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Homeschool W28: The Forest and Some Bees

What We Studied

And it was a very normal week for our school days. We had a few outings, but covered a ton of material.

 

Literature and Poetry

Finished one read aloud and started another.

  • City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda

  • The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

  • I’ve Lost My Hippopotamus by Jack Prelutsky

  • The Giant Carrot by Jan Peck (Lit Study)

 

Math

And with that, Arthur has finished Singapore 3B! For the rest of the year, we’ll be reviewing math concepts and playing some math games.

  • Logic Countdown

  • For Good Measure by Ken Robbins

Social Studies

We covered the Ottoman Empire for history. Arthur enjoyed the art and the science especially.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

 

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

 

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop, covered bees. The kids learned about bee life cycles and then played some games and did some crafts. The kids got to make bee houses for our local mason bees.

We finished our science unit on geology with a mini lesson on volcanoes. Arthur was super excited to learn all about how volcanoes work.

  • An Island Grows by Lola M. Schaefer

  • Nat Geo Kids Volcanoes

  • Volcanoes by Gail Gibbons

  • Volcanoes by Elaine Landau

  • Geo Detectives: Volcanoes and Earthquakes by Anita Ganeri

  • The Magic School Bus Blows Its Top by Joanna Cole

  • Fault Lines and Tectonic Plates by Kathleen M. Reilly

  • Everything Volcanoes and Earthquakes by Kathy Furgang

  • DK Volcano and Earthquake

  • Volcanic Eruptions by Ann O. Squire

  • How Hot is Lava? And Other Questions About Volcanoes by Kelly Smith

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Q started a Beatrix Potter unit for the month of April. We also did some math and worked on other skills.

ELA

  • The Secret Staircase by Jill Barklem

  • Sea Story by Jill Barklem

  • The High Hills by Jill Barklem

  • The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

  • The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter

  • High Five January 2020

  • High Five March 2020

  • A Celebration of Beatrix Potter: Art and Letters

Math

  • Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

  • I Spy On the Farm

  • Smart Start Beginning Coding Grade 1

Field Trip

We had a lovely few hours at Fontenelle Forest with their STEM backpacks. The coop field trips have been great this semester. We did a scavenger hunt, walked the trails, and played at the nature classroom.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies.

 

Misc. Picture Books Read

  • No Buddy Like a Book by Allan Wolf

  • Serious Farm by Tim Egan

 

High

  • Our two coop events this week were great. We love having regular events with our friends and learning a little something.

Low

  • A big dentist appointment on Monday took me out for hours. Oh well. We’ll make it up.

Next Week

  • Continuing to read the Chronicles of Narnia

  • Reviewing our math concepts

  • Focusing on nature for science

  • Learning about the scientific revolution and the Reformation

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 04.11.22
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W27: Adding to Our Outside Hours!

What We Studied

We combined a “break week” and a regular week for this post. Our break week have turned into a way to catch up on unfinished units, add some special activities, and take a few hours off.

Literature and Poetry

We continued our read aloud and did a few literature studies. A fairly normal week when it came to language.

  • City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda

  • I’ve Lost My Hippopotamus by Jack Prelutsky

  • Butterfly House by Eve Bunting

  • Three Hens and a Peacock by Lester L. Laminack

  • Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

  • The Happy Lion by Louise Patio

  • Mossy by Jan Brett

  • John Philip Duck by Patricia Polacco

  • Ginger and Petunia by Patricia Polacco

 

Math

Arthur covered Unit 12: Geometry and even did a special project. He created a Multiplication Grid art project.

  • Logic Countdown

  • Math Art + Drawing Games

Social Studies

We covered two chapters in History Quest: Middle Times learning about Kievan Russia and Mughal India. We did a mini focus on St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Taj Mahal. (Side note: I think I want to add an architecture unit into next year’s curriculum.) And I threw in a mini unit about the stories of Baba Yaga.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • Follow Me Around: Russia by Wiley Blevins

  • Let’s Explore Russia by Walt K. Moon

  • Living in Russia by Jesse Burton

  • Russia ABCs by Ann Berge

  • Matreshka by Becky Hickox Ayres

  • The Flying Witch by Jane Yolen

  • The Black Geese by Alison Lurie

  • Baba Yaga and Vasilisa the Brave by Marianna Mayer

  • Grandma Chickenlegs by Geraldine McCaughrean

  • Baba Yaga and the Wise Doll by Hiawyn Oram

  • Baba Yaga by An Leysen

  • Whole Wide World: Kristine Spanier

  • Taj Mahal by Cynthia Kennedy Hanzel

  • Where is the Taj Mahal? by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler

  • Taj Mahal by Elizabeth Mann

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop, we

Beyond coop, we did a mini unit on the Spring Equinox.

  • Goodbye Winter Hello Spring by Kenard Pak

  • Sorting Through Spring by Lizann Flatt

  • My Nature Sticker Activity Book: In the Forest by Olivia Cosneau

And we continued our geology unit focusing on rocks and minerals and plate tectonics and earthquakes. Arthur loved growing his own lava rock crystals.

  • Radical Rocks by Rena Korb

  • These Rocks Count! by Alison Formento

  • Geology: The Study of Rocks by Susan H. Gray

  • Nat Geo Rocks and Minerals by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

  • Fantastic Forces and Incredible Machines

  • Astonishing Atoms and Matter Mayhem

  • Dirtmeister's Nitty Gritty Planet Earth by Steve Tomecek

  • I'm Trying to Love Rocks by Bethany Barton

  • Rocks by Sally M. Walker

  • All About Rocks by Alessandra Potenza

  • DK Rocks and Minerals

  • DK Rocks and Minerals (other edition)

  • My Little Book of Rocks, Minerals, and Gems by Claudia Martin

  • My Book of Rocks and Minerals

  • The Island that Moved: How Shifting Forces Shape Our Earth by Meredith Hooper

  • DK Volcano and Earthquake

  • Fault Lines and Tectonic Plates by Kathleen M. Reilly

  • Everything Volcanoes and Earthquakes by Kathy Furgang Ch. 3

  • Geo Detectives: Volcanoes and Earthquakes by Anita Ganeri

  • Earthquakes on Shaky Ground by Lesley McFadzean

  • Zhang Heng and the Incredible Earthquake Detector by Randel McGee

Art/Music

We discovered Rosa Bonheur and her animal paintings. The kids loved looking at a big collection of her work and learning a little of her life. Afterward, they did some free drawing inspired by Bonheur’s work.

  • Rosa's Animals: The Story of Rosa Bonheur and Her Painting Menagerie by Maryann MacDonald

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Q finished his big general unit on the farm.

ELA

  • Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals by Nicola Davies

  • Biscuit by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

  • Biscuit Plays Ball by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

  • Biscuit and the Baby by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

  • Biscuit’s Day at the Farm by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

  • Biscuit Goes Camping by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

  • Spring Story by Jill Barkley

  • High Five November 2018

  • High Five December 2018

  • High Five February 2020

  • Flubby will NOT Play with That by JE Morris

  • Food from Farms by Nancy Dickmann

  • Let’s Visit a Dairy Farm by Alyse Sweeney

  • What’s It Like to Live Here? Farm by Katie Marsico

  • Mrs. Wishy-Washy’s Farm by

  • Farm by Elisha Cooper

  • On the Farm by Victoria Taylor

  • Let's Go to the Farm! by Caryl Hart

  • Seasons on the Farm by Nancy Dickmann

  • Mighty Truck on the Farm by Chris Barton

  • Big Read Barn by Margeret Wise Brown

  • Farm Machines by Kathryn Clay

  • Finish Farm Packet

  • I Spy on the Farm

Math

  • Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

  • I Spy Learn and Go

  • I Spy on the Farm

  • Smart Start Beginning Coding Grade 1

Field Trip

We had a fun day exploring Arbor Day Farm last Friday. We started with a guided lesson about bees and blossoms and then played on our own. Thankfully I remembered to pack a picnic lunch. We ended up spending 6 hours there making it a 8 hour day away from the house. Still, it was a great 6 hours!

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We watched a NOVA episode about gemstones. I learned a lot about how they are made and what distinguishesd one from another. Not a documentary, but a podcast - We started listening to PBS Eons: Mysteries of Deep Time. The first two episodes cover the only human remains in the La Brea Tar Pits and the Piltdown Man Hoax. Fascinating listens as we traveled this week.

 

Misc. Picture Books Read

  • The Universe and You by Suzanne Slade

  • Dear Librarian by Lydia M. Sigwarth

  • Poo on the Savanna by Emilie Dufresne

  • A Pizza with Everything on It by Kyle Scheele

  • Dear Reader by Tiffany Rose

  • Ten Thank-You Letters by Daniel Kirk

  • Nobody Hugs a Cactus by Carter Goodrich

High

  • Arbor Day Farm was incredibly per usual. I wish it was a bit closer to home.

Low

  • Thursday’s coop meeting was more hectic and chaotic than usual. We were very sad to have to hold it in doors at the temps were hovering in the 30s.

Next Week

  • Wrapping up City of the Plague God

  • Starting the last three books in the Chronicles of Narnia

  • Covering half of 3B Unit 13 about area and perimeter

  • Exploring the Ottoman Empire

  • Beginning a Beatrix Potter unit for literature

  • Continuing our geology unit for science as well as spring and bees for coop

  • Hoping to sneak in a study of Beethoven’s music

  • Taking a backpack hike at Fontenelle Forest

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 04.04.22
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W26: We Had a Week...

What We Studied

So… we had a week. Overall, it was that exciting, but we made it through the week with a few fun outings.

Literature and Poetry

We started a new read aloud and do a few literature studies this week. A fairly normal week when it came to language.

  • City of the Plague God by Sarwat Chadda

  • Poetry for Young People: Robert Frost by Gary D. Schmidt

  • Me… Jane by Patrick McDinnell

  • Sally Jean, Bicycle Queen by Cari Best

  • Superworm by Julia Donaldson

  • Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

 

Math

Arthur covered Unit 11: Data Analysis for math. It was a short unit,. but we worked through all the problems.

  • Logic Countdown

Social Studies

This chapter of History Quest focused on the Renaissance. We covered a lot of the art and architecture and compared to the earlier Medieval period. Arthur was very focused on Brunelleshi’s cathedral in Florence.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • Human World

  • Leonardo da Vinci by Stephen Krensky

  • Leonardo da Vinci by Mary Pope Osborne

  • Renaissance by Alison Cole

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop, we talked about first responders and had talk from a local wildlife rescue group. I learned a lot, but the boys were a bit more interested in the crafts we did. Beyond that, we did read some other books and chatted about a variety of first responders.

  • Show Me Community Helpers by Clint Edwards

  • Helping Hospital by Lindsay Ward

  • Real Superheroes by Julia Seal

  • First Responders by Allan B. Cobb

  • Itty Bitty Kitty Firehouse Fun by Joan Holub

 

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Q finished Sh, Ch, and Th digraphs and started moving into Level 1 readers. We kept working on math skills and pencil control.

