Homeschool W27: Two Weeks of Relaxed Yet Productive School

A’s ELA, Math, and Science

What We Studied

This post actually contains a Flex Week and a regular week. We’re definitely getting to the point in the year when our schooling rhythm changes once again. We took advantage of some outside exploration and fun with friends. We also didn’t stress about the curriculum, but made sure that we were plugging away.

Q’s Math and ELA

A’s WWII Unit

Literature and Poetry

Arthur continued and then finished our current read aloud. I absolutely loved it. He was a much harsher critic. For this one, I bought a new-to-me ELA curriculum unit and tried it out. The unit focused on paragraph writing and analysis of text. I’m really liking it. It’s not fancy or colorful, but has worthwhile activities. I think I’m going to pick up a few more lit studies for other books we are going to read. We continued the first Reading Explorer book which focuses on reading comprehension. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.

• My America poem collection

• Reading Explorer 1

• Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston

Checking out the Dinos at Lauritzen Gardens

Quentin finished two read aloud this past two weeks. We covered a bunch of short stories with Frog and Toad. I even added on some language arts activities to expand. From there, we started and finished a short read aloud. Bonus points as it’s our next coop book club selection.

• Sing a Song of Seasons

• Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel

• Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

• Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel

• Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel

• Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr

Math

Arthur moved into looking at averages, line graphs, and plotting. We will definitely be finishing 5B by the end of this “school year.”

• Singapore Common Core 5B

• Orbiting with Logic

Quentin got back into Singapore with a unit on multiplication and division concepts. He then started on 2 and 3s.

• Singapore Common Core 2A

Park Exploration - Levi Carter

Social Studies

Arthur wrapped his study of World War II. We also snuck in a documentary about The Manhattan Project. I’m super excited to get into the Cold War era this week.

• DK American History

• We were There Too! Young People in US History

• Words that Build a Nation

• Heart and Soul

• Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States

• A Different Mirror for Young People

• This is Our Land: A History of American Immigration

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK History

• DK Eyewitness World War II

• The US Navy in World War II by Peter Benoit

• The US Army is World War II by Peter Benoit

• Big Battles of World War II by Peter Benoit

• The Great Depression and World War II by Susan E. Hamen

• Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm

Park Exploration - Elmwood

Quentin covered the African kingdoms of Aksum and Kush. He then started his two-part unit on Ancient China. We’re still moving through our Ancient Times curriculum.

• History Quest Early Times

• DK When on Earth?

• Human Wold

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK A Child Through Time

• A History of Western Art

• DK Science Year by Year

• DK Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

• Find the Journeys Around the World by David Long

• Ancient Worlds

• A Journey Through Art by Aaron Rosen

• Ancient China by Dale Anderson

Q’s ELA

A’s ELA and Math

Science

I taught our chemistry lesson about acids and bases. I even created my own homemade indicator paper for the experiments. And then we had a break week. Only three more Chemistry weeks to go for the year! We made sure to read more chapters in our Story of Science book.

• RSO Chemistry

• DK Super Simple Chemistry

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

• DK The Elements

Quentin started the Plant Kingdom section of his curriculum. We talked about the basics of plant life and flowers.

• RSO Life

• An ABC of Flowers by Jutta Hilpuesch

• Flowers by Gail Gibbons

• Flowers by Grace Hansen

• Flowers by Jennifer Colby

• Fantastic Flowers by Susan Stockdale

• Have You Ever Seen a Flower by Shawn Harris

• The Flower by John Light

• Bloom Boom by April Pulley Sayre

• Flowers by Elaine Pascoe

• What are Flowers by Kelley MacAulay

• Tell Me Why Flowers Bloom by Nancy Robinson Masters

• Flowers We Eat by Katherine Rawson

Park Exploration - Flannagan Lake

STEAM Coop

We had one coop meeting inside at one of the local libraries and one outside at a park (finally!). For Arthur covered the last two weeks of Spring Growth by creating a composter and sun prints. Quentin focused on botany with a seed planting and flowers.

Q’s ELA

A’s History Unit

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

We covered oil painting the Frederic Chopin this week.

