...and Super Achievement is open again! Hooray! And we're doing things OUR way! We work at our own pace instead of waiting for others to catch up. We don't waste time standing in lines or gathering our stuff to head to the next classroom. We read real books instead of textbooks, and we study and discuss topics, instead of "receiving instruction." When we're interested in something, we work as long as we want and as late as we want--no bells! And nobody yells at us while we eat lunch. (Unless we happen to be a dog who got a bit too bold.)
I'm so happy to have my kids HOME HOME HOME!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Update on Dudeman
Temperature at 9:00 pm: 99. The Tylenol is working.
Temperature at 11:00 pm: 101.7. Time for another dose.
Temperature at 3:15 am: 100.1. More Tylenol.
Temperature at 7:30 am: 99.9. I'll give him Tylenol after he eats a little something. You can tell he feels a little better because he's having conversations with us and doesn't seem so listless and spaced out.
Just go read the flu symptoms on www.WebMD.com and that's how he feels. Yesterday was rough, but he's feeling better this morning, other than his cough, which is more frequent and starting to drive him nuts. Popsicles help.
I need to cancel the riding lesson and call the soccer coach. Better stock up on groceries and get the laundry done, because I'm guessing we'll all take a turn with this. Goody.
Temperature at 11:00 pm: 101.7. Time for another dose.
Temperature at 3:15 am: 100.1. More Tylenol.
Temperature at 7:30 am: 99.9. I'll give him Tylenol after he eats a little something. You can tell he feels a little better because he's having conversations with us and doesn't seem so listless and spaced out.
Just go read the flu symptoms on www.WebMD.com and that's how he feels. Yesterday was rough, but he's feeling better this morning, other than his cough, which is more frequent and starting to drive him nuts. Popsicles help.
I need to cancel the riding lesson and call the soccer coach. Better stock up on groceries and get the laundry done, because I'm guessing we'll all take a turn with this. Goody.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Friday
Happy things:
Pug snorts.
Fall light.
Hot vegetable soup with crackers.
An Amazon order in my mailbox!
No plans for the weekend! (See above.)
Pug snorts.
Fall light.
Hot vegetable soup with crackers.
An Amazon order in my mailbox!
No plans for the weekend! (See above.)
Two Conversations with Supersim, plus a highly opinionated commentary
Yesterday:
Me: Sweetie, don't you have a spelling test tomorrow?
Super: (Heavy sigh.) Yes.
Me: Don't you need to study the words?
Super: No.
Me: Why not? Are you already prepared?
Super: I guess.
Me: You must have studied really well for the last one--you made an A on it.
Super: I didn't study for it. The words were just easy.
Me: Oh. Are they easy this week, too?
Super: I don't know.
Me: You don't know?
Super: I never looked at them. They're probably easy.
Me: Well, what if they're not easy? Don't you want to look them over and see if you need to--
Super: No, it doesn't matter. I'll probably make an A or a B on it.
Me: So...if you don't make any effort, you're pretty sure you'll make at least a B.
Super: Yeah.
Me: But with a little effort, you could make an A?
Super: If I get a B, that's fine, Mom. I really don't care! It's just a stupid spelling test!
Today, on the way to a morning dentist appointment:
Me: What are you missing this morning, Sweetie?
Super: I don't know.
Me: Well, what do you normally do first thing in the morning?
Super: Just stupid stuff.
Me: Sweetie, can you give me a real answer, please? You must know what you normally do when you get to school.
Super: We watch the news.
Me: You do? You watch a news show? Which one?
Super: No, not real news, school news. Two kids come on TV and they tell us the weather for the day and the lunch choices. It's boring.
Me: Boring? It sounds kind of cool. I didn't know the kids made their own news show. Do the younger kids get to do it, or just the older ones?
Super: It's the same two kids.
Me: What do you mean?
Super: It's always Levi and some other kid I don't know.
Me: You don't take turns?
Super: No.
Me: Well, why do those two get to do it every day?
Super: I don't know. I don't really care, Mom. I don't want a turn--it's dumb. Mom, after this is over, do I have to go back to school?
And Now...A Highly Opinionated Commentary:
When Supersim was in Montessori preschool, her teacher told me she was a gifted child and one of the most enthusiastic learners she had ever taught. She called Supersim a "collector of knowledge." In first grade, Supersim's teacher called her a "delight" and she even said that it was a real treat to listen to Super read out loud because she read with such wonderful expression and enthusiasm. She loved reading, but math was her favorite subject. She would eagerly show me the math "trick" she had learned in class that day.
In second grade, Supersim's teacher stood at the white board and lectured for most of the day. There were very few hands-on activities because they were drilling for the standardized test. Supersim began to struggle in math, but when she asked questions, the teacher responded: "Weren't you listening?" By the end of the school year, the teacher was advising me to get Supersim some medication to help her concentrate because, "she just doesn't get it."
At the beginning of the third grade year, I talked with the teacher and told her my concerns about Super: that she had enjoyed school until the previous year, that until recently she had been such an enthusiastic learner, and that she was intimidated by math. We resolved to work together to boost her confidence and get Supersim excited about learning again. The work that came home was all marked "Great!" and "Nice work!" It was great work at first, but as the year passed, Supersim got sloppy and started putting forth the bare minimum effort. Still, her grades were good, and I just couldn't put my finger on what was bothering me...
Until now. I've been reading a fascinating book by Robert L. Fried called The Game of School. Here's some food for thought from this excellent book:
A light came on in my head and I thought, "THAT"S IT! That's exactly what I was feeling, but couldn't quite articulate. My gifted girl, my "Collector of Knowledge," has become bored, passive, complaining and compliant! She can't find meaning in the work she's doing in school. Why? For starters, she's not investigating anything. She's listening to a lecture, filling out a worksheet, answering the questions at the end of the chapter. She's just going through the motions because that's what is expected of her. Textbooks don't ask students to make discoveries--they ask students to regurgitate the facts that were just spoon-fed to them. As for taking on new challenges, could you get excited about a list of spelling words? When she says, "It's just a stupid spelling test, Mom," what she's really telling me is, "I don't see any point to this. I'll take 30 0r more of them this year, and they don't have any relevance in my life, so why not coast?"
I'm not suggesting that textbooks should be trashed or that kids shouldn't learn how to spell. Students need to learn to glean knowledge from many sources, and they also need all sorts of communication skills, including learning how to spell words correctly. But if my daughter can go from "gifted collector of knowledge" to "I don't really care, Mom," in four years, then something has gone terribly wrong. And if her teachers can't reignite that spark, and I feel that I can, isn't it my responsibility as a parent to take over her education?
Me: Sweetie, don't you have a spelling test tomorrow?
Super: (Heavy sigh.) Yes.
Me: Don't you need to study the words?
Super: No.
Me: Why not? Are you already prepared?
Super: I guess.
Me: You must have studied really well for the last one--you made an A on it.
Super: I didn't study for it. The words were just easy.
Me: Oh. Are they easy this week, too?
Super: I don't know.
Me: You don't know?
Super: I never looked at them. They're probably easy.
Me: Well, what if they're not easy? Don't you want to look them over and see if you need to--
Super: No, it doesn't matter. I'll probably make an A or a B on it.
Me: So...if you don't make any effort, you're pretty sure you'll make at least a B.
Super: Yeah.
Me: But with a little effort, you could make an A?
Super: If I get a B, that's fine, Mom. I really don't care! It's just a stupid spelling test!
Today, on the way to a morning dentist appointment:
Me: What are you missing this morning, Sweetie?
Super: I don't know.
Me: Well, what do you normally do first thing in the morning?
Super: Just stupid stuff.
Me: Sweetie, can you give me a real answer, please? You must know what you normally do when you get to school.
Super: We watch the news.
Me: You do? You watch a news show? Which one?
Super: No, not real news, school news. Two kids come on TV and they tell us the weather for the day and the lunch choices. It's boring.
Me: Boring? It sounds kind of cool. I didn't know the kids made their own news show. Do the younger kids get to do it, or just the older ones?
Super: It's the same two kids.
Me: What do you mean?
Super: It's always Levi and some other kid I don't know.
Me: You don't take turns?
Super: No.
Me: Well, why do those two get to do it every day?
Super: I don't know. I don't really care, Mom. I don't want a turn--it's dumb. Mom, after this is over, do I have to go back to school?
And Now...A Highly Opinionated Commentary:
When Supersim was in Montessori preschool, her teacher told me she was a gifted child and one of the most enthusiastic learners she had ever taught. She called Supersim a "collector of knowledge." In first grade, Supersim's teacher called her a "delight" and she even said that it was a real treat to listen to Super read out loud because she read with such wonderful expression and enthusiasm. She loved reading, but math was her favorite subject. She would eagerly show me the math "trick" she had learned in class that day.
In second grade, Supersim's teacher stood at the white board and lectured for most of the day. There were very few hands-on activities because they were drilling for the standardized test. Supersim began to struggle in math, but when she asked questions, the teacher responded: "Weren't you listening?" By the end of the school year, the teacher was advising me to get Supersim some medication to help her concentrate because, "she just doesn't get it."
At the beginning of the third grade year, I talked with the teacher and told her my concerns about Super: that she had enjoyed school until the previous year, that until recently she had been such an enthusiastic learner, and that she was intimidated by math. We resolved to work together to boost her confidence and get Supersim excited about learning again. The work that came home was all marked "Great!" and "Nice work!" It was great work at first, but as the year passed, Supersim got sloppy and started putting forth the bare minimum effort. Still, her grades were good, and I just couldn't put my finger on what was bothering me...
Until now. I've been reading a fascinating book by Robert L. Fried called The Game of School. Here's some food for thought from this excellent book:
Let's consider a frightening possibility: far too much of the time our children spend in school is wasted. It's not that nothing happens there or that kids spend their time just fooling around or that teachers don't try their best to present lessons they think are in our children's best interests. It's just that unless our children--of all ages--are truly engaged in their learning, most of what they experience during school hours passes over them like the shadow of a cloud, or through them like an undigested seed. They may be present in the classroom, but they are not really there. Their pencils may be chugging away on the worksheets or the writing prompts or math problems laid out for them, but their intelligence is running on two cylinders at best. They pay some attention to what their teacher happens to be telling them, but their imagination has moved elsewhere.
Yes, I thought. What did you do in school today, kids? Nothing. I know they did something but whatever it was, it was obviously not interesting enough to talk about later. Every day I ask my kids what they did in school, and every day they tell me about something that happened in the cafeteria or on the playground. If I want to know what they learned, I have to play twenty questions, and eventually they get annoyed with me. Mom, we're done with today, and we don't want to think about it any more..
Then, I read this part:
Yes, I thought. What did you do in school today, kids? Nothing. I know they did something but whatever it was, it was obviously not interesting enough to talk about later. Every day I ask my kids what they did in school, and every day they tell me about something that happened in the cafeteria or on the playground. If I want to know what they learned, I have to play twenty questions, and eventually they get annoyed with me. Mom, we're done with today, and we don't want to think about it any more..
Then, I read this part:
Why shouldn't our kids be eager to head off to school each day, anticipating their next investigation, project, or performance? It can be agonizing for parents to see their imaginative, articulate, eagerly seeking young learner become, over the years, someone bored, passive, complaining, or compliant--focused on not making mistakes rather than taking on new challenges. Most kids in school listen and do what they're told, most of the time. They pick up stray facts and acquire some skills they wouldn't necessarily learn elsewhere. They learn about following rules in the lunchroom and about leaving one-inch margins on their papers. They even learn the Pythagorean theorem and how to write a five-paragraph essay with three supporting arguments and a conclusion.
But unless they view such activities as important, as having meaning to them or their lives right now, they aren't truly learning, in the sense of developing their minds and hearts as young people eager to embrace the world.
But unless they view such activities as important, as having meaning to them or their lives right now, they aren't truly learning, in the sense of developing their minds and hearts as young people eager to embrace the world.
A light came on in my head and I thought, "THAT"S IT! That's exactly what I was feeling, but couldn't quite articulate. My gifted girl, my "Collector of Knowledge," has become bored, passive, complaining and compliant! She can't find meaning in the work she's doing in school. Why? For starters, she's not investigating anything. She's listening to a lecture, filling out a worksheet, answering the questions at the end of the chapter. She's just going through the motions because that's what is expected of her. Textbooks don't ask students to make discoveries--they ask students to regurgitate the facts that were just spoon-fed to them. As for taking on new challenges, could you get excited about a list of spelling words? When she says, "It's just a stupid spelling test, Mom," what she's really telling me is, "I don't see any point to this. I'll take 30 0r more of them this year, and they don't have any relevance in my life, so why not coast?"
