Weeks of January 15 & 22

Gabe studied lines of symmetry in math as well as addition, subraction, measuring using inches and his daily pattern and weather chart. He is now charting the weather to the nearest 10 degrees. John listens to Gabe's math lesson and participates in any activity and then does his own worksheet from the grade 1 book.
Lily covered division withe decimals, circumference, dividing by a fraction, missing number problems with fractions and decimals.

We learned about the the Rise of Assyria in history, with readings from Story of the World, Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, and You Wouldn't Want to be an Assyrian Soldier. We completed maps, summaries and began work of an Assyrian chariot.

Science continued with our study of the Solar System with indepth reading about the Sun from Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, Usborne Encyclopedia of World Geography, and Earth and Sky. Lily completed some diagrams of the distance from the Sun to the Earth, day length and how fast light travels. Gabe made a diagram of the path of light from the Sun to the Earth. We also read a story about a Eskimo boy called Nutik, the Wolf Pup by Jean Craighead George, which tied in very nicely as it depicted the seasons in the Artic.  The iPad apps Solar System and Star Walk have really captured the kid's imaginations and helped them to grasp the immensity of space.

We've gone ice skating a couple times in the past week and Lily and Gabe continue with Judo and Highland. 

Lily has been working on piano duets with one of my piano students and has found new motivation for practicing.

New motivation has also been found in French.  At Thanksgiving they learned that their cousin is in a French Immersion school and they were impressed by how much she'd learned in a couple months (she's the same age as John).  John has even shown an interest and started on the Rosetta Stone.

A few weeks ago we were driving through Canal Flats and John started asking lots of questions about the logs.  So we had a great conversation about logging and wood and the things that are made from logs.

Orbitting Fun

Week of January 9

We wrapped up our Earth Science unit this week with some reading about and exploration of fossils.  We  are finishing up a couple weeks early as the kids are getting bored with studying rocks, earth and the like and are very excited about the Solar System.  They have been exploring the Space apps on our iPad and are looking forward to learning more about the stars and planets.

Gabe learned more about verbs this week using linking verbs in sentences and identifying and memorinzing them.  John chanted right along with Gabe as we recited linking/helping verbs.  Lily also completed two grammar lessons this week with indepth study of prefect, simple, and progressive verbs in past, present and future tenses.  She only has two more lessons and then we wait for the rest of curriculum to be released!

Spelling words, phongrams, reading and handwriting were also practiced by all this week.

As was math with steady progress being made.

Lily has been practicing her piano lots.  Gabe returned to Judo this week, much to his delight.  We made it out ice skating at Baker Park.  It was the boys first time on the ice and John wasn't too sure but Lily helped Gabe and he did quite well for a first attempt.

We're also been watching Good Eats as a family which is a fun, education cooking show that we're been learning lots from!

Week of January 3

Science:  Completed our Rock and Fossils kit, continued reading about rocks and particularly how they are affected by the elements.

Math:  All three worked steadily through their lessons this week.  John is retaining some addition facts and likes to get involved in Gabe's lessons doing simpler measuring, tangrams and is learning to skip count.

History: We studied the Phoenecians this week

Language:  Lily is continuing to read voraciously, finishing Good Wives this week and beginning Tom Sawyer.  She also started reading D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths and we will be doing the study guide that goes along with.  Gabe is making good progress with his reading and read Firebird aloud this week.  Both he and John are continuing to work on phonograms both reading and writing.  John especially like to practice using pocketphonics on the Ipad.

Fine Arts:  Gabe and Lily both practiced Christmas music on the piano over the holidays.  Lily returned to regular piano and Highland dance lessons this week.

Christmas Break

 Christmas break was filled with lots and lots of fun activities many of which were very educational - just don't tell the kids that!  The week before Christmas was full of baking, wrapping, letter writing (Lily and Gabe wrote Christmas cards for their paper route), and crafting.  Lily made Christmas presents for all of the family including scarves for Joanna and I, frames from Grandpa and Grandpa and baking for everyone.  Gabe got in the crafting spirit too drawing/painting pictures for Grandpa Rene.

 On Christmas Eve the church school put on a Nativity play that they wrote and staged themselves.  Lily played a shepherd (above) and a wise man while Gabe played an innkeeper and was in charge of the lights.  (Shining a flashlight on the star from the choir loft)  Lily also had a solo.  I was really proud of all the kids, putting together not only their own costumes and set but writing the lines and choosing the hymns.

 

  

 Christmas break is a great time to work on projects and Gabe and I embarked on a big one.  We are building a model of a Roman fort.  The kids got three models for Christmas: a Roman fort, Trojan horse and the Ampitheater.  I had no idea they would be so time consuming.  But the great thing about doing them during a break is we don't feel pressured to hurry, no need to clear the table for other subjects and we're learning history without feeling like this is school work!  Gabe and John also worked on lots of origami this week, looking up video tutorials and then making jumping frogs, kits, a shark, claws and boats.  John impressed me by making a frog all by himself.

Lily has been spending her time reading; she's read at least four books in the last two weeks including finishing Little Women (which we'd been reading together as a Read Aloud) and beginning Good Wives.  She has also been spending time in the kitchen and made an authentic Caesar salad including croutons and crepes.  She's also been involved in the origami making which has taken over the kitchen table!

And finally, Lily's biggest project this week was Gabe's Christmas present!  A K'nex roller coaster!  It took her plus a couple adults two days to put together.  This was incredibly complex to put together and requires attentiveness to keep running.

Week of November 27

Back to the routine of regular math, grammar, spelling and French lessons this week.

Lily is learning how to multiply, divide, add and subtract fractions and decimal numbers with relative ease.  John showed me he can count to 100!  He needs a little help with some of the tens as he goes but is able to follow the number chart and count most of the numbers.  He also learned to add double up to 5 + 5.  He has been doing some simple adding but this was the first introduction of the formula.  Gabe is also making good progress with math with the new skill this week being balancing and weighing objects.

We delved into Ancient China this week with readings from Story of the World, the Kingfisher History Encylcopedia and fictional stories from our bookshelves.  Lily and Gabe completed maps, coloring and narrations.

We started our study of rocks and fossils with reading from Usborne Encylcopedia of World Geography and Kingfisher Young Knowledge Rocks and Fossils. We are expecting a rock and fossil kit to arrive any day and will do experiments from there.

Lily and Gabe both spent time every day at French and are making good progress.  They are also both doing really well with piano.  Lily has been serious about spending time practicing and Gabe has been practicing and really enjoying playing.  We had a good lesson focusing on rhythm and John joined in and had fun tapping and clapping out simple rhythm patterns.

Gabe and Lily are stilling loving Judo and Highland dance respectively with Gabe trying to convince John to join his class.  Gabe has taught John a few Judo moves at home.  We've also been getting together with another family every week to play outside, mostly tag and jump rope.

Update: Our rock and mineral kit arrived this afternoon and we already started growing some crystals.

Week of Novmember 13

Gabe's animal house in the woods

We had great week visiting Grandma and Grandpa Meng in Arlington!  On the long drive Lily, Gabe and John took turns using the iPad to practice handwriting, read books and play games.  Gabe and John spent most of Wednesday working in Grandpa's whop building swords, boats, and sanding picture frames.  Lily spent the day with Grandma at work.  Grandmas works for Indian Child Welfare Bureau.  Lily spent the day in her office learning how Grandma helps children whose families are in trouble. The rest of our time was spent visiting with cousins, aunts and uncles and playing in the woods.  Lily and Gabe and their cousin made the best fairy and animal houses in the woods with leaves, sticks and moss!