s/v Lark

12/8/2013 School Retro and Planning

What Went Well

We are starting to see spontaneous composition all of the time.
She is super passionate about science right now and can't get enough of learning about the human body.

Areas for Improvement

Skipped a lot of spelling as it has become Audrey's last choice when choosing which subject is next.
Did not successfully download Charlotte's Web.

Action Items

complete planning for the year
Download Charlotte's Web, and Trumpet of the Swan from the Library
create spelling words flash cards
plan library trip and return items that are due

Schedule for the week

Monday

early

Math: 20.4 (counting money)
Spanish: Unit 1, lesson 1, pronunciation
Grammar: lesson 48 (copywork, pronouns)

morning

Swimming (A&L)
Spelling: Lesson 10

afternoon

Composition: Week 12, day 1 (Days of the Week poem)
Science: Read First Human Body Encyclopedia on Muscles (pages 24- 29) and complete narration exercises.
Quiet time (self directed time)

options include, correspondence, handwriting, art for science or history, needle felting, listening to audio books, reading, making spelling fashcards, rhymes and opposites book

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

reading

Tuesday

early

Math: 20.5
Spanish: Unit 1, Lesson 1, vocabulary
Grammar: lesson 49 (we, us, our, ours)

Kinderheart
dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

reading

Wednesday

early

Math: Unit 20 Review
Spanish: Unit 1, lesson 1, grammar
Grammar: lesson 50 (they, them, their, their's)

morning

Boulder Dinner Theatre's Kids Cabaret

afternoon

Composition: Week 12, day 2
Spelling: Make Spelling flashcards (starting with lesson 6), have bee
Science: Play Some Body, play with Human Body model and discuss muscles.
Quiet time (self directed time)

options include, correspondence, handwriting, art for science or history, needle felting, listening to audio books, reading

Gymnastics

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Thursdat

early

Math: Activity 20.1 and 20.2
Spanish: Unit 1, lesson 1, finish grammar
Grammar: lesson 51 (story narration)

Kinderheart
afternoon

Fabricate

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories

Friday

early

Math: Activity 20.3 and 20.4
Spanish: Unit 1, lesson 2, CORE
Grammar: lesson 52 (introducing verbs)

morning

Circus Skills
Spelling:Spelling fashcards and bee

afternoon

Composition: week 12, day 3
History: Chapter 10, Ancient China, part 1 and 2 reading, review questions and narration.
Quiet time (self directed time)

options include, correspondence, handwriting, art for science or history, needle felting, listening to audio books, reading

Children's Opera, The Magic Flute, at Nomad Theater

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Saturday

early

History: Chapter 10, Ancient China section 3, reading, review questions and narration, plus map work, and coloring page. Review History Encyclopedia on Ancient China
Composition: Week 12, day 4
Spelling: Lesson 11

afternoon

Wesley's Birthday Party at the Children's Museum

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Sunday

Weekly planning
Pick a new poem
afternoon

Audrey's School Performance, How Raven Stole the Light, and Solstice Festival at Star House

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Audrey's past work in her Human Body Coloring Book

Christmas In The Air!

I love Christmas! All things Christmas! Well, maybe not the shopping mobs and the insane traffic…but everything else. I can barely restrain myself to wait on Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, and I just caught myself daydreaming about taking the month of December off of all activities so that we could focus on going to Christmasy shows and staying home to make crafts.

We had a wonderful family day today! We went to see Frozen with the girls this morning and then during quiet-time Audrey and I worked on some homemade Christmas presents (hint: fairy and tea related) while Lorelei slept. We put up the tree yesterday, so the whole house smells wonderful! It was perfect, sipping tea, listening to music and enjoying the Christmas tree all lit up!

Jacob and I discussed where we thought we would be next year at this time. Maybe on our boat? We might need a smaller tree if that is the case.

12/7 schoolwork

Grammar: 15 pronouns (I, me, my, mine, you, your, yours, he, she, him, her, his, hers, it, its)
Spelling: practiced some recent spelling words
"I'd Love to be a Fairy's Child" by Robert Graves
- recitation
- copywork
Math: counting change
Reading
- finished LFO
- first three chapters of In the Land of the Big Red Apple
History: SotW1
- read ch 9
- "The River-Road"
- "The Mystery of Mohenjo-Daro"
- completed review questions and dictation and copywork for each section
- mapwork on the Indus river and valley and Mohenjo-Daro
- colored the Mohenjo-Daro statue and a ceremonial mask
Composition: WWE: 1,
- Week 11, Day 4, narration and copywork on The rumpet of the swan

12/7 progress

I forged ahead in TMCS.