ELA

  • Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals by Nicola Davies

  • Biscuit Feeds the Pets by Alyssia Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

  • A Snowy Day in Bugland by David A. Carter (Q reads)

  • Summer Story by Jill Barklem

  • Autumn Story by Jill Barklem

  • High Five April 2018

  • High Five September 2018

  • Farming by Gail Gibbons

  • Night on the Farm

  • In! Over! and On! (The Farm) by Ethan Long

  • Spring on the Farm by MJ York

  • Go to Sleep, Little Farm by Mary Lyn Ray

  • On the Farm by David Elliott

  • Poo on the Farm by Emilie Dufresne

  • On the Farm, At the Market by G. Brian Karas

  • Old MacDonald had a Farm by Jane Cabrera


Math

  • Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

  • I Spy Learn and Go

  • Smart Start Beginning Coding Grade 1

 

Field Trip

On Monday we took the morning for errands and also hit the park for about an hour or so. It was a bit chilly, but not bad at all. The boys really needed some time to run.

Wednesday was a nature hike at Schramm with some coop friends. We did the 3 mile loop, had a picnic, played at the playground, and looked for fossils. It was a glorious 4 1/2 hours out in nature.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies.

Misc. Picture Books Read

  • Turtle Pond by James Gladstone

  • The Little Piggy Went Dancing by Margaret Wild

  • Cecil the Pet Glacier by Matthea Harvey and Giselle Potter

  • 15 Things NOT to Do with a Puppy by Margaret McAllister

  • Anzu the Great Kaiju by Benson Shum

High

  • The hike through the woods on Wednesday was absolutely amazing! The boys had a great time with friends and so did I!

Low

  • We didn’t get around to our earth science lesson this week and now we’re slightly behind. I don’t like being behind. Thankfully, we have a “break week” next week. I have very glad that I built in breaks in our scheduled lessons to catch up when we get behind.

Next Week

  • Starting 3B Unit 12 for geometry

  • Continuing reading City of the Plague God

  • Finishing up first responders for coop

  • Diving into rocks and minerals for science

  • Covering the Kiev Russia for history

  • Taking Thursday off after coop

  • Looking forward to a nature hike on Friday

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 03.21.22
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W25: Midwest Weather Changed Our Plans

What We Studied

We had a schedule with a few field trips, but those changed due to the weather. After last weekend’s storm, the temperatures dropped dramatically and didn’t recover. It was cold and the wind made it even colder.

Our Book Outlet finally came! Lots of things for next year (except for the Beatrix Potter books).

Literature and Poetry

Finally finished Aru Shah this week and concluded our American Tall Tales unit. I really enjoyed both and I think Arthur did also.

  • Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

  • Poetry Outside Your Window by Nicola Davies

  • When Green Becomes Tomatoes by Julie Fogliano

  • American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne

  • The 12 Most Amazing American Myths and Legends by Anita Yasuda

  • Casey Jones by Stephen Krensky

  • Mike Fink by Steven Kellogg

  • Pecos Bill Tames a Colossal Cyclone by Eric Braun

  • Pecos Bill by Stephen Krensky

  • Pecos Bill, Monster Wrangler by Benjamin Harper

  • Pecos Bill Colossal Cowboy by Sean Tulien

  • John Henry Vs. the Mighty Steam Drill by Carl Meister

  • John Henry: An American Legend by Ezra Jack Keats

  • Ain't Nothing but a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson

  • John Henry by Stephen Krensky

  • John Henry, Steel-Drivin' Elf by Benjamin Harper

  • Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg

  • The Tall Tale of Paul Bunyan by Martin Powell

  • The Bunyans by Audrey Wood

  • Paul Bunyan's Sweetheart by Marybeth Lorbiecki

  • Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Whale by Penelope Gruber

  • Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox: The Great Pancake Adventure by Matt Luckhurst

  • Paul Bunyan vs. Hals Halson: The Great Lumberjack Challenge! by Teresa Bateman

Both boys had successful dentist appointments

 

Math

We sped through Unit 10 about time. Really it was a big review while ago doing some more adding and subtracting time.

  • Logic Countdown

 

Social Studies

We ended up not actually doing our history unit this week. No big deal, we’ll just push it a week. This is why I add in “break” weeks to our schedule. Gives us a lot of flexibility.

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

We didn’t have coop this week due to our scheduled break week. We’ll be back next week with our First Responders theme.

For science, we started our big Earth Science unit focusing on geography, geology, and volcanoes and earthquakes.

  • When Planet Earth was New by James Gladstone

  • Earth by Quinn M. Arnold

  • Home on the Earth by Laura Purdie Salas

  • Dirtmeister's Nitty Gritty Planet Earth by Steve Tomecek

  • Stickmen's Guide to Mountains and Valleys in Layers by Catherine Chambers

  • The Magic School Buss Inside the Earth by Joanna Cole

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Quentin started his next unit on the farm. Basically that means a ton of farm themed books, some themed ELA and math pages, and a few mini crafts and projects.

ELA

  • Winter Story by Jill Barklem

  • On a Farm by Alexa Andrews (Q reads)

  • Life on a Farm

  • Farmyard Beat by Lindsey Craig

  • Biscuit's Snow Day Race by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

  • Farm by Rebecca Pettiford

  • My Farm Friends by Wendell Minor

  • Going to a Farm by Rebecca Rissman

  • Dinosaur Farm by Penny Dale

  • Busy Bug Builds a Fort by David A. Carter (Q reads)

  • Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals by Nicola Davies

  • Old MicMickey Had a Farm

  • I Like the Farm by Shelley Rotner

  • The Farmer by Ximo Abadia

  • Amara's Farm by JaNay Brown-Wood

Math

  • Lollipop Logic Book 1

  • Smart Start Beginning Coding Grade 1

Other

  • High Five January 2018

Field Trip

The weather was not cooperating with us this week. We again got below zero a few of the days. We did venture out to the zoo on Wednesday. It was chilly, but we got to visit the elephant babies (and they were right up front!) and warm up in the jungle and the desert dome. We also had a park day on the one slightly warmer day. The boys had fun, but more importantly, I had a lovely conversation with two coop moms. (The boys also had their dentist appointments this week.)

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies.

 

Misc. Picture Books Read

  • Letters from Bear by Gauthier David

  • Snickerdoodle Takes the Cake by Ethan Long

  • A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers

  • The Paperboy by Dav Pilkey

  • A New Green Day by Antoinette Portis

  • How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers

  • In the Half Room by Carson Ellis

  • If I Were the Sunshine by Julie Fogliano

  • The Boy with Big, Big Feelings by Britney Winn Lee

High

  • Getting out to the zoo on Wednesday was delightful. We got to spend 15 minutes observing the new elephant babies. They are incredibly adorable.

Low

  • Super cold temps cancelled our planned hike on Friday. I was looking forward to getting out into nature more. Thankfully, we have rescheduled for Wednesday.

Baby Sonny!

Next Week

  • Starting 3B Unit 11 (Data Analysis) for math

  • Beginning City of the Plague God for our read aloud

  • Analyzing a few picture books for literature

  • Covering the Renaissance for history

  • Getting acquainted with the paintings of Rosa Bonheur

  • Continuing with our farm unit for Quentin

  • Exploring rocks and minerals for science

 

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 03.14.22
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W24: 5 1/2 Hours Outside in One Day!

What We Studied

Arthur started the week sick canceling out planned zoo day. We did spend all day Tuesday outside and had our usual coop.

**Turns out I took basically no pictures last week. It was a strange week for us (mentally) and I just didn’t get pictures taken. Oh well. I promise we still did things.

Literature and Poetry

While continuing to read Aru Shah, we also started our unit on American Tall Tales. We’re focusing on one character per tale and reading a variety of tales and information while working through a companion packet I found. We’ll be continuing this into next week also.

  • Are Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

  • American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne

  • The 12 Most Amazing American Myths and Legends by Anita Yasuda

  • Davy Crockett Saves the World by Rosalyn Schanzer

  • Davy Crockett and the Great Mississippi Snag by Cari Meister

  • Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind by Steven Kellogg

  • Thunder Rose by Jerdine Nolan

  • Johnny Appleseed by Steven Kellogg

  • Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindbergh

  • The Story of Johnny Appleseed by Aliki

  • Johnny Appleseed by Rosemary and Stephen Vincent Benet

  • Johnny Appleseed Plants Trees Across the Land by Eric Braun

  • Outside Your Window by Nicola Davies (Winter and Spring sections)

Math

Arthur’s still sitting with 3B Unit 9 covering fractions. We finished the lessons and did some extra practice. We’ll be wrapping this up next week, but I’m sure we’ll revisit later this spring.

  • Logic Countdown

Social Studies

This chapter of History Quest focused on the Inca Civilization. We’ve watched enough documentaries previously, that this was almost a review for Arthur. He still learned a bit about their farming practices, and we still had a good time reading and looking up pictures.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • DK Explorers

  • Where is Machu Picchu? by Megan Stine

  • Inca by Lawrence Kovacs

  • Ancient Civilizations: Aztecs, Maya, Incas! by Anita Yasuda

  • Ancient Incas by Michael Burgan

  • Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

Coop was all about space. The littles group made watercolor salt space paintings and talked about space travel. The other older group finished their lap books about the solar system. At home, we did some review about space.

For our actual health unit, we talking about our senses and how they work. Lots of pointing out examples of using our senses throughout the week.

  • My Five Senses by Aliki

  • iDiscover the Body by Carolyn Scrace

  • My Amazing Body by Ruth Martin & Allan Sanders

  • My Body by Martha E.H. Rustad

House down the street had to remove a tree and now has a holiday themed inflatable every month. We stopped by after our park day.

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included.

ELA

  • Nick and Nack Blow Bubbles by Brandon Budzi

  • There is a Town by Gail Herman

  • Little Penguin and the mysterious Object by Tadgh Bentley

  • The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

  • High Five August 2018

Math

  • Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

  • I Spy Learn and Go

Field Trip

None this week

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies.

Misc. Picture Books Read

  • Snow Dance by Erica Farber (Q read to me)

  • This Book is Gray by Lindsay Ward

  • The Love Letter by Anika Aldamuy Denise

  • Big Snow by Jonathan Bean

  • Love by Matt de la Pena

  • Eyes that Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ho

  • Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears by Corey Rosen Schwartz

  • If You were a Panda Bear by Wendell and Florence Minor

  • Puppy by Keith Graves

  • Negative Cat by Sophie Blackall

  • The Great Puppy Invasion by Alastair Heim

 

High

  • We had a park playdate on Tuesday morning and then added another park playdate that afternoon. We basically spent all of Tuesday outside and it was amazing! We added to our outside hours and just enjoyed the break in the weather. For reference, last night it froze and snowed almost 2 inches. A little different from the temps in the 60s this past week.

