Weekly Report 9 January - 13 January

This was another eventful week here in our homeschool! Highlights this week include the vet discussing revolting dog things with the children (science-check!), a delivery from Rainbow Resources, a new 6-week composer/artist study .... Read on, Dear Reader, read on!

My parents gave me a gift certificate for Rainbow Resources for Christmas. The order arrived this week, and I am looking forward to livening up these winter months with new lessons and books. Monday we started our new 6-week artist/composer study: Rembrandt and Vivaldi. I love a new beginning with a new plan. I never know whether the end result will meet or exceed the plan.

Rembrandt

Our first picture for study is Tobit and Anna.

This is from an episode in the Book of Tobit. The righteous Tobit has become blind, and his faithful wife Anna is working and brings home a goat kid. Rembrandt has painted the couple after Tobit accuses his wife of stealing the kid and then asks forgiveness. We had a Sunday School lesson on this in October for Raphael the Archangel's feast day. I hoped this would be fresh in the girl's minds. St. Raphael, who is the angelic guide to Tobit and Anna's son Tobias, is a favorite of mine and Jerry's. This archangel leads Tobit to the wife God intended for him, and prayers are often prayed that, by the power of God, St. Raphael will lead you to whom you seek. Jerry had a St. Raphael prayer card that he carried with him for some time before he met me. We have decided St. Raphael's feast on October 24 will be our "Valentine's Day."

Even if you are not interested in this book for religious reasons, I strongly recommend familiarity with it if you plan for you or your children to study art history.

Resources I plan on using for Rembrandt

Now, don't freak out about the number of books on my list! It is not all necessary! I have collected many of these books over a couple of years from my favorite used book seller for $1-$3 each. Some I have purchased on the Amazon Marketplace for under $1 plus the standard Marketplace shipping of $3.99. An incredible variety can be found if you hunt and hunt for months and years BEFORE you do a lesson. I don't have any where near this many books on any other artist, but Rembrandt books were easy for me to find. I just want to show you what is available if you look around (or check your library.)

The focus of picture study in grammar and middle school is on the PAINTING itself, not the artist or his times. Some of the books I have are for me to read (and educate myself!) and pass on the information to my children in conversation. I know my children would be mortified if I hauled a few books to the museum and walked around reading out of the book! I hope (one day) my children appreciate me walking around the museum and whispering to them funny stories and sad histories related to the artists and their works. My children want us to tell them things in conversation; they want to be treated like maturing human beings. Eventually, my children can read the art histories for themselves. I love my Kindle, but I cannot imagine studying art history on a screen.

Many of my books are ex-library. I hope they can still be found on many other library shelves!

General Art Histories

*The Story of Art by E. H. Gombrich (I think I paid around $6 total)

A classic work for generations. You can read about the various editions and choose the one for your purposes.

*The Story of Painting by Sister Wendy This is an enormous coffee table hardback rich with color. Because I care neither about the original dust jacket nor the black line drawn across the bottom end, I was able to purchase it for $20 and free shipping. Some of the paintings cover 2 pages and are good for detailed study.

*The Annotated Mona Lisa by Carol Strickland

I love the sidebars! I love the comparative charts! A "Crash Course!"

Anthologies for Children

*Lives of the Great Artists by Charles Ayres

If you hang out on homeschool forums long enough, you will notice other homeschoolers posting "deals and steals." I think this book was on special pricing for $3 or $4 and free shipping at one time. The selection is limited to 20 artists from Giotto to Van Gogh. The book is over-sized which allows for pictures large enough to study. There are sidebars throughout such as "Why don't you..." and "Did you know..." The artists covered are covered well for $4.

*Stories of the Painters by Amy Steedman.

This book can be found from $20 to $100. Mine was $20, in beautiful condition, and with pages still uncut. Many of Amy Steedman's books are in the public domain and can be found in many places online such as The Baldwin Project and Librivox.org. This book is apparently not in the public domain. Sometimes I see 1910 as the date and sometimes 1938. I love this book. I love Amy Steedman's writing style and the color plates. As always, Steedman's stories begin with childhood. These stories make a nice read-aloud over several days for grammar and middle school students.