• DK Music and How it Works

• DK The Arts

• DK Art and How It Works

• Modern Art Adventures by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw

• 13 American Artists Children Should Know

• A Child's Introduction to Art

• Women in Art by Rachel Ignotofsky

• Iconic Composers by Nicholas Csicsko & Emi Ferguson

• 13 Art Movements Children Should Know

• 13 Artists Children Should Know

• 13 Modern Artists Children Should Know

• The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning & Brita Granström

• Why is Art Full of Naked People? by Susie Hodge

Q’s Math and ELA

A’s Math and ELA

Field Trip

We had a lovely field trip to Lauritzen Gardens (our local botanical garden and conservatory). I got to hang out with the littles class where we did a lot of plant observation as well as enjoyed the dinosaurs models made out of Lego. Arthur’s class got to learn about the evolution of plants from prehistoric times until now. This past Friday, we had a free explore day at Arbor Day Farm with lots of coop friends. When we go, you better believe that we spend all day there! It’s great. I even convinced the boys to do the trail around the back when their friends left.

Q’s Science Unit

High

We are trying to complete the Omaha Parks Challenge. They give us 10 parks to visit and take pictures. Completing a certain number gets you a goody bag and another number gets you entered into a drawing for pool passes. We have until May 12th to complete our visits. So far, we’ve hit three parks, but we have two more parks this week on our schedule. Some of these parks I didn’t even know existed! It’s a great way to explore.

Fun at Arbor Day Farm

Low

The wind and cold temps made coop (and then book club on Saturday) not a hugely pleasant experiences. In particular, we attempted a new-to-us park and had to leave after 15 minutes. The 30mph wind gusts on top of low 40s temps pushed us back into our cars and home. Oh well. We do live in the Midwest!

Next Week

• Starting a new read aloud for Quentin

• Beginning our yearly Shakespeare unit for Arthur

• Moving through the early Cold War years

• Continuing our math units

• Expanding upon chemical reactions and acids and bases

• Learning more Ancient China

• Exploring more parts of the plant kingdom

• Bringing back some art and music

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #9

As I look outside my window: It’s windy but at least the sun has come back out.

Right now I am: Organizing my side table so I can work on all my random projects. It’s a bit of a chore.

On my bedside table: Everyone Braves is Forgiven by Chris Cleave; Empty Smiles by Katherine Arden

On my tv this week: We started watched A Gentleman in Moscow and I’m already in love with it. So good!

Listening to: I finally started listening to the next Dungeon Crawler Carl book. 26 hours and I’m only about 4 hours into it. I can only listen in about one hour increments before it overloads my brain.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Chicken Pad Thai

• Tuesday - Chicken, Bacon, Broccoli Alfredo

• Wednesday - Italian Noodle Soup

• Thursday - Leftovers

• Friday - Chicken with Black Beans and Cream Cheese

• Saturday - Parmesan Tilapia

• Sunday - Honey and Lime Jalapeño Chicken

On my to do list: I need to carve out a few hours today to work on lesson plans for coop. I’m emergency teaching the oldest class on April 18th and then the middle class on April 25th and May 2nd.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Home Day

• Tuesday - Home Day

• Wednesday - Park; Children’s Museum

• Thursday - Coop; Possibly Zoo

• Friday - Nature Hike; Park

• Saturday - Drop Off Chicks

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: Nothing at the moment, although I have a few projects on tap. I need to clean off my desk and gather my ideas.

My simple pleasures: Throwing out my property list for my TBR to choose books I wanted to read.

Looking around the house: It’s definitely laundry day. I need to finish doing the loads and then putting it all away. J has begun working on the foyer and there’s drywall dust all over the place. I see vacuum and Swiffering in my future.

From the camera: We got ice cream after book club yesterday. I got Black Raspberry and Honeycomb. The Honeycomb was amazing.

A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

Title: A Tale Dark & Grimm (A Tale Dark & Grimm #1)

Author: Adam Gidwitz

Publisher: Dutton Books 2010

Genre: MG Fantasy Horror

Pages: 256

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Fairy Tales; 52 Book Club - Author Self-Insert

In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses, and outwitted witches.

Fairy tales have never been more irreverent or subversive as Hansel and Gretel learn to take charge of their destinies and become the clever architects of their own happily ever after.