Low

  • Arthur got sick on Monday morning (food related, not COVID related) and we had to cancel our zoo day. We’re hoping to go again this Wednesday, but it really put a damper on our day.

Next Week

  • Starting 3B Unit 10 for math

  • Finishing reading Aru Shah and covering American Tall Tales

  • Covering the Renaissance for history

  • Diving into the farm for Quentin’s big unit

  • Exploring the paintings of Rosa Bonheur

  • Taking a break from coop (scheduled week off)

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 03.07.22
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W23: A Break and a Regular Week Combined

Weekly LEGO Creation

What We Studied

We had our “winter break” two weeks back. Instead of continuing our regularly scheduled studies, we focused on some side projects and other activities. Plus, we had multiple outings that week. Arthur wasn’t a huge fan of our alternative schedule, but that’s okay, it helped me catch a breath. Last week, we were back to our usual routine.

Literature and Poetry

We started our fill-in read aloud of Aru Shah. It was nice to see Arthur make some connections to our previous history units about India. We also covered Immigrant Trickster Tales. I especially loved the Creole versions of stories.

  • Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi

  • ICE! Poems About Polar Life by Douglas Florian

  • Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky

  • Trickster Tales

Math

We moved through 3B Unit 9 on fractions. Mostly it was a review, but at the end the chapter moved into different denominators and simplifying fractions. We are going to stay with that topic into next week. We also did some winter shape tangrams (always a hit!) and LEGO challenges,.

  • Logic Liftoff

Social Studies

During break week, we learned about bit more about Black History and specifically how black people were (and still are) treated in this country. Tough subjects, but a good small introduction for the kids.

  • 28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World by Charles R. Smith Jr

  • Your Legacy: A Bold Reclaiming of Our Enslaved History by Scheme Williams

  • Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson

  • The ABCs of Black History by Rio Cortez

This chapter of History Quest focused on the Aztec culture. Arthur really enjoyed learning more about them and what Mexico City looks like now.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • The Aztec Empire by Sunita Apte

  • The Aztec Empire by Ellis Roxburgh

  • The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes by Duncan Tonatiuh

  • Ancient Aztec: Archaeology Unlocks the Secrets of Mexico's Past by Time Cooke

  • Ancient Civilizations: Aztec, Maya, Incas! by Anita Yasuda

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop we finished our Black History theme with stations about some famous people and their accomplishments. Last Thursday we started our space theme and Arthur got to show off all this random space facts. The actual meeting was a bit chaotic due to other issues, but the lesson itself was great.

In our own studies, we talked about anatomy and did some basics. Quentin loved the StoryBots episodes about the human body. We will continue this a bit into next week.

Art/Music

We covered Pierre Auguste Renoir and the idea of the Impressionist movement. We looked at a ton of his paintings, read about his life, and made our own versions. Q likes looking at the art, but not really making his own.

  • Katie Meets the Impressionists by James Mayhew

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included.

ELA

  • Biscuit Visits the Big City by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

  • Miffy Can Play by RJ Cregg (Q reads)

  • Max Finds an Egg by Wiley Blevins (Q reads)

  • Nick and Nack See the Stars by Brandon Budzi

  • Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss

  • A Potato on a Bike by Elisa Gravel

  • Truck Parade by Melinda Melton Crow (Q reads)

  • Monkey Play by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

  • Nick and Nack Float a Boat by Brandon Budzi (Q reads)

  • Biscuit Flies a Kite by Alyssa Satin Capucilli (Q reads)

  • I Like Fish by Margaret Wise Brown (Q reads)

Math

  • Lollipop Logic Book 1

  • Winter Shape Tangrams

Other

  • The Sun is My Favorite Star by Frank Asch

Field Trip

We visited the UNO Planetarium for a private showing with our coop friends. We got to see a fun video about the Parker Solar Probe, an in-depth look at the solar system, and some constellations. I do enjoy planetariums and super excited that we got to secure a private showing for the group (and the pricing wasn’t bad).

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

 

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. During break week we watched a NOVA episode about “The Ship that Changed the World.” Fascinating look at how shipbuilding changed in the age of exploration.

 

Boys joined us for Lord of the Rings trivia

Misc. Picture Books Read

  • Thankful by Eileen Spinelli

  • My Pet Wants a Pet by Elisa Broach

  • The Thank You Letter by Jane Cabrera

  • Arlo Draws an Octopus by Lori Mortensen

  • Can Anybody Hear Me? by Jessica Meserve

  • The Word Pirates by Susan Cooper

  • The Zebra-Riding Cowboy by Angela Shelf Medearis

  • Tad and Dad by David Ezra Stein

  • Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

  • It Fell from the Sky by The Fan Brothers

  • What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Jan Thomas

  • Sheep Count Flowers by Micaela Chirif

  • Truck Stop by Anne Rockwell

  • Wolves by Emily Gravett

  • Into the Snow by Yuki Kaneko

  • There was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow by Lucille Colandro

  • The Pied Piper's Magic by Steven Kellogg

High

  • During our break week, we visited the zoo, had a park playdate, and attended the coop Valentine’s Day party. We packed multiple outings into one week! By the end we were tired, but happy.

Low

  • Unfortunately, Arthur scratched his glasses during our park playdate. Not great at all. They are still under the protection plan, so new lenses have been ordered and should be here early next week.

Selfie at the Planetarium

Next Week

  • Finishing 3B Unit 9 for math

  • Finishing reading Aru Shah and starting our American Folk Tales unit

  • Covering space for coop again

  • Going south to the Andes Mountains for the Inca civilization for history

  • Introducing the paintings of Rosa Bonheur

  • Continuing to work on phonics for Quentin

  • Fitting in one zoo, two park playdates, and a grocery run

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Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 02.28.22
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W22: Guess We Focused on ELA and Math...

Making Valentine’s for our mail exchange

What We Studied

Overall, we did a big focus on ELA and Math for this week and left some of the other subjects be put on pause. I really love the flexibility of home schooling to go with our flow instead of forcing subjects or time.

Literature and Poetry

We finish our read aloud. By the end of the book, Arthur claims that he didn't really like it, but believe me, he kept asking for “one more chapter” every day. I think he did like the book.

  • The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky

  • Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

  • The Legend of Rock, Paper, and Scissors by Drew Daywalt

View of the Missouri River

 

Math

Arthur started Unit 9 all about fractions. The first lesson was a basic review (“Mom, I already know this!”), but lesson two started exploring equivalent fractions. A bit harder! The second half of the unit will talk about adding and subtracting fractions and getting into simplifying and finding common denominators.

  • Logic Liftoff

 

Social Studies

We covered the Age of Exploration for history this week. Our HistoryQuest chapter focused on four different explorers: Zheng He, Ibn Battuta, Christopher Columbus, and Ferdinand Magellan. Sad to say that even with my background I knew little to nothing about Zheng He and Ibn Battuta. This week rectified that gap and then some some. I loved learning about the Chinese Treasure Fleet in particular.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • Explorers

Turkeys down by the river

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Videos about explorers

Science and STEAM Coop

For coop, we learned about some famous African Americans. Ms. Anna put together some great stations to explore and participate in activities. Arthur loved pretending to be FloJo and sprint through the yard.

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Q focused on basic phonics and math skills. We are going to dive into more focused phonics lessons and started Singapore Math soon, so I wanted him to get a good foundation this week. As a bonus, his pencil skills are improving!

ELA

  • Old Hat, New Hat by Stan & Jan Berenstain

  • Duck and Cat’s Rainy Day by Carin Bramsen

  • 30 Minutes a Day Preschool

  • High Five Magazines

Math

  • Lollipop Logic Book 1

  • Arithmechicks Add Up by Ann Marie Stephens

Other

  • Kumon Tracing Book

Field Trip

On Tuesday, we spent over 4 hours outside in nature at Fontenelle Forest with some friends. The weather was going to be decent and it seemed like we needed some outdoor time. A few coop families joined us for most of the time. We even decided to buy a membership for the year. My goal is to go to Fontenelle at least once a month. If we go three times, the pass is more than paid for. Twelve times would be an awesome value!

After Fontenelle, we had to drive over to Council Bluffs to get the coop basket and stopped at the Golden Spike Monument while there. This monument erected in 1939, commemorates the Eastern Terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad put into place in Abraham Lincoln back in the 1960s. It’s the strangest random monument between the railroad tracks and a road and trailer park. But we added it to our collection of random roadside markers.

On Friday, we joined some other coop families for a visit to the Great Plains Black History Museum for our Black History theme. The museum is small, but a treasure trove of interesting artifacts and information. Overall the kids were bored, as it was geared toward an adult audience, but I’m hoping that at least the exposure of different places will sink in a bit.

 

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. we had planned on a documentary morning, but we pivoted to puzzle hour this week. Still, a good time.

 

Misc. Picture Books Read

  • A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams

  • How Big is the World by Britta Teckentrup

  • Snow by Cynthia Rylant

  • Louise Loves Art by Kelly Light

High

  • An almost whole day in nature was great! We only covered the boardwalk, Raptor Rescue, and play area, but it was just lovely to be outside for a time. With that 4 hours, we added a 60% of our January outside hours to our big goal of 1000 Hours Outside. February is looking to be a much better month. (We’re planning a zoo day for this coming week to get in some more hours!)

Low

  • Due to COVID, I had to host coop on Thursday. Not a huge deal, but I just came off teaching the first four weeks of the semester. I was beyond tired on Thursday afternoon.

 

Next Week

  • Taking a “break” week - not really a break, just a break from our usual routine for some special projects and subjects

  • Beginning Aru Shah and the End of Time for read aloud

  • Deciding coop plans for the week (am I hosting? not certain yet)

  • Getting acquainted with Renoir for art (didn’t get to it this past week)

  • Hoping to spend more hours outside

  • Having a fun Valentine’s Day Party with coop friends!

 

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 02.14.22
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W21: Two Documentaries Related to Our Studies

What We Studied

A fairly normal week for us. We covered a decent amount of work, and had an outing between it got really cold again.

Literature and Poetry

We continued our new read aloud. There’s a dragon, a journey, and a collection of folklore stories. I’m digging it. After a rocky first few chapters, Arthur become invested when the dragon appeared.

  • The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky

  • Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

  • Fact vs. Opinions vs. Robots by Michael Rex

Math

Arthur worked through the end of 3B Unit 7 about capacity. And we covered Unit 8 about money. Basic addition and subtraction. Both boys also begged to do some Khan Academy math, so we covered that

  • Logic Liftoff

 

Social Studies

This chapter of History Quest focused on the Yuan and Ming Dynasties in China. We already covered Marco Polo’s travels a few chapters ago, but we remet him again and his involvement with Kublai Khan.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • Kublai Khan, The Emperor of Everything by Kathleen Krull

  • No Year of the Cat by Mary Dodson Wade

  • Ancient China by Brian Williams

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

For science, we did a bit more of a weather unit and kept tracking the weather throughout the week. In coop, I taught the older kids about climate change. We made greenhouse gas molecules out of gumdrops and toothpicks and talked about ways that we could combat climate change.