I'm not suggesting that textbooks should be trashed or that kids shouldn't learn how to spell. Students need to learn to glean knowledge from many sources, and they also need all sorts of communication skills, including learning how to spell words correctly. But if my daughter can go from "gifted collector of knowledge" to "I don't really care, Mom," in four years, then something has gone terribly wrong. And if her teachers can't reignite that spark, and I feel that I can, isn't it my responsibility as a parent to take over her education?
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Something about fall...
Yesterday we had one of those perfect early-fall days: that golden, slanted sunlight and just a bit of coolness in the air. I had to go out early in the morning, and I enjoyed seeing the pinkish sky and having the road almost to myself for a while. I was grateful to be enjoying the morning, and my thoughts turned to those who were no longer with us on such a lovely day.
Even before 9/11 happened, fall has always made me feel a bit melancholy and nostalgic. I miss my father, who died in November of 1998. For months after he died, I would think about calling him to chat or ask for advice--and then I would suddenly realize that I could never do that again.
It's so easy to get caught up in the details of everyday life and forget to notice the truly important things, like a beautiful day, the changing of the seasons, or how wonderful your kids are at this age (whatever age they are, they're wonderful!) Something about fall always reminds me to stop and notice the moment and appreciate how blessed we are.
Even before 9/11 happened, fall has always made me feel a bit melancholy and nostalgic. I miss my father, who died in November of 1998. For months after he died, I would think about calling him to chat or ask for advice--and then I would suddenly realize that I could never do that again.
It's so easy to get caught up in the details of everyday life and forget to notice the truly important things, like a beautiful day, the changing of the seasons, or how wonderful your kids are at this age (whatever age they are, they're wonderful!) Something about fall always reminds me to stop and notice the moment and appreciate how blessed we are.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
"Masking" My True Feelings--get it?
Waaaaaah! Did I say I was OK with it? I lied.
But, the number one most important ingredient for learning is enthusiasm, right? And we have plenty of that around here. So I'm keeping my thoughts to myself and cheering them on.
Speaking of masks, lookit the cool splatter art that Dudeman made! You should see the clothes he was wearing at the time--let's just say they match the mask!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
A visitor
I love dragonflies--they are so beautiful. This guy is HUGE. Can you see how tattered his wings are? The poor thing found his way into the house and beat himself against the windows until we were able to catch him. We put him outside but I don't know if he was able to fly away or if he was a bird snack.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Warning: Political Rant Ahead
It's un-American! It's un-American to question the President! We should get behind him and support all his efforts...
Oh, wait, that was last year. This year, it's just fine to question the President.
Feel free to question ANYTHING now! Question his motives! Question his morality! Accuse him of any outlandish plot you can think of! He wants to deny medical care for your poor old grandmother! He wants to deliberately bankrupt the country! Go ahead--come up with the craziest bullhockey you can! Question his country of origin for God's sake!
Remember when protesting a war-for-no-reason was unpatriotic and anyone who questioned Bush's reasoning was a traitor? Remember when we were supposed to fall in line and shut up because THE PRESIDENT KNOWS BEST?
Those days are over, people. The rules have changed and now, not only is it just fine to express dissent, but it's also fine to disrupt, disrespect, and completely disengage from reality. Because when you're on the losing side, and you have nothing successful to show for the past 10 years, the only option is to tear down and criticize.
So, let me see if I understand correctly... Everything was perfect during Bush's years. Everyone had lots of money in the bank, all the healthcare options they needed, great job and education opportunities, and an unassailable sense of complete security. Our soldiers were on an indefinite spa-vacation in the Middle East, and we made sure they had everything they needed once they came home. Then, Obama showed up from Kenya, ruined the country, forced us all to convert to Islam, and tried to kill our grandparents.
So, folks, is there any doubt where I stand on this issue? You want to quit reading this blog, go ahead (all three of you.)
Oh, wait, that was last year. This year, it's just fine to question the President.
Feel free to question ANYTHING now! Question his motives! Question his morality! Accuse him of any outlandish plot you can think of! He wants to deny medical care for your poor old grandmother! He wants to deliberately bankrupt the country! Go ahead--come up with the craziest bullhockey you can! Question his country of origin for God's sake!
Remember when protesting a war-for-no-reason was unpatriotic and anyone who questioned Bush's reasoning was a traitor? Remember when we were supposed to fall in line and shut up because THE PRESIDENT KNOWS BEST?
Those days are over, people. The rules have changed and now, not only is it just fine to express dissent, but it's also fine to disrupt, disrespect, and completely disengage from reality. Because when you're on the losing side, and you have nothing successful to show for the past 10 years, the only option is to tear down and criticize.