A lovely horrifying spin on the Hansel and Gretel stories. I love how Gidwitz mixes up the classic stories into one large narrative. With every story, the situation becomes even more horrifying and my love for this book grew. But I think my favorite story was the story were Hansel tricked the devil. The narrative voice with the author inserts was an added bonus to the book. I will most definitely have to continue reading the series.

A Tale Dark & Grimm

• #1 A Tale Dark & Grimm

• #2 In a Glass Grimmly

• #3 The Grimm Conclusion

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Title: The Housemaid (The Housemaid #1)

Author: Freida McFadden

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing 2022

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 325

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Lifetime - Character in 20s; Library Love

“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…

Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of…

I’ll admit that I was hesitant about this book club selection. I usually find thrillers to be very trite and predictable. For the first section, I thought this book as going to be the predictable crazy wife trope. And then a shift happens. I bumped up my star rating to a 3 during the second portion of the book. And then we get to the last two chapters and I was completely sold on the book. I don’t want to spoil the story, but it ended in such a way that I was pumping my fists and yelling “yes!” I cannot wait to discuss this book at book club in a few weeks. And I might just read the second book in the series.

The Housemaid

• #1 The Housemaid

• #2 The Housemaid’s Secret

• #3 The Housemaid is Watching

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• I’ve got so many plans in motion for this summer and fall. Working on my big project management charts.

• Meal planning might be my least favorite reoccurring household task. It is never-ending.

• Sometimes nothing is better than a glass of ice water.

• I need to make a watchlist for May…

• And possibly redo my TBR pile.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

Title: The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

Author: Andrew Joseph White

Publisher: Peachtree Teen 2023

Genre: YA Horror

Pages: 387

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Picked without reading the blurb; Library Love

Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all.

London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old trans, autistic Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife.

After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness—a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness—and shipped away to Braxton’s Finishing School and Sanitorium. When the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxton’s innards and expose its guts to the world—so long as the school doesn’t break him first.

Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph White’s much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity.

Be forewarned, this book is full of horror and gore. It is not for for the feint of heart, but it’s such a great story about a person finding their self. We are immediately thrown into Silas’s confusing world full of expectations and horrors. We follow along as he attempts to carve his own path in the world only to butt up against societal expectations. The story really gets going when we transition to the Braxton school. From there, the mystery starts to unravel. The plot was fast moving and truly horrifying. I was very involved in the story and figuring out what happened to the girls at the school. My favorite parts with the scenes with Daphne. I loved see Silas and Daphne slowly find their partnership. Apparently, I’ve really been on an identity finding books kick lately.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #6

Reading: Diving into The Housemaid by Freida McFadden for upcoming book club. It’s a thriller, but I’m actually enjoying it right now.

Watching: We’re keeping up with the currently airing Shögun series. I am really really enjoying it and super excited that they do not dub the Japanese.

Listening: I’ve dove back into Motionless in White’s entire discography and a remembering why I love them.

Making: It’s time to make grocery lists and meal plans for the next month. It’s one of my least favorite household management tasks.

Feeling: The weather took another turn to the chilly and wet again this week. I’m craving comfy sweaters.

Planning: It’s time to start seriously planning the retreat meal plan and grocery lists. It’s a big job, but I’ve streamlined the process fairly well.

Loving: I taught chemistry yesterday to three very excited students. I really love their enthusiasm.

Next up on the TBR pile:

April 2024 Life Goals

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

• Read 18 Books ✓

• Finalize Guest List for the Bookish Retreat - I ended up at 18 participants. Very good number! ✓

• Start the Homeschool Supplies Cleanout ✓

• Get New Glasses ✓

• Finalize Spring Travel Plans - Still working on this one!

April Goals:

• Read 18 Books

• Pause All Library Holds (Except Book Club Selections)

• Finish Planning Ashfall Trip

• Launch Coop Summer Plan

• Start Working on Retreat Crafts

• Finish Homeschool Supply Cleanout

Next up on the TBR pile:

March 2024 Wrap-up

March TBR Pile (25/31):