  • Climate Change and Rising Temperatures by Kevin Kurtz

  • The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge by Joanna Cole

  • Stand Up! Speak Out! A Story Inspired by the Climate Change Revolution by Andrew Joyner

We also covered more about emotions and various socio-emotional states and strategies. We’ll be finishing this unit next week.

  • Rock n Roll Soul by Susan Verde

  • Good People Everywhere by Lynea Gillen

  • What Does It Mean to Be Present? by Rana DiOrio

  • Try a Little Kindness by Henry Cole

  • Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller

  • Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson

  • Incredible You! by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

  • What Were You Thinking? by Bryan Smith

  • You Get What You Get by Julie Gassman

 

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Q finished Sh, Ch, and Th digraphs and started moving into Level 1 readers. We kept working on math skills and pencil control.

ELA

  • Biscuit Phonics Books

  • Saturday by Oge Mora

  • Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña

Math

  • Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

  • Big and Little: A Story of Opposites by Cheryl Pilgrim

  • When the Snow is Deeper Than My Boots are Tall by Jean Reidy

  • Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner

Field Trip

On Monday we took a walk at the OPPD Arboretum. We invited our coop friends, but no one could actually make it. Still, we had a lovely walk enjoying the park in wintertime. Another hour for our 1000 Hour Outside challenge!

On Tuesday, we had a virtual field trip with the National Weather Service. The presenter did a great job teaching the kiddos and dealing with all the interruptions that come from smaller children on zoom. The presentation covered a lot of the information we covered in coop last week and there was time for questions.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We watched two different documentaries this week. For history, we watch NOVA S44 E15 Secrets of the Forbidden City. For science, we watched NOVA S49 E5 Arctic Sinkholes.

 

Misc. Picture Books Read

  • Oops Pounce Quick Run! An Alphabet Caper by Mike Twohy

  • Except Antarctica by Todd Sturgell

  • A House that Once Was by Julia Fogliano

  • The Smart Cookie by Jory John

  • Seeds Move by Robin Page

High

  • Another outdoor walk really helped all our moods. No one else joined us, but we still enjoyed a lovely hour at the OPPD Arboretum. It was nice to see the park in the winter as last time we were there it was 95 degrees and late summer.

Low

  • By the end of the week, attitudes has taken a downward trajectory. I don’t think the boys are getting enough sleep. We’re trying to push up their bedtime, but they are resisting…

Next Week

  • Starting 3B Unit 9 for math

  • Finishing reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

  • Changing our plans to have Black History theme for coop at our house.

  • Covering the Age of Exploration for history

  • Getting acquainted with Renoir for art (didn’t get to it this past week)

  • Working on phonics for Quentin

  • Hoping to spend more hours outside

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 02.07.22
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W20: Getting Used to Winter Walks

What We Studied

We ended up with a light week, but covered some ground.

We found a visitor at Heron Haven

Literature and Poetry

We started our new read aloud. There’s a dragon, a journey, and a collection of folklore stories. I’m digging it. Not sure how much Arthur is, but we’ll keep going.

  • The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky

  • Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

Math

Arthur worked through 3B Unit 7 about capacity. We discussed milliliters and liters. We’ll be finishing the unit this coming week.

  • Logic Liftoff

Social Studies

We covered two Indian Empires for our middle times. Specifically, we learned about Razia Sultana.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

For science, we did a mini unit on weather to coincide with our coop theme. At home we learned about the weather and various weather states. We tracked the weather and working on some activities. In coop, I taught the older kids and we discussed what makes the weather and made a weather station.

  • Snow is Falling by Franklyn M. Branley

  • One Snowy Morning by Kevin Tseng

  • First Snow by Nancy Vlau

  • Some Snow Is... by Ellen Yeoman

  • Snow Day! by Candice Ransom

  • The Snow Day by Komako Sakai

  • Sizing Up Winter by Lizann Flatt

  • What Will the Weather Be? by Lynda Dewitt

  • Watching the Weather by Lisa J. Amstutz

  • Weather Words and What They Mean by Gail Gibbons

  • What Makes a Blizzard? by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

  • Kate, Who Tamed the Wind by Liz Garton Scanlon

  • Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse

  • The Fog by Kyo Maclear

Art/Music

None this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. We covered a variety of snow activities, shapes, colors, and math.

ELA

  • Biscuit Phonics Books

  • The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Math

  • Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

Field Trip

On Monday we had a nice walk at Heron Haven. It was a bit icy, but it was lovely to get outside for an hour. This wasn’t a big coop field trip, but a more spontaneous outing to take advantage of the weather.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We ended not watching anything particular.

Misc. Picture Books Read

  • The Koala Who Could by Rachel Bright

  • Let's Pop, Pop, Popcorn! by Cynthia Schumerth

  • Jackrabbit McCabe and the Electric Telegraph by Lucy Margaret Rozier

  • Interrupting Cow and the Chicken Crossing the Road by Jane Yolen

  • Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

  • Max and Marla are Going on a Trip by Alexandra Boiger

  • Snow Falls by Kate Gardner

  • Interrupting Chicken: Cookies for Breakast by David Ezra Stein

  • Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise by David Ezra Stein

  • In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek

  • I am by Human: A Book of Empathy Susan Vrede

  • I am Love: A Book of Compassion by Susan Vrede

  • I am Courage: A Book of Resilience by Susan Verde

  • I am One: A Book of Action by Susan Verde

  • I am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness by Susan Verde

  • When the Snow Falls by Linda Booth Sweeney

  • Tidy by Emily Gravett

High

  • Tuesday morning we had a lovely relaxing playdate with a friend. The friend had to leave the coop, but it’s nice to continue the friendship.

Low

  • We lost a whole afternoon of school because I decided that we needed to clean up the playroom. It needed to be done, but involving the kids meant that it took almost four hours.

Next Week

  • Finishing 3B Unit 7 for math

  • Continuing reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

  • Concluding weather and climate change for coop

  • Covering China for history

  • Getting acquainted with Renoir for art

  • Working on phonics for Quentin

  • Spending more hours outside

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 01.31.22
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W19: Winter Hikes can be Refreshing

What We Studied

We ended up having a few outings this week, but also

 

Literature and Poetry

This week’s theme was trickster tales of Africa. It went along nicely with our history unit covering Mali. We also did a mini lesson on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to honor his legacy.

  • Martin Luther King Jr.: Preacher, Freedom Fighter, Peacemaker by Pamela Hill Nettleton

  • Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream and You by Carole Boston Weatherford

  • Poetry: The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky

  • Trickster Tales of Africa

  • A Ring of Tricksters by Virginia Hamilton

  • Stegothesaurus by Bridget He’s

Math

We continued with our Logic Liftoff book and the various logic puzzles that I’ve found. Arthur finished Unit 6 from 3B and is ready to move on.

 

Social Studies

We covered the middle times chapter on the Mali Empire. We learned about Mansa Muse the famous city of Timbuktu.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • The Magic Guard by Baba Wague Diakite

  • The Fire Children: A West African Creation Tale by Eric Maddern

  • The Hatseller and the Monkeys by Baba Wague Diakite

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

For science, we are covering emotions and socio-emotional traits. Quentin has really taken to discussing the various books.

  • DK My Mixed Emotions: Anger

  • Millie Fierce by Jane Manning

  • Be Positive! by Cheri J. Meiners

  • The Way I Act by Steve Metzger

  • Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller

  • Wiggles, Stomps, and Squeezes Calm My Jitters Down by Lindsey Rowe Parker

  • Don't Be Afraid to Drop by Julia Cook

  • I Can Handle It! by Laurie Wright

In coop, we had our second week about Famous Nebraskans and Iowans open house. The boys had fun and we met some new friends.

Art/Music

Nothing this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. We covered some simple phonics lessons featuring the digraph Th. We did more alphabet review. We also covered the months of the year, opposites, and shapes.

ELA

  • The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf

  • My Papi has a Motorcycle by Isabel Quintero

Math

  • Lollipop Logic Book 1

  • Fish, Swish! Splash, Dash! by Sure MacDonald

Other

  • A Little Book About Opposites

Field Trip

We met our coop friends at the SAC Museum to learn about air travel. The boys had extra fun the play areas. And I had got to chat with some of my friends.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We watched more PBS Eons videos. Eventually we will finish watching all of the published videos.

Misc. Picture Books Read -

  • 365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental

  • Unicorn is Maybe Not So Great After All by Bob Shea

  • Unplugged by Steve Antony

  • That's My Carrot! by Il Sung Na

  • I Feel Teal by Lauren Rille

  • When Sadness is at Your Door by Eva Eland

  • Girl Versus Squirrel by Hayley Barrett

 

High

  • We went on a winter hike at Schramm State Recreational Area. The temps were hovering around 35 degrees and the skies were clear. We were careful to walk on the edges of the path avoiding the ice. We also stopped at the fish hatchery ponds and the geologic formation. It was a good couple of hours outside enjoying nature.

Low

  • Night time reading didn’t really happen this week due to bad attitudes (and books falling on my head). Here’s hoping next week goes better.

Next Week

  • Starting a new read aloud

  • Learning about Indian Empires

  • Covering Unit 7: Capacity

  • Exploring weather and climate change for coop

  • Continuing emotions for science

  • Hoping to cover Renoir for art

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 01.24.22
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W18: A Rough Transition, But We Made It!

What We Studied

Getting back into a homeschool routine was very difficult this week, but we did it! We managed to finish a majority of my planned curriculum and worked in a impromptu field trip;

Literature and Poetry

This week’s main literature selection was Trickster Tales from Asia and Polynesia. The collection coincided nicely with our history chapter. The boys made a ton of connections to the movie Moana and really loved some of the stories. We also read a ton of picture books and some poetry. The boys are digging the silliness of our current poetry collection from Jack Prelutsky.

  • Voices on the Wind: Poems for All Seasons selected by David Booth

  • Trickster Tales

  • Hooray for Hat by Brian Won

  • The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson

  • The New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky

  • Kit Flying by Grace Lin

Math

We fell into a routine of taking Monday to focus on logic puzzles and I’m really love the change. We will keep this in our regular routine. Beyond those, Arthur started Singapore Math 3B with a unit on mass and weight. We’ll be finishing that particularly chapter next week.

  • Logic Liftoff

Social Studies

Still plugging along with our History Quest Middle Times. Chapter 16 was all about Polynesia. We learned about how and when various island groups were settled. The text focused then on three different cultures: New Zealand, Hawaii, and Rapa Nui. Arthur really got into the few travel videos I found detailing the Maori culture.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • Oceania by Martha London

  • Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

  • DK Explorers

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history.