*Masters of Art by David & Emily Kales 1967

I spotted this book at a friend's house. Her librarian MIL passes along "discards" to her. I read several selections and then immediately turned to the computer. I found it on Amazon for $0.30 plus $3.99 shipping. I plan on using this book for middleschool outlining and written narrations.

*Young People's Story of Fine Art by V. M. Hillyer and E. G. Huey

Hillyer and his works are legendary in the homeschool world, but because of decades of revision and updates, I never know which editions to choose. My favorite online used book dealer, Linda's Used Books, had several individual titles in his art series for $3 each. She was selling the homeschool library that belonged to a friend. I have rarely paid $3 for a used book before, but these have been worth it. These are from 1970, and have color pictures and text suitable for both reading and outlining. (Nutmeg has written several narrations from the Architecture book - I highly recommend it as well!)

Specifically Rembrandt

*Picture Study Portfolios published by Simply Charlotte Mason.

I purchased the Rembrandt because I felt I needed "handholding" as I embarked on this journey. A booklet is included that gives detailed information (with quotations from Charlotte Mason) on the purpose and form of CM Picture Study, as well as an adapted biography of the artist. In the case of the Rembrandt Portfolio, the biography was adapted from Amy Steedman. Eight large, glossy, sturdy prints are included. This would be an option for someone who does not have ideas about which pictures to choose. (I like none of them.) Finally, the portfolio includes a list of other books for further study. Here I found the title of a middle school novel called "Night Watch." I have been unwilling to pay $15 for it on Amazon though. I'll keep searching...

*Hanna in the time of Tulips

a picture book by Deborah Noyes

*Introducing Rembrandt by Alexander Sturgis

$1.50 ex-library book, middle school

*Rembrandt and Seventeenth-Century Holland by Claudio Pescio

This ex-library book I bought from Linda has come in very hand this year as we have studied the 16th and 17th centuries. Several other artists from this time and place are covered as well as political and social aspects of the society. It is over-sized and contains good pictures and illustrations. The large, detailed illustrations of the canals, dikes, and windmills were invaluable as we studied events in Holland's history. There is a lot of information here!

*Eyewitness Art: Looking at Paintings

I have had this ex-library book for several years. It has interesting information on wide range of topics.

Composer Study

Our Composer for this 6-week period will be Vivaldi. The children are already familiar with some of his music; Jerry and I listen to it a lot. The focus will be putting the name, face, and a few facts with the music.

*Classical Kids cd and Teacher guide Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery

*The Music Masters Series cd The Stories of Vivaldi & Corelli in Words and Music, $4 ?

*Lives of the Musicians Good Times, Bad Times (And What the Neighbors Thought), used

*I, Vivaldi a children's picture book written by Janice Shefelman, used

*Anna Maria's Gift A Stepping Stone Book by Janice Shefelman, used

I worried that this last book might upset 7-year old Buttercup. The first chapter deals with the death of a beloved parent. I then remembered that most of Buttercup's imaginary games begin with orphans whose parents have died of the cholera... Yes, Buttercup has been steeped in classic children's literature, in large part due to Librivox.org.

I am considering reading the chapter on Vivaldi in Victor Chapin's 1969 The Violin and Its Masters. Perhaps I could glean some interesting bits of information and pass along to our violinist, Nutmeg. It is something to keep on hand for high school at any rate.

In addition to these resources, we will be listening to my husband's impressive Vivialdi collection as well as some Vivaldi pieces found in the Beethoven's Wig cd series. We love those at our house!

Geography

Some time ago I purchased a download of Beautiful Feet's geography program using four of the Holling Clancy Hollings books. I did not want to spend the money on the maps hoping I could use some I already had or could find on the internet for free. Using my gift certificate, I bought the Beautiful Feet maps that go with the program. Each of the four maps is 24" x 18" and printed in two shades of brown on cream cardstock. I really think these maps are necessary to the program; the size will allow the child to include and observe so much detail! Nutmeg was very excited when she saw the maps, less excited when she saw the first book, Paddle to the Sea. I think she will certainly be able to handle one lesson per week.

Greek

I also purchased Elementary Greek: Koine for Beginners volume 1 of a 3-year program. It is New Testament or Koine Greek. Now, I know this is perhaps controversial. I know that Attic Greek is preferred in Classics departments. I know it is recommended that one study the more difficult, Attic, before the simpler, Koine. I know.

