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The weather finally felt like fall this week. The brisk mornings had us all bundled up in quilts and blankets. We’ve had a lot of hot cups of cocoa or coffee in our hands. P wore fleece footie pajamas for the first time and we all died at the cuteness. Nature walks around our property to see the leaves has become one of our favorite things to do. Fall, I think we love you.
Notes and highlights:
GRAMMAR
+ We started a new unit using a book called Grammar-Land by M.L. Nesbitt. (I found the audiobook version for free on LibriVox!) It’s an old one from 1877, but still really interesting. I love that the parts of speech are told within the context of a story – such a gentle way to introduce even my littlest ones to grammar. This week, we learned about Mr. Noun, Little Article and Mr. Pronoun.
HISTORY
+ The little kids finished Columbus. Their final project was to paint a big world map of Columbus’ first voyage. They worked so hard and I loved how it turned out! J and his big imagination wanted to add a sea monster to the map, because, “Well, Mama, you never know, right?” The boys also did a little oral presentation for their dad about all they had learned. On to Pocahontas on Monday!
SCIENCE
Sassafras Science took us to Australia this week. We watched an episode of Bear Grylls’ Man vs. Wild (the Kimberly, Australia episode from Season 1) which is always an adventure. I watch more than half of that show behind my hands, but the boys really enjoy it. Even Sophie seems to have a stronger stomach than I do, hah! The kids also learned how to draw a koala.
MISCELLANEOUS
+ We finished The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail as a read-aloud. Reviews from the kids were mixed – some really liked it, some thought it was just so-so (cough cough…the older kids). Next up: Nim’s Island. They all were really excited to hear that there was a movie to watch once we finish the book!
+After a few weeks off, we got back to our African Studies cooking with Sudanese flatbread. The texture is sort-of like a thick tortilla or a pancake, but was strangely addicting. We ate them with chicken thighs for dinner.
Current 1000 Books Project Total: 55/1000
Poetry Teatime Treat: Cheddar, Chive & Ham Biscuits (we went savory this time!)
Poetry Teatime Treat: Cheddar, Chive & Ham Biscuits (we went savory this time!)
MOTHER CULTURE & SELF-CARE
+ Health: Running, running, running!
+ Reading: North Haven, Anne of Avonlea and The Long Loneliness
I fell behind on my blog reading, but I am all caught up on your weekly homeschool updates. I just love them. They inspire me to keep moving forward with my homeschooling journey. I am not embarrassed to admit that after twelve years of homeschooling I still need to be encouraged and inspired. I appreciate that you include mom self-care into the post. It is vital that we take care of ourselves. Thanks for the inspiration!
Oh Erica, thank you SO much for this. I need semi-constant inspiration for this homeschooling adventure too! I love to see what others are doing/learning/experiencing even if it has nothing to do with our current curriculum…I think it makes me a better teacher to be immersed in good ideas. Wishing you a wonderful school year with your crew! (I'd love to hear what you guys do too!)
Did the boys draw those maps themselves?
They did! Some countries/continents are not quite drawn to scale (….like Greenland, haha!) but I thought it was a pretty good effort for their first time!