantasy in this series that I’m really drawn to.
Watching: J and I started the new Shogun series. It is very well researched and extremely cinematic. We are hooked.
Listening: I’ve pushed off audiobooks in favor of podcasts lately. But I haven’t actually listened to many episodes lately. I’m just enjoying the quiet lately.
Making: I’m moving into the next phase of retreat planning. I’m taking a long look at the budget and category breakdowns. Plus I’ve sent the next email so I can start working on the grocery list.
Feeling: After my birthday day out, I’m feeling a lot better. I needed just a bit of time away to recenter myself.
Planning: I’m looking to summer and redoing our bucket list. Last year didn’t go as planned. Hopefully this year we can do some travel (locally) and visit some interesting places.
Loving: Spring is not my favorite season, but I am really enjoying spotting signs of the season while out and about. Little green shoots are catching my eye.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
Two more weeks indoor for coop. I think we are all over being inside. Here’s hoping that the weather cooperates.
Still celebrating my birthday week with random free offers and discounts.
Diving into planning homeschool curriculum for next year.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Q’s Rome Unit
Our week went well and we accomplished a lot of school work. But, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we needed a bit of a break. Makes sense in the we haven’t had a real break since Christmas. We made sure to knock out some lessons so next week can be a bit of a break.
A’s ELA and Math
This week Arthur read one of my favorite childhood books, The Witches by Roald Dahl. I don’t think he enjoyed it as much as me, but thanks okay. We did get to watch the movie version for family movie night as an extra treat. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills. We continued the first Reading Explorer book which focuses on reading comprehension. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.
My America poem collection
Reading Explorer 1
The Witches by Roald Dahl
Quentin finished another in his favorite series. We covered a few different lessons from the Blossom and Root curriculum. He also worked on some basic grammar with some fun books.
Sing a Song of Seasons
Zoey and Sassafras: Grumplets and Pests by Asia Citro
If You were an Interjection by Nancy Loewen
If You were a Conjunction by Nancy Loewen
If You were an Antonym by Nancy Loewen
If You were a Preposition by Nancy Loewen
If You were Homonym or a Homphone by Nancy Loewen
The Little Mermaid by Jerry Pinkney
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
The Other Side of the Story
The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen
Grandmother Winter by Phyllis Root
The Story Blanket by Ferida Wolf
Good Night Wind by Linda Elovitz Marshal
Rumpelstitlskin by Paul Galdone
The Elves and the Shoemaker
Rumpelstiltskin
The Elves and the Shoemaker by Paul Galdone
The Elves and the Shoemaker by Jim Lamarche
Frankly I'd Rather Spin Myself a New Name by Jessica Gunderson
Rumplestitlskin by John Cech
Rumplestiltskin's Daughter by Diane Stanley
Rattlestiltskin by Eric A. Kimmel
The Girl Who Spun Gold by Virginia Hamilton
Beaver Steals Fire by Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
The Water Dragon by Li JIan
Q’s ELA and Math
Arthur finished a unit on Decimals. Most of it was review, but it was a good review for him. We’re flying through the lessons. We also dove into the Grade 4 Financial Literacy book and covered another units.
Singapore Common Core 5B
Orbiting with Logic
Evan Moor Financial Literacy G4
Quentin continued Singapore 2A with a unit on measurements. We also continued our logic book; almost finished with this one!
Lollipop Logic Book 3
Singapore Common Core 2A
Q’s ELA and Math
Arthur covered more about the Great Depression with a focus on the American Dust Bowl. I found some great resources and we even started watching Ken Burns’ The Dust Bowl documentary.
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
A Different Mirror for Young People
This is Our Land: A History of American Immigration
DK Timelines of Everything
DK History
The Great American Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl Through the Lens: How Photography Revealed and Helped Remedy a National Disaster by Martin W. Sandler
A Day that Changed America: The Black Sunday Dust Blizzard by Bruce Berglund
Voices of the Dust Bowl by Sherry Garland
This is the Rope: A Story from The Great Migration by Jacqueline Woodson
Q’s Rome Unit
Quentin began the chapters of Ancient Rome with the founding and the Republic. We found a good balance of videos, textbooks, and small readings.
