Memorization and Recitation

Schuyler has memorized most of Hark to the Voice of the Wind by Adelaide Ann Procter and Thoughts by Sara Teasdale.  She is has become very interested in the work of Sara Teasdale and I have since ordered and await delivery of Flame and Shadow to reward her for her hard work and interest in this area.

Lyndsee has memorized two poems as well:  The First Snowfall by James Russel Lowell (not a favorite) and Mud by Polly Chase Boyden, which was much loved.

Schuyler continues to study the poetry of Sara Teasdale, Hilda Conkling, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and William Blake.  She and Lyndsee have independently taken up Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein and have committed much of this work to memory.

Schuyler and Lyndsee have memorized several selections of scripture thus far:  Psalm 8 (both children), Psalm 23 (Lyndsee), Ephesians 4:29-31 (Schuyler), Matthew 27:32-55 (both children).  They do not have the Matthew selection down pat yet but I am sure they will by the end of the week to recite for family on Easter.

Mathematics

Mathematics is Schuyler’s weakest subject.  At some point near the end of February I decided to take a month long hiatus from her curriculum to rebuild her confidence and enforce basic skills, so we began to use exclusively calculadders drill sheets.  We have just started again with her regular curriculum and she has improved greatly and is not easily frustrated with new concepts. 

Lyndsee is using my button box as her manipulatives to create patterns and to perform simple addition.  She works about 5 problems daily using buttons or the abacus.  

Bible

We have worked through Power of A Praying Kid.  This book was captivating to all but the baby.  This took us a little longer as we were given a Jesus Tree by a dear friend and attempted to do that in addition to the Community Bible Study we started in January.  The CBS curriculum is challenging to Schuyler and a bit over her level as it is the same for all elementary students.  She is doing well but tires easily.  I am still working out what to push her to do and where to help her.  Our Jesus Tree project was nearly half way completed this year.  Next year I aspire to start earlier so that we can fit all the readings. 

Science

We are working our way through the body systems in The Body Atlas and nature study has been for the birds – literally.  We have used our measuring and kitchen skills to mix together different concoctions for different types of birds, many of which are quickly identified when they visit our yard.  We took part in Cornell’s Great Backyard Bird Count and made from scrap wood a bluebird nest box.  We’ve yet to have a nestling though we are hopeful for continued study next year.  The top is hinged as to aid our observation as it becomes occupied.  Schuyler used the screw driver on her swiss army knife to salvage the hinge off some scrap doors and then attached it properly to the lid with little help from me. 

The girls were excited to have lessons in physics.  Yes, I did say physics, thanks to the Ringling Brothers Circus Science program that we attended at the Newark Museum.  It was absolutely brilliant.

With the warming weather we started our garden studies as well.  We identified and irradiated many weeds.   We started some seedlings in trays to be dumped over by one certain child and then redone only to be toppled by yours truly.  We abandoned that for starting some cold loving veggies in the ground where they will remain for the growing season.  I believe Schuyler is beginning to discover food chains and lifecycles as I see the wheels of her mind turning as we feed the bunnies garden scraps and compost their droppings to return them to the garden. 

Language Arts

Schuyler is working through English for the thoughtful Child which we had abandoned last year as her writing ability was not to par to continue without difficulty.  She is having a much easier time as she has matured enough to reintroduce grammar lessons. 

Schuyler and Lyndsee are hearing Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare twice weekly though some of the concepts are above their level they listen to half a chapter at a time without becoming to wiggly. 

Lyndsee is refreshing in her enjoyment of the Alphabet flash cards.  Though I mistakenly forced them upon Schuyler three years ago thinking she MUST learn them, Lyndsee takes joy in her letter drills and requests them often. 

Schuyler is writing on 1/3 inch wide-ruled paper now instead of the 1-inch wide ruled paper.  Her hand writing has improved much this way and I have decided to withhold cursive until she does a better job mastering her manuscript.  I expect to resume cursive in June.

Lyndsee is doing some copy but mostly trace letters of her poetry selections. 

Schuyler has been reading aloud daily to her younger sisters.  She completed the Big Treasury of Beatrix Potter.  They occasionally hear readings from Aesop, in addition  to Stellaluna (Cannon), Thumbelina, Amelia Bedelia, Sassafras (Penn), Brave Brush-tail Possum (Massie), and Shel Silverstein’s The Missing Piece and The Missing Piece Meets the Big O.  I will be adding some more selections for the second quarter.

Schuyler has done well with independent quiet reading, though she often skips and substitutes words distorting the meaning of what she has read.  This is not an issue of ability but perhaps maturity as she often rushes and can read the correct word when pushed to do so.  We have therefore reduced the quantity of the daily assignment to ensure quality.  Titles she has completed this far are:  Billy Whiskers (Montgomery), Sara Carew (Burnett), Reddy Fox (Burgess), Orphalines (Carlson), and Ringling Brothers Circus Family (Glendinning). 

We are covering a lesson of Latina Christiana over the course of two weeks.  This pace is appropriate for us and Schuyler is retaining most of the information come review time.

I have also read aloud Drummond by Sarry Farrel Odgers to Schuyler, Lyndsee and Tabitha.

History

Our approach to history has become its own animal.  This Country of Ours (H.E. Marshall) was intended to be our objective for this year, however its content is boring to her.  Therefore I have shortened the reading selection and have additionally taken an interest and opportunity based approach.  Schuyler’s ability to narrate the shortened selection has improved greatly as a result of this.  Schuyler has been to presentations on the Civil War and WW I.  Schuyler, Lyndsee and Tabitha participated in a Civil War Museum with the Free Union Homeschoolers, dressing in period clothing as they created a display on fashion. Schuyler enjoyed the research aspect to this as well.  The maple sugaring display at Millbrook, NJ was enjoyed by all.  Consequently, we will use This Country of Ours as our history book for this and next year, allowing more time for interactive experiences.

Life Skills

Schuyler, Lyndsee and Tabitha are all in ballet classes and Schuyler is assisting her instructor with the younger children’s class.  Our music and art studies remain informal, touching on Mary Cassat and Monet, and an assortment of music which they have found interesting, most recently an affinity for bluegrass.  Our art experimentation has been lacking though they did manage to do self-portraits, wire sculptures, and Schuyler is learning what is and is not an appropriate application to the functionality of her Swiss army knife. The girls enjoyed (some more than others) the New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra's winter concert.  We concluded the quarter with Schuyler and Lyndsee’s first experience with theater, seeing Mary Poppins on Broadway.