Week 6, August 31, 2012

 

What's that sound? 

Why its the sound of angels singing down on me! 

We're at the end of our first stretch of school.

We'll get all of next week's book work completed by Wednesday so that we can take off for a long weekend.  By "off" I of course mean no formal lessons, but hands-on / project-type stuff.  We aren't taking a full week off because we have one off in about a month (when we'll be off from co-op too).  Our recent relaxed days have us pretty refreshed.



Places we're going, and people we're seeing:
Saturday, the boys had their last of 6 bowling lessons, and they were given their very own custom-drilled bowling balls.  Spunk bowled a 99 that day!

Sunday we went to church then returned to the bowling alley with friends.  There was a special running all weekend long, that we all wanted to take advantage of.  We had so much fun together, but I didn't snap any pictures - fail.

Monday, we had a trip to our local TCBY.  Yay!  There was a group of older kids who went first, and they were allowed to assist in setting up yogurt machines and run the cash register.  It was a cool trip for sure!

Getting a lesson about where the yogurt comes from, followed by a trip into the deep freezer!! Brrrrr!!

Thoughtful's sample to be sure the machines were ready to dispense.

And of course our favorite part!!!  Yogurt and candy with friends for lunch!


Tuesday we went absolutely nowhere!  It was my favorite day :)  until Wednesday.

Wednesday we had co-op, which we are loving.  I taught the toddler class, which is so fun for me.  I'm the only Momma in our group without a little one in our tot class.  We had story time, finger painting the Earth, playdough time, show and tell, snack, and park time.  I was so busy with them, that I didn't see my boys at all.  Here's what they were doing:
 

Reviewing what they learned at home. 
I didn't think it stuck with them,
 but look at my Spunk ready to answer questions. 

Thoughtful's class creating a human revolution and rotating Earth.
Thoughtful is the Sun.

Then they did this playdough model of the Earth's layers.
Step 1, make 5 balls of playdough, using different colors, each in a different size.
Step 2, smash all balls, except the smallest.  Wrap the second smallest around the smallest.
Seen here, it would be wrap the green around the yellow.  Continue this with each color, until you're left with only a big ball of playdough.  You should only be able to see the outer layer.

 

AND THEN CUT!  Use dental floss or string to get a good cut.

Thoughtful did this one in his class too, and he came home and named each layer for us.  Books are not his friend.  He struggled for three days about the names of these layers. We read, used flashcards, drew pictures, used the white board, etc.  It wasn't working, but THIS tactile activity made it click for him. 

Did I mention that I'm loving co-op?

Then they had PE time inside, as our park area is currently more like a swamp.  They learned about relays in the Olympics, then had some fun!

Egg race!

Oh no!!  Quick, get it!

After co-op, I took the boys to the bank as they've been begging me to deposit their saved money.  They have done extremely well with their tithe, save, spend. 

And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't very prideful today!  They neatly completed their own transaction tickets, Thoughtful properly added, and they patiently waited for the change machine while the mean old man jumped in front of them.  They used manners with the teller and even spoke up!! 
(this last one is kind of huge)

And then off to the library where we picked up books for Labor Day and our upcoming archeology study.  More on that to come later!

Thursday, I had a lunch date to catch up with a friend, which we happened to have at McD's.  This is so that I had a play place for the kids.  They of course believe that they earned the privledge of McD's.  Judge if you will. 

Whatever, manipulation works for me, okay?

Friday, I'm thinking another nothing day. 
As much as I loved everywhere we went this week, I really love home. 

What's working for us:
Workboxes, for sure, and our new reward system which I hope to post about once I see it working.

What's not working for us:
I thought that NOT having a formal history curriculum was not working, but I think we're okay.  I'm gonna stick with the unit study thing. They are in elementary school grades afterall.  This just takes extra planning on my part ;)  And you know planning makes me a oddly happy. 

What I'm cooking:

Yep, bacon on the waffle iron.  It wasn't done yet when I snapped this picture, but rest assured, we fried, and we ate.  The grease dripped down in the grooves, I pretty much felt like a genius.

 

We also baked a large cookie in honor of both boys getting 100s on their math tests.  They only had 2 days of working the new concepts, so I was uber-impressed!!

 

Thoughts I have:
I believe that my younger will eventually catch his big brother, academically.  He's such a smart kiddo, and I shouldn't suppress his desire to always move on.  He truly grasps each concept quickly, can teach it back, etc.  But his brother, Thoughtful, moves along at just the right pace always doing just enough to get by.  He's not behind by any means, but he lacks self confidence.  I don't want to see him throw in the towel, and I'm afraid that he will if he and his brother are doing the same thing.

I already see him competing for reading rewards, desperately trying to stay ahead of his little brother.

Any help out there for this situation??  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I'm praying for:
Those experiencing Hurricane Isaac and its remnants.  There are millions of people affected by this storm.  PEOPLE, His people, and He hears our prayers.

I'm linking up with I Homeschool Network and Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers this week.  Read about more homeschooling families' weeks by clicking either link. 

Happy Labor Day weekend!