1. Bookworms BC: NONE

2. Friend BC: The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia ✓

3. Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

4. Kid Read Aloud: The Witches by Roald Dahl ✓

5. Kid Read Aloud: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo ✓

6. Kid Read Aloud: Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar ✓

7. Kid Read Aloud: Sweep by Jonathan Auxier ✓

8. Kid Read Aloud: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl ✓

9. Kid Read Aloud: Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston

10. Kid Read Aloud: Men at Arms by Terry Prachett

11. Kid Book Club: The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf ✓

12. Fantasy: Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge ✓

13. Fantasy: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett ✓

14. Science Fiction: The Rise and Fall of DODO by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland ✓

15. Science Fiction: Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino ✓

16. Historical Fiction: Two Wars and a Wedding by Lauren Willig ✓

17. Romance: Ruthless by Anne Stuart ✓

18. Romance: Reckless by Anne Stuart ✓

19. Romance: The Worst Best Man by Lucy Score ✓

20. Romance: So Not Meant to Be by Meghan Quinn ✓

21. Romance: Bride by Ali Hazelwood ✓

22. Horror: The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

23. Horror: What Stalks Among Us by Sarah Hollowell ✓

24. Horror: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud ✓

25. Horror: Dark Waters by Katherine Arden ✓

26. Nonfiction: The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart - in progress, slow and steady read

27. Nonfiction: Toil & Trouble by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson ✓

28. Comics: Love Everlasting Vol. 1 ✓

29. Comics: Love Everlasting Vol. 2 ✓

30. Comics: The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg ✓

31. Comics: A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll ✓

1,000,000 Page Goal:

Monthly Total: 8558 pages
Pages Remaining: 249,312 pages

Current Read - The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White; The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Books I Gave Up On (0)

Books Bought/Received (10):

It’s my birthday month, so of course I got a free book from BOTM. Plus I grabbed one of the nominees for the best book of the year that I hadn’t already read.

• A Fate Inked in Blood by Danielle L. Jensen

• Murder Road by Simone St. James

• Shark Heart by Emily Habeck

During my birthday day out, I went to two local bookstores and grabbed a few titles. From The Bookworm, I picked up:

• Raising Critical Thinkers by Julie Bogart

• Lone Women by Victor Lavalle

• Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

• The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang

At Jackson Street Booksellers, I discovered:

• DK The Ecology Book

• Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson

• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

• The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf

UnRead Shelf Progress

• Starting Number: 325

• Books Read: 3

• Books Acquired: 10

• Books Unshelved: 2

• Finishing Number: 330

April TBR Pile:

1. Bookworms BC: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

2. Friend BC: Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

3. Nerdy Bookish Friends BC: NONE

4. Kid Read Aloud: Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston

5. Kid Read Aloud: Men at Arms by Terry Prachett

6. Kid Book Club: Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr

7. Fantasy: A Tale Dark and Grim by Adam Gidwitz

8. Horror: The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White

9. Horror: Empty Smiles by Katherine Arden

10. Comics: Lore Olympus Vol. 4

11. Comics: Die Vol. 1

12. Comics: Die Vol. 2

13. Comics: Die Vol. 3

14. Comics: Die Vol. 4

Movies Watched

• Argyle

• Lisa Frankenstein

• Road House

TV Shows Watched

• Bachelor

• Below Deck

• Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist S2

• Monarch

• Dick Turpin

• Shōgun

• SAS: Rogue Heroes

Comments - Another big month for reading! I didn’t read that many off my shelves this month, but still read a ton.

Next up on the TBR pile:

2024 Reading Challenges Update #1

I’m back to employing reading challenges to help direct my reading this year. Let’s check in with my progress of all the challenges I am attempting this year.

• Goodreads 83/200 41.5%

• Unread Shelf 10/50 20%*

• Kid Read Alouds 17/50 34%

• 52 Book Club 17/52 32.7%

• She Reads Romance 15/36 41.7%**

• COYER 6/20 30%*

• Decades 3/12 25%

• Lifetime 3/12 25%

• In Case You Missed It 4/12 33.3%

• Nonfiction Reader 4/12 33.3%

• Library Love 25/60 41.7%**

• Clock Numbers 2/12 16.7%

• Fairytales 2/12 16.7%

Total Challenges 0/13 0%

Total Reading Slots 191/540 34.4%

* - Needs Work
** - Doing a Great Job

Comments: Of course I need to focus on reading the books on my shelf and on my Kindle app. This is a perennial problem for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Toil & Trouble by Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson

Title: Toil & Trouble: A Women’s History of the Occult

Author: Lisa Kröger and Melanie R. Anderson

Publisher: Quirk Books 2022

Genre: Nonfiction - History

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Reader

Meet the mystical women and nonbinary people from US history who found strength through the supernatural—and those who are still forging the way today. From the celebrity spirit mediums of the nineteenth century to contemporary activist witches hexing the patriarchy, these icons have long used magic and mysticism to seize the power they’re so often denied.

