Tuesday Update

We are still figuring out a schedule that works for us. Mister B is not happy because his work load is so much more then his sisters. Little Miss is not happy because her work load is so much more then last year. Over the next few weeks I am sure we will find a cycle that allows everyone to be happy or at least more efficient. I know it is really the lack of efficiency that is driving me crazy. I am finding myself torn between allowing them to take as much time as they need to finish an assignment and just telling them to stop so we can move on to the next thing. I don't want to tell them to stop because that is one of the things I hated about the public school day. On the other hand, some things they take so long with that we then don't get everything done that day and it has to bump to the next day and throws off my schedule for the week. I try to keep my perspective. I try to be flexible (a definite weak spot with me. I like my plans and my schedules). I try to remember it is not about me and my schedule but about them and their abilities. Balance. It is all about balance. One day soon I will find the balance.

So far this week (and my gosh, it is only Tuesday) we have accomplished a few things.

Mister B: Took his final exam for MUS Epsilon. He passed. Although, the final did show some areas where we need to do a little refresher. Today he started Zeta. Let us give a cheer for exponents! Grammar: Demonstrative Pronouns. History: The Stuarts and Oliver Cromwell, map work on England. Science: Observations-Listing 5 things that change rapidly and 5 things that change slowly. Are they alive? How can you tell? What do you think is happening when it is changing slowly? Literary Analysis: Continuing with Riki Tiki Tavi. Parts of a plot, writing your own short paragraphs, and a fun crossword puzzle. Vocabulary from Classical Roots-Mono, Geography, Gym class. & Swim Practice (Go Bergen Sharks!)

Little Miss M: Continuing work on Long Division. Grammar-Diagramming compound subjects and predicates. Science-reading about frogs. History-The Great Fire of London and Mary Queen of Scots. Vocabulary from Classical Roots-Cycl & Circl, Geography, and Gym Class.

The Raptor Trust

This week we started getting back into the school groove. In addition to our staple subjects-Math, Grammar, Literature, History, & Science we have added in Spanish, Critical Thinking/Logic, & Geography. I am still trying to figure out the best way to schedule our days. This week was an experiment in scheduling failure. However, without mistakes to learn from how would we learn anything.

We took a field trip on Thursday to The Raptor Trust (http://theraptortrust.org) with some friends. It is a very cool place. From their website:

The Raptor Trust is one of the premier wild bird rehabilitation centers in the United States. Located in central New Jersey, the Trust includes a hospital with state-of-the-art medical facilities, quality exterior housing for several hundred birds, and an education building. A stalwart advocate for birds of prey for three decades, it is now recognized as a national leader in the fields of raptor conservation and avian rehabilitation.

We got to tour their permanent residents. An assortment of Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Barn Owls, Long Ear Owls, Snowy Owls, Peregrine Falcons, Turkey Vultures, an albino Robin, plus a host of other birds. The kids got to get up close and personal with a barn owl that was being returned to her aviary and ask a few questions of the bird handler.

Here is everyone outside the Bald Eagle Aviary.

What a Week!

We have returned from our trip to Colonial Williamsburg. Everyone had a great time. We learned some interesting facts. Did some fun activities. Walked until it felt like our feet would fall off.

It rained a bit on our first day. Not a torrential downpour but a steady drizzle for the morning. Here we are about to walk the bridge back in time. We really liked how every few steps there was a plaque in the bridge with a year and what you would have been doing/been accepting of at different points in history until you entered the colonies. On the way back to the visitors center there were interesting tidbits as you headed back to modern times.

One of our first stops was the print shop. Much to my surprise Little Miss was fascinated with this place. We spent a good half an hour there while she asked questions.

I am seriously considering investing in some of these for the house. I think they could be quite useful.

Interesting tidbit we learned at the courthouse. The jury was locked in a room with a chamberpot and were not allowed food or water until they reached a decision. Justice was swift back in the day.

At the mock plantation the kids got to make candles. Dipping candles is not easy work. Putting it in the context that the candles were how you lit your home and you better have some fat candles for winter was daunting. Explaining how they would not have been making candles because they would be working in the tobacco field did not sit well. Candle making was left to the mistress, maybe a slave, and the younger children. You had to wait for the wax to dry in between dippings. Very time consuming. In reality you would probably have some kind of contraption that allowed you to dip multiple candles at a time but still time consuming.

The finished product.

After the candle dipping we headed off to The Palace. Quite the experience. The entryway was filled with swords and guns. As our tour guide quipped "This is what happens when you allow men to decorate." However, having all those weapons on display was an intimidation tactic for visitors. The palace also had extensive gardens and a hedge maze. Here they are in the maze.

Here we are in one of the gardens with the palace in the background.

