A Week, Briefly (#16)
It was a good week for school.
For preschool we danced to the Nutcracker Suite on Monday.
Tuesday-Thursday we worked on learning the words to "Picture a Christmas," and we worked on a stable craft to go with it (though by printing and coloring other nativity characters we were able to make our craft a bit more complete). We should be able to finish the song and craft on Monday.
We've also continued to learn to fingerspell with ASL--we're up to "m" now.
December is our month to learn the 4th Article of Faith, so we've been singing it once a day and reviewing one previously learned Article of Faith as well.
This week we formed a PreK class for Mister Man and Ladybug. We're reviewing/learning all of the letter sounds along with a few sight words via Easy-Peasy and Reading the Alphabet. We've done /t/ with sight word "a," and we've started /f/ and sight word "the." So far it has been really joyful for them both . . . and for me!
For the rest of the kids' school we've gathered for LDS Family School to complete history lessons 22-24. They've focused on right/wrong choices within the framework of lessons about Assyria, Babylon, and the tribes of Israel.
The very oldest girls completed Chemistry lessons 5-7 about volume, mass vs weight, and the Law of Conservation of Mass.
On Wednesday Santa made an early delivery of a zoo pass for the family! We made sure school ended by lunch time on Thursday so we could spend the afternoon there.
Best. Present. Ever.
It was so great that we went again on Friday. But not until after we attended a fabulous puppet show about the Nativity. Some of the puppets were 10 feet tall! The show was held in a local historic cathedral and had live musicians. Some of our homeschool friends were in the cast--as character voices or as puppeteers. It was marvelous.
(I only had to take Baymax out once when he cried--all of the rest of the kids were great! This was a huge relief because taking 12 kids to a professional theater production made me very nervous.)
Brother and Ladybug had their weekly therapy appointments. Ladybug's appointments now include me as a student to learn/review some parenting techniques. She and I were placed in front of a 2-way mirror with two therapists watching us and taking notes about my parenting skills. They gave me instructions via an earpiece. It was intimidating, but they were kind. Nonetheless, my heart beats faster just thinking about this week's appointment(s).
Pixie is so close to finishing her Personal Progress that I think she'll have her medallion by her 14th birthday. I brought home a pattern and some fabric for her to make newborn hats as part of a church service project--that ought to get her even one step closer.
Rose Red took a test and gave another speech for her dual enrollment class. She continues to do very well in this class. Sir Walter Scott and I need to be more diligent in giving her driving lessons, though. I don't think she got a single one this week.
But she did finally get taken for an eye exam (along with Belle and Super Star). Rose Red needs glasses! And not just reading glasses--all of the time glasses! I'm wondering how long she's needed them, and trying not to beat myself too hard for putting off this exam so long. I hope she finds the glasses to be a blessing!
We committed to keeping Christmas very simple this year out of deference to our new littles who cannot stand much stimulation. We're going to be keeping regular routines for as long as we can. Our nod to December this week was attending The Nativity on Friday and the church Christmas party on Saturday night. I think we will nod once again in the week to come by putting up our lights and having our annual lighting ceremony, but that's it.
It's not only keeping the littles happy, it's keeping me happy, too!
For preschool we danced to the Nutcracker Suite on Monday.
Tuesday-Thursday we worked on learning the words to "Picture a Christmas," and we worked on a stable craft to go with it (though by printing and coloring other nativity characters we were able to make our craft a bit more complete). We should be able to finish the song and craft on Monday.
We've also continued to learn to fingerspell with ASL--we're up to "m" now.
December is our month to learn the 4th Article of Faith, so we've been singing it once a day and reviewing one previously learned Article of Faith as well.
This week we formed a PreK class for Mister Man and Ladybug. We're reviewing/learning all of the letter sounds along with a few sight words via Easy-Peasy and Reading the Alphabet. We've done /t/ with sight word "a," and we've started /f/ and sight word "the." So far it has been really joyful for them both . . . and for me!
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| sight word "a" poke pages |
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| "T"s of all sizes |
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| Making "T" with their bodies. |
 |
| We made clay name seals using cuneiform to prepare for learning about Shamshi-Adad. Later we talked about what kind of leader we'd actually give our seal of approval. |
The very oldest girls completed Chemistry lessons 5-7 about volume, mass vs weight, and the Law of Conservation of Mass.
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| Homemade balance |
 |
| Homemade spring scale |
Best. Present. Ever.
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| It's always somebody's naptime! |
It was so great that we went again on Friday. But not until after we attended a fabulous puppet show about the Nativity. Some of the puppets were 10 feet tall! The show was held in a local historic cathedral and had live musicians. Some of our homeschool friends were in the cast--as character voices or as puppeteers. It was marvelous.
(I only had to take Baymax out once when he cried--all of the rest of the kids were great! This was a huge relief because taking 12 kids to a professional theater production made me very nervous.)
Brother and Ladybug had their weekly therapy appointments. Ladybug's appointments now include me as a student to learn/review some parenting techniques. She and I were placed in front of a 2-way mirror with two therapists watching us and taking notes about my parenting skills. They gave me instructions via an earpiece. It was intimidating, but they were kind. Nonetheless, my heart beats faster just thinking about this week's appointment(s).
Pixie is so close to finishing her Personal Progress that I think she'll have her medallion by her 14th birthday. I brought home a pattern and some fabric for her to make newborn hats as part of a church service project--that ought to get her even one step closer.
Rose Red took a test and gave another speech for her dual enrollment class. She continues to do very well in this class. Sir Walter Scott and I need to be more diligent in giving her driving lessons, though. I don't think she got a single one this week.
But she did finally get taken for an eye exam (along with Belle and Super Star). Rose Red needs glasses! And not just reading glasses--all of the time glasses! I'm wondering how long she's needed them, and trying not to beat myself too hard for putting off this exam so long. I hope she finds the glasses to be a blessing!
We committed to keeping Christmas very simple this year out of deference to our new littles who cannot stand much stimulation. We're going to be keeping regular routines for as long as we can. Our nod to December this week was attending The Nativity on Friday and the church Christmas party on Saturday night. I think we will nod once again in the week to come by putting up our lights and having our annual lighting ceremony, but that's it.
It's not only keeping the littles happy, it's keeping me happy, too!
Yay for zoo passes! We love to go and the passes save a lot of money, but for us it's a 2 hour drive one way so we only go a few times a year. You are a very brave lady taking 12 children to the theater! I am so glad it went well!
ReplyDeleteTherapy sounds intimidating, but you can do it. And what a blessing to have positive techinques for this one child. We love the zoo. :) I'm wanting to go to the San Diego Zoo, lots going on though.
ReplyDeleteIt looks so warm at the zoo--the older girls without even sweaters! I agree that the observation therapy is intimidating! My suspicion is that they will learn something from you! :)
ReplyDeleteI should preface this by saying that I am not LDS, but I love reading your blog (my sister has been taking foster children for a long time now and recently adopted a sibling group of two boys and a girl). I clicked your link to your fourth article of faith and listened to the music and then decided I'd listen to the rest -- and I found the song of the books of the Old Testament. I learned a song of the New Testament books years ago in Sunday school but for some reason I could never learn the Old Testament books and it bugged me. So now I'm playing your Old Testament song every day and singing along with it while I do housework. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI need to review the Old Testament song! We learned it years ago, but I've got some gaps in my memory now. I'm glad you've found a resource that gives you joy! :)
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