No.31: Our Farmhouse Schoolhouse in Photos (Week 04)

Since moving to this house, I tend to think of things in terms of “firsts” – the first summer, the first school year, etc.  This week, we added two more firsts to the list: my first illness (a head cold and sore throat) and the first time we saw a bear!  Mark and I were chatting while he was getting ready for work and I casually looked out the window only to see a BEAR on the porch.  My first reaction was, “Hmm, someone’s hairy black dog must have gotten loose.”  Oh no no.  We think it was a “yearling” (says two clueless people who have to Google these things because we’re fresh from suburbia) and he must have jumped up quickly on the porch before running off for the woods.  So crazy.

Notes and highlights:

+ The little boys weren’t ready to leave the Vikings yet, so we started reading Viking Adventure.  The chapters are short but engaging.  I love hearing them make connections from Leif the Lucky – it’s encouraging to know that they aren’t totally tuning me out as I read!  D (3rd grade) started working on the coordinating notebook work from Homeschool Share.  I was about to scrap it two days in, thinking it was a bit too much busywork for my liking, but he insisted that he wants to continue.

+ We started Egyptian desert animals this week: camels and king cobras!  The Sassafras Science book is definitely story-driven and I like how it opens up an opportunity to dig deeper and learn more.  We’ve been poring over the DK Animal Encyclopedia, reading the facts and looking at the photographs.  That book is probably one of my best purchases so far.
Movie we watched with an Egyptian connection: Treasure Buddies on Netflix

+ M (5th grade) and I are completing the Learning with Fulton Sheen curriculum together.  We finished up the documentary, Archbishop Fulton Sheen: Servant of All (we rented and streamed it through Ignatius Press) and it was SO good.  I got goosebumps at least three times.  

+ We traveled further west to Liberia this week.  We read Head, Body, Legs: A Story from Liberia, made smoked ham and green bean jollof for dinner and plantain gingerbread upside down cake (we used bananas we had at home) for dessert.  So delicious.  It’s hard to say for sure, but our African studies just may be my favorite part of homeschooling.

MISCELLANEOUS

+ We worked on our states and capitals by playing Scrambled States of America.  It’s fast paced and fun…except when you have a houseful of crazy competitive players (ahem…my entire family).  There were a few tears, but we ended up relatively unscathed.  

Current 1000 Books Project Total: 31/1000
Poetry Teatime Treat: Chocolate Chip Scones