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
Ancient Worlds
A Journey Through Art by Aaron Rosen
Ancient Rome by Peter Chrisp
The Ancient Romans Cohn
DK Eyewitness: Ancient Rome
Stephen Biesty's Ancient World
The Genius of the Romans
A’s Dust Bowl Unit
We’re back at Chemistry class. This week they talked about the relationship between Hydrogen and Oxygen. We made sure to read another chapter in our Story of Science book.
RSO Chemistry
DK Super Simple Chemistry
Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim
DK The Elements
Quentin got back into the RSO Life curriculum moving into the unit on Human Anatomy. We covered the digestive system this week.
RSO Life
DK Oversimple Biology
DK Human Body
Know and Glow Human Body
DK Eyewitness: Human Body
iDiscover The Body by Carolyn Scrace
The Museum of Odd Body Leftovers: A Tour of Your Useless Parts, Flaws and Other Weird Bits by Rachel Poliquin
Click: The Inner You
Click: Tastes Good
Shape of a Stomach by Kirsty Holmes
Blueprint for a Bladder by Kirsty Holmes
Q’s Anatomy Unit
Arthur started his unit on spring growth. This week they talked abut soil composition and basic planting techniques. Quentin learned about deserts and had fun making a sand painting.
A’s ELA and Math
We covered a bit of art and music and managed to start watching a documentary. We covered frescos and etching/printmaking/woodcuts for art and Verdi and Gershwin for music.
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
DK Art and How It Works
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
Iconic Composers by Nicholas Csicsko & Emi Ferguson
13 Art Movements Children Should Know
13 Artists Children Should Know
13 Modern Artists Children Should Know
The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning & Brita Granström
Why is Art Full of Naked People? by Susie Hodge
Q’s ELA and Math
We didn’t have any field trips these week. But we did accomplish two nature hikes and two park playdates with friends. The weather was beautiful this past week and we took advantage of it!
Q’s ELA
We finally bought a membership and made it down to the Luminarium, the new local hands-on science museum. We spent a few hour after coop exploring with some friends. Even being there for a few hours, we didn’t actually get to see everything! We will definitely be back soon.
Learning about deserts at coop
Nothing. We had a great two weeks!
Continuing our current read alouds
Hopefully starting and finishing the coop book club selection
Moving through the 1930s for history, focusing on the Dust Bowl
Continuing our math units
Exploring some new concepts about the periodic table
Diving into Ancient Rome for science
Hopefully heading outside for a nature walk
Art and Music
Next up on the TBR pile:
Let’s check in on February’s goals and my progress.
Read 18 Books ✓
Relax During My Reading Weekend ✓
Finalize Guest List for the Bookish Retreat - Still working on this one
Start the Homeschool Supplies Cleanout
March Goals:
Read 18 Books
Finalize Guest List for the Bookish Retreat - Still working on this one
Start the Homeschool Supplies Cleanout
Get New Glasses - Me and Arthur
Finalize Spring Travel Plans
Next up on the TBR pile:
Reading: I finally got the second Midsolar Murders book, Chaos Terminal, by Mur Lafferty. I’m really digging these murders in space books.
Watching: We’re deep into another Nic Cage Quarterly. We’ve finally made it past 2000!
Listening: I took a break from audiobooks and jumped back into some of my podcasts.
Making: Book club is tonight and I’m making spinach artichoke dip. I love it so much, but definitely cannot eat an entire crockpot’s worth. Thankfully friends will be over to share in the wealth.
Feeling: I’m not sure why, but I’m feeling a bit at sea this week. I decided that we might need a bit of a break next week from school. We’ll think of it as our spring break.
Planning: Working on spring and summer plans and schedules. We’re changing things up for the coop during this summer and I’m rethinking our schedules and timelines. We’ll see how it goes.
Loving: Per the aforementioned plans and schedules, I’m really excited about a few changes with respect to the coop. The changes calmed and then excited me. This bodes well for the next six months.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Making lava lamps for Chemistry
Art and music time!
This post actually covers a Flex Week and a regular week. Right now, we are actually ahead of schedule for some of our curriculum and it’s really giving me life. I don’t want to push too hard, but I love having some wriggle room for more activities, games, and documentaries.
Arthur finished a complete read aloud during Flex Week, covered another during the regular week, and even started a third. We are on a roll. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills. We continued the first Reading Explorer book which focuses on reading comprehension. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.
