Weekly Report

With three weeks planned before Christmas, I need to do this weekly report to assure myself that we are moving forward. We began our study of the history of Christmas, using History Scribe's The History of Christmas. We are using it very loosely, and ended up on the History Channel, watching a series of videos detailing some of the history of the secular holiday.

My 7-year-old began Rod & Staff Spelling this week, and she loves it. She is almost finished with ETC 3, and will begin division in her Singapore 1B text. She has worked her way through the Rod & Staff math workbook independently, and has made progress with multiplication. She is filling out a blank multiplication table up to the 12s two or three times a week, and is doing really well with it. I also have her using the abacus and some rods to help with multiplication. She reports that math is her favorite subject.

The younger twin absolutely dreads Saxon Math. I found an A Beka worktext from his sister, and I am using it while I decide if I want to change him to another program. He is doing well on his tests, but he does not like writing out the problems on a separate sheet of paper. I vacillate as to whether or not this presents a real problem, or it is just laziness on his part. I need to remember that the goal is for him to learn math, and not hate doing it.

The twins both touched on metric system measurements and conversions this week. They did very well with it. They also learned how to diagram direct objects. They completed their study of Taft's presidency, and we watched a United Streaming video on the Titanic. We also studied the Pacific Coast states, found a video on the Scrambled States, read The Hundred Dresses as our read-aloud, learned about Rachel Carson as our biography, and enjoyed As You Like It as our Shakespeare play for the month.

The older twin is continuing with chemistry, but I am questioning this decision on my part. It seems too heavy with all the supplements. I want her to enjoy science, and I do not think this is the way to go right now. I may buy some science kits and keep science light for the next year.

My oldest is working hard to finish this academic year so he can begin a new one - his senior year! The books have been ordered and received (you gotta love Rainbow Resources). I need to work on lesson plans. It will be a challenging year for him, including AP Biology and a world geography and cultures study. We will focus a great deal of time and effort on writing, an area in which I feel he needs improvement. He has finished math through Pre-Calc., and completed Consumer Math this year. I am not sure where to go with his math for the next year. I was thinking Business Math, or accounting - something "light" and practical.

Well, another week down, two to go, two off, and then a new year. Baby steps really add up, don't they? I mean, when you are just going through the daily grind, it can seem so tedious, and you can feel like you did not accomplish anything. But then you put it all together, and you realize another year has passed, the kids have grown physically and mentally- and emotionally - and you can feel good about the efforts everyone has put in to making it all happen. It is a team effort and it is working. Yay, team!!!