Weekly Report ...

Week #20 completed! It was a good week. Once again, my six-week schedule helped me remain on track and focused.

The oldest twin completed Central Asia in her Eastern Hemispheres studies. We are working our way through Penny Candy, and she just completed the missionary biography she was reading. In Latin, she is continuing the review of LCI that LCII focuses on in the first five lessons. We also listened to the recordings from Librivox of Famous Men of Rome, completing chapters 3-5. I had her focus her attention on Life of Fred:Decimals & Percents, completing up to the Bridge that includes chapter 25. We will finish the book in two weeks, and then return to Math-U-See, Lesson 19. I have the Fred Algebra book on hand already, but I do not think we will begin it just yet.

Grammar studies included the younger twin, and we were able to complete five lessons this week, as well as two worksheets, and a writing assignment that focused on outlining paragraphs. The younger twin also worked his way through to the second quiz in his third CLE math workbook, and completed two weeks in science. He is reading Just So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling. He completed a number of drawing lessons via the on-line academy, and studied the Jewish holidays and Biblical origins of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. In History, we read about Greek sculpture and architecture. He added some narrations to his notebook, and drew examples of the Greek columns. He also decided to research the prevalence of the various columns in historical buildings. Got to love it when they take that extra step.

Little Bear is nearing the completion of her fourth workbook in math, and she has reached lesson 30 in R & S Spelling. We studied the Nile River this week, as well as King Tut and the mummification process. She remembers a great deal from when the older kids were working their way through SOTW I, which was 4 years ago. She was only 4 then. In Science, we studied pigeons, and read about the Cuckoo, who replaces the eggs of certain birds with its own, so that they can be raised by the efforts of others. Little Bear was really disturbed by this, especially since it involved ridding the nest of the eggs that belonged there. She felt the Cuckoo should do its own work. Little Bear is continuing to do well with Writing with Ease. Her narrations have improved so much. I have added a little tweak to the program a la the old Sonlight LA. I have her underline, circle, squiggly underline various parts of speech. She is able to recognize nouns, proper nouns, verbs, and adjectives now with relative ease.

I did manage to get some work in with Rocko. I always wait until he is receptive because I just do not see the point in trying to teach him when he is otherwise engaged. His math skills are excellent, and he can add two two-digit numbers in his head. And his writing is improving. I am using a dry-erase board with him, and helped him with his grip this week. It really seemed to improve the quality of his writing. We read about the Creation week, and a picture book of Noah's Ark. He was so interested in that one, and was able to relate to me the story in his Bible storybook about how Noah came to be on the ark. He then took it upon himself to draw his own rendition of the ark, and the animals, and Noah and his sons. I can see his interest in academics growing slowly. He asks me more often to "do school". It is nice to see his interests come alive.

Well, those are the highlights. Emma is improving, slowly. She is over 7 1/2 lbs. We are awaiting lab analysis of her stools, as there was some concern over the consistency. Let's just pray it is not the start of anything bad again. I will end (actually they are up at the top) with pictures of some playtime at a nearby park, which is situated beside a lake. It is beautiful. Hope you had a good week, too.

Weekly Review...

We had a pretty good week. My oldest daughter still has a poor attitude toward math, and sometimes, that translates into a poor attitude in general, which morphs into me getting upset with her poor attitude in math ... Vicious cycle. Math needs to be done. That's it! You can not be a math drop-out in the 6th grade, no matter much you excel in your other subjects. She may love literature, and do very well with writing, but math is a necessary evil. So we sat together every. single. day. And we did allllll the bridge exercises in Life of Fred: Decimals & Percents to bring us up to Ch. 21. She was not happy - with me. This child wants to take herself to her room after breakfast and be left alone - as in, I-am-my-own-island alone.

She also began Central Asia in her Eastern Hemisphere Explorer studies. The map for this assignment was ... oh. my. I helped her with this one, only because, well, did I say ... oh. my.? One more "... istan" and my hand was going to fall off. We also completed one lesson in Latina Christiana II and Ludere II which was another exercise in mental anguish. I like the challenge of Ludere puzzles, but the derivative crosswords are so nonspecific - they are almost impossible to complete without the aid of the teacher's manual. I am glad we switched back from Ecce Romani, however, as the structured assignments were just what my little Einstein needed to get her motivated with Latin again. She read, probably three or four books while locked up in her lair, and we are working on Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? together. It is quite insightful to read this book in the presence of an 8 and 6 year old - they have much to add in regards to government, work ethic, and the evils of taxes.

The younger twin continues to work his way through CLE math. He finished another four assignments and a quiz. We also studied the origin of the Olympic games, watched a video on the geography of Greece, and read about Persephone in our mythology book. He is also close to completing The World of Captain John Smith, quite an endeavor, especially at the sloooooow pace recommended by Ambleside Online. I have him studying the origin of Jewish holy days, as well as reading a number of books to the younger children, when he can corral Rocky long enough to get him to listen to the story. He is also making wonderful progress in his SL Science studies, and really enjoying the readings. It is especially wonderful that he is totally independent in this course. Once he had the hang of using the schedule and the activity sheets, it was not necessary for me to sit with him. He is required to be near me, and I am available to answer questions or clarify something he may not understand. But he is pretty much on his own, and loving science this year. SL did a really good job revamping their science this year. It is so user friendly and really written to the student. When you have four levels of science going, it is good to know that your 10 and up kids can be independent.