The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
My America poem collection
Reading Explorer 1
The Witches by Roald Dahl
Ramayana: Divine Loophole by Sanjay Patel
Art and Music
A’s ELA
Quentin finished a collection of stories from the Odyssey, completed a short read aloud, and started another in his favorite series. We are pushing our Blossom and Root lessons out another week. He also worked on some basic grammar.
Sing a Song of Seasons
Tales from the Odyssey Part Two by Mary Pope Osborne
Ramayana: Divine Loophole by Sanjay Patel
Zoey and Sassafras: Grumplets and Pests by Asia Citro
365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental
Q’s ELA
Music Time
Arthur continued with a unit on Decimals. Most of it was review, but it was a good review for him. We’re flying through the lessons. We also dove into the Grade 4 Financial Literacy book and covered a few units.
Singapore Common Core 5B
Orbiting with Logic
Evan Moor Financial Literacy G4
Q’s Ancient Greece Unit
Q and A’s ELA and Math
Quentin continued Singapore 2A with a big review of numbers to 1000. We also continued our logic book.
Lollipop Logic Book 3
Singapore Common Core 2A
Addition on the Menu by Kirsty Holmes
Place Value Prize by Kirsty Holmes
Groups in the Garden by Kirsty Holmes
Q and A’s ELA and Math
Q’s Anatomy Unit
Arthur covered the 1920s from Boom to Bust and into the Great Depression. We covered all the high points. We even found a way to include a few documentaries.
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
A Different Mirror for Young People
This is Our Land: A History of American Immigration
DK Timelines of Everything
DK History
Cobblestone: Hollywood and the Rise of Motion Pictures
The Roaring Twenties by Marcia Amidon Lusted
Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman
Dorothea's Eyes by Barb Rosenstock
Thanks to Frances Perkins: Fighter for Workers' Rights by Deborah Hopkinson
The Only Woman in the Photo: Frances Perkins and Her New Deal for America by Kathleen Krull
A’s History
Quentin finished the chapters on Ancient Greece and then moved onto the chapters on Ancient India. We found a good balance of videos, textbooks, and small readings.
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
Blast Back! Ancient Greece by Nancy Ohlin Pg. 1-31
Ancient Worlds
Ancient Greece by Sandra Newman
DK Eyewitness Ancient Greece
Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece by Danielle Smith-Llera
A Child's Introduction to Greek Mythology Heather Alexander
Ancient Greek Art by Susie Hodge
A Journey Through Art by Aaron Rosen
We were back at Chemistry class two weeks. I taught them all about liquids and density and we even attempted to make oobleck. This past week was a chemistry flex week, so we had a little break. But we made sure to read another couple of chapters in our Story of Science book.
RSO Chemistry
DK Super Simple Chemistry
Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim
DK The Elements
Quentin got back into the RSO Life curriculum moving into the unit on Human Anatomy. We covered the circulatory and respiratory systems.
RSO Life
DK Oversimple Biology
DK Human Body
Know and Glow Human Body
DK Eyewitness: Human Body
iDiscover The Body by Carolyn Scrace
The Museum of Odd Body Leftovers: A Tour of Your Useless Parts, Flaws and Other Weird Bits by Rachel Poliquin
Click: The Inner You
Parts of a Heart by Kirsty Holmes
Lay Out the Lungs by Kirsty Holmes
A and Q’s Math and ELA
Art Time
Arthur covered geometry and art with two lessons featuring perspective and line drawing He got to play with compasses and rulers. Quentin’s class was all about magnets. He really got into the lessons these two weeks which just makes my heart happy.
Q’s Anatomy Unit
Q’s Ancient India Unit
A’s History Unit
We covered a bit of art and music and managed to watch a few documentaries. Arthur got on an aviation history kick watching one about the Wright Brothers, one about the Red Baron, and one about the Great Air Race of 1924. He also chose a Modern Marvels episode about the building the Panama Canal. Quentin watched a documentary about Archimedes of Ancient Greece..
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
DK Art and How It Works
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
Iconic Composers by Nicholas Csicsko & Emi Ferguson
13 Art Movements Children Should Know
13 Artists Children Should Know
13 Modern Artists Children Should Know
The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning & Brita Granström
Why is Art Full of Naked People? by Susie Hodge
A’s History
A’s ELA, Math, and Science
Q’s Math and History
We didn’t have any field trips these week. But we did accomplish two nature hikes and two park playdates with friends. The weather was beautiful this past week and we took advantage of it!
