Wrapping up the School Year

This is our last official week of the school year.  We will take next week off and then summer school will begin.  The children are not too thrilled with it but they know it has to happen since we had those 2 really light months leading up to Mister B's Bar Mitzvah.

That said, Little Miss has been very enthusiastic about her lessons this week.  She has approached them with energy and delight and has been finishing up everything by 11.  Mister B, well, he is less then enthused.  He is dragging himself to the table, dawdling his way through the morning, and being a general grump.  Not to mention the constant "I am getting a drink.  I am going to the bathroom.  I am going to stretch my legs." Then he has the nerve to be annoyed that his sister is done and he is still working at 4pm.  Today he has started an outline for the essay he is going to write on Religion and the founding of America.  From the head banging, groaning, and heavy sighing you would think he was being asked to perform in a drama.

Yesterday for Discussion Group we had a year end party.  The kids were thrilled.  They all had a great time playing games, eating pizza, and enjoying each others company.

Monday Update

This past weekend was birthday celebrating for Little Miss M.  She had her friends over on Saturday for a Cupcake Wars party.  Little Miss loves that TV show.  If you have not seen it, it involves baking some unusual cupcakes that look and taste good.  Since I was not about to have 6 girls whipping up unique cupcakes in my one oven kitchen I modified the idea.  We baked all the cupcakes ahead of time and then for the party I put out all kinds of things to decorate with and different colored frosting.  It was a processed food extravaganza. Giant marshmallows, mini-marshmallows, sno-caps, chocolate chips, M & M's, writing icing, sprinkles, and sugar stars.  The girls had a lot of fun and Mr. B was the judge.  Sunday we had family over to celebrate.  More cupcakes and fun with great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Needless to say, after all the sugar today was not the smoothest school day of the year.  But it did happen.  It just took a bit longer. 

Little Miss:
Math:Continuing to work with reducing fractions.
Grammar: Pronouns
Science: Chapter test.  She received a 90.  She has not quite mastered writing the complete answer.  For example: What do the turtles need to survive? A pond with a soft, muddy bottom.  The missing part: Sufficient food, and basking places.
History: The liberation of South America.

Mister B:
Math: Dividing with decimals and review of finding the area of a rectangle.
Grammar: Diagramming sentences
Science: Continued work with his sundial
History: The Mayflower Compact and how it relates to Democracy

Tomorrow is a new day.

Happy Birthday Little Miss M

11!  My baby girl is 11!  I can not believe it.  Where did the years go?  Where is my baby?  She has been replaced with this poised young lady.  Okay, she is not always poised and does not always behave like a young lady.  She is often telling me that ladies don't have any fun.  It is difficult to argue that point.  Truthfully, I do not expect her to sit and be silent and dainty all the time.  Only when we are, say, at a restaurant, or with family.  She has started to make the foray into shoes with a small heel.  Oh, how I remember wanting to wear heels and here that click clack of them across the floor.  Little secret-I still love the sound of that click clack.  We now spend a lot of time discussing-lady steps.  One can not clomp around like a horse.  If you are going to wear grown up shoes you have to walk gracefully.  Little steps.  Glide across the floor.  Did I mention how ladies don't have any fun.  As Little Miss is learning-there are shoes for different occasions.  You want to run around and be less then graceful-wear sneakers.  I digress from the birthday.........My beautiful girl chose ice cream pie for her birthday breakfast with cookies and cream ice cream.  It was yummy. 

School wise everyone is progressing along.  Little Miss is reducing fractions and learning how that relates to a ruler in math.  Grammar-picking the proper pronoun.  Science-she finished a short unit on bats.  We love bats.  They eat mosquitoes.  She is now working on ants.  She conducted an experiment as to which food they like best.  Sweet (honey), protein (a piece of hot dog), oil based (peanut butter).  We all knew honey would be the favorite.  We were all surprised that the hot dog was preferred over the peanut butter.  History-The Spanish and Portuguese enslaving the people of South America and taking their gold because The Pope said it was okay because they were not Christians.  Okay, there is more to it then that but that sums it up.

Mister B is dividing with decimals.  This week he is mastering dividing a whole number by a decimal.  Grammar-diagramming adverbs and appositive adjectives.  Science-he made a sundial and is enjoying telling time.  History-The first settlers and The Mayflower Compact. Literature- Helen Keller-The Story of My Life.

Today, in honor of Little Miss M's birthday they only did math and grammar and we are watching movies.  Which seemed like an excellent plan since we are in the midst of an awful heatwave.  Over a 100 today.  Even the dog does not want to be outside and he loves to be outside.  I am saying a little prayer because I am very thankful for my ac.