BUT-

1. My primary goal with this subject is for my children to read the New Testament as written and to understand the nuances and idioms.

2. My husband is studying New Testament Greek.

3. There are many homeschool Koine Greek programs for non-Greek-reading parents to choose from. Attic - not so many.

4. I got a Rainbow Resources gift certificate. This program was on their damaged/bargain page. That's how I was raised to shop. :)

I'll update again in the coming weeks and let you know if these resources are livening up our homeschool through the winter months!

Hope you found something useful!

Homeschool Weekly Report 2 Jan to 6 Jan 2012

We started back formal homeschool and music lessons this week. It felt good to sit at our little school table, and have a routine. It felt good, but it was very draining. I am going to fortify myself with no driving and lots of stitching this weekend because dance classes start next week. A little voice in my head frequently commented, "Isn't it nice to take a long break in the middle of the day, or even two breaks, and do some subjects in the late afternoon?" Even with no rushing off to dance, it was impossible to get everything done. Latin did not get done. Science got done a bit. History got done a bit more. Math, grammar, art, and composition got done A LOT!

I had one last thing I really wanted to introduce before we moved on to our next Artist Study. Paintings and Painters are our main focus, but I would like to introduce other art forms occasionally. To finish our Degas study, we read Degas and the Little Dancer and looked at Degas' sculpture "The Little Dancer." Buttercup colored another page from Masterpieces: A Fact-filled Coloring Book.

We did not get everything done with this Artist/Composer round that I had envisioned. I am trying to look at all the resources as "options I can choose from" instead of as "boxes I need to check in order to feel good about our experience." We drew ballerinas, we listened to different pieces by Tchaikovsky, Nutmeg worked on a Tchaikovsky piano piece, we went to a school day at a theatre for what we thought would be an abbreviated Nutcracker (It was a disappointment), we discovered new books about Degas and Tchaikovsky, Nutmeg noted the men in her Book of Centuries, and we even managed to tie Young Indiana Jones in by watching an episode where Picasso argues with Degas about art! I keep telling myself this is exposure, this is enrichment, it is not meant to be the end-all-and-be-all Culture Experience!!

We did some "hands-on" art as well this week. Nutmeg grudgingly did an assignment or two out of Artistic Pursuits- we are giving it another try, but we still have not discovered its "magic." Buttercup experimented with positive and negative images. (We haven't quite figured out how we want to display them.)

How to Teach Art to Children is still my favorite art program we have used. I remember having so much fun doing it with Nutmeg. Nutmeg also remembers it fondly and frequently asks to be included in Buttercup's lesson. Today they were each given three sheets of paper and three blue circles. The assignment was to make the circle part of the drawing in different ways on the different papers. Nutmeg's all had a Harry Potter theme, of course!
Buttercup also drew a tiger while I read to her about India. I know it looks like she misspelled tiger, but it was her little joke - a tiger growls "grrrr!"
India was our history focus this week. Yes, we are only on week 11 of Story of the World. I am past hyperventilating about that. Occasionally I do hyperventilate about other things though, like Social Studies. Now, I couldn't tell you what Social Studies is off the top of my head without a lot of "um's" and "you know's." Homeschoolers seem to pooh-pooh Social Studies. We always look at the geography, religions, foods, current events, etc. of any country we encounter in our history texts. But sometimes, sometimes, I get the Social Studies Bug- enter the Weekly Reader Social Studies Skill Builders Grades 4-5. I bought it used somewhere or other, and I pull it out now and again. This week Nutmeg did a few multiplechoiceinterpretthegraph-type worksheets about India and global energy use. She came downstairs so indignant that we Americans use more energy than we produce! Her reaction was so charming that it made my half-hearted purchase worthwhile!