So, let me see if I understand correctly... Everything was perfect during Bush's years. Everyone had lots of money in the bank, all the healthcare options they needed, great job and education opportunities, and an unassailable sense of complete security. Our soldiers were on an indefinite spa-vacation in the Middle East, and we made sure they had everything they needed once they came home. Then, Obama showed up from Kenya, ruined the country, forced us all to convert to Islam, and tried to kill our grandparents.
So, folks, is there any doubt where I stand on this issue? You want to quit reading this blog, go ahead (all three of you.)
Friday, August 14, 2009
Don't Stop Believin'
Just a few things that make me happy...
The sound of crickets on a summer evening.
When my mom visits and we can talk all day long, instead of a half-hour conversation on the phone.
Introducing my kids to the music I loved when I was a teenager. (Even if you aren't a child of the '80's, you have to admit the Go-Go's were fun, Aerosmith was rockin' and Steve Perry was the dreamiest...)
Etsy. A double-edged sword.
When Dudeman comes into the kitchen with his eyes still puffy from sleep and serious bed head and wants to sit in my lap (even though he's almost big enough for me to sit in his lap now.)
When Supersim gives me that certain twinkly-eyed smile that reminds me of her sweet wittle baby face.
My new computer!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Finally!!!!
I got my new computer! I'm so happy!
How do I even begin to fill in the blanks? Summer is/was super busy--we visited relatives in Texas and Oklahoma, and we went to Yellowstone National Park. Entertained lots of visitors: great friends from Washington, D.C. and Texas. We read a few good books (kids and grownups.) We did NO school whatsoever, unless you count the French classes I taught.
Supersim and I started a fun project of making our own hairclips. She worked in as many riding lessons as possible, between our various trips. Dudeman is training to be a sprinter and looking forward to soccer in the fall. He finished his book challenge and keeps reminding me that I owe him his prize: a giant Lego set. Oh, and BOTH kids have decided to attend school.
Yup, that's right. School. I'm OK with it. Whatever makes them happy. They're excited about it, wishing school would hurry up and start. And they know that if it doesn't work out, if they aren't happy or need more challenging work, they will always have the option of attending the Super Awesome School of Super Awesomeness.
Anyway, it's not like SASSA ever closes--even though we didn't do official schoolwork over the summer, we still had all kinds of amazing experiences, including visiting some great museums, enjoying lots of picnics in several states, listening to cicadas and tree frogs at Caddo Lake, having a three-day-long playdate/sleepover with cousins, lying outside and watching the Perseids, and seeing geysers, two wolves, lots of bison, and a GRIZZLY BEAR in Yellowstone.
We've had a wonderful summer...Hope you did, too!
Friday, June 19, 2009
The greatest thing just happened!
I found an old friend of mine, someone I've thought about for years but had no idea how to locate. We met in 5th grade and were friends until she moved away during our freshman year. I was absolutely lost without her! Those years are so hard anyway, and going through them without my best friend was rough.
I'm soooo glad to find out that she's doing well and I can't wait to catch up! The internet is a wonderful thing!
I'm soooo glad to find out that she's doing well and I can't wait to catch up! The internet is a wonderful thing!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Just another abandoned blog
My computer is still messed up. I'm hoping to get a new one by the end of next month. Until then, I post whenever I can, which isn't often. Even if I had my computer, we have been so busy...
Busy doing what? Swimming, Slip-and-Sliding, water balloon fights, going to the park with the muddy sand pit (I'm still soaking their clothes), seeing Monsters vs. Aliens and Up, playdates with friends, cooking hot dogs and s'mores outside, a road trip to Oklahoma to visit relatives, another trip to Texas to see more relatives. (My family knows how to have fun: the kids played with their cousins and the grownups sat around drinking Shiner Bock and watching the kids play.) Dad claims I went in every antique store between Oklahoma City and Jefferson, TX but he's wrong: two of them were closed.
When we got back home, the kids were really excited to find lots of baby strawberries on their plants. I've picked a few cherry tomatoes and one early girl. Dad got a new lawnmower and edger for an early Father's Day present (I swear, that's what he asked for!)
So...it's not exactly the lazy, relaxing summer I had imagined, but we are having a great time. Hope you are, too.
