It's Time for ...

The Weekly Report!!!

In school news this week, much was accomplished. Despite my continued health struggles, the kiddies plodded on. Having chosen resources for each level has been the best decision I have made thus far. My twins have their own ancient history resources and are working independently. The oldest twin completed another full week of My Father's World: Creation to the Greeks. She has the teacher's manual, and is completely responsible for her work. The highlight of the week was listening to the Vivaldi biography on Classical Kids. (I think that is the name - forgive me if I am confusing it with another.) We did supplement a bit with extra readings in both Story of the World, and Child's History of the World. But, those are like treats to my kids - time to color maps and extra coloring pages, play quietly while Mom reads. Even Rocky has requested the maps to color from the STOW activity book. I love when he asks to join it.

The younger twin completed his second week in The Mystery of History. This is working out well for him - bite size readings with a bit of meat. He likes to ask for supplementary readings to correspond with what he was reading about. We had a conversation about dinosaurs, the meaning of "behemoth" in the Bible, references to dragons in ancient literature and their cultural significance in ancient times, especially in Asian countries. We then happened to stumble across the movie The Water Horse on Netflix. They really enjoyed that. In case you never saw it, the movie explores some of the myths surrounding the Loch Ness Monster. It was very good. I showed him how to do a time-line to sum up what he learned this week. (Of course, I inserted the picture here, but blogger put it at the top.) And he completed all three books I had assigned him for the month of February - a biography on Louis Braille, a complilation of Arabian Nights, Aladdin, etc, and The Incredible Journey. Finding books that fit him has been a bit of a struggle, but we are doing well now.

In grammar, we completed Chapter 5 lessons, minus the ones related to writing skills. We will do the review lesson, and the writing skills next week. I continue to be impressed with Rod & Staff. The lessons are simple and clear, and the worksheets help to bring it all together. Plus, they serve as automatic documentation for the portfolio (Blah!!!). I purchased the R & S 6 science for my oldest twin, 'cause, you know, she wasn't burdened enough. I felt it was time for an actual science text. She is liking it, so far. I am teaching her how to outline the chapter, paying particular attention to vocabulary, and answering chapter summary questions. She did complete the first two lessons. And she is on lesson 17 in Life of Fred. I am having her complete some fraction worksheets from Math Mammoth because Fred is a bit light on the number of problems. The younger twin is still working on Singapore, all on his own, no more complaints since he can write in the books. I think he will be done with all the 3B books in a month or so, and he wants to continue with the program. I am glad he found a niche in math, too - finally!

We reviewed our Shakespeare play, read our "life" (Plutarch), began reading Homer Price and The Tanglewood Secret, and continued to work on drawing skills. The oldest twin completed another lesson in Latin, and read Plain Girl and All of a Kind Family. (She is a bibliophile in making - she has a stack of no less than 20 books on her nightstand, and is currently reading three books at once, not assigned reading, just for fun. One she keeps on the dining room table, one open on her desk, and one in her bed - I am so proud!) Little Bear has completed 5 lessons in ETC 4, is on lesson 15 in Primary Language Lessons, and completed lesson 6, a review lesson, in spelling. We decided to continue with Rod & Staff for math, and, once the books arrived, she began them immediately. She is reading through the literature selections from Sonlight level 2 readers, and is doing very well with them.

All in all, a good week. Thanks for stopping by.