I want to introduce you to a few more members of my Stinky Book Collection.
I am indebted to Jenn of Wildflowers and Marbles and Angela of MommyLawyer/Gratia Plena Academia for sending me down so many rabbit trails! I go to their blogs (and Angela's house) and rifle through their book collections, jotting down titles and authors as fast as ever I might. I have come to appreciate the uncluttered, simply illustrated books of the 40's, 50's, and 60's that can still be found at used book stores and sites. Sometimes a child (or parent) really needs a good, technical graphic or an up-to-the-minute text. But sometimes, sometimes, the parent and the child want to savor a book that does not overwhelm with flashy graphics (that remind me of MTV videos of the 80's and 90's) with text hidden here and there all over the page! I also appreciate the tone of many of these books. They seem to be written for children who have or at least appreciate an attention span longer than 2 minutes. I grabbed a handful that we looked through this week and include them here if you feel like going down some rabbit trails of your own!

Myths of the World Padraic Colum 1930
Getting to Know the Ganges Welthin Soni 1964
The Story of Peter Tchaikovsky Opal Wheeler 1953
All About the Symphony Orchestra Dorothy Berliner Commins 1961
Christmas Trees and How They Grow Glenn Blough 1961
Masters of Art David and Emily Kales 1967
The Golden Geography Elsa Jane Werner 1952

Those are some of the highlights from earlier in the week. Today is 6 January and we celebrate The Feast of the Epiphany!


May all your comings and goings be in search of Truth!

28 November - 1 December 2011

Homeschool is usually a bit rough around here after more than two days off. This week, however, Nutmeg let it slip that she had missed school! Can it be? Is she learning to love learning in spite of me? Nutmeg has an early morning violin lesson at a nearby college. Sometimes Louisiana Man is able to take her, and on those occasions, Nutmeg and her daddy go have a cup of coffee ( I think Nutmeg has a hot chocolate or chai) and read for a few minutes before he goes to work. Nutmeg mentioned she realized she missed school while watching the college students writing in notebooks. I hope that is the only habit she picks up from them! ;)

Artist and Composer Studies

This week's Picture Study is brought to you by the Metropolitan Museum of Art Calendar. Our family looks at this calendar every single day! Some weeks it saves Picture Study when an artist happens to show up on a day I didn't prepare very well. So here is Degas' Woman with Ibis, or some similar title.

While I type this, the girls are listening to Tchaikovsky: The Mystery Box in the Attic, while they draw ballerinas from How to Draw Ballet Pictures. This is actually how I picture homeschooling; I needed to document the moment before it evaporated! ;)

History

We do other subjects besides art and history, but these two subjects have been the more blog-able lately because they are more photogenic. (You don't really want to see pictures of math worksheets or hear how Nutmeg thought she was just supposed to copy the answers onto her fact drill sheets from the one she did the day before.)

We are on day 75/180 of school and are on chapter 8/42 of Story of the World volume 3. (Perhaps I should spend more time on math.) Anyway, we read chapter 8 of SOTW and did the suggested mapwork. I cut circles of different colored construction paper, and the girls glued them on the map of Persia as a I read about the various empires that had conquered and ruled there. It is a really nice visual and hands-on project. Are we going to memorize the names and correct order of conquerors? No.

I also read to the girls a few chapters about the Middle East from V. M. Hillyer's A Child's Geography of the World. Both girls did written narrations as well as drew camels. Nutmeg also had an additional Hillyer reading from his art series. She read and narrated a section on Islamic architecture. Yes, I edit as I read, choosing current terminology and adding current events.

Here is the beauty of a Book of Centuries: the various figures we study in history (it is not always possible or edifying to study in strict chronological order), the artists and composers we focus on, as well as current events that should not be ignored can all be visually organized in one place.

Here is one more picture, a Homeschool Room Reality Shot.

Weekly Report 14 November - 18 November

It has been an interesting week to say the least!

Saturday

Louisiana Man helped me with science. I am intimidated by science projects and experiments. Louisiana Man engineered a balance and hung it from the ceiling fan/light. He thought it was an improvement on the design in the book and triumphantly called me to come take a look.

Louisiana Man: And people wondered why I got a Master's degree!

Michele: Um, Honey, your Master's was in Anglo-Saxon literature.

Louisiana Man: Yes, and it broadened my mind.

Michele: 'K

Then it was off to the first of two birthday parties this week. Never fear, Mommy Lawyer's husband kept the peace with his pink light saber! ;)

Monday

We got a bit of extra work done on Monday because Nutmeg had no violin lesson. It is amazing how much time is spent on driving around here!