Busy doing what? Swimming, Slip-and-Sliding, water balloon fights, going to the park with the muddy sand pit (I'm still soaking their clothes), seeing Monsters vs. Aliens and Up, playdates with friends, cooking hot dogs and s'mores outside, a road trip to Oklahoma to visit relatives, another trip to Texas to see more relatives. (My family knows how to have fun: the kids played with their cousins and the grownups sat around drinking Shiner Bock and watching the kids play.) Dad claims I went in every antique store between Oklahoma City and Jefferson, TX but he's wrong: two of them were closed.
When we got back home, the kids were really excited to find lots of baby strawberries on their plants. I've picked a few cherry tomatoes and one early girl. Dad got a new lawnmower and edger for an early Father's Day present (I swear, that's what he asked for!)
So...it's not exactly the lazy, relaxing summer I had imagined, but we are having a great time. Hope you are, too.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Art Class for Homeschoolers
Dudeman had a great time at his art class! He learned about Matisse and Picasso, then did some paintings of his own. Check out his green alien face, which he later cut apart and added weird eyes and noses, Picasso style.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
In case you're wondering...
I haven't been updating my blog because I spilled a glass of water on my computer a week ago. Had to wait a few days to see if it would work, and it did--briefly. Took it in for diagnostics and found out that water damage repair costs about half what a new computer would cost, so I'm weighing the pros and cons of repairing it or just replacing it.
After warning the kids a thousand times about keeping drinks away from the computer, I'm the one who spilled water on it!
After warning the kids a thousand times about keeping drinks away from the computer, I'm the one who spilled water on it!
Friday, May 1, 2009
This Week at School
The Super Awesome School of Super Awesomeness just gets more super awesome each week!
We started the week by baking a cake. Why not? Dudeman was hoping to make a cheesecake, but we didn't have 18 oz. of cream cheese on hand (go figure), so we made a vanilla layer cake instead. The cake recipe called for 3/4 cup of butter. Two sticks of butter are a whole cup, so how do we measure 3/4 cup? Next we measured the sugar and talked about all the different ways we could measure the same amount. Two eggs. Vanilla. Uh-oh, the teaspoon is dirty in the dishwasher. Can we use the half teaspoon to measure 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla? Flour. Baking soda. One and 1/4 cups of milk. It was fun to cook together and a great excuse to discuss basic fractions. (You might notice that there are no pictures of the cake. It didn't last long.)
We read tons of books, especially the day that Dude was miserable with spring allergies (his mother's child.) Running a low fever and zonked out with Benadryl, he curled up with me on the couch and we worked our way through: Penny the Forgotten Coin by Denise Brennan-Nelson, Bad Boys and Mary Had a Little Ham by Margie Palatini, Dear Deer by Gene Barretta, Black Bear Cub by Jacqueline Moody-Luther, How Long or How Wide? by Brian Cleary, a couple more chapters of Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions by Don Wulffson, Inventor McGregor, by Kathleen T. Pelley, You Wouldn't Want to Be on Apollo 13 by Ian Graham, There's A Frog In My Throat! by Loreen Leedy and Pat Street and Yes We Can, based on President Obama's victory speech. Oh, how I love the luxury of dropping our plans and just reading together when we're not feeling up to an active school day.
We read tons of books, especially the day that Dude was miserable with spring allergies (his mother's child.) Running a low fever and zonked out with Benadryl, he curled up with me on the couch and we worked our way through: Penny the Forgotten Coin by Denise Brennan-Nelson, Bad Boys and Mary Had a Little Ham by Margie Palatini, Dear Deer by Gene Barretta, Black Bear Cub by Jacqueline Moody-Luther, How Long or How Wide? by Brian Cleary, a couple more chapters of Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions by Don Wulffson, Inventor McGregor, by Kathleen T. Pelley, You Wouldn't Want to Be on Apollo 13 by Ian Graham, There's A Frog In My Throat! by Loreen Leedy and Pat Street and Yes We Can, based on President Obama's victory speech. Oh, how I love the luxury of dropping our plans and just reading together when we're not feeling up to an active school day.
The day of reading added lots of titles to our reading challenge list. I had picked up some sticky stars so Dude could rate his reading selections. It was interesting to see what his favorites and least favorites were. A visit to the library added even more selections to the list. By the end of the week, he had gone from 14 to 28 books.
