TGIF - almost!

Don't get me wrong, we have our share of enjoyment over here.  We also have our share of tedium and if math isn't it, I don't know what is.  All this to say, it's nice to be winding down our week.

I've been having a tough time fitting in a math lesson for Thing 2.  Partly because she complains about it, partly because I can't decide where to place her in this new curriculum, and partly because I don't quite feel qualified to teach it (never mind that it's only multiplication and division, it's still daunting to me).  So I have a new game plan.  The past couple days we've been starting our day with math.  Both kids sit at the big table with me and I teach their math in tag-team style until the math is DONE.  It's been working well so far and I think we'll stick with this new schedule.

Thing 1 finished reading her first novel for school, a short work of historical fiction called "Pedro's Journal."  It's a fictional account of a ship's boy aboard Columbus' Santa Maria on his maiden voyage to the Americas in 1492. I read along for parts of it, learning all the way.  Tomorrow, she'll have a test on Columbus and we'll continue to work on her other 2 novels: "Walk the World's Rim" and "Om-kas-toe" (from Sonlight's Core D+E American History curriculum).

Thing 2 did his first kindergarten journal entry today.  He won't let on how proud he is that he wrote the word 'car' all by himself by sounding out the letters.  Never mind that he skipped the 'a.'  He's using invented spelling (which is what they do in public school) and for him, it's a huge confidence builder.  Since school started, he's told me many times (in an exasperated tone) that he can't read or write.  This week, he learned to read 'I am' and wrote the word 'car.'  If that's not reading and writing, what is?  He'll get there.

Thing 2's read-aloud this week is "How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World."  It's a beautifully-illustrated book with themes no one can argue with - world travel and apple pie.  Yesterday, we had a field trip to the Farmer's Market to get apples and today we had our taste-test.  The apple in the spotlight, the Red Wearthy, won first place.

Doing our taste-test reminded me that I need to keep things fun (at least sometimes).  I have a tendency to be no-nonsense, wanting the kids to push through their work even when they aren't happy about it.  While that's necessary sometimes (and certainly a good life skill), sometimes I also need to lighten up and let the kids be kids.  It's probably good therapy for me too.  Life is a ball, why not enjoy it?

I'll sign off with a couple more highlights from our last 2 days:

magnetic boats from our science lesson yesterday

mapping "How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World"