Organized around different approaches women in particular have taken to the occult over the decades—using the supernatural for political gain, seeking fame and fortune as spiritual practitioners, embracing their witchy identities, and more—this book shines a light on underappreciated magical pioneers,

Even though I knew a lot of the information in this book, I really appreciated how the authors clearly moved through the stories. We get a variety of women, from all sides of the occult world. We get to hear about some of the hidden women of history. Their stories are pulled into the light showing all their strength and resilience. My favorite pieces were obviously all those that I knew nothing about. This is the perfect book for readers wanting to know more about important women in history.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll

Title: A Guest in the House

Author: Emily Carroll

Publisher: First Second 2023

Genre: Graphic Novel Horror

Pages: 256

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

After many lonely years, Abby’s just gotten married. She met her new husband―a recently widowed dentist―when he arrived in town with his young daughter, seeking a new start. Although it’s strange living in the shadow of her predecessor, Abby does her best to be a good wife and mother. But the more she learns about her new husband’s first wife, the more things don’t add up. And Abby starts to wonder . . . was Sheila’s death really by natural causes? As Abby sinks deeper into confusion, Sheila’s memory seems to become a force all its own, ensnaring Abby in a mystery that leaves her obsessed, fascinated, and desperately in love for the first time in her life.

Emily's masterful balance of black and white, surreal colors, rich textures, and dramatic lettering is assured to bring this story to life and give readers a chill up their spine as they read.

Now this book was much more up my alley. We get a horror comic examining a life of complacency and self-doubt. I loved how Abby’s story spirals with Crystal and Sheila’s stories. The interplay between black and white images and bursts of color drove home the push and pull between reality and dreams and nightmares. Throughout the pages, I was rooting for Abby in every encounter. After reading this volume, I definitely need to get more from Carroll.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia

Title: The Murmur of Bees

Author: Sofia Segovia

Publisher: Amazon Crossing 2015

Genre: Historical Fiction; Magical Realism

Pages: 471

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 52 Book Club - Yellow Spine; COYER

From the day that old Nana Reja found a baby abandoned under a bridge, the life of a small Mexican town forever changed. Disfigured and covered in a blanket of bees, little Simonopio is for some locals the stuff of superstition, a child kissed by the devil. But he is welcomed by landowners Francisco and Beatriz Morales, who adopt him and care for him as if he were their own. As he grows up, Simonopio becomes a cause for wonder to the Morales family, because when the uncannily gifted child closes his eyes, he can see what no one else can—visions of all that’s yet to come, both beautiful and dangerous. Followed by his protective swarm of bees and living to deliver his adoptive family from threats—both human and those of nature—Simonopio’s purpose in Linares will, in time, be divined.

Set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution and the devastating influenza of 1918, The Murmur of Bees captures both the fate of a country in flux and the destiny of one family that has put their love, faith, and future in the unbelievable.

Our book club pick for March. Somehow I did not realize that I had this sitting on my Kindle app already. And this book did not work for me at all. It started out interesting with the story of this maybe magical boy who is taken in by a family. From there, I thought we would get to read about a magical story of found family and identity. But that’s not where the story went. Instead, we get bogged down in terrible people doing terrible things to those around them. We get an attempt at an examination of the corruption of the Mexican political regimes under Diaz. Unfortunately, none of it really landed for me. And then there were so many sections that I questioned whether or not the writing and story was racist. Ultimately the book became a slog and I dreaded picking it up every day.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dark Waters by Katherine Arden

Title: Dark Waters (Small Spaces #3)

Author: Katherine Arden

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2021

Genre: MG Horror

Pages: 256

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

Until next time. That was chilling promise made to Ollie, Coco and Brian after they outsmarted the smiling man at Mount Hemlock Resort. And as the trio knows, the smiling man always keeps his promises. So when the lights flicker on and off at Brian's family's inn and a boom sounds at the door, there's just one visitor it could be. Only, there's no one there, just a cryptic note left outside signed simply as —S.