We worked on our ancient Egypt History Pockets projects, and had a great time writing things with hieroglyphs. We located the Nile on the globe and talked about the red land and black land, and why the Nile was so important for the Egyptians. We read some good books about ancient Egypt (way better than the basic dry facts provided by History Pockets.) Mummies, Pyramids and Pharaohs by Gail Gibbons, You Wouldn't Want to Be a Pyramid Builder by Jacqueline Morley and Hieroglyphs by Joyce Milton provided us with plenty of fascinating information about daily life, Egyptian religion, and the power of the Pharaohs. Dude really liked the History Pockets cat activity and ended up doing two: cut out and decorate a sacred cat, then fold it and write a poem about cats inside. This inspired him to compose a great story called The Two Cats of the Pharaoh.
We worked on our ancient Egypt History Pockets projects, and had a great time writing things with hieroglyphs. We located the Nile on the globe and talked about the red land and black land, and why the Nile was so important for the Egyptians. We read some good books about ancient Egypt (way better than the basic dry facts provided by History Pockets.) Mummies, Pyramids and Pharaohs by Gail Gibbons, You Wouldn't Want to Be a Pyramid Builder by Jacqueline Morley and Hieroglyphs by Joyce Milton provided us with plenty of fascinating information about daily life, Egyptian religion, and the power of the Pharaohs. Dude really liked the History Pockets cat activity and ended up doing two: cut out and decorate a sacred cat, then fold it and write a poem about cats inside. This inspired him to compose a great story called The Two Cats of the Pharaoh.
Oh, I almost forgot the other books, the Star Wars Clone Wars comic series. Dude goes through those pretty quick, but I still let him count them on the book challenge list. Reading them always inspires lots of clone and droid battle sketches.
Let's see...Hey, Dude, did we play any games this week? Oh, yeah, someone beat me at Scrabble, even though he had the worst strategy ever. "You see, Dude, the way to win at Scrabble is to make the best word you can at the time. Don't save your letters hoping for a chance to use them a certain way, because..." "Yeah, OK, Mom. But I'm going to save these three in case a G opens up." "No, that's not the best strategy..." I explain, as I lose by 20 points to a kid less than one-fifth my age.
We played a game called Tax Collector, from Family Math. The object of the game is to get more money than the tax collector. For every paycheck you choose, you get to keep the money, but the tax collector gets the factors of your paycheck. For example, if you took a paycheck for $10, you would get $10, and the tax collector would get $2 and $5 (because 2 x 5 = 10.) Dude caught on pretty quickly that some paychecks seem like a good idea at first, but really aren't. For example, $24 seems like a good paycheck. But the tax collector would get $2, $12, $6, $4, $8, and $3. Yikes! Even the Finns don't pay that much tax!
We didn't spend much time outside, due to allergies, but we did go out long enough to catch Buddy (see below.) Dude worked on a new piano song, played with the dogs, did some Gamequarium math games, ran errands with me, including a quick trip to the bank to trade in some quarters for $2 bills.
We played a game called Tax Collector, from Family Math. The object of the game is to get more money than the tax collector. For every paycheck you choose, you get to keep the money, but the tax collector gets the factors of your paycheck. For example, if you took a paycheck for $10, you would get $10, and the tax collector would get $2 and $5 (because 2 x 5 = 10.) Dude caught on pretty quickly that some paychecks seem like a good idea at first, but really aren't. For example, $24 seems like a good paycheck. But the tax collector would get $2, $12, $6, $4, $8, and $3. Yikes! Even the Finns don't pay that much tax!
We didn't spend much time outside, due to allergies, but we did go out long enough to catch Buddy (see below.) Dude worked on a new piano song, played with the dogs, did some Gamequarium math games, ran errands with me, including a quick trip to the bank to trade in some quarters for $2 bills.
Just for fun the kids made some stuff out of Sculpey, and we spent an evening painting stuff at the local ceramics place. We had playdates with good friends. (Thank you, Friend's Mom for having a pet rabbit so I don't have to!) Supersim's friend was so adorable--she came to me and said, "Can we turn this into a party?" "Sure, I guess." (What does that mean, exactly? I wondered...) "Yay!" she says! "We're having a party! This is the best party ever!" Then she runs away to play... Apparently just calling it a party made it a party. Kids are wonderful, aren't they?
I almost don't even care what we study--I'm just enjoying this time together.
I almost don't even care what we study--I'm just enjoying this time together.
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