Q’s ELA and Math
A’s Math and ELA
We finally bought a membership and made it down to the Luminarium, the new local hands-on science museum. We spent a few hour after coop exploring with some friends. Even being there for a few hours, we didn’t actually get to see everything! We will definitely be back soon.
Walk on the prairie at Glacier Creek
The creek at Glacier Creek
Nothing. We had a great two weeks!
Continuing our current read alouds
Hopefully starting and finishing the coop book club selection
Moving through the 1930s for history, focusing on the Dust Bowl
Continuing our math units
Exploring some new concepts about the periodic table
Diving into Ancient Rome for science
Hopefully heading outside for a nature walk
Beautiful walk at Schramm SRA
Neighborhood tradition
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
My reading has slowed down a bit… probably for the best.
The fake spring is lulling me into false sense of security.
Nic Cage Quarterly is moving slowly. We’ve hit a string of very serious movies and just cannot watch them back to back.
We really need to head to the library and grocery this afternoon.
I’m doing much better with reading my own books along with the library selections.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Reading: A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft. I picked up this fantasy Regency-inspired young adult novel. I’m only a few chapters in, but it is entertaining so far.
Watching: We’re back into another month of Nic Cage Quarterly. In fact, we’ve made it to the late 1990s and peak Nic Cage action movies.
Listening: I’m still making my way through the fifth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. So close to finishing this volume… And then I will one more volume that’s been published.
Making: I’m really into baking this week. I’ve made some ham and cheddar scones and blackberry coffee cake. Tomorrow or Thursday I’m going to make some banana bread (maybe chocolate chip or coconut banana bread) and maybe an orange breakfast cake.
Feeling: I have been exhausted all week. Testing negative for COVID. Just completely exhausted I guess.
Planning: We have one big weekend trip on the calendar for late April. It’s in connection with a coop field trip, but of course I added on some activities. I really want to nail down our accommodations, but need to get some more information from other families. A few of us might go in on a larger AirBNB.
Loving: I’ve really been craving quiet time lately.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Coop Origami Project
My example project
We had a great two weeks of easy school and limited activities. I didn’t want to push it too much or over-schedule us. Thankfully coop events were few and far between these few weeks.
A’s ELA, Math, and History
Q’s ELA and Math
Arthur finished two read alouds these two weeks. We wrapped a book about censorship and then finished a book mentioned in the previous. Also, we dove into the topic of death. It was a heavy read, but a good one for this age. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills. We continued the first Reading Explorer book which focuses on reading comprehension. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
My America poem collection
Reading Explorer 1
Quentin dove into a collection of stories from the Odyssey. We are pushing our Blossom and Root lessons out another week. He also worked on some basic grammar.
Sing a Song of Seasons
Tales from the Odyssey Part One and Part Two by Mary Pope Osborne
Winter, Winter, Cold and Snow by Sharon Gibson Palermo (Quentin read)
If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur by Linda Bailey & Colin Jack (Quentin read)
Lettuce Introduce You: Poems About Food by Laura Purdie Salas
Q’s History
Q’s History
Arthur dove into 5B with a unit on Decimals. Most of it was review, but it was a good review for him. We’re flying through the lessons.
Singapore Common Core 5B
Orbiting with Logic
Quentin continued Singapore 2A with a big review of numbers to 1000. We also continued our logic book.
Lollipop Logic Book 3
Singapore Common Core 2A
A’s History
A’s ELA, Math, and Science
Arthur finished our study of World War I and moved onto the Harlem Renaissance. We even found a way to include a few documentaries.
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
A Different Mirror for Young People
This is Our Land: A History of American Immigration
Come On I, America: The United Staes in World War I by Linda Barrett Osborne
Knit Your Bit by Deborah Hopkinson
Military Aircraft of WWI by Ole Steen Hansen
DK Find Out World War I
Unraveling Freedom: The Battle for Democracy on the Home Front During World War I by Ann Bausum
DK Eyewitness World War I
Fearless Flyers
DK Timelines of Everything
DK History
Quentin dove back into the chapters on Ancient Greece. We found a good balance of videos, textbooks, and small readings.