The smiling man loves his games and it seems a new one is afoot. But first, the three friends will have to survive a group trip to Lake Champlain where it's said Vermont's very own Loch Ness monster lives. When they’re left shipwrecked on an island haunted by a monster on both land and sea, Brian's survival instincts kick in and it's up to him to help everyone work together and find a way to escape.

One thing is for sure, the smiling man is back and he wants a rematch. And this time Brian is ready to play.

The third book in this fun middle grade horror series and I am still very intrigued. In this one, we get a fun shipwreck adventure featuring a sea monster and more ghosts. We get some more information about what happened back in the fall and the reintroduction of a previous character. I loved seeing Brian take a more central role in solving this particular mystery. And of course, we get one heck of a cliffhanger. I completely predicted what was going to happen, but it was still a great ride. And now, I just need to finish this series.

Small Spaces

• #1 Small Spaces

• #2 Dead Voices

• #3 Dark Waters

• #4 Empty Smiles

Next up on the TBR pile:

Reckless by Anne Stuart

Title: Reckless (House of Rohan #2)

Author: Anne Stuart

Publisher: MIRA 2010

Genre: Romance

Pages: 408

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf; She Reads Romance - Historical Romance

Spice Rating: 5

Charlotte Spenser, straight-laced spinster with a search for knowledge, thinks observing an orgy from a safe distance is an excellent idea.

Adrian Rohan, black sheep of an already infamous family, has always encouraged female education, and he’s more than happy to give her hands-on experience.

They’re so mismatched it’s a wonder they don’t explode. He’s everything bad, and she can’t resist him.

What could possibly go wrong?

Wow… I am definitely done with this series. I had my hesitations about the first book. And this volume absolutely confirmed all my hesitations and really soured me on this author. The main storyline features a terrible pairing of people. Charlotte is a naive spinster. Adrian is just a complete asshole. I could not even find one shred of attraction to him. Their entire relationship was extremely dysfunctional. I just wanted both of these characters to run away from each other and never get together again. Blergh. I just cannot with this series at all. On a brighter note, I just removed two books from my Unread Shelf.

House of Rohan

• #1 Ruthless

• #2 Reckless

• #3 Breathless

• #4 Shameless

• #5 Heartless

Next up on the TBR pile:

Homeschool W26: Activities Rearranged Our Schedule

Q’s ELA

What We Studied

Unfortunately weather caused us a few problems with this week and we had to cancel coop. Instead, we planned a few activities to fill our time. Coupled with a decent amount of school, and we had a good week.

A’s ELA and Math

Q’s Rome Unit

Literature and Poetry

Arthur finished the last bit of our read aloud and started the next one. The new one is feeling very promising. For the actual literature, we are working on some basic grammar skills. We continued the first Reading Explorer book which focuses on reading comprehension. He also continued his Super Secret Notebook from Blossom & Root.

• My America poem collection

• Reading Explorer 1

• Sweep by Jonathan Auxier

• Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston

Quentin finished another read aloud. He absolutely loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Apparently, Dahl’s sense of whimsy and humor really appeals to him. He also worked on some basic grammar with some fun books.

• Sing a Song of Seasons

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Hike at Fontenelle

Math

Arthur wrapped up his unit on volumes.. We’re flying through the lessons. We also finished the Grade 4 Financial Literacy book.

• Singapore Common Core 5B

• Orbiting with Logic

• Evan Moor Financial Literacy G4

Quentin took a break from Singapore to do some review math packets. I wanted a better mastery of basic arithmetic before we dove into multiplication and division.

• Singapore Common Core 2A

Social Studies

Arthur covered more of World War II. We focused on Japanese Interment and the treatment of African Americans during the war.

• DK American History

• We were There Too! Young People in US History

• Words that Build a Nation

• Heart and Soul

• Nat Geo Our Country’s Presidents

• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States

• A Different Mirror for Young People

• This is Our Land: A History of American Immigration

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK History

• The Great Depression and World War II by Susan E. Hamen

• Write to Me: Letters from Japanese American Children to the Librarian They Left Behind by Cynthia Grady

• Rad American History A-Z by Kate Schatz & Miriam Klein Stahl

• Fred Korematsu Speaks Up

• Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's Story by Joseph Bruchac

Quentin finished his big unit on Rome. We had to finish out with our favorite episode of NOVA about the colosseum. Even Arthur wanted to rewatch it with us!