12/6 schoolwork

Math: worked on counting mixed change
Grammar: reviewed all the pronouns we've learned so far (I, me, my, mine, you, your, yours, he, she, him, her, his, hers, it, its)
Spanish: finshed Unit 1 > Lesson 1 > Core Lesson
Composition: Week 11 > Day 3 Copywork
Science:

Finished reading DK First Human Body Encyclopedia, Skeleton chapter
narration
copywork
coloring

Reading:

LFO "Jungle of Green," "Spelldown"
DK Illustrated Children's Bible

"Balaam's Donkey,"
"The Promised Land"
"Rahab and The Spies"
"The Battle of Jericho"

12/6 progress

I saw this article on Hacker News today: Successful People Start Before They Feel Ready. It's really just a collection of anecdotes about Richard Branson, but I think the author makes a worthwhile point, and it's actually a point that Pat Schulte makes in Live on the Margin. Pat also says, paraphrasing, that to wait until you're ready, is a perfect recipe to never actually go. So anyway, good reminder today.

Undaunted by the risk of overpreparing, however, I did continue to forge ahead in TMCS (The Modern Cruising Sailboat).

Progress since 11/26

I got really interested in unstayed rigs, in particular cat ketches. They may not be the first ones to round the windward buoy, but they may well be the first to make landfall on a tradewind passage, no to mention the much greater simplicity of handling the rig in the general. There are a number of interesting and realistically priced boats out there including Freedoms and Tantons.

I forgot to take TMCS for Thanksgiving, but have since gotten back to Chapter 6.

Schoolwork since 11/26

Spanish: Started Unit 1 > Lesson 1 > Core Lesson again. More hands-on this time.
Math: Lots of work on counting money
Composition: Week 11, Day two
Science: Reading about skeleton
Grammar: working on Lesson 48 (he, she, him, her, his, hers, it, its)
PE:

2 ski lessons each for both girls
2 additional ski days for Audrey

Reading:

Lots of Bible stories through Moses, the commandments, and the golden calf
several chapters of LFO
Audrey has read aloud several stories

11/25 progress

I finished Chapter 5 on deck gear and layout in TMCS, and have started on Chapter 6.

11/25/13 Schoolwork

Composition: Week 11, Day 1: copy work (Trumpet of the Swan)
Spelling: finished lesson 9
Science: Read 11 pages on Blood and Heart in My First Body Encyclopedia, completed 6 narration sentences. Colored a diagram of the heart from the My Body coloring book.
Math: finished 20.2, 20.3
Grammar: lesson 47
Spanish: Started unit 2> lesson 1> core
swimming

11/24 schoolwork

Composition: Week 10, Day 4 Sacagawea narration
History: Read Chapter 8 "The Assyrians", answered review questions, colored Hammurabi and the lion
Spelling: started Ch 9
Read Little Farm in the Ozarks

11/25 school retro and planning

What Went Well

We completed most subjects
Started human body with lots of enthusiasm!
Ate at home more, making bedtime successful and getting up early for school work better.
Took advantage of our flexibility to take 2 mornings to count to 1000 out loud together in place of planned math.

Areas for Improvement

Did not finish the final day of spelling.
Did not successfully download Charlotte's Web
Did not do spelling bees most nights
Did not recite poetry for the camera or mirror
Did not complete planned grammar.
Did not complete every action item.

Action Items

complete planning for the year
Download Charlotte's Web, and Trumpet of the Swan from the Library
create spelling words flash cards
get new headphones.

Shopping/Library List:

The Magic School Bus: inside the human body
Uncover the Human Body
Melissa and Doug floor puzzle
Rookie Read about Science Series

Schedule for the week

Monday (11/25)

early

Math: Unit 20.2 and 20.3
Spanish: finish Unit 2> Lesson 1 > Core Lesson
Grammar: Lesson 47 (You, your, yours)

morning

Swimming (A&L)
Spelling: finish lesson 10

afternoon

Composition, week 11, day 1, Trumpet of the Swan
Science: Read First Human Body Encyclopedia on Heart and Blood (48-59) and complete narration exercises.
Quiet time (self directed time)

options include, correspondence, handwriting, art for science or history, needle felting, listening to audio books, reading