There just happened to be a Degas painting featured on Monday in our beloved Metropolitan Museum Art Calendar. I was lazy and decided that would do for the week's Picture Study. Then we read Degas and the Dance. It is a wonderful introduction to the artist and some of his works. I am hoping that my little ballerinas will continue to look through it in the coming weeks.

We went light on art this week, but I do have more Degas activities planned.

I recently discovered Anna Nilsen's books, and Nutmeg has enjoyed solving the puzzles in two of her books. We have had the game Art Shark which is also by Nilsen. I hope we can start playing it this coming week.

Nutmeg is still perfecting Tchaikovsky's piano piece Mazurka, and we listened to Tchaikovsky Discovers America by Classical Kids.

Tuesday

Tuesday's school work included the "usual suspects." We began SOTW vol 3 chapter 7 and learned about tobacco and "unwilling colonists." The girls were not thrilled about the pictures I found of smokers' lungs. They weren't thrilled about the pictures of healthy lungs either!

Buttercup did a fantastic book report on Magic Treehouse's Thanksgiving on Thursday. I have a love-hate relationship with this series. Make that like-hate. The writing is abysmal, but the stories are just so darn handy for history and even science! I hope Madeleine Takes Command and the stories on her iPod will balance out Magic Treehouse!

Wednesday

Wednesday was a big day at our house! Nutmeg got braces!!!

Doesn't she look cute? She is still excited about them, but she is uncomfortable. It is amazing that we can see progress on certain teeth in the first couple of days!

Thursday

Thursday was a special day for Princess Buttercup: she had her fall piano recital. She did a great job playing Alligator Walk. Her class also sang two class songs and played an ensemble piece. For the ensemble piece, the class was divided into two parts. This helps them with auditory discrimination. In the middle of the piece, they accompanied themselves as they sang in Solfege (do-re-mi). It never fails to amuse me when I notice all the moms, including myself, tapping their feet, nodding their heads, mouthing/whispering the counts or notes, and occasionally letting a "shhh" escape on a "rest!" It is amazing how invested a mother feels about her child's recital piece!

Then it was dinner with my parents who came to the recital, and a trip to one of those frozen yogurt places where you load your healthy, low fat frozen yogurt with every imaginable candy and confection.

Friday

I hope today will be a stay-at-home-day which is actually rare in the life of a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom! I plan on a few video segments from Discovery Education on Degas, and maybe we will check out the conservation of mass with sugar cubes and water.

Here is one last picture from the week. When you hear my children complain that learning Latin is a chore, think of this picture of Buttercup learning Latin, and don't feel too sorry for them!

Weekly Report??????

It's just always something, isn't it? I thought this would be the week that I got everything back on track after being sick. Well, this turned out to be Teeth Week around here! The girls had a dental cleaning on Tuesday (the morning after Halloween - eek!), and then the orthodontist had a cancellation so we took the appointment. We sped 20 minutes south, and learned Nutmeg definitely needs braces. Her teeth really aren't crooked, but they are not aligned properly. Poor Nutmeg was mortified when the orthodontist looked at her teeth and said, "Mom, we have problems!" X-rays and photos were made, and Thursday we had the official consultation and made appointments for braces. I also need to call the bank - between braces and dance costume fees, I will need a new box of checks! :P

Homeschool...homechool...homeschool...Oh, I think I remember! Isn't that when you load the van up with books and binders, sharp pencils and Cheetos, and play some classical music and ask for oral narrations as you drive around three counties?

No, I'm not joking.

Yes, it really was that bad.

Art is our memory of love. The most an artist can do through their work is say, let me show you what I have seen, what I have loved, and perhaps you will see it and love it too. ~Annie Bevan

Somehow the girls managed a few violin and piano practices. We have to put the puppy Hector outside when Nutmeg plays violin. See the video that may or may not be at the bottom of this post. Buttercup has a piano recital in two weeks, and Nutmeg is working on Tchaikovsky's Mazurka for her piano lesson.

We are studying Degas and Tchaikovsky for six weeks in anticipation of The Nutcracker. There are so many great books for children about these two artists; it was really difficult to come up with material for Corelli. This week we listened to The Story of Tchaikovsky (Alright, so the music we listened to in the van was not classical, strictly speaking.) I have to say, I did not care for much of the music. Rubinstein described some piece as "clumsy," and I have to agree.