Little Bear is very near completing her 2nd grade studies. I am looking into ordering for her new year, which we will begin after the Christmas holidays. We were very eclectic this year, especially with history and geography, sometimes doing her own studies and other times folding her in with one of the older children. She has learned a good amount of general world geography. She has also done well with her level of SL Science. Give her a worksheet and she fills it in with gusto! Math is her love. Her work is so neat and organized. It is wonderful that she has acquired this skill so early in life. No need to scold her for misplaced books, or sloppy figures. Each day, she sits at the table and copies a paragraph from her McGuffey Reader - not because I assigned it, but because she wants to do it, and enjoys it.

Little Bear, Rocky, and the Younger Twin completed many Draw Squad assignments this week. Their drawings are so unbelievable - the enrollment in the on-line academy was some of the best money I ever spent. They have learned so much. My older daughter much prefers her lessons in God & the History of Art. As a group, we began the Classical Era in The History of Classical Music. And the twins completed two more lessons in grammar, as well as one worksheet. I have also begun implementing many of the ideas from Writing with Ease across the curriculum, resulting in much improved written work.

It was a beautiful week for being out of doors. So we included lots of time outside in our days. And those are the highlights. Hope your week was good, too.

Long Over-Due Weekly Review ...

I have not done a weekly report in a bit. So, to wrap up another 6-week session, here goes:

The Oldest Twin has completed 6 painful Latin translations in Ecce Romani. Suffice it to say she is not enjoying this text anymore. It did get quite ... tedious rather quickly. We are not giving up on it, but we will add Latina Christiana II back in, along with the Ludere activities, and our on-line reviews. I have had a difficult time procuring the teacher's manual for Ecce Romani, so trying to explain the grammar concepts without the guide was a bit of a challenge. I will be thankful for the break from my Latin homework for a bit.

Oldest Twin has also completed Math-U-See Zeta through Lesson 18, as well as Life of Fred: Decimals & Percents. She received a 100% on the Unit Test following Lesson 16 in MUS, so I feel good about our progress towards Algebra. I am trying to decide what program we will use next. I have already purchased Fred's Algebra book, having found it at a clearance price. I prefer this series as a supplement, though.

O.T. has completed her study of China, Mongolia, and Russia in her Eastern Hemisphere Studies from Sonlight. We supplemented with a lot of videos, and learned a good deal about the modern cultures of these countries. One of our favorite books, surprisingly, was Genghis Khan and the Mongol Horde. To take a murderous tyrant and make him into an interesting character study ... well, that takes some talent. Kudos to the author! I did add quite a few books to our literature selections, including Peter the Great, Story of the World, Child's History of the World, Window on the World, and the Edith Nesbit books, The Railway Children and The Book of Dragons. The last two have nothing to do with our geography/culture studies, but were nice reads. The others brought some more geographical information and/or historical perspective. I think you could make this course into a two-year study if you wanted to focus more on the historical aspects of each country. I am not trying to stretch it out as much as give it more historical dimension. Plus, my child is almost through with all the books, readers and read-alouds.

As for the Youngest Twin, we have finally, finally, finally found a math program that fits!!! After attempting Saxon, Math-U-See, MCP, MEP (available free on-line), Rod & Staff, and Singapore, we gave Christian Light Education's new Sunrise Edition a shot, and we have success. He loves the workbook format, the explanations are written directly to the student, and the amount of work is not overwhelming. The first unit was a review of the previous year, and brought him up to speed with their grade-level work. That is the difficult part of changing math programs - each publisher seems to approach grade-level work a bit differently. But he has found his niche and is enjoying math now. It was not a matter of not being able to do the work. It was just a matter of finding an approach - workbook format, not too cluttered in print, explanations clear, no switching back and forth between text and workbook and extra practice books - that felt comfortable to him.

Y.T.'s studies of Greece are going well. We are in Sparta now. He is doing well with the narrations I have added a la The Well-Trained Mind method. We have also been studying outlining in our grammar course, and I am requiring he work on honing that skill in his history studies. He is loving his biology studies, and especially enjoys telling me esoteric facts concerning sea life. The Sonlight Biology books include incredibly detailed, vivid pictures of sea creatures and amphibians, and reptiles, and ... icky things. Sometimes even my child has difficulty looking at the creature of the day. But it is interesting.

Youngest Twin has also continued his studies of Greek Myths. His knowledge of the Greek gods is excellent, and enables him to read books like Black Ships Before Troy with a bit more understanding of the basic plot and some of the action, especially when the gods and goddesses involve themselves in the war between Greece and Troy. As I read the book, I was glad I had been studying with him. I could not imagine understanding Black Ships ... without a good working knowledge of Greek mythology. This realization has me concerned about Oldest Twin's return to her study of the Ancients next academic year. While YT has a love of the classics, OT does not share that love. She much prefers the Sonlight literature selections. So, while I hold Omnibus I from Veritas Press lovingly in my hands, stroking the beautiful cover and longing to delve into its pages along with my oldest girl - who definitely has the brains for the challenge - she will not enjoy the journey. She is a Sonlight girl, through and through.