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

reading

Old Testament Stories

spending 11/26-12/2 in Breckenridge

Memorize a poem with GranMiri?
Would like to continue Spanish Unit 2> Lesson 1> Core Lesson Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday off, Friday Unit 2> Lesson 1> Pronunciation, Saturday Unit 2> Lesson 1> Vocabulary, Sunday Unit 2> Lesson 1> Grammar, Monday off. GranMiri might want to do this?
Math activities with GM?
Old Testament stories

Tuesday (December 3)

early

Grammar: Lesson 48 Pronouns

Kinderheart
dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

reading

Bible Stories

Wednesday (December 4)

early

Spanish: Unit 2> Lesson 2> Core
Grammar: Lesson 49 Pronouns
Math: Unit 20.4

morning

Spelling: Lesson 11

afternoon

Composition, Week 11, day 2, Trumpet of the Swan
Science: Play Some Body, play with Human Body model and discuss the heart.
Quiet time (self directed time)

options include, correspondence, handwriting, art for science or history, needle felting, listening to audio books, reading

Gymnastics

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories

Thursday (December 5)

early

Spanish continue Unit 2> Lesson 2> Core
Grammar: Lesson 50 Pronouns
Math: Unit 20.5

Kinderheart
afternoon

Fabricate

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories

Friday (December 6)

early

Spanish finish Unit 2> Lesson 2> Core
Grammar: Lesson 51 Story Narration
Math: Unit 20 Review

morning

Circus Skills
Spelling: Lesson 12

afternoon

Composition, Week week 11, day 3, Trumpet of the Swan
History: Chapter 9, The first cities of India and complete review and narration exercise.
Quiet time (self directed time)

options include, correspondence, handwriting, art for science or history, needle felting, listening to audio books, reading

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories

Saturday (December 7)

early

History: Chapter 9 map work, coloring sheet, read History Encyclopedia
Composition, Week week 11, day 4, Trumpet of the Swan
Spelling: Lesson 13

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories

Sunday (December 8)

Weekly planning
Pick a new poem
dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories

11/22 progress

I finished Chapter 4 on sails and rigging in TMCS, and have made good progress in Chapter 5 on deck and cockpit layout and ground tackle. We got a good start on evaluating candidates for our new home where we'll hunt for Lark.

11/22 schoolwork

Audrey

Composition: WWE: 1, Week 10, Day 3, Sacagawea, Copywork
Spelling: MCP SWB, lesson 8
Math: SKBT, 19.1, started 19.2
Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 46, Introducing pronouns (I, me, my, mine)
History: Read SotW1, Chapter 8: "The Assyrians"
Audrey started reading A Perfect Match aloud to Lorelei and Dad
Read to Audrey and Lorelei The Children's Illustrated Bible

"Abraham's Two Sons"
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"
"Isaac and Rebekah"

Lorelei

Audrey started reading A Perfect Match aloud to Lorelei and Dad
Read to Audrey and Lorelei The Children's Illustrated Bible

"Abraham's Two Sons"
"The Sacrifice of Isaac"
"Isaac and Rebekah"

Read LFO, "The New Room"

schoolwork 11.20.13

Audrey

Spanish: Unit 1, Lesson 4 review, Unit 1, lesson 5 milestone
Math: counted from 500 to 1000
Composition: Week 10 day 2
Spelling: Lesson 7
Science: colored cell worksheet in human body coloring book
Audrey read Caterpillar to Butterfly to the family

Both Girls

Gymnastics
Read Bible stories

11/19 schoolwork

Audrey and I counted aloud together to 500.

11/18/2013 Schoolwork

Audrey

Math: SKBT, 19.5, and 19 review
Spanish: RSHS continued Unit 1>Lesson 4>Speaking
Science: Read the introduction in DK First Human Body Encyclopedia, narration, played with her new model (put it together 3 times naming all of the parts)
Swimming
Composition week 10 day 1
Bible Stories: Jacob and Esau
Audrey read aloud Fancy Nancy

Lorelei

Bible Stories
Swimming
The Little Engine that Could

Our New Human Body, Ali

A couple of weeks ago we were shopping for a birthday present at Grand Rabbits and Audrey fell in love with a human body model. She spent at least 40 minutes oohing and awing over it and reading the entire box. After that she asked if we could please learn about the human body. We were in the middle of learning about animals in science, but that is the nice thing about homeschooling. Change of plans!

We originally planned to do 20 weeks of animals, 10 weeks of human body, and 6 weeks of plants and gardening. We had only made it through 10 weeks of animals, so we plan to go back to it before plants.

We started human body today, and after we had read the introduction of our new book we unveiled the pièce de résistance, the model! She was so excited. We put it together several times, and then she even named it, Ali.