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
Blast Back! Ancient Greece by Nancy Ohlin Pg. 1-31
Ancient Worlds
Ancient Greece by Sandra Newman
DK Eyewitness Ancient Greece
The First Olympics by Lisa M. Bolt Simons
The Librarian Who Measured the Earth by Kathryn Lasky
Q’s Science
A’s History, Math, ELA, and Science
We were back at Chemistry class this week. They talked and explored states of matter. The kids had fun exploring the changes by making ice cream and root beer floats. Plus we read another chapter in our Story of Science book.
RSO Chemistry
DK Super Simple Chemistry
Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim
DK The Elements
Quentin got back into the RSO Life curriculum moving into the unit on Human Anatomy. We did a big overview and then covered the skeletal and muscular system.
RSO Life
DK Oversimple Biology
DK Human Body
Know and Glow Human Body
DK Eyewitness: Human Body
iDiscover The Body by Carolyn Scrace Pg. 6-7, 14-15
How to Build a Human Body: Set Up the Skeleton by Kirsty Holmes
The Museum of Odd Body Leftovers: A Tour of Your Useless Parts, Flaws and Other Weird Bits by Rachel Poliquin Pg. 54-58
Q’s ELA and Math
Q’s Science
Arthur covered geometry and art with two lessons featuring tessellation and Islamic geometric art. He got to play with compasses and rulers. Quentin’s class was all about World Cultures. Each week the class covered three different countries with some information, art, and taste testing.
Q’s ELA, Math, and History
A’s ELA and Math
We didn’t actually cover any art or music this week. But we did manage to watch a few documentaries. Arthur started and finished a long American Experience episode about Zora Neale Hurston. It was mostly about her travels and anthropology work, but also covered the Harlem Renaissance. Quentin watched two docs on Ancient Greece. One was about the Parthenon featuring the engineering aspects. The second one was all about the antikythera device, an ancient computer.
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
DK Art and How It Works
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
Iconic Composers by Nicholas Csicsko & Emi Ferguson
13 Art Movements Children Should Know
13 Artists Children Should Know
13 Modern Artists Children Should Know
The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning & Brita Granström
Why is Art Full of Naked People? by Susie Hodge
We didn’t have a field trip this week.
Fun at Heron Haven
We have started to set up a social gathering for after coop at a variety of locations. The weather was decent so we made two park playdates. It was very lovely to be out and allow the kids to run around. W also had a lovely nature walk at Heron Haven. It was the perfect weather for a little walk in the woods.
I was so tired. This really took a bit of wind out of my sails.
Beautiful day at the pond
Finishing one read aloud and starting a new one
Moving onto the 1920s for history
Continuing new our math units
Exploring some new concepts about the periodic table
Wrapping up Greece with some myths and stories and Alexander the Great
Taking a break for science
Hopefully heading outside for a nature walk
Next up on the TBR pile:
Here's my randomness for the week:
Last weekend’s reading weekend was the best idea that I have had in a long while. I completed two books and almost completed two other books.
Nic Cage Quarterly is back this month! Hoping to watch at least 15 movies this month.
The weather is holding out this week for more park time after coop.
It’s looking like February is going to be another big month for reading.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Let’s check in on January’s goals and my progress.
Read 18 Books ✓
Emails for Retreats (January and June) ✓
Finalize Coop Plans for Spring ✓
Get Started on our 52 Hikes for the Year ✓
February Goals:
Read 18 Books
Relax During My Reading Weekend
Finalize Guest List for the Bookish Retreat
Start the Homeschool Supplies Cleanout
Next up on the TBR pile:
Reading: I picked up The Last One by Will Dean for my Clock Reading Challenge. I’m not usually into thrillers, but I was intrigued by this one.
Watching: Weirdly, we fell into a Tom Cruise movie hole this week. We watched Top Gun: Maverick and Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1.
Listening: Finishing out the Murderbot series on audio this week. I don’t usually got for audiobooks, but have been listening to these in the background this month.
Making: Quentin requested banana bread and I made it. So good! I might just have to make another loaf later this week for the weekend.
Feeling: The temperatures finally increased. In fact, the temps increased by almost 70 degrees. Intense! I would have been okay with temps in the 30s. Instead we are not in the 40s and 50s.
Planning: I will be teaching chemistry the next two weeks (with a collaborative teacher). And so, we are planning the experiments and procedures.
Loving: I’m leaving on Friday to spend a quiet weekend reading in a rented house with a few friends. Getting away from the family for a weekend sounds absolutely amazing right now. As such, I have a stack of 10 books that I’m taking. I need a variety of genres, book sizes, and reading levels. Super excited!