Science and STEAM Coop

For science, I decided to start our health unit this week. We are starting with a week long study of emotions and then moving onto other aspects of social emotional learning. I’m sure we will also through in some basic anatomy and probably hygiene afterwards. And I we started to do some simple yoga to tide us over during these super cold months.

  • DK How Do I Feel? A Little Guide to My Emotions

  • The Crayons' Book of Feelings by Drew Daywalt

  • Big Feelings by Alexandra Penfold

  • Visiting Feelings by Lauren Rubenstein

  • Exploring Emotions: A Mindfulness Guide to Understanding Feelings by Paul Christelis

  • This Makes Me Happy by Courtney Carbone

  • This Makes Me Sad by Courtney Carbone

  • This Makes Me Angry by Courtney Carbone

  • This Makes Jealous by Courtney Carbone

  • This Makes Me Scared by Courtney Carbone

  • This Makes Me Silly by Courtney Carbone

 

We kicked off the spring semester of coop with the theme of Famous Nebraskans and Iowans. As the first two weeks will act as our open house meetings, I made stations instead of our usual structure. Each station featured a person with biography and a related activity. Everyone who came seemed to really enjoy the activities. Next week we are continuing the theme with six new people. For this week, we covered:

  • Shawn Johnson East - gymnast, learned to do a summersault

  • Malcolm X - Civil rights activist, made protest signs

  • J. Sterling Morton - founder of Arbor Day, planted herb plants to take home

  • Norman Borlaug - agronomist, learned about what kids eat around the world

  • Evelyn Sharp - WWII pilot, made paper airplanes

  • Hartley Burr Alexander - iconographer, drew our own versions of the Nebraska State Capitol building.

  • Basic geography and maps of Nebraska and Iowa

Art/Music

I am determined to bring back art and music this semester. Our science will be slightly lighter in the spring and I think we can find some time. This week we studied the woodcuts of Hokusai. (Arthur covered him last year, but this year Quentin is joining in.) We did a big overview of his life and them focused on three pieces to study and appreciate. I chose one piece for each day that we did art. We studied the piece for a few minutes and then made our own drawings. They could be copies or something inspired by the piece. While drawing (I set a 20 minute timer to help my routine and schedule focused kids), we listened to nature sounds (ocean and forest) to keep us in the mood. I really enjoyed this technique and will be carrying it through to the next weeks.

  • The Story of Paintings: A History of Art for Children by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom

  • Hokusai: Genius of the Japanese Ukiyo-e by Seiki Nagata

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. I gave Quentin the same pre-test from August to see progress. He has made a ton of progress, but it doesn’t necessarily show on the test. I did notate the progress I have seen and changed a few of the tests to make them more challenging for him. His biggest stumbling block is fine motor control. Writing is still a mountain that we are working to climb. Now that we have covered all the letters, we are focusing on sounds and moving into beginning reading. Q already knows so many words, so we are going to focus a bit more on phonics so he can figure out ones he doesn’t know. For math, we did a lot of puzzles, games, and practice sheets. We also covered a mini unit on diversity and the hijab and the months of the year.

ELA

  • The Magic of Letters by Tony Johnston and Wendell Minor

  • The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni

Math

  • Lollipop Logic Book 1

Other

  • The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S.K. Ali

  • What Color is My Hijab? by Hudda Ibrahim

  • Under My Hijab by Hena Khan

  • Please Try to Remember the First of Octember! by Theo LeSieg

  • The Months: by Sara Coleridge

  • A Year with Friends by John Seven

  • Jump into January: A Journey Around the Year by Stella Blackstone

Field Trip

We didn’t have a field trip on the schedule, but a friend suggested a trip to the zoo on Wednesday. The temperature high was going to be 50 degrees, so perfect for walking around. We ended up visiting the desert dome, aquarium, gorilla house, and butterfly house (plus a pit stop at the okapis who were outside). It was a fun day reconnecting with a friend and her son. The boys had a ton of fun. I want to incorporate more mini impromptu activities with them this semester.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We didn’t watch one big documentary, but we did watch some more PBS Eons videos while I was doing a workout. Eventually we will finish them all. Arthur requested them instead of a NOVA episode. My work here is done!

Misc. Picture Books Read

  • The Artists by Canles Porta

  • There’s an Alien in Your Book by Tom Fletcher

  • The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past by Tom Fletcher

  • If I Had a Little Dream by Nina Laden

  • Max and Marla are Flying Together by Alexander Boiger

  • Just in Case You Want to Fly by Julie Fogliano

  • Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian

  • Let's Go to the Hardware Store by Anne Rockwell

  • Letter for Leo by Sergio Ruzzier

  • The Tickle Test by Kathryn White

  • Hungry Bunny by Claudia Rueda

  • Ellie in Concert by Mike Wu

  • I'm My Own Dog by David Ezra Stein

  • First Snow by Bomi Park

  • Pinduli by Janeell Cannon

  • Ducks Overboard! A True Story of Plastic in Our Oceans by Markus Motum

  • The Love Letter by Anika Aldamuy Denise

High

  • Restarting coop was a treat. We missed our friends and it was nice to get some social interaction again. Can’t wait for next week!

Low

  • I had a big dentist appointment on Tuesday morning (2 1/2 hours!) and ended up punting on school after that. My entire mouth was sore and I was grumpy. We ended up making up the time, but I still feel like we wasted an entire afternoon.

Next Week

  • Covering Mali Empire for History

  • Reading Trickster Tales from Africa and the Near East

  • Finishing 3B Unit 6 for math

  • Focusing on reading for Quentin

  • Choosing a new artist to study for art time

  • Completing W2 of Famous Nebraskans and Iowans for coop

  • Visiting the SAC Museum for coop field trip

  • Maybe taking a hike at Platter River State Park?

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 01.17.22
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool Christmas Break 2021

What We Studied

While we didn’t completely stop all schooling, we did take it pretty easy this Christmas break. We did a lot of holiday related activities. Plus, we traveled to and from Indiana to visit a few family members. We are getting back at it today, but easing back in.

Literature and Poetry

We kept reading Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City, but ultimately didn’t get very far. We were distracted by lots of picture books and the ones the boys got for Christmas. So lots of random reading, but not organized.

  • Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City by Christian McKay Heidicker

Math

We mostly played some math games. Arthur also did some math in his independent packet.

Social Studies

No big unit, but Arthur did complete an entire Map Skills book (Grade 1). It was mostly review, but good practice.

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history. This week, he focused on packet work and some random building projects.

Science and STEAM Coop

No coop obviously. We did continue watching random PBS Eons videos, picking up some of the ones we missed and those set during the last Ice Age.

Art/Music

Nothing this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included.

ELA

  • High Five issues

Math

Other

  • Dinosaur Puzzle Book

Field Trip

Other than just traveling to Indiana, we didn’t really have any field trips. We’ve been laying fairly low due to the pandemic.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We didn’t actually watch anything this week, but made up for it by all the PBS Eons videos for our dinosaur unit.

24 Days of Christmas Books - It’s become a tradition. I wrap packages of holiday books for each day of December until Christmas. We have a great group of books this year!

  • Christmas is Awesome by Sabrina Moyle

  • The Last Christmas Tree by Stephen Krensky

  • The Crayon's’ Christmas by Drew Daywalt

  • Christmas City by Michael Garland

  • Goodby Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak

Picture Books Read

  • Freedom Soup by Tami Charles

  • Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings

  • Beware of the Crocodile by Martin Jenkins

  • No by Claudia Rueda

  • No more Cuddles by Jane Chapman

  • The Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers

  • Give Your Cat a Bath in Five Easy Steps by Nicola Winstanley

  • Bear Came Along by Richard T. Morris

  • Chez Bob by Bob Shea

  • Inside Cat by Brendan Wenzel

High

  • Beyond the usual Christmas Eve and Day fun, we loved hosting a Christmas party for the coop before we left. The kids did some art, decorated cookies, played bingo and pin the nose on the reindeer, and did hot chocolate tasting. it was chaotic fun!

Low

  • I anticipated that this would happen, but was still thrown off when the boys’ attitudes really fell off a cliff right after Christmas. We had a few really rough days and needed to get back into our school routine.

Next Week

  • Traveling to Polynesia for History

  • Reading more trickster tales and continuing our read aloud

  • Starting 3B for math

  • Covering famous Nebraskans and Iowans for coop

  • Exploring emotions for health

  • Beginning concentrated reading lessons for Quentin

  • Discovering Hokusai’s paintings and woodcuts

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 01.10.22
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W17: Last Week of the Semester!

What We Studied

We took it a bit easy for our last week of the fall semester. We wrapped up a few units, had our last coop meeting, and then took Friday off to go to the zoo.

Literature and Poetry

We finished reading The Wind in the Willows. I ended up really enjoying it and reading it out loud is definitely the way to go. We started on our next read aloud selection. It wasn’t on my original list, but we saw it at the library and had to grab it.

  • The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

  • A Snowflake Fell: Poems About Winter by Laura Whipple

  • Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City by Christian McKay Heidicker

  • How Santa Got His Job by Stephen Krensky

  • How Santa Lost His Job by Stephen Krensky

Math

We mostly wrapped up some math packets and did some extra scale reading practice. Plus, there was lots of play with tangrams this week! And Arthur finished his Primarily Logic book.

  • Primarily Logic

 

Social Studies

History Quest wrapped up our semester with a chapter about the Hundred Years’ War. We learned all about the conflict and focused on Henry V and Joan of Arc for our biographies.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • Joan of Arc by Demi

 

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history. This week, he focused on packet work and some random building projects.

 

Science and STEAM Coop

We finished our dinosaur unit with more PBS Eons videos. I taught coop this week and we made simple circuits. The kids were very excited to play with the Snap Circuits board I bought. It was a good meeting to end on.

Art/Music

Nothing this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Quentin and I read a lot of books, did some alphabet review, and completed a few math packets. We also played a decent number of dice games and board games.

ELA

Math

Other

 

Field Trip

We had a park playdate planned for Wednesday but that was canceled when a very dangerous storm blew in. Tornados touched down about 10 miles from our house, but didn’t cause too much damage. To make up for our lost trip, I called school off on Friday and we went to the zoo. I love going in the winter when there are no crowds and you can really linger over the animals. We got to see the penguin feeding. It was a nice morning.

 

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We didn’t actually watch anything this week, but made up for it by all the PBS Eons videos for our dinosaur unit.

24 Days of Christmas Books - It’s become a tradition. I wrap packages of holiday books for each day of December until Christmas. We have a great group of books this year!

