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Ok...now the brass tacks. Here is a partial review of the things the girls have accomplished in the past three months. It will not be comprehensive by any stretch of the imagination because there is so much that is done that isn't written down or even quantifiable (is that a word?) I like it anyway. For example, the girls draw all the time and their work is becoming more and more complex without much guidance from me. They just love to draw and will spend hours drawing together and I am not even aware that is what they are doing. If they were in school, when would they find the time to be free to do that? Ok, I always drew in class when the teacher was talking. I made notebooks of cartoon characters during lectures. Another thing that can't be listed is how often the girls cook and bake, either alone or with me. This is something that I am thankful that they get the time to enjoy that. So, here is a list of books they have read on their own for school...don't worry, J, I won't list the endless twaddle that they choose, just strictly literature. They have read 5-6 other Colonial story books in their studies, but I neglected to write them down. I chose them from the library when they had time to read more in a two week period. They also read a ton of non-fiction books on William Penn and the founding of Pennsylvania. We were supposed to present an extensive project on Pennsylvania (the greatest state in the union, imho The two MG (Middle Grammar) girls read: Pocahontas by D'Aulaire Pocahontas and the Stranger by Bulla Double Life of Pocahontas by Jean Fritz Homes in the Wilderness by Margaret Brown The Legend of New Amsterdam by Peter Spier William Bradford, Pilgrim Boy By Bradford Smith Galileo by Leonard Fisher The Woman Who Fell From the Sky by John Bierhorst Boys and Girls of Colonial Days by Carolyn Bailey The one, reluctant reader in UG (Upper Grammar): Pocahontas & the Stranger by Bulla Pocahontas by D'Aulaire William Bradford, Pilgrim Boy by Bradford Smith The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth Speare Galileo by Leonard Fisher A Piece of the Mountain by Joyce McPherson Diary of an Early American Boy by Noah Blake (ok, technically she still is working on this one. It is pain-staking for her. She hates it, but it is required for the co-op. She will finish it, even if it takes a month. Some of the Books I have read to them: The World of Captain John Smith by Genevieve Foster Making Thirteen Colonies by Joy Hakim The Story of the Thirteen Colonies by H.A. Guerber If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 Stories of the Pilgrims by Margaret Pumphrey George Washington's World by Genevieve Foster (still reading) From Colonies to Country by Joy Hakim (still reading) There are a couple other "spines" that I have read to them, but I can't think of them. I really need to write these things down. Too bad you can't retain a listing of the books borrowed from the library, then I could go back through and see the ones we read and liked. Oh well, this is a good sampling of the last three months. On Tuesday afternoon I couldn't find Number 2 & 3 dd. I looked and eventually found them in secret hiding spots having "alone time". They were reading. My reader's heart filled with joy, until I asked them what they were reading....Junie B. Jones (blech!!!) I am glad that they are enjoying reading and will not throw away the twaddle...sorry J One other cool thing that is worth mentioning, in Co-op, they have Science. They know more about Chemistry than I ever have learned. We are blessed with an actual Chemistry teacher to teach them. I still don't know what they are talking about and at this point in my life I have no desire to learn. I have made it this far without knowing how or why certain elements bond or not. Finally...man, am I in the mood to write today or what? Gotta go with it when the urge strikes and the three cups of java are kicked into action! I am very excited that they are half way finished with their Math and Language books. I figured out that if they stay the course, they will be finished by the first week of April. I will push for this to happen because we will have freedom on our trip to the East Coast. I want to have them make an extensive journal/scrapbook of our trip to historic landmarks. That is another blessing of homeschooling, we can start whenever we want and take breaks when we want and go on a three week trip in the middle of the school year. I had the girls start their English and Math the first week of July. It was no-pressure, short spurts of work, but it helped us get ahead. YEAH!
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) for our Unit Celebration at Co-op next week, but we are now unable to go. But, we learned a lot and my deep love for the Keystone state has deepened.
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. I just wonder if in school that is the majority of what the kids read? The two of them spent over 2 hours in their hiding spots reading....this is why I homeschool!
I am thankful they are getting the explosure because they will have an easier time later in classes.
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