Next up on the TBR pile:
The snow storms finally calmed down and we got back outside for some activities. Unfortunately, coop was cancelled due to a scheduling issue with the city. But we did see friends at other events and got some school work completed.
Arthur has really gotten into our read aloud. It’s led to questions about censorship and increased interest in the other books the text mentions. In fact, our next read aloud is name dropped in the book. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills. We continued the first Reading Explorer book which focuses on reading comprehension. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
My America poem collection
Reading Explorer 1
Quentin picked up another Zoey and Sassafras book to read this week instead of the scheduled book. That’s fine by me. I’m still really focused on Quentin’s enjoyment when it comes to literature selections. We are pushing our Blossom and Root lessons out another week. He also worked on some basic grammar.
Sing a Song of Seasons
Zoey and Sassafras: Unicorns and Germs by Asia Citro
Little Penguin's New Friend by Tadgh Bentley
Arthur dove into 5B with a unit on Decimals. Most of it was review, but it was a good review for him. We’re flying through the lessons.
Singapore Common Core 5B
Orbiting with Logic
Quentin continued Singapore 2A with a big review of numbers to 1000. We also continued our logic book.
Lollipop Logic Book 3
Singapore Common Core 2A
Arthur started learning about World War I this week. We did a big overview of the conflict and talked about Woodrow Wilson. Our curriculum only spends one week on the war, but I’m going to expand it out for 2-3 weeks of topics and coverage.
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
A Different Mirror for Young People
This is Our Land: A History of American Immigration
Instead of a big chapter on Greece, we started reading the story of The Odyssey to ease into the topic.
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
Tales from the Odyssey Book One by Mary Pope Osborne
We were back at Chemistry class this week. They talked and explored molecules and bonds. Plus we read another chapter in our Story of Science book. This one was about alchemy.
RSO Chemistry
DK Super Simple Chemistry
Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim
DK The Elements
Quentin got back into the RSO Life curriculum and covered mammals this week.
RSO Life
DK Oversimple Biology
A Mammal is an Animal by Lizzy Rockwell
Mammals by Ann O. Squire
About Mammals by Cathryn Sill
None this week
We didn’t actually cover any art or music this week. But we did manage to watch two documentaries. Arthur and I watched a NOVA episode about aviation during World War I. I learned a ton! Quentin and I were going to watch one about Ancient Greece, but the file was corrupted. Instead, we watched on about The Life of Mammals. The episode focused on marsupials. He actually paid attention to the documentary, so I’m calling it a win!
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
DK Art and How It Works
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
Iconic Composers by Nicholas Csicsko & Emi Ferguson
13 Art Movements Children Should Know
13 Artists Children Should Know
13 Modern Artists Children Should Know
The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning & Brita Granström
Why is Art Full of Naked People? by Susie Hodge
Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter by Susan Goldman Rubin
Andy Warhol Pop Art Painter by Susan Goldman Rubin
Uncle Andy’s by James Warhola
Uncle Andy’s Cats by James Warhola
Fabulous! A Portrait of Andy Warhol by Bonnie Christensen
Art is Everywhere: A Book About Andy Warhol by Jeff Mack
Biography Book by Mike Venezia
Not an organized field trip, but we did spend an entire morning at the zoo with some friends. We had actually been since December, and really since October before that, so it was nice to rediscover our favorite displays. Extra fun, there were a ton of docents out and hardly any visitors, so we got to chat with a ton of people about specific animals. The desert dome was a big hit this week. .
Coop was cancelled this week due to the city basically overruling our contract and taking the space. Very annoying! We pivoted and spent three hours playing at Backyard Playworld. Sometimes it’s really nice to just let the kids engage in free play while I get to chat with adults.
Finishing our current read aloud
Continuing our World War I study for history
Moving forward into new our math units
Exploring some new concepts about the periodic table
Easing into Greece with some myths and stories
Transitioning to human anatomy for science
Hopefully heading outside for a nature walk and field trip
Next up on the TBR pile:
The weather threw us for another loop and we had to cancel a variety of activities this week. On the flip side, we got a ton of random school bookwork done this week instead of going out.