  • The Nutcracker's Night Before Christmas by Keith Brockett

  • Five Busy Elves by Patricia Hegarty

  • Snow by Roy McKie

  • The Christmas Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood

  • Ten Ways to Heart Snow by Cathy Camper

  • Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell

  • The Littlest Elf by Brandi Dougherty

  • The Littlest Reindeer by Brandi Dougherty

  • Merry Christmas, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt

  • Peppa Pug and the Christmas Party

  • Russell's Christmas Magic by Rob Scotton

  • The Great Reindeer Rebellion by Lisa Trumbauer

  • 12 Days of Christmas by Kate Toms

  • Jingle Bells by Rosie Greening

  • The Story of the Nutcracker Ballet by Deborah Hautzig

  • There's an Elf in Your Book by Tom Fletcher

  • Snow Bunny's Christmas Gift by Rebecca Harry

  • If Snowflakes Tasted Like Fruitcake by Stacey Previn

High

  • Taking Friday morning off to go to the zoo was the right call. We wandered around and got to interact with lots of animals without the crowds. The mongoose was being playful and the baby gorilla was so adorable.

Low

  • Wednesday’s bad weather cancelled all our fun plans! We were supposed to have a park playdate with coop friends and then that evening I was supposed to go to Musicals Bingo with some friends. It was to be my one night out before traveling with the kids. Darn midwest weather!

Next Week

  • Nothing! It’s Christmas Break! Although we are going to be doing more holiday activities, puzzles, and games. We will officially start the spring semester on January 10th.

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 12.20.21
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W16: All the Holiday Fun and Field Trips!

What We Studied

Another week of lots of holiday fun and changes to our schedule. But it’s okay. I love December and want to soak in all the fun while we still can!

 

Literature and Poetry

We kept at reading The Wind in the Willows. I’m not sure Arthur really loves it, but I’m enjoying his writing style. It sounds lovely when read out loud. We’ve only got one chapter left to read (reading today) and then we’re on to our next selection.

  • The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

  • A Snowflake Fell: Poems About Winter by Laura Whipple

  • Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet (Picture Book Study)

  • The Secret History of Hot Chocolate by Stephen Krensky

Math

More review, puzzles, and wrap-up. I decided to hold off starting 3B until January. Until then, we are continuing our logic puzzle book and lots of math games.

  • Singapore Math Common Core Edition 3A

  • Primarily Logic

Social Studies

This week was all about Medieval Plague and Cathedrals! I do love infectious diseases, but we kept it light for Arthur.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • The Plague by Lawrence Andrews

  • History Smashers: Plagues and Pandemics by Kate Messner

  • Chanticleer and the Fox by Barbara Cooney

  • The Canterbury Tales adapted by Barbara Cohen

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history. This week, he focused on packet work and some random building projects.

 

Science and STEAM Coop

Continuing with our Dinosaur unit from Blossom and Root! We ended up watching a lot of Eons to cover most of the Cenozoic.

  • The Story of Life: Evolution by Katie Scott

  • Life: The First Four Billion Years by Martin Jenkins

  • When the Whales Walked and Other Incredibly Evolutionary Journeys by Dougal Dixon

  • DK Dinsoaur

  • DK Where on Earth? Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures

  • Prehistoric by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

  • Dinosaurium by Chris Wormell and Lily Murray

For Coop, we had our Robots and Engineering second week. The big kids finished their hydraulic crane builds and Arthur got to take one home! The little kids made scribble bots and played around with some other robots Ms. Heather had. Next week, is our last coop meeting of the semester and I’m teaching circuits to the little kids. We did a bit of wrap-up Robots packet at home to end the week.

  • Rosie Revere Engineer by Andrea Beaty

  • Robots, Robots, Everywhere! by Sue Fliess

  • Nat Geo Kids: Robots by Melissa Stewart - Read and Packet

Art/Music

Nothing this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Quentin and I read a lot of books, did some alphabet review, and completed a few math packets. We also played a decent number of dice games and board games.

ELA

Math

Other

 

Field Trip

On Wednesday, I randomly grabbed the library pass for The Durham Museum to check out the exhibits. We also got see Santa while we were there and did a scavenger hunt to find all the elves hidden in the museum.

Friday was our official coop field trip at DoSpace. We got a great tour of the facility and then the kids explored two different robots. Our tour guide and teacher was great with the kids and really engaged them throughout. Now that we have a membership card, we definitely need to go back and check out some of the games and programs. Maybe January we can put some class on our calendar.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We actually did watch a NOVA episode about the great cathedrals of Europe. I learned a lot about various engineering obstacles and our modern exploration of them. Really fascinating episode. We also watched some more PBS Eons videos about the Cenozoic.

24 Days of Christmas Books - It’s become a tradition. I wrap packages of holiday books for each day of December until Christmas. We have a great group of books this year!

  • Comet, the Unstoppable Reindeer by Jim Benton

  • A Polar Story in the Snow by Mac Barnett

  • Snow by Sam Usher

  • The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett

  • Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett

  • Snow is Fun by Steve Henry

  • Little Fox in the Snow by Jonathan London

  • Good Night, Reindeer by Denise Brennan-Nelson

  • How Santa Really Works by Alan Snow

  • Snow Friends by Margery Cuyler

  • A Chick n Pug Christmas by Jennifer Sattler

  • Mouse's Night Before Christmas by Tracey Corderoy

  • The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst

  • The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers by Lisa Campbell Ernst

  • Last Stop on the Reindeer Express by Maudie Powell-Tuck

  • The Christmas Eve Tree by Delia Huddy

  • Martin MacGregor's Snowman by Lisa Broadie Cook

  • What the Dinosaurs Did the Night Before Christmas by Refe and Susan Tuma

  • Hurry, Santa! by Tomie dePaola

  • One Wild Christmas by Nicholas Oldland

  • Vegetables in Holiday Underwear by Jared Chapman

  • T. rex at Swan Lake by Lisa Carrier and Lenore Hart

 

High

  • On Tuesday, we hosted three coop families for a board game day. The kids split into groups and played a variety of board games for about an hour before abandoning them for free play. it was a lovely morning.

  • We also went to see the Werner Park Lights on Wednesday night. It was lovely!

Low

  • Nothing really. We had a good week!

Next Week

  • Finishing The Wind in the Willows and Starting Scary Stories for Young Foxes: In the City

  • Covering the Hundred Years’ War for history

  • Reviewing our math concepts

  • Finishing our Dinosaur videos

  • Covering circuits for coop

  • Having a park playdate, going to see a movie, and potentially going on a small hike through the bare woods

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 12.13.21
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W15: We Enjoyed the Warm Weather!

What We Studied

The temperatures this past week were unseasonably warm, in the 50s and 60s for most of the week. We took advantage and had two long afternoons at the park with friends. I doubt we are going to get any more mild days until spring, so we took time out of our homeschooling schedule to play. It was nice to get out and about. As such, our lessons were shortened. Thankfully, I planned for shortened lessons in December to have time to soak in all the holiday magic.

Literature and Poetry

We kept at reading The Wind in the Willows. I’m not sure Arthur really loves it, but I’m enjoying his writing style. It sounds lovely when read out loud. We’ll be finishing that book next week.

  • The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

  • A Snowflake Fell: Poems About Winter by Laura Whipple

Math

More review, puzzles, and wrap-up. I decided to hold off starting 3B until January. Until then, we are continuing our logic puzzle book and lots of math games.

  • Singapore Math Common Core Edition 3A

  • Primarily Logic

Social Studies

This week was all about the East African kingdoms of Ethiopia and Great Zimbabwe. We made lots of connections to empires from the ancient world. Plus, we got to check out two very interesting archaeological sites.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • Great African Kingdoms by Sean Sheehan

  • Ancient West African Kingdoms by Mary Quigley

  • Great Zimbabwe by Mark Bessire

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history. This week, he focused on packet work and some random building projects.

Science and STEAM Coop

Continuing with our Dinosaur unit from Blossom and Root! We covered the Paleocene and Neogene Eras. We ended up watching a lot of Eons to cover most of the Cenozoic. We’ll be wrapping up this giant unit next week.

  • The Story of Life: Evolution by Katie Scott

  • Life: The First Four Billion Years by Martin Jenkins

  • When the Whales Walked and Other Incredibly Evolutionary Journeys by Dougal Dixon

  • DK Dinsoaur

  • DK Where on Earth? Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures

  • Prehistoric by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

  • Dinosaurium by Chris Wormell and Lily Murray

For Coop, we had our Robots and Engineering first week. Quentin and the littles made a simple dog robot and talked about the concept of robots. Arthur got to start building a large hydraulic robot. Next week, the big kids get to learn a bit of programming to set up the rest of their robot.

Art/Music

Nothing this week

 

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. Quentin and I read a lot of books, did some alphabet review, and completed a few math packets and units on Khan Academy.

ELA

Math

Other

Field Trip

We didn’t have an official field trip this week, but we ended up running all around town with other tasks. Plus we had two long park playdate afternoons.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We didn’t actually watch anything this week, but made up for it by all the PBS Eons videos for our dinosaur unit.

Picture books read

  • All Right Already! A Snowy Story by Jory John

  • Little Owl’s Snow by Divya Srinivasan

24 Days of Christmas Books - It’s become a tradition. I wrap packages of holiday books for each day of December until Christmas. We have a great group of books this year!

  • Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

  • Gingerbread Christmas by Jan Brett

  • Catch that Cookie by Hallie Durand

  • Five Little Monkeys by Eileen Christelow

  • The Wheels on the Bus at Christmas

  • The Library Gingerbread Man by Dotti Enderle

  • Who Will Pull Santa's Sleigh by Russ Willms

  • The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup

  • Dream Snow by Eric Carle

  • Snow Globe Wishes by Erin Dealey

  • The Dinosaurs' Night Before Christmas by Anne Muecke

  • Olive, the Other Reindeer by J. Otto Seibold

  • Santa in the City by Tiffany D. Jackson

  • Santa's Secrets Revealed by James Solheim

High

  • The boys received their second COVID vaccine on Wednesday! Even with Omicron now circulating, I’m feeling so much better knowing that the boys have at least a baseline protection against the virus. They were amazing at the pharmacy and once again the pharmacist was very impressed. Of course, they got a small toy afterward (Arthur got a Baryonyx and Quentin got a Bluey figure).

Low

  • Our lessons are all out of whack this week, but I should expect this during December. I definitely need to remember this for next year and just do half lessons during the month.

Next Week

  • Finishing The Wind in the Willows

  • Covering the Black Death (and Cathedrals) for history

  • Reviewing our math concepts

  • Finishing the Dinosaur Unit

  • Covering robots and engineering for coop

  • Going on our last coop field trip of the year (to DoSpace for robotics theme)

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 12.06.21
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool Thanksgiving Week

What We Studied

While we took time off for Thanksgiving and a bit of a break, we did end up having school Monday and Tuesday, and a bit on Wednesday. The kids benefit from structure and routine, so we kept at time albeit at a relaxed pace.

