Slowing Down

Well, it’s been a couple weeks.  I’ve been having a hard time updating… we’ve been sick with various things the past two weeks and even though I haven’t gone completely down I have very little energy.  By the end of the week I’m not very motivated to post… our latest bought was with strep.  Hoping we can get rid of all the germies with the nice weather that has finally hit us!  Here’s a synopsis of the past couple weeks.

READING

Jayden read a book on Thomas Paine as a spin off to Liberty’s Kids.  The younger boys have also been enjoying books about Ben Franklin.  Right now Daddy is reading Ben and Me to them and Rylan especially is enjoying that.  Kylie finished the book At the Sign of the Sugared Plum.  She related to me that it was very sad.  It was about the plague and after she reiterated part of the story to me I wondered if that was the best book to give an 8 year old, but she seemed to handle it well.  The last couple stories we’ve listened to on audio have featured Scarlet Fever so I think my kids are a little paranoid!  Rylan and Bryson have read tons of beginner to intermediate readers.  Rylan is in that weird place where the readers are too easy for him (he can go through 2-3 a day), yet the easy chapter books are hard for him to keep track of the story line in.  We got a few today at the library which I’m hoping he’s maybe ready for.  They aren’t “great” literature, but I’m hoping it will be a bridge to more complex stories at some point.  We just finished All Of a Kind Family on audio and are about to start The Black Stallion. 

WRITING

The older three all completed a couple weeks of their own levels of WWE.  Jayden has made SO much progress on his dictation!  He was remarking this week how much easier it is to hold thoughts in his head.  I think he is well prepared and ready to start logic stage writing.  I’m so pleased with his progress and the solidity of WWE.  It’s tough work and sometimes produces tears, but I’m convinced this is the route to a competent writer.

GRAMMAR

The older 2 are almost finished with their level of R&S.  I’ve been very pleased with this as well.  Kylie is getting better at diagramming, even though she absolutely hates it.  Rylan is doing really well with GWG.  This is perfect for him. 

SPELLING

Jayden and Kylie each completed more steps in AAS.  I’ve made the decision we won’t continue this next year.  We’ll stop at the end of May and then I’ll put them both in Spelling Workout next year.  A sad decision for sure (they LOVE spelling!), but I just have to make spelling independent.  I’m really praying this is the right decision.  They both have learned so much from AAS!  Bryson and Rylan each completed a few lessons in SWO and each one had perfect spelling tests.  Bryson is enjoying our new premium membership at Spelling City.  It gives him a little more practice with the words.

LATIN

Jayden and Kylie are each on lesson 21 in their respective levels.  Their books go to 25 so we’re closing in on the end.  They each are doing very well.  I do know we will need to review vocab during the summer.  Also, I’ll probably throw some translation at Jayden to keep him somewhat engaged this summer.  He’ll be adding in Spanish and I’m debating whether or not to do Salsa with the younger kids… maybe just for fun.

BIBLE

We’ve been horrible and have not gotten this in the past 2 weeks.  I’m thinking about tabling it for this month and then picking it up in June over breakfast.  I really miss starting the day together and I think this will help us do that.  However, until we finish Liberty’s Kids (our current AM activity) I can’t add another thing.  Jesus is stuck being dead for a few more weeks!  ;-)

HISTORY

Jayden listened to a few more chapters in SOTW.  Kylie is moving a little more slowly as I’ve gone to reading to her instead of her listening to the CD.  It just wasn’t gelling for her to listen to the CD.  She’s been doing much better with me reading.  We are closing in on only 10 or so episodes left of Liberty’s Kids.  We all will be very sad when that is over!!  Everybody LOVES it!  My friend and I are hoping they will maybe come out with another series about another period in history????  If anyone knows of anything like this please let me know!!

SCIENCE

We haven’t been great about experiments lately.  The one we did do I don’t even have picts from.  We did one to test how flouride strengthens our teeth.  We smothered an egg in toothpaste.  Let it sit and then wiped off the toothpaste.  We put the treated egg and a plain one in vinegar to see how they would react to the acid.  Well… both kind of reacted the same.  Both of the shells got really soft.  It was weird!  I guess it didn’t work real well for us.  Ya win some, ya lose some! 

Jayden has been faithful to complete the next few lessons in Chem.  He’s going at the pace of 2 weeks of work per week and that’s going well.  I really want him to finish Chem by next fall.  Kylie continues to work on her Periodic Table lapbook.  She has 3 more lessons and she’ll be done with that.  She’s not crazy about studying Chem right now so we’re going to go back to animal lapbooks.  She’s decided her next one will be on the Red Tailed Hawk!  I told her we’ve got a couple great pictures to put in of our “friend!”

MEMORY WORK

This has really gone down hill.  We started to review our history timeline.  Science memory work has been non-existent.  I misunderstood about the CC songs and it turns out most of the songs are made by CC members not by CC proper.  That threw me off a bit.  I invested in the memory work CD’s from CC though so over the summer I’ll figure out how to incorporate those.  I think they are good, just not quite what I was expecting.

Just a few random picts this week…

Crazy hair boy!

Bryson got a letter from a very special friend!

He was so excited!

The weather was finally nice enough this week to eat

lunch outside!

Have a good week everyone!