• History Quest Early Times

• DK When on Earth?

• Human Wold

• DK History

• DK Timelines of Everything

• DK A Child Through Time

• A History of Western Art

• DK Science Year by Year

• DK Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories

• Find the Journeys Around the World by David Long

• Ancient Worlds

• A Journey Through Art by Aaron Rosen

• Ancient Rome by Peter Chrisp

• The Ancient Romans Cohn

• DK Eyewitness: Ancient Rome

• Stephen Biesty's Ancient World

• The Genius of the Romans

• Whole Wide World: Colosseum by Kristine Spanier

• 20 Fun Facts About the Colosseum by Drew Nelson

Obligatory neighborhood blow-up picture

A’s Math and ELA

Science

We had a break week from chemistry class, so science was light this week. We made sure to read more chapters in our Story of Science book.

• RSO Chemistry

• DK Super Simple Chemistry

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

• DK The Elements

Quentin wrapped up RSO Life’s Human Anatomy unit with a section on growth and genetics. We did a bit of big review before putting away those books. The last big section of RSO Life is all about the Plant Kingdom.

• RSO Life

• DK Oversimple Biology

• DK Human Body

• Know and Glow Human Body

• DK Eyewitness: Human Body

• iDiscover The Body by Carolyn Scrace

Q’s Rome Unit

Q’s Science

STEAM Coop

Coop was cancelled due to weather.

A’s History

A’s ELA and Math

Art/Music/Crafts/Cooking/Documentary

No formal art and music this week.

• DK Music and How it Works

• DK The Arts

• DK Art and How It Works

• Modern Art Adventures by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw

• 13 American Artists Children Should Know

• A Child's Introduction to Art

• Women in Art by Rachel Ignotofsky

• Iconic Composers by Nicholas Csicsko & Emi Ferguson

• 13 Art Movements Children Should Know

• 13 Artists Children Should Know

• 13 Modern Artists Children Should Know

• The Story of Paintings by Mick Manning & Brita Granström

• Why is Art Full of Naked People? by Susie Hodge

Field Trip

On Friday, a fellow homeschooler organized a big group trip the Science Center of Iowa in Des Moines. A group of about 20 kids and parents caravanned to the museum for a few hours of exploration. We had been once about a year ago. It was fun to revisit and re-explore. We even caught a planetarium show. After the museum, most of the families headed back home. I decided to take the kids to the Monsterama Arcade for a few hours of playtime. They have been begging to go back for months. We had dinner at the attached pizza place and played until 7pm before driving back home. It made for a 12+ hour day, but it was worth it!

High

We managed to fit in a nature hike on Tuesday (just us) and an open bounce time at Bounce U on Thursday (with friends). Even with the activities, we had a good school week.

Low

Cancelling of coop created some frustration.

Driving a Mars rover

Next Week

• Reading more of our read aloud (A) and starting a new collection of stories (Q)

• Moving through World War II

• Continuing our math units

• Exploring some new concepts about the periodic table

• Learning more Ancient African Kingdoms

• Starting with the plant kingdom for science

• Bringing back some art and music

Arcade Time!

Pizza Time

Next up on the TBR pile:

Life Right Now #8

As I look outside my window: Sunny and bright but pretty cold. March’s weather is all over the place per usual.

Right now I am: Ready to pick up my current read for a little bit before making brunch. Later I have my Nerdy Bookish Friends zoom and then we’re off to see The Lion King at the Orpheum.

Thinking and pondering: What polls/questions do I need to posit to the coop? We’re making some changes this year (really we make changes every year) and these ones are pretty big. I’m debating about what to make a poll and what to just change through executive action.

On my bedside table: Dark Waters and Empty Smiles by Katherine Arden; The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia

On my tv this week: We finished Wonderland this week! Another show completed. Otherwise, we’ve been keeping up with Shogun as well as a few random movies.

Listening to: Nothing too exciting. I have been on a Within Temptation kick, so their newest album has come up a lot.

