Ahhh...December.  The coldest month of the year.  We have touched 32 degrees for a couple of hours at night a few times, now.  The citrus growers are worried about their oranges, the weatherman on the local news is urging everyone to be extremely cautious with how they heat their homes in this frigid time of year, there are cold-related accidents on the freeway....My, what would they do if it ever got really cold-- or  *gasp*--snowed??  I love how the media over-reacts to the weather, no matter how hot or cold it really is.

Back onto the point of what I had planned to write about....

We slow down in December.  We allow for those cozy days that you just want to lay around in front of the fire and read all day.  We drink hot cocoa, with marshmallows!  We just enjoy the cold (it doesn't last long here!)

We will not be doing Math-U-See pages this month.  Everyone stops where they are and we practice math facts, building speed and skill.  We use computer games, flashcards, beans, Calculadders, and other interesting ways of doing fact practice.  If you have any favorite sites or methods, please feel free to share!

We will pause in our journey through American History.  We have finished learning about Colonial times, and will pick back up in the Revelutionary period in the new year.  We are going to move quickly through the Revelution as we studied it in depth last year, and verbal quizzing proves the the oldest three recall much of what we learned.  Then we will proceed through the War of 1812, and into slavery, the Civil War, Lincoln, etc. and finish the year with Westward Expansion, cowboys and Indians, pioneer life, etc.

For December, we will row a couple of books, beginning with "The Clown of God" by Tomie de Paola and do a geography/folk tales unit study on "Paul Bunyan Swings His Ax" by Dell J. McCormick.  This book is not available in my library system, and isn't cheap on E-Bay, either, so I am going to purchase it new. 

We will continue science in our usual manner: observing and interacting with the world around us.  BTW, ddE's praying mantis is still alive!  To have one survive into December is a record!  She laid an egg case, but hungry uneaten crickets devoured it.  We'll have to watch baby mantids hatch on the wall outside instead of in our own tank.

Cooking will be up front, of course.  I plan on a variety of Christmas cookies, breads, and treats (I am a dessert baker by nature!).  I have a recipe for layered mint fudge that looks yummy and easy enough for the Lambies to do.  We have a turkey with all the fixings on Christmas Eve for our big meal. 

Well, I hope I have updated everything.  Now, I am off to make breakfast for the little Dearies and then, the grocery store.  I'm going to stock up so I can stay home more later in the month!

Blessings,

Momma