I honestly don’t think I have unreasonable expectations for what I hope to accomplish in a homeschool week, but it rarely ends up happening. Ever been there? That’s one of the reasons I like doing these weekly reports; even when I don’t feel like we’ve done much, writing it down like this makes me realize how very much we really did do!

I’m delinquent again in updating, so this covers a few weeks!

On President’s Day, Lindsey was out of school, so we declared it a family fun day, Ken took the day off, and we spent the day on a family field trip visiting the Tennessee Aquarium and taking an educational (and speedy!) boat ride on the Tennessee River. History, science, and family fun — all in one!

Later that week, Kathryn was under the weather so we did lots of reading, and took advantage of our free Netflix trial to watch some history and science programs. We watched an episode of The Blue Planet (all about the ocean), and a documentary on the Sphinx. I think she’d watch the History channel and National Geographic all day long if I’d let her. But then again, those tend to be my shows of choice on the rare occasions when I do watch TV or movies.

Above: Lacy the WonderDog stands guard by a sick girl; practicing calligraphy; racer derby car; LEGO catapult; Kathryn snagged the Smithsonian magazine as soon as it arrived; LEGO conveyor belt.

Speaking of TV, we started this week out by doing a television interview for a local station. This episode will focus on adoption and the need for permanence in a child’s life, versus spending years and years in foster care. Although we didn’t get a full tour of the TV station, it was fun to see the behind the scenes stuff. Another field trip! I’m very impressed that both my daughters are willing to do things like this, too; I was so shy as a kid, and couldn’t have imagined doing television or radio interviews, or standing up and speaking in front of groups — all things we’ve done as adoption advocates in the past couple of years. It blows my mind, y’all!

This week, Kathryn finished up her Wordly Wise vocabulary lessons for the year. She has a couple of crossword-puzzle type reviews left to do, but that’s it! We were ahead of schedule on this, but we’re behind on plenty of other things to make up for that. 😉

Kathryn has been learning calligraphy with a set her dad got her for Christmas. It’s fun, so everyone in the family has wanted a try. She’s also still doing regular copywork with quotes from Civil War heroes, and she may just have the best handwriting in the family.

For her bat mitzvah classes, Kathryn read the book Number the Stars. I read it, too, and it’s quite good. A historical fiction story of a young girl in Demark during the Nazi occupation. Easy as far as reading level, but good content.

In Stories of Inventions, we’ve been reading about Samuel Morse and the telegraph. It’s pretty astounding to think of just how much some of the inventions we’ve read about so drastically changed the world! Again we were reminded that people often have to fail many times before they finally succeed in a big way — and one person really can make a huge difference in the world, for good or bad.

In other history readings, we’re nearing the end of This Country of Ours (one of our read-alouds), and Kathryn is enjoying the first few chapters of Teddy Roosevelt: An American Original and The Ground-breaking, Chance-Taking Life of George Washington Carver. I also discovered a book on our homeschool shelf that I’d forgotten we had, so she eagerly whizzed through that one this week: Escape to Freedom, about the Underground Railroad.

As for literature: We should be able to finish up Oliver Twist this afternoon. We’ve enjoyed following Oliver’s adventures, but I’m ready to move on to a less difficult read-aloud. On her own, Kathryn’s been reading a variety of books, as she usually does. We’ve just put together a list on Amazon of Kathryn’s recommended reads, and we’ll keep adding to it as she finds new favorites!

Kathryn is still knitting up a storm: she’s finished a cable-knit type of baby hat, started a new hat, and is working on her first scarf. In her LEGO simple machines class the past few weeks, she has build a catapult and a conveyor belt. Seriously cool stuff!

In case you missed it, I finally wrote that review on Teaching Textbooks, so check it out if you’ve considered using it, or if you’re looking for a new math curriculum.

Curious about other homeschool books we’re using? I’m trying to keep this list updated.

** I’m linking up with Kris’ Weekly Wrap-Up; with Sue’s A Homeschool Mother’s Journal; and with Dawn’s Camera Phone Fridays! Come join the fun!

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Jamie

Wife, mom, J-ma. Introvert who enjoys good books, sunshine, and authentic conversation. Often seen with a steaming mug of tea in hand – unless it’s lost yet again in the microwave. Read more »