Monday our public schools were out, which meant Lindsey was home, and that threw Kathryn for a bit of a loop in regards to us doing school when Lindsey was off. Which was totally my fault because I’d let that holiday slip up on me and forgot public school would be out. We ended up doing a bit of a lighter school day than usual.

We dove into Oliver Twist for our literature read-aloud. The first few paragraphs were brutal in terms of understanding what we were reading, but once we got into it, we’ve really been enjoying this book! Enjoying it so much, in fact, that Kathryn is disappointed when I have to take a break — but reading aloud all that Dickensian language wears out my tongue more quickly than modern language! Actually, I think it’s my brain that wears out in trying to read those more unfamiliar words with enthusiasm. Regardless, it seems so far that Oliver Twist is a hit, but I shouldn’t be surprised; our Ambleside recommendations usually are.

(Kathryn watercolors her state maps while I read from Abraham Lincoln’s World for history.)

A few weeks ago, we discovered Wonderopolis, and it’s fast become one of the highlights of Kathryn’s day. After she finishes her Teaching Textbooks math lesson on the schoolroom laptop, she opens up several “brain food” links. She usually saves Wonderopolis for last, as it’s her favorite. There is a new “Wonder” for each day, and she’s been gradually working on catching up on all the past ones she’s missed. This week, for instance, she’s learned about how Post-It Notes were invented, and why you can see your breath in cold weather.  That’s some fun science learning!

No formal nature study this week, despite my good intentions, but we still watch the birds at our feeder every day, as it’s just outside the window by the table where we eat. When I saw the chickadee chalk pastel art tutorial at Hodgepodge, I knew we had to do it because we see chickadees just about every day and because they are one of my very favorite backyard birds! Since we did this project late in the afternoon, Lindsey and Ken were able to join in the fun. These projects are definitely sometime we need to do more of!

(the results, clockwise from top left: Kathryn’s, Ken’s, Lindsey’s, and mine)

The new term for Kathryn’s enrichment classes started this week, and she’s excited. She’s taking a loom knitting class, which means that she’ll have new stitches and techniques for making hats, but will also learn to make something other than hats! She’s continuing on with her Girls in Grace class, which teaches homemaking skills in context of the Proverbs 31 woman. This is one of those classes where I could do all these projects myself at home, but she really enjoys doing this with a group of other girls — and quite frankly, I probably wouldn’t actually follow through with doing all these projects on my own. (But I plan to do more this year!) Her other class is LEGO simple machines, and she is really excited about this one. She’s also excited that there is ONE other girl in there with her, as I’d prepared her for the fact this would be a class that could be all boys. We do these classes just once a week, and it’s a nice change of pace for us both.

Those are the highlights of our homeschool week! Find more at Kris’s Weekly Wrap-Up!

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 »