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!