A Week, Briefly (10/19/20)

Chalk drawing by Little Princess assigned by The Good and the Beautiful

 

Temperatures dropped, soared, and dropped again.  We wore everything from shorts and sandals to coats and snow pants . . . sometimes even on the same day.

At any rate, it only added another variable to the many we're dealing with in our homeschool.

The babies' schedules have been changing--drop-off/pick-up time of day, which days of the week, etc..  We're doing our best to roll with it, but it's something to adjust to.

Playing Patty-Cake with Little Mister Frog in the last minutes before his Mom picked him up.  Clapping is an exciting new skill!

 

Beowulf's psychiatric appointment has been moved a week closer--what a blessing!  But we're still dealing with the challenges of trying to get him through each day with severe ADHD and DMDD and no working meds.  The initial success we had with our visual timer has worn off with the novelty, and it can take him 2 hours or more to do what takes him 20-30 minutes when he has working meds in his system.  I've cut his work in half in order to limit our school time to twice as long as it usually is.  His general happiness is on the wane, and the family is feeling the stress of his outbursts and struggles.

 

Brother is doing remarkably well!  His meds and therapy are miracles!  However, Beowulf's behaviors are distracting Brother from much of his usual school success, and the days are either long or I have to cut some work out of the schedule.

 

Brother read a story to The Munchkin!

 

We seem to have successfully transitioned our morning walks from first thing after Morning Meeting to mid-morning before Elevenses.  I like it better here because it gives us a physical break in our school day, and I feel more ready to get back to table work after a walk.  I'm not sure the kids like it as much as I do, though.

 

We found a dead snake one morning.  The kids thought it was beautiful and were very sorry it was dead.  They examined closely the insides that had oozed to the outside.

 

The kids love pushing the double stroller.  I give them turns in teams of two.  The babies love it when they push the stroller really fast and chase the other kids.

Hike #38 of 52:  Neighborhood walks

78.08 miles + 3.56 = 81.64 miles

 

Church youth activities were supposed to be outside for social distancing, but the weather precluded that.  Quick permission was granted for a substitute activity indoors.  Nature Angel's pumpkin is the one with the little white ghosties all over it.  Belle's activity was a group ukelele lesson--how they collected a dozen ukeleles I'll never know!

Mister Man found a book telling the story of The Farewell Symphony, and he read it to the other kids.  Then he found the CD in the back, and the kids sat listening for a very long time.

I think I'm giving too much time to the young ones' school, and not enough time to the older kids'.  The young ones need so much from me, so it's easiest to structure their days in order to maximize peace and order in our home; however, when time and energy run out, it's the older ones who don't get the time or energy they need from me.  I'm feeling more and more that the walks and outings, accompanied by reading I do during Elevenses and Lunch produce plenty of formal enrichment for these younger kids.  

 

Academy ought to go--but it's really a joy, and they ask for it!

I hate putting a lot of work into a plan only to scrap it, but even as I write this out, I feel more in my heart that this is the right move.

Perhaps my planning/preparing/purchasing will be useful another year.

 

They don't realize it, but they were learning about inclined planes as they raced cars and other toys down the ramp.

 

We walked our neighborhood trail this week on Friday morning for another hike.

They love to run ahead on the long, hilly path.

 

Hike #39 of 52:  Neighborhood trail

81.64 miles + 1.92 = 83.56 miles

 

Lola absolutely will not do any of her own school work--no reading, no writing, no arithmetic.  However, she will sit patiently with The Munchkin helping him through his little "Table Time" sessions each morning.  She's a sweet teacher, and this really helps me!

Nature Angel completed a collage on The Giver as assigned by her English program.  It shows the progress of Jonah's awareness of the world around him.

 Belle got her ACT scores back this week, and we are disappointed.   They are perfectly respectable scores and could get her into any number of colleges/universities around the country, and it could-maybe-possibly get her into the school she really wants, but she needs an awesomely awesome score in order to apply with any comfort.  We also need that awesomely awesome score for her to get any scholarships.  She's signed up for the December test date, and we've already begun weekly test prep sessions. 

 

Mister Man finished the first of 4 planned literature studies for this year.

 

We're supposed to get snow next week.  If it's a really-truly-sticking snow, we'll definitely put book school on hold for some cold-weather P.E. 

:)