The girls did Picture Study of this painting by Degas.

It is wonderful to be here in the great state of Chicago. ~ Dan Quayle

This week we read chapter 5 of SOTW vol 3. Yes, we are behind, but I do not regret spending extra time on French Canada and Native Americans. That will lay a good foundation for the upcoming French and Indian War as well as provide material for a comparison of relations between the Natives and the different colonial powers. Chapter 5 was Japan and Hideyoshi. Now, I know that SOTW was intended to be fairly neutral and that neutrality is of course impossible in a history text. However, I was a bit surprised to learn what was left out of the account of Hideyoshi - his horrible persecution of Christians. As I read the chapter aloud, the girls kept asking, "Is he a Good Guy or a Bad Guy?" I didn't know; I supposed it would make a great deal of difference whether one were Japanese or Korean or Chinese. As I looked up dates to record on our books of centuries, I realized that it was Hideyoshi who was responsible for the 26 Martyrs of Japan or Nagasaki Martyrs. You can read more about them here. I think that settled the girls' question for our family.

We are looking at Japan and some of it's famous landmarks for geography this week. I am also trying to use Trail Guide Geography again. I just need to make it a habit.

History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity. ~ Cicero

This week I spent a lot of time working on my Book of Centuries timeline. I realized some time ago that I did not have the room for the wall timeline I had envisioned, not to mention it kept falling off the wall! I spent time reading many blog posts and articles about Charlotte Mason-inspired BOCs. I finally went with a template from Notebookingpages.com. I was just going to write down dates as I came in contact with them, but it was just so addictive that I followed many rabbit trails! I also put my collection of trash old Teaching Company catalogues to good use.

The TC catalogues are good for many things. I frequently pull out and laminate charts and maps.

I am helping Nutmeg put together her own BOC with the same template as I choose for myself. I ordered a landscape binder for her from Home School in the Woods.

Those were some of the highlights this week!

Weekly Report 25 September - 30 September

I noticed that I have made several post in a row about homeschool and none about needlework. I have not picked up a needle in weeks, well, I have picked up needles: off of the floor, sticking out of the carpet, still stuck in the right shoulder of my shirts...

We have gotten quite a bit done this week. I am exploring several Charlotte Mason methods I am learning about from Ambleside Online, Simply Charlotte Mason, and most importantly the 4Real Forums. I have been skipping around through Charlotte Mason' original series, and like many others, I am discovering her writings are quite different from what I had thought about "The Charlotte Mason Method." There are several blog posts around the 'net challenging the common assumptions about "gentle education." I find it very interesting, although I still find The Well-Trained Mind methods most appealing.

The most intriguing CM method is "slow reading." "Slow reading" or "savoring" appeals to me because I like to start many books, but it also goes against everything I have read or heard about reading! I always thought it was better to experience a book in as few sittings as possible.

This "slow reading" or "savoring" has given me new ways to incorporate extra books into our schedule. The emphasis is on the child having time to really consider what he has read as well as make connections on his own. I have spent much of my planning time going through all my resources on a topic, and noting all the page numbers of related topics. Now I am considering that finding the relations is the student's job, not the teacher's. In addition to our science studies, Nutmeg is independently reading and narrating other books twice weekly. Right now she is working her way through How and Why Wonder Book of Chemistry. Next I plan for her to read through The Mystery of the Periodic Table and It's Elementary:How Chemistry Rocks Our World. These books, I hope, will make a pleasant change from the 2-3 days a week we use God's Design Science: Properties of Matter and Properties of Atoms and Molecules.

I also feel much freer in our history studies. We use Story of the World vol 3 as a spine, and K12 Human Odyssey vol 2 for Nutmeg to outline and go a bit deeper. I worked hard over the summer to build a novel into almost every week; now I see the extra readings do not have to match exactly the readings from the history spine. If the children read or listen carefully, and narrate they should be able to connect information over time. This is the theory, and I am intrigued.