Literature and Poetry

We finished reading our collections of African folktales before starting our next read aloud, The Wind in the Willows. We also covered a few picture book studies.

  • A Pride of African Folktales by Donna L. Washington

  • Dinosaur Dinner (with a Slice of Alligator Pie) by Dennis Lee (poems)

  • Wake Up House! Rooms Full of Poems by Dee Lillegard

  • Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

  • The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant

  • A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

  • The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Math

We focused on some math puzzles this week. Both boys progressed in the Khan Academy math program. Arthur also did some multiplication and division practice during independent time. And Quentin got to play some math board games.

  • Singapore Math Common Core Edition 3A

  • Primarily Logic

Social Studies

None this week

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history. This week, he focused on packet work and some random building projects.

Science and STEAM Coop

Continuing with our Dinosaur unit from Blossom and Root! We covered Pterosaurs, Mesozoic Mammals, and Marine Reptiles.

  • Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian

  • Monster Fliers: From the Time of the Dinosaurs by Elizabeth MacLeod

  • Beyond the Dinosaurs: Monsters of the Air and Sea by Charlotte Lewis Brown

  • DK Find Out

  • Life: The First Four Billion Years by Martin Jenkins

  • Dinosaurium by Chris Wormell and Lily Murray

  • DK Dinosaur

  • DK Where in Earth? Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life

  • Dinosaur Bones

  • When the Whales Walked and Other Incredibly Evolutionary Journeys by Dougal Dixon

  • Giant Sea Reptiles of the Dinosaurs Age by Caroline Arnold

Art/Music

Nothing this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. This week was all about reading and playing games.

ELA

  • The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle

  • Why Mosquitos Buzz in People’s Ears by Verna Aardema

  • High Five Magazine

Math

Other

Field Trip

No field trips this week on account of it being Thanksgiving week.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We didn’t actually watch anything this week, but made up for it by all the PBS Eons videos for our dinosaur unit.

Misc. - Random picture books read

  • 20 Big Trucks in the Middle of the Street by Mark Lee

  • The Little Auto by Lois Lenski

  • Chester’s Masterpiece by Mélanie Watt

  • The Gold Leaf by Kirsten Hall

  • Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge by Raúl the Third

  • Go, Go Trucks! by Jennifer Liberts

  • The Artists by Canles Porta

  • Monster Trucks by Anika Denise

  • Dinosaurs in Disguise by Stephen Krensky

  • The Luckiest Snowball by Elliot Kreloff

High

  • Arthur spent an entire morning and most of an afternoon creating a solar powered robot.

Low

  • Too many days off from school has created a bit of a lazy attitude. We need to get back to our routine.

Next Week

  • Continuing to read The Wind in the Willows

  • Moving back to Europe for history

  • Playing more math games and puzzles

  • Reviewing the alphabet (for Quentin)

  • Moving forward in time for the Dinosaur Unit

  • Covering robots and engineering for coop

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 11.29.21
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W14: A Break Day Threw Off Our Groove

Still life by Arthur

What We Studied

I thought it would be nice to take Tuesday off and spend some time at the park (it was going to be in the 60s). The kids could play and I could get some random planning work done (and maybe read a bit). We didn’t have a coop field trip scheduled, so I thought it would be perfect. Unfortunately things did not turn out well. The kids were really thrown and complained all day. Wednesday felt like we were trying to get back to normal. So not a great week. We did cover some topics and lessons, but attitudes were not great.

Literature and Poetry

We continued reading some African Folktales this week.

  • Nobiah’s Well by Donna W. Guthrie

  • Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock by Eric A. Kimmel

  • Anansi the Spider by Gerald McDermott

  • A Story A Story by Gail E. Haley

  • The Best Keeper of Lalibela by Cristina Kessler

  • The Lions’s Drum by Steven Gregory

  • Clever Tortoise by Francesca Martin

  • Dinosaur Dinner (With a Slice of Alligator Pie) by Dennis Lee

Math

We moved onto Unit 5 covering measurement. Mainly the chapter focuses on centimeters, meters, kilometers and inches, feet, yards, and miles. We’ll probably circle back to multiplication and division practice after Unit 5.

  • Singapore Math Common Core Edition 3A

  • Primarily Logic

Social Studies

This week we learned about the Khmer Empire. Arthur really enjoyed studying the images of Angkor Wat. We followed up out history lesson with a few pictures books about Cambodia.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • Explorers (Henri Mouhot)

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • Judge Rabbit and the Tree Spirit by Lina Mao Wall

  • The Last King of Angkor Wat by Graeme Base

 

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history. This week, he focused on packet work and some random building projects.

Science and STEAM Coop

Continuing with our Dinosaur unit from Blossom and Root! We finally got to the Cretaceous period!

  • Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Beasts by Mike Lowery

  • The Story of Life: Evolution by Katie Scott

  • Life: The First Four Billion Years by Martin Jenkins

  • When the Whales Walked and Other Incredibly Evolutionary Journeys by Dougal Dixon

  • Prehistoric: Before the Dinosaurs by David West

  • DK Prehistoric

  • Prehistoric by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

  • DK Dinosaur

  • DK Where on Earth? Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Beasts

  • Dinosarium by Chris Wormell

  • In Search of Dinosaurs by Dougal Dixon

  • The Early Cretaceous

  • When Sue Found Sue: Sue Hendrickson Discovers Her T. rex by Toni Buzzeo

 

Art/Music

Nothing this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. For ELA, we finished our overview of each letter of the alphabet! We’ll do some whole alphabet review for the rest of the semester before starting phonetics in January. In math, Quentin practiced his skills and worked on a Khan Academy unit about basic geometry. We also talked about the seasons.

ELA

  • Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers

  • My “xyz” Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure

  • Yoko Yak’s Yakety Yakking by Barbara deRubertis

  • Zachary Zebra’s Zippity Zooming by Barbara deRubertis

Math

Other

  • Smart Start STEM K

Field Trip

No field trip this week, just an ill-fated park visit.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We didn’t actually watch anything this week, but made up for it by all the PBS Eons videos for our dinosaur unit.

Misc. - Random picture books read

  • Old Tracks, New Tricks by Jessica Petersen

  • Car Wash by Sandra Steen

  • Float by Daniel Miyares

  • The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates

  • Chicken Frank, Dinosaur by S.K. Wenger

  • Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

  • Monster Trucks by Joy Keller

  • Snacks on a Train by Kathryn Dennis

  • School Bus by Donald Crews

High

  • Finally getting to the Cretaceous for dinosaurs. Arthur has been desperately wanting to talk about the Spinosaurus since we start, but they didn’t live until about 70 million years ago. We got there this week!

Low

  • The utter failure of Tuesday. It was bad, real bad.

Next Week

  • Finishing a few African folktales before start The Wind in the Willows

  • Mastering measurements

  • Moving forward in time for the Dinosaur Unit

  • Making time for lots of reading and some board games

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 11.22.21
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W13: First Snow of the Season!

 

What We Studied

We had a good week full of lessons, a few outings, and a COVID vaccine!

Literature and Poetry

We continued reading Japanese folktales to coincide with this week’s history curriculum. We also covered a few picture book studies for our fall theme.

  • Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds

  • How I Met My Monster by Amanda Noll

  • Are You My Monster by Amanda Noll

  • Lily and the Wooden Bowl by Alan Schroeder

  • The Crane Girl by Curtis Manley

  • Japan ABCs by Sarah Helman

  • Yoshi’s Feast by Kimiko Kajikawa

  • The Beckoning Cat by Koko Nishizuka

  • Bokuden and the Bully by Stephen Krensky

  • Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White

  • Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper

  • The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig

Math

We’re still working through Unit 3 about multiplication and division. We’ll be staying here for another few weeks to gain some mastery.

  • Singapore Math Common Core Edition 3A

  • Primarily Logic

 

Social Studies

This week was all about the medieval Japan. I really enjoyed learning about women’s lives in the time period.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • When on Earth

  • Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

  • Traditional Crafts from Japan by Florence Temko

  • Japanese Gods, Heroes, and Mythology by Tammy Gagne

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history. This week, he focused on packet work and some random building projects.

 

Science and STEAM Coop

Continuing with our Dinosaur unit from Blossom and Root! We covered the Jurassic Period this week. Finally we’re into the more recognizable dinosaurs.

  • Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Beasts by Mike Lowery

  • The Story of Life: Evolution by Katie Scott

  • Life: The First Four Billion Years by Martin Jenkins

  • Prehistoric by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

  • DK Where on Earth? Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life

  • Dinosaurium by Chris Wormell and Lily Murray

  • In Search of Dinosaurs by Dougal Dixon

  • Dinothesaurus by Douglas Florian

  • National Geographic Kids: Dinosaurs

  • DK Dinosaur

  • DK Eyewitness Dinosaur

  • Sink Your Teeth

  • Dinosaur Mountain: Digging into the Jurassic Age by Deborah Kogan

Art/Music

Nothing this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. For ELA, we continued our big overview of the alphabet. (Only two more letters to go!) We covered more counting and some basic math concepts as well as simple map skills. And we had some puzzles to round out the week.

ELA

  • Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers

  • My “w” Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure

  • Walter Warthog’s Wonderful Wagon by Barbara deRubertis

  • My “x” Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure

  • Xavier Ox’s Xylophone Experiment by Barbara deRubertis

Math

Other

  • Fall Leaves by Loretta Holland

  • Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington

  • Why Do Leaves Change Color by Betsy Maestro

Field Trip

After a bit of uncertainty, we did get to tour the Omaha Fire Station #1 on Tuesday. The kids were super excited to see the trucks and watch the firefighters demonstrate fire safety skills. The kids even got to climb through the cab of a real fire truck!

 

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We didn’t actually watch anything this week, but made up for it by all the PBS Eons videos for our dinosaur unit.

Misc. - Random picture books read

  • The Little Fire Truck by Margery Cuyler

  • Fire Truck Dreams by Sharon Chriscoe

  • Harbor by Donal Crews

  • It’s a Field Trip, Busy Bus by Jody Jesen Shaffer

  • Planes Fly by George Ella Lyon

  • Airport by Byron Barton

  • The Littlest Train by Chris Gall

  • Under the Umbrella by Catherine Buquet

  • Little Monster Trucks by Doug Cenko

  • Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat by Philip C. Stead

  • Tiny Little Rockets by Richard Collingridge

  • Little Lunch Truck by Charles Beyl

  • All Aboard by Bill Mayer

 

High

  • The boys got their first vaccine! One step down! I am so relieved.

Low

  • The weather was all over the place. It was fairly warm at the beginning and then it got super cold and rainy and then snowy. Weather in the Midwest is so varied.

Next Week

  • Reading African folktales

  • Moving to the Khmer Empire for history

  • Mastering measurements and conversions

  • Moving forward in time for the Dinosaur Unit to the Cretaceous Period!

