A Week, Briefly (3/1/21)

 Usually February is one of our most productive months in our homeschool.  I can't remember ever having the February blahs that many people write about.

I think we had them this year!

Whatever the case, the weather has warmed up dramatically, the kids and I are spending hours and hours out of doors, and suddenly I like my kids again, and I like waking up in the morning again.

Hurrah!

How many kids can fit in a sand pit!?!?!?

We're still doing minimal formal work each day--just a few hours in the morning with nature study or geography picture books read during meal times and our traditional evening reading together.  We finished a biography of Thomas Edison on Wednesday evening, and now we're intensively reading The Winged Watchman.

Ladybug finished her 5th and final Literature Unit for the year!

Our new white board is waaaaaaay cool!  Math is fun on the giant board!

Brother really likes this book stand.  It's been a game changer for him to have it to hold his book open and steady.

 

Ladybug had a church activity in which she learned about playing Cat's Cradle.  She brought some extra yarn home and taught her siblings the basic "trick" she'd learned.  Suddenly, someone remembered we have a book that teaches lots of string tricks, and the house has been alive with kids teaching and learning how to manipulate circles of yarn into fantastic patterns.

As I've watched them, I've realized that this "play" has been fabulous informal learning.  They've worked on fine motor skills; they've taken turns teaching and learning; they've followed written instructions; they've memorized patterns.  

And it has inspired a renaissance interest in knitting among my small fry. :)

Belle focused her school hours exclusively on British History, and she finished that full course for 1 credit.

(I asked 4 times for her to let me take her picture for documentation purposes, but she always had an excuse!)

She's currently about to finish her American History text.  On its own, it really doesn't count as a high school credit.  But she's listening to our history read alouds at night, and she's working on an IEW American History writing program that includes some really good American Lit as well.  All of that combined will equal 2 credits of American History.

But she's not quite finished with all of that.

Little Princess and Nature Angel work hard every day at child care and independent school.  I think they might both finish their math books this month.

We're building a pond in our yard.   I left my phone in the house while we worked, but Sir Walter Scott got up from one of his rests in time to catch one before we went inside for the evening.

 

We're also preparing our garden beds.

 

We moved a little bit of dirt to the pond area.

 

Lola found a dozen carrots that overwintered in our garden!

 And kids are building and painting in every direction.

Therapies took a lot of our time this week.  Sir Walter Scott's outpatient stroke therapy and medical appointments kept Belle driving in all directions.  He's doing very well, though.  It looks like he might be cleared to work and drive within a month!  Brother's yearly paperwork renewal and testing took place this week.  Hours of questionnaires and in-person assessments filled my days and his.  

Beowulf needs more help than he's getting.  We need to get him a reassessment ASAP.

 

We ended the week with a cook out dinner in our yard.

Warm temperatures are supposed to last for a few more days.  Maybe we'll get out and walk!!!