I tortured the children with house tour after house tour. Some were taverns and some were residences. By the second home they felt that if you have seen one smokehouse you have seen them all. One day we took a special tour of the stables. We learned about the horses of the day and how to take care of them. All the horses there are breeds that would have been around in the 18th century. We learned about the Leicester Long Wool Sheep. It has wool that grows 8-10". They were put to the brink of extinction by the Industrial Revolution. The machinery was built for Merino Wool Sheep. It has shorter wool.


On our last day the kids had a grand time running around with a hoop and a stick. They didn't believe me when I said it was harder then it looked and that it was a lot of fun. Mister B proved me wrong on the harder then it looks portion by just doing it. They did admit that it was a lot of fun.


After Colonial Williamsburg we headed to DC to visit with my sister and mother for Yom Kippor. The cousins had a great time together and it is always good to see family. Now that the trip is over I am buried in laundry and exhausted. Tomorrow we will be getting back into the school groove.

L'Shana Tova!

Tonight is the start of Rosh Hashana.

May we all be inscribed in the Book of Life for another year of good health and happiness.

Due to the Holiday there is not a lot of official schooling going on this week. Math and Grammar, a little history. Today the kids have philosophy. Tonight we are hosting the first night so family will be here to partake in the traditional Brisket, Paprika Potatoes, Mushroom Barley Pilaf, and Roasted Root Vegetables. And Challah, lots and lots of Challah. Yum. The kids learned a bit about preparing a Holiday meal and how many days it takes.

After the Holiday ends the kids and I are trekking down to Colonial Williamsburg for a week. We are very excited. It promises to be a fun and educational week.

Week 1-Completed

We all survived Week 1. You would think since it was a 3 day week this would not be that difficult but it was.

Thursday we attended a walk for 11th hour rescue (http://members.petfinder.org/~NJ376/AboutUs.htm) organized by one of Little Miss's friends (the happy girl in the pink hat). The girl has a heart of gold. This is her second year hosting a walk for the organization. Little Miss was hot and cranky when we snapped this photo so she was refusing to turn around and smile (it was an extremely hot day so I know how she was feeling). In spite of the heat it was a lovely afternoon. After we completed our lap around Horseshoe Lake Park (http://www.roxburynj.us/index.aspx?NID=43) we drank plenty of water, ate some lunch, and then set the kids free on the playground.

Leading up to our leaving for the walk was the usual-"Why do we have to do schoolwork we are doing the walk. Pleeeeaaaasssseeee, may we skip history today. You said last night just math and grammar! Come on!" Have I mentioned the beastly heat-even though we have air conditioning it does seem to make everyone cranky. The kids did history.

Little Miss finished out the week with Math-long division. Grammar-fragments and complete sentences. Science-continuing to study bird beaks and what they eat. History-review of the oceans and continents. She learned a limerick for remembering the oceans:

The Pacific is largest of all,
The Indian starts in Bengal,
The Atlantic Ocean
is always in motion,
The Arctic and Southern are small

For copy work she started learning a poem for remembering the continents. Thank you Story of the World.

Mister B finished his week with math-percentages and fractions. Grammar-continuing review of nouns. Science-nature study, Literature-Riki Tiki Tavi-parts of a story-exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement. Foreshadowing and how to recognize it, and some exercises for recognizing the different parts of the story. History-review of European Countries we learned about last year-map work and brief review of the Battle of Hastings, the 100 year war, and the War of the Roses.

The 2010-2011 School Year is off and running....

Our new school year started today. I can not believe we are starting our third year of homeschooling. It seems like just yesterday I was starting and nervous and full of doubts. Now with a couple of years under my belt I am still nervous and full of doubts but they seem more manageable. I am now confident that I am not messing them up for life. Well, okay, I am sure I am messing them up as all parents do but not by homeschooling. This year I have a 5th grader and a 7th grader. Yikes! Where did the time go.

Now we have our obligatory first day of school photos. Of course, our school mascot had to be in them.

Overall, our first day was a good day. It was a bit of a rocky start. Grumbling and grousing and general discontent. I am going to say it is because of the beastly hot weather and not the fact that they did not want to be starting school.

Today for Little Miss: Math-U-See. She is working on dividing thousands by a single digit. Growing with Grammar-Complete Subjects and Predicates. Oak Meadow Earth Science-Observing Birds and their beaks and creating a hypothesis on what they eat. Independent Reading- Book of her choice.

Today for Mister B: Math-U-See-fractions, percentages, and decimal points. Growing with Grammar-Review of the different types of nouns and rules for changing singular to plural. Oak Meadow Science-Choosing an object in nature, writing a general description of the area, and then a more detailed description of an item in the area. Using all senses to describe the item and listing tools that would have helped in greater observation. He is upset with me for making him taste the tree. As I explained, a true scientist uses all the senses. Lightning Literature 7-Read Riki Tiki Tavi and answered the comprehension questions. Tomorrow we work on outlining the plot.