"Slow reading" has not worked in every subject. One recommendation I see often is for students to encounter a small section of Plutarch once a week. This appeals to me since we are preparing to study the American Revolution and the Founding Fathers who themselves studied and were influenced by Plutarch. A bit of Plutarch a week is plenty for Nutmeg and for me! But Shakespeare? Sometime soon I do want to read through some of Shakespeare's plays with Nutmeg, but for now we are going through the retellings by Charles and Mary Lamb. I found a recommendation to read 3 pages twice a week. This week Nutmeg obediently read 3 pages of the 12th Night retelling on Tuesday and Thursday. I later discovered that she had gone on to read the Othello retelling on Tuesday and another retelling on Thursday! 3 pages was just not satisfying to her! :)

Buttercup has been working hard this week as well. We finished reading Not Just for Ducks:the Story of Rain, and she continues to read aloud in her Christian Liberty Nature Readers. She enjoys reading her Seton Religion for Young Catholics 2, and this week we added a daily reading from Seton's Reading Comprehension 3 which contains bible stories. She is very pleased to read aloud from a "third grader book!"

Buttercup was less than pleased about our Nature Studies this week: Mushrooms. She is horrified by mushrooms! She wants them all out of our yard NOW! Nutmeg, who usually must be dragged outside, is enchanted by 3 mushroom growing in a triangle and wants to keep an eye on them. Something tells me Buttercup is going to destroy it if I am not vigilant! ;)

We did so many other things as well: studied drawings by Rubens and drew faces using pastel chalks, worked our way through a fascinating book about the adventures of John Smith, piano, violin, the art detective book, played with the boys next door...

Today we plan to make a model of the fort at Jamestown, make some autumn nature plans, and maybe sneak in a video about fungus. Who knows? maybe I will be able to coax the girls outside for some more fun with fungus! ;)

Weekly Report 19 September - 23 September

Jerry's parents came from "out west" to visit us this week. I am so thankful that our homeschool schedule allowed the girls to spend lots of time with their grandparents! I did not take pictures for some reason, but I believe the girls have many sweet memories saved in their hearts.

Very little school got done, according to legal requirements, but there was much enrichment. Both girls learned to ride bikes without training wheels in the past 10 days. Nutmeg has never been much interested in bikes. When she saw her little sister zooming about without training wheels, something clicked in Nutmeg's brain. While Jerry and I were at a wedding this past weekend, Nutmeg called us to tell us she had learned how to ride without training wheels on her sister's bike. Guess who has a new bike? ;) The secret, by the way, is finding a gentle, grassy slope, and letting the child learn what balance feels like.

Buttercup and I took a very wet walk and observed different forms of spider webs and different kinds of evergreens all bejewelled with rain drops. Buttercup also informed me of her desire to have an ant farm. I said yes, meaning a contained, purchased ant farm. Buttercup misunderstood, and I caught her heading out with a plastic container... Let me know if you have ant farm recommendations!

We also had an unusual Nature Sketch experience. I kept seeing these gorgeous sunflowers on the side of the road. I pulled over, and the girls observed and sketched...looking out the car window! I wonder what Anna Botsford Comstock would think!

The girls and I also sketched this cleome from our garden. Buttercup and I collected and scattered the seeds, but Nutmeg does not like to touch Nature these days.

Cleome is commonly called "spider flower," which reminds me of a story that I forgot to tell you, Mom. 2 weeks ago, while driving the girls from music, I heard gasps and sputterings from the back of the van culminating in the following:

"You have a spider on your head!!! AAAKKKKK!"

"Girls, that is not funny. You cannot play tricks on the driver!"

"We're not lying, Mommie! You have a spider on your head! Look in the mirror!"

Gentle Readers, I looked in the rear view mirror. There was a rather bulky arachnid on my head rest.

I switched into Super Mommie Mode. (Unlike that long ago day before children, when I just jumped out of the car and let the car plow through the garage door,) I waited calmly at the red light and then turned into a parking lot and divested myself of the wee beastie. Ick.

Composer and Artist Study got pushed back a bit this week. We still had last week's pictures displayed and listened to Corelli in the car, but we did not get to to the reading and narrating I planned. I can't be sad about an extra week of Rubens or Corelli though! We are doing picture study on the painting of this lady today.

The sun is shining this morning after a night of much-needed rain. I think Buttercup and I will read Not Only For Ducks: The Story of Rainthis morning. I learned about this series on this post.

I hope you all had enriching studies this week!