Back to our review: We studied Handel as our composer for a few weeks. Handel's Hallelulah Chorus is easily recognizable now. The children enjoyed listening to Hallelulah Handel from Classical Kids. We also worked on our classical music timeline. Group Art Appreciation has not happened for about two weeks, although the Oldest Twin continues her work in God and the History of Art, focusing on Rembrandt.

Little Bear continues to make headway in her work. She has almost completed her Rod & Staff math books for the year, as well as her spelling book. Her handwriting is beautiful in both cursive as well as print. She adores copywork, using the McGuffey Reader just for fun. Our science studies are going well, and she has learned quite a bit of world geography. She is able to label all the oceans, continents, and hemispheres, as well as major countries such as the USA, Russia, China, Japan, Australia and Canada, and knows about the equator and various weather patterns. After the new year, we will begin her third grade studies. I am not sure yet how we will proceed, but I am leaning toward a more WTM approach than Sonlight, simply because I do not see the maturity in my little guy necessary to bring him along in Little Bear's studies, and I do not have the time to utilize another entire SL core with this one student, in addition to all else. I still have time to decide.

Well, those are the highlights. Life goes on, we plod on, making the best of things. Hopefully, there is a field trip in our near future. Other than that ... onward we go.

Another Week, Another Review ...

Yes, another week gone bye ... Another week of schooling ... another week of house-keeping tasks and bill-paying and trips to the hospital and thrice-daily phone calls to hear updates on Emma ... another week of life.

School is going well. We have a routine, albeit not as structured as I would like due to circumstances, but it is resulting in work getting done and learning taking place. I have re instituted certain facets of the Latin-Centered Curriculum that had fallen to the way-side and things always seem to be better when I do that. Daily review, multum non multa, Latin getting its due ... We are doing well with our emphasis on Fine Arts, too. The girls are teaching themselves how to play the keyboard, and the guitar. The boys are heavily into drawing. Our weekly studies of composers with The History of Classical Music as our spine is going so well. The Beautiful Feet Books guide is such an easy syllabus to which to add - I love to tweak our studies, and never use guides as written. This one gives just enough to be complete in its own, yet leaves ample room for embellishment. It is a pleasure to use, and I am intending on researching their other offerings. I have already decided to use the History of Science next year for my oldest daughter before she begins the more formal study of science in eighth grade.

Emma is doing well again. It is wonderful to be able to walk into the nursery and pick her up from her crib. She is still on oxygen, albeit a very low amount. She still has a Broviac catheter in her chest. She is still on TPN, but her volume of feeds is being increased every few days, as tolerated. Any indication of distress on her part could be indicative of an intestinal stricture and would necessitate surgery. The pace of her recovery is excruciatingly slow ... most especially to me. And while it is wonderful to hear the praise of the doctors and nurses as to her progress, it is difficult to leave her in their care after spending a mere two to four hours with her, twice a week. They know her much better than I do. Money, time constraints, and other responsibilities prevent me from being with her more than that. Between gas, tolls, and parking fees, it costs $50 to go to the hospital. That is $100 per week, $400 per month for a family that was just making it prior to this ... situation. At this point, the best we can hope for is that Emma can be increased on her feeds, without further illness, and that she may come home in the near future. No small order for a child who has lived 140 plus days in a hospital, and is still only five very small pounds.

Weekly Review ...

We finished Week #13 of our school year. This was the first week of our second 12-week term, and I had typed up a six-week schedule for each of the kids. I only put down what I wanted accomplished in a week, rather than a schedule for each day. It really was a much better system, and we managed to do everything on the list.

Another change I made was to give our Fine Arts program a place as a Core part of our studies, instead of relegating it to "Well, if we get to it ...". The more research I do on classical studies, the more I realize how important this part of educating a whole person is. Even drawing was considered an important element in the classical studies of yesterday.

This week, we listened to Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery by Classical Kids. Vivaldi has been our composer of focus for about two weeks now, and the children have learned a great deal. They have drawn pictures depicting each of the seasons from The Four Seasons, and have learned about life at The Pieta. In art appreciation, we read about Monet, colored pictures using his style, focusing on the role of light in the scene, learned a bit about The Impressionists, and watched Linnea in Monet's Garden.

We have accomplished so much - I am so thankful for the children's positive attitude despite the extenuating circumstances. Emma is finished with her antibiotics and began feedings again yesterday - 1 ml per hour. It is such a tiny amount, yet they are monitoring her closely for any sign of distress. It is going to be a while yet before she joins us here at home. The reality of that is a bit harder to handle now, simply because I can no longer think of her absence as part of my "pregnancy" - my due date has passed. No longer will the mental game I was playing with myself to cope with the situation suffice - my mind and body know the truth.

Finally, simply because of the significance of today's date, I will say: For some things, I have no words, no comments, nothing which will capture the emotion ... For some things, only prayer will do.