It's time for The Homeschool Mother's Journal. Just click on the name to go to this great meme.
In my Life this Week:On Thursday my high schooler stayed home with us because there were tornado warnings and watches in our area. Therefore, we were in our basement for a while and watching the weather channel. We sent up some prayers for all the people that were impacted by the devastation of tornadoes this past week. On Friday we took a field trip with our co-op to Ft. Frederick to see a fort that was used during the Revolution, War of 1812, and Civil War. It was a really awesome looking fort. Two rows of housing flanked the sides of a large courtyard surrounded by a high stone wall. The lay out was very similar to Ft. McHenry in Baltimore. It made me desire to live in that time. Each room had a large fireplace for heat and cooking. To live in quarters like these, I could imagine people were very close - like family. There were tents set up with colonial clothing and items for sale and people walking around dressed for colonial times.
You will notice that we didn't get to do some of our work due to being out and about this week. Also, my daughter who attends Catholic high school was home for two days and lent some time for the kids to bond with each other. We also had a lesson in organization because my daughters had to straighten their room up together. It was the perfect time for it.
In Our Homeschool Week:
Religion: 1) We read the story of Zacchaeus. 2) Catechismclass.com - The Preaching of the Kingdom
English: Possessive singular and plural nouns and watched Pride and Prejudice
Vocabulary: No Vocab. this week.
Writing:1) Completed first draft of book report. 2) Preschooler wrote journal sentence.
Reading: 1) Catholic National Reader and library books.
Math:1) Area 2) Corrections
Science: Alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes (3 major types of hydrocarbons made up of only hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms.) Also constructed a propane molecule out of Styrofoam balls and toothpicks. The fireplace in our kitchen was my example of something that runs on propane.
History: 1) Researched Hamilton and Burr duel; 2) Read about the War of 1812; 3) Researched General Henry Harrison and General Andrew Jackson
Art: 1) Journal drawing and coloring. My four year old colors patterns on peoples clothes now. He must have a mathematical mind.
Music: Piano Lessons and practice
Health: Organization and keeping sanitary.
Physical Educ: 1) Ballet 2) Dance and Movement
Places We're Going/People We're Seeing: Our homeschool co-op families and Ft. Frederick in Frederick, Maryland.
My Favorite Thing this Week:Watching Pride and Prejudice with my daughters.
What's Working/Not Working for Us: My homeschooled daughter thinks she can have off when ever my daughter that attends Catholic school is home. I let her get away with it this week but she is going to have to realize that she is on a different schedule than my other daughter. Why do my homeschooled kids try to bargain with me so much? Do yours?
Homeschool Questions/Thoughts I have: Does anyone have a child age six or younger that can not stand to get hurt (for example: fall and scrape their skin)? My four year old got a pretty big cut that will heal but had a really hard time getting over it. He wouldn't let me put him down for a long period and I had to carry him around the whole time we were on our field trip. Why does he over-react so much?
A Link, Photo, or Quote to Share: "Love with insight beats love at first sight."
That's a great idea to tie in organization/cleanliness with cleaning their room. I've been working very hard at that with Babydoll this week...
ReplyDeleteSounds like you guys had a very productive week!
Out of necessity, we home-educate year-round, which is one of the hardest things to swallow when the neighborhood kids wanna play at the crack of dawn in summer, but it surely motivates my kids to get their lessons done swiftly! During regular breaks, I just prepare them in advance. My eldest son is great at rising earlier so when the knock comes, he's ready; and another child prefers to finish school lessons during their evening free time. I just try to stay flexi to accommodate!
ReplyDeleteHave another great week!
Thank you for leaving me a comment - I am definitely hanging in there :) It means a lot to get encouragement from other mothers. My three girls bargain with me constantly! I hear, "Mom if we do this, can we do that?" many times throughout a single day! It is hard to stand firm and say no. On the other hand, I can use it to my advantage too, like when I want rooms cleaned up, clothes folded, etc. Maybe they get it from me?!? Have a great week. I enjoyed reading about your HS week.
ReplyDeleteCarrie
Wow! You guys did a lot! And it all sounds great.
ReplyDeleteMy kids seem to think they can be off whenever Daddy is home. He's in the Navy and does shift work, so the time he goes in changes week to week. This really throws our whole schedule off. But, we have learned to go with the flow, and sometimes when they do that, I just give them the time off during the day, and get them to do some of the book or computer work they missed at night. In the end, we decided relationships are more important, but there are days when I just want to shoo hubby off to work so we can get down to business!
About the child who had a hard time with the injury: My three-year-old is going through a sensitive phase right now. I remember my others doing this, too. I am not sure why it happens, but I give them cuddles, a special boo-boo bunny (actually, now it is a boo-boo cold pack froggy), a bandaid if needed, and a pep-talk if needed. I tell them that crying is fine when we are bleeding, if someone we love is hurt or dies, and if our hearts are really touched by something important, but normally we should be brave examples for the other kids. Daddy tells them to take deep breaths, and I hear my 7 yo telling the littler ones that when they need to calm down. I think extra attention in a not obvious way is the ticket for a while...it could be the child is craving more of your time, and doesn't know how to ask for it.
I hope my rambling thoughts help. I am going to follow you once I post this.
Blessings,
Heather
Thank you for visiting me all! It is so good to hear from you. It's not always easy to homeschool and we need to continue to encourage eachother. I love hearing what is happening in other homeschooler's lives.
ReplyDeleteYes, my children try to negotiate fairly regularly. I don't know if I'm handling it right, but I do usually try to consider their offers. I say yes when I can, but I don't hesitate to say 'no' if it is necessary.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog!