Learning Notes Weeks One and Two

It's week three of school already, so I'm behind - good to know some things never change!

My friend Melanie at The Wine-Dark Sea writes a synopsis of her school weeks and I find that idea very appealing, especially in terms of tracking things.  I'm a sucker for lists and I also tend to fall into the pit of self-doubt periodically with regards to school, wondering if we do enough, if we read enough, if everyone is where their peers are...as if any of that really matters to me, which it doesn't.  Most of the time.

Last year I gave learning notes posts a whirl but faltered because we defaulted to curriculum plans so much, which is boring.  Each week all that really changed is whether or not we got our scheduled work done and if we went anywhere.  This year, when I am essentially not using any sort of pre-made curriculum or lesson plans, the notes will be different and fluid, I imagine.

Week One

We started school on August 1st.  The children were complaining of boredom so I decided not to wait for any books to arrive but just use whatever we had lying around.  Which is no small potatoes.  We have a lot of books 'lying around'.

Tuesday

We did a trial run of our Morning Basket.  Stories read: excerpt from A Family Treasury of Little Golden Books, excerpt from the Opie/Wells Mother Goose, The Little Red Hen from Richard Scarry's Animal Nursery Tales
Devotional: Little Visits With God lesson 'Are you glad to go to church?'
Non-fiction reading : Story of the World Volume 1, chapter 7: Hammurabi and the Babylonians

Reading: 7yo read Hardy Boys.  5yo and I did lesson 40 in Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

Math: We pulled out a textbook (Journeys in Math 3) to get some conversation ideas and ended up discussing skip counting and odd/even numbers.

Bedtime read aloud - none.  We watched a movie.

Wednesday

Morning Basket: One Morning in Maine by McCloskey
Devotional: lesson was 'Are you growing as a Christian?'

In the afternoon we found a bullfrog and ended up researching it and building a habitat and trying to catch it food before it was released.

Bedtime read aloud - chapter 15 of The Hobbit with the 7yo.  There Is A Bird On My Head with the 5yo.

Thursday

Morning Basket: No fiction read.
Non-fiction: Horrible Histories The Awesome Egyptians Pg 1-11
Devotional: lesson was 'Where is God?'

The 7yo has gotten interested in board games so he had an outing to the library with Daddy in order to laminate some game sheets.

Reading: 7yo read I'll Teach My Dog 100 Words.  5yo did lesson 41 of Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

Math: 7yo and I reviewed patterns and simple addition, which we learned last year.

Bedtime Read aloud: 7yo - A comic, 5yo- The Mouses' Terrible Christmas

Friday

Morning Basket: no reading other than devotional.
Devotional: lesson was 'Why not ask?'

Trip to get inoculations and we discussed vaccines.

Reading: 7yo- read a P.aw P.atrol story to 3yo.  5yo - lesson 42 of Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

Math: some more reviewing of last year's topics.

7yo helped to stack some brush.  We discussed wet/green versus dry/cured wood, if moss really grows on the North side of the tree, and compass points.

Bedtime read aloud: 5yo Mr. putter and Tabby Walk The Dog.  7yo - Ch. 16 of The Hobbit.

Saturday (I find it easier not to take a weekend and disrupt the routine)

Morning Basket: no reading other than devotional
Devotional: lesson was 'How Strong God Is!'

7yo and I started sorting collectable cards and discussed categories.  Conversation about what a desert is, looked up definition in Oxford English Dictionary and National Geographic Kids' Atlas.  Talked about layers of the Earth, terrain at the bottom of the sea, aquafers, geysers, the Earth's molten core, etc.  7yo decided to build a Lego replica of this.

Reading: I know the 7yo read something, but I don't know what.  5yo and I did lesson 43 of Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

Math: nothing specific.

Bedtime Read alouds: 5yo Two by Two.  7yo ch. 17 of The Hobbit.

Sunday

We didn't try and touch on any topics because we take Sunday off for work.  That being said we did a few things today.  We watched an episode of David Attenborough's Natural Curiosities show about nocturnal animals.  The 5 yo learned how to finger knit.

We also read a lot.  Lullaby Berceuse, Doing the Laundry, The Mole Sisters and the Fairy Ring and The Mole Sisters and the Cool Breeze.  The 7yo and I read chapters 18 and 19 to finish the Hobbit.

Monday

Morning Basket: Harold and the Purple Crayon, Make Way for Ducklings, Saint George and the Dragon from The Children's Book of Virtues.
Non-fiction: Story of the World Ch. 8 part 1 The Assyrians: Shamshi-Adad.
Devotional: 'Thou Shalt Not Covet'.

Reading: 7yo read Days With Frog and Toad chapter 1.

Math: reviewed single digit addition.

Bedtime read aloud: 7yo first 2 chapters of Chasing Vermeer.

Tuesday

Morning Basket didn't happen

Math- reviewed changing order of addends does not change sum.  Played Yahtzee and practiced addition including carrying.

Reading: 5yo Lesson 44 of Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons.  7yo read Little Bear's Birthday Soup.

Watched David Attenborough's Natural Curiosities episode on armoured animals.

Wednesday we spent the day cleaning, and then on Thursday the sink situation happened, so we were fully occupied with repairs for the next three days.  However we did take out he telescope at one point, and we did some star gazing and some cooking and art.

Yesterday started a new week!