On the menu for this week:

• Monday - Mississippi Pot Roast

• Tuesday - Honey and Lime Jalapeño Chicken

• Wednesday - J’s Birthday Dinner

• Thursday - Prawn and Sweet Potato Jamaican Curry

• Friday - Ham and Potato Soup

• Saturday - Sweet Potato and Quinoa Bowls

• Sunday - Ranch Cheddar Chicken

On my to do list: I need to order J’s cake for this week. I also need to find a tax document and hopefully make doctor’s appointments. I should probably do an admin check-in for the coop.

Happening this week:

• Monday - Chemistry Class

• Tuesday - Home day?

• Wednesday - Lauritzen Gardens Field Trip; J’s birthday!

• Thursday - Coop

• Friday - Home day? Park day? Not quite sure yet.

• Saturday - Home Day

• Sunday - Home Day

What I am creating: Nothing much. I wanted to get to my Memory Planner today, but it may not happen.

My simple pleasures: Singing along to music in the car, chats with friends, free play time for the kids

Looking around the house: Looking decent.

From the camera: We had another “fancy” ramen night this week. Kimchi flavored instant ramen with lots of toppings!

Ruthless by Anne Stuart

Title: Ruthless (House of Rohan #1)

Author: Anne Stuart

Publisher: MIRA 2010

Genre: Romance

Pages: 409

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

Spice Rating: 5

Viscount Rohan is a very bad man. Leader of the notorious Heavenly Host, he steers the dissolute and pleasure-seeking aristocracy in their revels. Content in his wickedness, he knows there is no room for a starchy, brave English spinster in his self-indulgent existence, but his body disagrees.

Elinor Harriman is so intent on protecting her baby sister and their dying mother that she doesn’t realize the danger she’s in. The notorious Viscount Rohan could have no interest in someone like her, thank God, and no idea that she melts with longing every time he touches her. She’s an intelligent, plain woman, and his tempting, his teasing has to be some kind of joke.

But Rohan takes his appetites very seriously, and sensible or not, he wants Elinor Harriman in his bed. There is only one problem with indulging himself–he’s starting to want her in his life as well. And that would destroy everything.

I picked this up because I had the three other books in this series sitting on my Unread Shelf. I dove in not knowing what to expect. I loved the first section of this book. The tension between Francis and Elinor was delightful. I was intrigued by the setup and was hoping for a good payoff. But I ultimately thought the book ended much to abruptly and without the catharsis that I wanted. I didn’t feel like Francis and Elinor ever really connected with each other. There wasn’t enough relationship talk for me. I will still continue on with the series as I own the rest. We’ll see how I feel after the next one about continuing farther.

House of Rohan

• #1 Ruthless

• #2 Reckless

• #3 Breathless

• #4 Shameless

• #5 Heartless

Next up on the TBR pile:

The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg

Title: The One Hundred Nights of Hero

Author: Isabel Greenberg

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company 2016

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 224

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

In the Empire of Migdal Bavel, Cherry is married to Jerome, a wicked man who makes a diabolical wager with his friend Manfred: if Manfred can seduce Cherry in one hundred nights, he can have his castle -- and Cherry.

But what Jerome doesn't know is that Cherry is in love with her maid Hero. The two women hatch a plan: Hero, a member of the League of Secret Story Tellers, will distract Manfred by regaling him with a mesmerizing tale each night for 100 nights, keeping him at bay. Those tales are beautifully depicted here, touching on themes of love and betrayal and loyalty and madness.

As intricate and richly imagined as the works of Chris Ware, and leavened with a dry wit that rivals Kate Beaton's in Hark! A Vagrant, Isabel Greenberg's One Hundred Nights of Hero will capture readers' hearts and minds, taking them through a magical medieval world.

Random comic recommendation from Goodreads that actually landed for me. This is a remix of the story of Scheherazade with added influences for other cultures. There’s an element of feminist rage that I really enjoyed. The stories and legends are inset into the larger story of Cherry and Hero. I loved seeing elements of other well-known and some other not-so-well-known stories.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• The weather is just not cooperating for coop this week… We couldn’t find a place and had to cancel. The location struggle has really gotten to me.

• Think it’s time to send a reminder email for the retreat attendees.

• And I have some coop admins tasks to finish today.

• Might make some banana bread today. I’m feeling like some type of baked goods.

Next up on the TBR pile: