Week 4 July 28th - July 31st

We have had a good week this week. Attitudes are adjusting and we have started some of the fun subjects so the boys are enjoying the school week more. This week we added in recorder, spelling (for Turkey Lips), and science. For science right now we are working on our body study. This worked out well because while at the homeschool convention I discovered that I had ordered the wrong level of Real Science 4 Kids. I had ordered level 1 Chemistry and Biology and I should have ordered the pre-level 1. Turkey lips would have been fine with the level one (grades 4-6) but Turtle toes really needed the lower level (grades K-3) because I could see his eyes glaze over when I read the first chapter out loud. Honey was great and just ordered the lower levels at the convention and we will use the other levels later. All of that to say the new levels are on the way and seem to be taking a mini vacation in Denver, or so says my tracking number :)


The recorder is a huge hit. The boys have begged for to do it everyday and have even given Honey a concert all in B notes (because that is all we know right now!). I had never considered teaching my kids any music but rather was going to sign them both up for piano lesson. But, alas a piano wasn't in the budget right away and so I had to look around for other ideas. In that search I came upon this http://http//higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/search/label/Music%20Instruction . I decided to give it a go. I bought the recorders from Rainbow Resource and the instruction booklet from Amazon. So far so good. Tomorrow I believe we move on the the A note.


By the way I have absolutely no musical experience. I can not read music and can barely keep the beat but we are clinging to "make a joyful noise" :) I will say that my kids know that I don't know what I am doing and I have been very up front about the fact we are learning this together. This has lit the fire under them even more because it is something we are doing together not just me teaching them
.


On Tuesday I saw that the library was having a speaker come and talk about Bald Eagles and that he was bringing one to the library. We finished up school for the day and went to see and listen. At first the boys were the only kids there (apparently the library normally sets these talks up for baby boomers) but then a couple of preschoolers came in the with their moms so we weren't so out of place. We took seats right in the front row and Turkey Lips instantly began asking me question to write down to ask later. It was a great talk and the Bald Eagle "Libby" has been in captivity since she was 3 because someone shot her in the wing and so now she has one wing longer than the other and can't fly properly.


When we came home I found a free lapbook on the Internet on Bald Eagles http://www.homeschoolshare.com/eagles.php and we completed it.

Here is our list for the week:

Turkey Lips:

-Bible Study for All Ages
-Math U See - including a chapter test and Unit test.
-Grammar - I made a deal with Turkey that if he does two lessons a day he only has to do grammar 3 days a week.
-Handwriting - copywork and cursive worksheets
-Spelling - Spell to Write and Read
-Outloud reading - twice a week
-Science - minit book on types of blood cells and added the spleen, pancreas, and gall bladder to his body poster
-Memory work
- Art Appreciation ( I am typing this up on Wednesday and this won't be completed until Thursday)

To be added next week
-Tapestry of Grace
- Spanish
-Chemistry (if it gets here)

Turtle Toes
-Bible Study for All Ages
- Memory Work
- Science (same at Turkey Lips)
- Phonics - Spell to Write and Read and BOB Books
- Math U See
- Handwriting

Just one little note here as I type up this list. The list is long but the lessons are short. Our longest day this week started at 8am and we were done by 11am.

Here is my planning sheet for the year. http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pelzbQX_gQJj66tgILVCvDw The time blocked off during the holiday is for when the baby comes :) ! My Spanish timeline is little off because I workbook didn't come in until yesterday so we will be a week behind but I didn't want to change it all :)

I will try to post the weekly assignment sheets for each of the boys but I haven't figured out how to do that yet :)