A’s ELA, Math, Science, and History
Arthur finished both our read aloud and the coop book club selection. And we started the next read aloud. It’s related to our previous one and should spark some interesting discussions about censorship. Beyond the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills. We started the first Reading Explorer book which focuses on reading comprehension. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg
Band This Book by Alan Gratz
The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm
My America poem collection
Reading Explorer 1
Quentin finished our read aloud. He gave it three stars out of five stars. But he claims that he really liked it. We are pushing our Blossom and Root lessons out two weeks. He also worked on some basic grammar.
Sing a Song of Seasons
Just Beyond the Very Very Far North by Dan Bar-El
Fox Versus Winter by Corey R. Tabor
Winter is for Snow by Robert Neubecker
Little Penguins by Cynthia Rylant
Penguin Problems by Jory John & Lane Smith
Winter White by Christianne C. Jones
Five Flying Penguins by Barbara Barbieri McGrath
A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett
Penguins Don't Wear Sweaters by Marikka Tamura
The King Penguin by Vanessa Roeder
Pirate & Penguin by Mike Allegra
Winter Lullaby by Dianne White
Virgil & Owen Stick Together by Paulette Bogan
The Trouble with Penguins by Rebecca Jordan-Glum
When Winter Comes by Aimee M. Bissonette
Q’s ELA and Math
Arthur finished the last unit for Singapore 5A. We covered ratios this week. We will move on to 5B.
Singapore Common Core 5A
Orbiting with Logic
Quentin continued Singapore 2A with a big review of numbers to 1000. We also continued our logic book.
Lollipop Logic Book 3
Singapore Common Core 2A
Q’s Bird Unit
Arthur covered the Spanish American War this week. This sets use everything for our World War I study 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
A Different Mirror for Young People
This is Our Land: A History of American Immigration
Cobblestone: The Spanish-American War
Quentin took a little break from our regular history chapters and covered the ancient city of Troy this week.
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
The Wooden Horse of Troy by Cari Meister
The Trojan Horse: How the Greeks Won the War by Emily Little
Q’s ELA, Math, and History
We ended up not going to chemistry class due to the weather and my migraine. We did cover the text information and should be good for next week’s meeting. Plus we read two chapters in our Story of Science book.
RSO Chemistry
DK Super Simple Chemistry
Story of Science Vol. 2: Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim
DK The Elements
Quentin got back into the RSO Life curriculum and covered birds this week.
RSO Life
DK Oversimple Biology
Birds by Ann O. Squire
Birds by Jon Wood
Birds by Carme Lemniscates
Birds by Kevin Henkes
Birds by Pamela Hickman
Birds by Miranda Krestovnikoff
Bird Count by Susan Edwads Richmond
The Last Rainbow Bird by Nora Brech
A’s ELA and Math
The weather gave us a bit of a break the meant we actually got to meet this week. Quentin’s class takes about shapes and made some 3-D shapes using toothpicks and clay. I taught Arthur’s class and we covered symmetry. Along with a name symmetry graphing activity, we started an origami project to carry over to next week.
Art and Music Time
Because of the weather, we ended up bumping art and music into our plan this week. The boys really got into the art from Andy Warhol, especially loving the soup paintings. And they enjoyed the music for the week also.
DK Music and How it Works
DK The Arts
DK Art and How It Works
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
Iconic Composers by Nicholas Csicsko & Emi Ferguson
13 Art Movements Children Should Know
13 Artists Children Should Know
13 Modern Artists Children Should Know
The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning & Brita Granström
Why is Art Full of Naked People? by Susie Hodge
Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter by Susan Goldman Rubin
Andy Warhol Pop Art Painter by Susan Goldman Rubin
Uncle Andy’s by James Warhola
Uncle Andy’s Cats by James Warhola
Fabulous! A Portrait of Andy Warhol by Bonnie Christensen
Art is Everywhere: A Book About Andy Warhol by Jeff Mack
Biography Book by Mike Venezia
Art nad Music Unit
The weather cancelled our planned field trip. Thankfully we got it rescheduled for later in the month.
Q’s ELA
Getting stuck in the house was not exciting, but we did get a ton of book work done. And we had lots of cozy time reading and playing games.
The weather was killing us once again. Snow storms and temperatures below zero really hindered our plans.
A’s ELA
Starting our new read aloud
Beginning our World War I study for history
Jumping into new our math units
Exploring some new concepts about the periodic table
Easing into Greece with some myths and stories
Learning about mammals for science
Hopefully heading outside for a nature walk and field trip
Next up on the TBR pile:
