A Fly On My Homeschool Wall

 We'll keep reading--still working on Gilgamesh and The Hobbit . But we'll put the other stuff away to re-center ourselves and get out in the autumn sunshine. Everyone is making progress--math, language arts, science, their various electives. And the cutest part is how they're developing their ability to express gratitude!  Their gratitude journals are getting so creative (toilets, socks, YouTube videos about speed cube algorithms, etc.), and they're strarting to explain their reasoning more thoroughly.  I think the best part of each day is getting to review their gratitude journals. And my next favorite part is reading their Wednesday Research papers. Last week's compositions were about the Wonders of the World, and this week's were on world religions.  They're getting interesting!  And the kids are learning to write more clearly. But I found Ladybug in tears one day over science. Brother is profoundly struggling with algebra. Mister Man is putting school a...

 We're doing well, but I'm already ready to dump school in favor of hiking or outings or projects. But October is always like that for me because the weather finally cools off enough to think again, and all I want to do is play. We're doing our work. And playing when we can. Sir Walter Scott took the kids to Wichita, Kansas for the temple open house happening there now. They said the temple is a teeny-tiny one.   So tiny that the waiting room (the one for kids/friend without recommends to wait for weddings) is across the parking lot in the distribution center! When asked, every one of my kids said their favorite part was being in the Celestial Room . I sent them off with lunch, snacks, and directions to a couple of really interesting parks in the area. They stopped at the big park by the river to have their lunch, play some baseball, and generally work out their kinks before heading home again.  It turns out there's a local wildlife zoo in this park, and they all cam...

 On Friday. :) It was the first and only day we could manage this week, but we did it. Lola, Baymax, and I swam; the other 4 kids followed all of the rules and made a wonderful impression on the gym staff as they used the workout equipment. They want to go back every day! I was a synchronized swimmer, lifeguard, swim instructor, and/or pool manager for many years of my youth.  It was the first time I have been in the water for myself in 26 years, and I felt 16 again! Or at least 16-ish. (Lola and Baymax passed the swim test to be able to swim under lifeguard supervision without direct parent supervision!) I'm old and tired and out of shape, so I swam slowly and felt the work in every part of me, but it was all so good. So. Good. We're going back tomorrow. 😄 We had our last two officially scheduled days with Little Mister. I feel simultaneously grieving and free. Free to work on projects that just aren't practical with a toddler around.   Grieving the sweetness of ba...

 The gym is small, but it has a pool. Kids under 13 aren't allowed to use the machines, but they can walk the track and swim with me. It's heavily discounted because it belongs to the local school district, and it's open to the public. Now we have something special to look forward to when it's too hot, too cold, too gross, or too boring. :) But nothing really beats a walk around the neighborhood. We walked twice this week. We started reading The Hobbit . Our Gilgamesh book is quite racy!  I've edited many scenes, and we've been able to have family conversations about what is "virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy" and why we try to avoid that which is not any of these things.   We've also talked about historical, cultural, and religious norms that are different from ours. The kids liked their research assignment this week--any person ever. Their reports ran the gamut from Shaq to Levi Straus to Taylor Swift and others. Little Princess ...

 We read Freak the Mighty .   I think it left its mark on all of our souls. And Ladybug had to choose a person for a biography assignment.  She couldn't find any of our Harriet Tubman biographies (?!!?), but she did find Ain't I a Woman by Sojourner Truth.   I think it's going to leave another mark on her soul. I know it did mine. And the kids' Wednesday research writings are getting better as they get better at finding good book sources. That is a Pokemon book Lola is reading. I had to redirect her back to her research topic. (But maybe I'll make Pokemon next week's assignment!) The library we visited this week had an outdoor patio open, and I took Little Mister outside for some play and then a nap while the big kids read and wrote.  (His mama just let us know that she's starting a new job as a home health nurse, and she'll only be working Saturdays when his daddy is home, so we only have two more weeks of including Little Mister in our homeschool da...