  • Attending coop for our second health themed meeting

  • Taking a break day on Tuesday (shh the kids don’t know yet)

It’s Snowing!

 

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 11.15.21
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W12: All About the Dinosaurs!

What We Studied

We are back to our originally schedule curriculum plan and managed to have two outings plus coop. It was a full week, but I feel really good about our routine and what we covered.

Literature and Poetry

We finished with our reading of Race to the Sun early in the week. I loved the story and it definitely held Arthur’s attention throughout. We will be reading more from that imprint soon. After Race to the Sun, we started reading Japanese folktales in anticipation of next week’s history curriculum. We also covered a few picture book studies for our fall theme.

  • Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

  • K is for Kabuki by Gloria Whelan and Jenny Nolan

  • The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks by Katherine Paterson

  • The Boy Who Drew Cats by Margaret Hodges

  • The Boy from the Dragon Palace by Margaret Read MacDonald

  • Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano

 

Math

We’re still working through Unit 3 about multiplication and division. I think we have one more week with Unit 3-4 before we move on to measurement.

  • Singapore Math Common Core Edition 3A

  • Primarily Logic

Social Studies

This week was all about the Mongols. Crash Course and John Green have been teasing the Mongols for the entirety of their World History series. We finally got to that episode! Arthur is loving going around dramatically pausing and then saying “The Mongols.” We also went a bit past Genghis Kahn to talk about Kublai Khan and Marco Polo.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • Explorers

  • The Mongol Empire from Britannica

  • Genghis Khan by Li Jian

  • Marco Polo by Demi

  • Kublai Khan: The Emperor of Everything by Kathleen Krull

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history. This week, he focused on packet work and some independent reading.

Science and STEAM Coop

We’re still covering the dinosaurs! This week was all about the Triassic Period. We have about three weeks left in our personal coverage. But this was the last week that coop was covering the dinosaurs. Next week, we move on to Health.

  • Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Beasts by Mike Lowery

  • The Story of Life: Evolution by Katie Scott

  • Life: The First Four Billion Years by Martin Jenkins

  • Prehistoric by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

  • DK Where on Earth? Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life

  • Dinosaurium by Chris Wormell and Lily Murray

  • In Search of Dinosaurs by Dougal Dixon

  • Dinothesaurus by Douglas Florian

  • When the Whales Walked by

  • National Geographic Kids: Dinosaurs

  • DK Dinosaur

  • DK Eyewitness Dinosaur

  • Sink Your Teeth

Art/Music

Nothing this week

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. For ELA, we continued our big overview of the alphabet. We had a light week in regards to the other subjects, but still managed to work on some new skills, including cutting!

ELA

  • Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers

  • My “u” Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure

  • Umma Ungka’s Unusual Umbrella by Barbara deRubertis

  • My “v” Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure

  • Victor Vicuna’s Volcano Vacation by Barbara deRubertis

  • Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

Math

Other

  • Poem-Mobiles by Patrick Lewis and Douglas Florian

Field Trip

We had two outings this week. On Tuesday, we had a good old-fashioned playdate with some our coop friends. Now that the parks are not really a good option, we are hoping to add in a few playdates throughout the winter. Then on Friday, we drove to Lincoln to visit Morrill Hall and see some actual dinosaur fossils. We love that museum so much! We ended up spending almost 4 hours exploring. Extra fun: the discovery room in the basement was finally reopened. Lots of fun was had!

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We didn’t actually watch anything this week, but made up for it by all the PBS Eons videos for our dinosaur unit.

 

Misc. - Random picture books read

  • Busy Builders, Busy Week by Jean Reidy

  • Choo Choo Clickety-Clack by Margaret Mayo

  • Trash Truck by Max Keane

  • Sail Away by Donald Crews

  • Five Trucks by Brian Floca

  • The Leaves Fall All Around

  • Leaf Jumpers by Carole Berger

  • Cement Mixer’s ABC by Sherry Duskey Rinker

  • Little Excavator by Anna Dewdney

  • Go, Girls, Go! by Frances Gilbert

  • Flying by Donald Crews

  • Keeping the City Going by Brian Floca

  • Truck by Donald Crews

  • Fall Leaves by Don L. Curry

 

High

  • Field trip to Morrill Hall was definitely a highlight! We could spend all day in that museum, but eventually our parking ran out and we needed food. We’ll be back in a few months for sure.

Low

  • Nothing really

Next Week

  • Continuing to read Japanese Folktales

  • Moving to medieval Japan for history

  • Mastering multiplication and division

  • Moving forward in time for the Dinosaur Unit to the Jurassic Period!

  • Attending coop for our health theme

  • Getting vaccinated!!!! Both boys are starting the series on Wednesday. I feel so relieved!

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 11.08.21
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 

Homeschool W11: A Lovely Week Catching Up

What We Studied

It took a few days, but we caught up with our curriculum. We made a lot of progress in all of our subjects and even had a great field trip with our coop friends.

Literature and Poetry

Continuing with our reading of Race to the Sun. We are about 50 pages from the end, but thankfully I built in a break week from our read aloud. We are going to finish Race to the Sun next week and then move into Japanese Folktales. We also covered a few picture book studies for our fall theme.

  • Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

  • Plum by Tony Mitton

  • Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant

  • Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

  • I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll

  • Hey, That’s My Monster by Amanda Roll

  • Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell

  • In November by Cynthia Rylant

  • “Robin Hood and His Merry Men” from Favorite Medieval Tales by Mary Pope Osborne

Math

We’re still working through Unit 3 about multiplication and division. We probably have one more week in this unit before we will move on.

  • Singapore Math Common Core Edition 3A

  • Primarily Logic

Social Studies

This week was all about the Ancient Puebloans and Cahokia. We covered both of these civilizations last year in our first year of U.S. History, but it was nice to cover them again. We found some great videos about each of these groups and the ruins that are left. We hope to visit at least Cahokia in the next few years.

  • DK Timelines of Everyone

  • When on Earth

  • DK History

  • DK Timelines of Everything

  • Journey to Cahokia by Albert Lorenze and Joy Schleh

  • Secrets of Mesa Verde by Gail Foy

  • Cliff Dwellings: A Hidden World by Kevin Blake

Arthur Independent Time

To allow for one-on-one time with Quentin, I have added an hour of independent work time for Arthur. Each week, he will have a mix of packet work (mostly grammar and math review), independent reading time, and special projects. Many of his projects will be aligned with our literature selections (some taken from B&R Language Arts curriculum) and history. This week, he focused on packet work and some random building projects.

Science and STEAM Coop

Continuing with our Dinosaur unit from Blossom and Root! We covered the Carboniferous and Permian periods. We also had a great coop meeting where the kids learned about Big Time and the history of life on earth. Afterward, the kids pretended to be paleontologists and worked on their own fossil digs.

  • Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Beasts by Mike Lowery

  • The Story of Life: Evolution by Katie Scott

  • Life: The First Four Billion Years by Martin Jenkins

  • When the Whales Walked and Other Incredibly Evolutionary Journeys by Dougal Dixon

  • Prehistoric: Before the Dinosaurs by David West

  • DK Prehistoric

  • DK Where on Earth? Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life

  • DK Find Out! Dinosaurs

  • DK Eyewitness Dinosaur

  • Dinosaurium by Chris Wormed and Lily Murray Preface

  • Prehistoric by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

  • Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian

  • Dinosaur Feathers by Dennis Nolan

  • I am NOT a Dinosaur by Will Lach

 

Art/Music

Nothing this week

 

Quentin

I have scheduled at least four 1-hour time blocks for one-on-one time with Quentin. I bought Blossom and Root’s Early Years Volume 2 curriculum to use as our base. I love the variety of activities and some of the bigger projects included. For ELA, we continued our big overview of the alphabet. We covered more counting and some basic math concepts as well as simple map skills. And we had some puzzles to round out the week. We also finished big unit on transportation.

ELA

  • Once Upon an Alphabet by Oliver Jeffers

  • My “s” Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure

  • Sammy Skunk’s Super Sniffer by Barbara deRubertis

  • My “t” Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure

  • Tessa Tiger’s Temper Tantrum by Barbara deRubertis

Math

Other

  • Let’s Go on a Train by Rosalyn Albert

  • Truck and Train by Hannah Stark

  • Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Emma Garcia

  • Locomotive by Brian Floca

  • Three Grumpy Trucks by Todd Tarpley

  • What a Nice Car by Anita Bijsterbosch

  • Our Car by J.M. Brum

  • Diggersaurus by Michael Whaite

  • My Side of the Car by Kate Feiffer

  • I Like My Car by Michael Robertson

  • Let’s Go on the Plane by Rosalyn Albert

  • Let’s Go on a Rocket by Rosalyn Albert

  • How Does it Work? Airplanes by Jenny Fretland VanVoorst

  • Let’s Go on a Ferry by Rosalyn Albert

  • Lightship by Brian Floca

  • Boats Speeding! Sailing! Cruising! by Patricia Hubbell

  • Let’s Go on a Tractor by Rosalyn Albert

  • If I Built a Car by Chris van Dusen

  • Red Truck, Yellow Truck by Michelle Robinson

  • I Drive a Snowplow by Sarah Bridges

  • Race Car Count by Rebecca Kai Dotlich

  • Thunder Trucks by Cheryl Klein & Katy Beebe

Field Trip

We headed to Schramm State Park to look for fossils at the geologic site. It was cold and a bit windy, we had a great morning with our friends. We found a ton of crinoids and some coral pieces in the rocks. I love that we we can visit someplace that has exposed rocks from when Nebraska was underwater 350 million years ago.

Documentary Selection

I have carved out a one hour time block each week to watch a documentary related to our studies. We didn’t actually watch anything this week, but made up for it by all the PBS Eons videos for our dinosaur unit.

Misc. - Random picture books read

  • What Kind of Car Does a T. rex Drive? by Mark Lee

  • Here we Go Digging for Dinosaur Bones by Susan Lendroth

  • Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O’Connell

  • Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

  • The Girl and the Dinosaur by Hollie Hughes

  • The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming

  • Counting on Fall by Lizann Flatt

High

  • Looking for fossils was delightful! We will definitely have to revisit Schramm sometime very soon.

Low

  • Um… I cannot think of anything right now.

Next Week

  • Finishing Race to the Sun and starting Japanese Folktales

  • Moving to Asia and the Mongol Empire for history

  • Wrapping up multiplication and division

  • Finally getting to the Triassic for the Dinosaur Unit

  • Covering dinosaurs for coop! (We’re hosting!)

Next up on the TBR pile:

jujutsu24.jpg jujutsu25.jpg geographer's.jpg black butler.jpg jujutsu26.jpg jujutsu27.jpg antidote.jpg
tags: homeschool
categories: Life
Monday 11.01.21
Posted by Tobe Buffenbarger
 
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