11/16 schoolwork

Audrey

Composition: WWE: 1, Week 9, Day 3, Charlotte's Web narration
History: SotW1, Chapter 7, "Hammurabi and the Babylonians," mapwork, crossword, coloring

Weekly retro and planning, 11/16/2013

What Went Well

Memorized a new poem. Didn't get to recitation, but it was fun working on the memorization
Audrey read to me lots
Math was a success! Audrey totally grasps counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s
Audrey created a bunch of her own spelling flash cards

Areas for Improvement

Stayed out late too many nights, and only read before bed 2 nights
Only finished 2 days of spelling
Forgot to read the History Encyclopedia on Saturday
Didn't practice spelling

Action Items

complete planning for the year
Download Charlotte's Web from the Library
order 1st grade Singapore Math
create spelling words flash cards
Replace our current children's bible with the DK Illustrated Children's Bible

Shopping/Library List:

The Magic School Bus: inside the human body
Uncover the Human Body
Melissa and Doug floor puzzle
Rookie Read about Science Series
Somebody: 5 human anatomy games

Schedule for the week

Monday

early

Math: 19.5
Spanish: finish Unit 1 > Lesson 4 > Writing
Grammar: Lesson 46, Introducing pronouns (I, me, my, mine)

morning

Swimming (A&L)
Spelling: Lesson 6

afternoon

Composition, Week 10 Day 1, Davy Crockett copywork
Science: read the intro to the DK First Human Body Encyclopedia; narration exercise
Quiet time (self directed time)

options include, correspondence, handwriting, art for science or history

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

reading

Bible Stories 54-69 (Esau and Jacob)

Tuesday

early

Math: Unit 19 review
Spanish: Unit 1 > Lesson 4 > Speaking
Grammar: Lesson 47 Pronouns (you, your, yours)

Kinderheart
dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

reading

Bible Stories 70-81 (Joseph)

Wednesday

early

Math: 20.1
Spanish: Unit 1 > Lesson 5 > Milestone
Grammar: Lesson 47 Pronouns (you, your, yours)

morning

Spelling: Lesson 7

afternoon

Composition, Week 10 Day 2, Davy Crockett narration
Science: Play Some Body
Quiet time (self directed time)

options include, correspondence, handwriting, art for science or history

Gymnastics

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories

Thursday

early

Math: 20.2
Spanish
Grammar: Lesson 48 Pronouns (he, she, him, her, it, his hers its)

Kinderheart
afternoon

Fabricate

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories

Friday

early

Math: 20.3
Spanish
Grammar: Lesson 49 Pronouns (We, us, our, ours)

morning

Circus Skills
Spelling: Lesson 8

afternoon

Composition, Week 10 Day 3, Sacagawea copywork
History: Chapter 8: The Assyrians. Read, complete review questions and narration exercise.
Quiet time (self directed time)

options include, correspondence, handwriting, art for science or history

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories

Saturday

early

History: Chapter 8: The Assyrians: map work, coloring page and read out of History Encyclopedia
Composition, Week 10 Day 3, Sacagawea narration
Spelling: Lesson 9

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories

Sunday

Weekly planning
Pick a new poem
dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories

10/14, 10/15 progress

Made headway in Chapter 4 on sails and rigging in TMCS.

11/15 schoolwork

Audrey

Math: SKBT, 19.3, 19.4
Spanish: RSHS continued Unit 1 > Lesson 4 > Writing
History: SotW1, Read Chapter 7, "Hammurabi and the Babylonians," did review questions and narration
Circus skills class

Lorelei

Read LFO, "Abe's Wolf Story," and "Fresh Greens"

11/14 schoolwork

Audrey

Math: SKBT, 19.1, 19.2
Spanish: RSHS started Unit 1 > Lesson 4 > Writing
Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 45: 4 types of nouns
Composition: WWE: 1, Week 9, Day 3, Charlotte's Web copywork
Kinderheart

10/13 progress

Made headway in Chapter 4 on sails and rigging in TMCS.

11/13 schoolwork

Audrey

Math: SKBA, Unit 18 activity 5. Finished Unit 18.
Spanish: RSHS

Unit 1 > Lesson 4 > Listening
Unit 1 > Lesson 3 > Review
Unit 1 > Lesson 4 > Vocabulary

Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 44 Nouns (ideas)
Composition: WWE: 1, Week 9, Day 2, Charlotte's Web narration
Science, Reading: Audrey read DK First Animal Encyclopedia pp. 20, 21 on bears
PE: gymnastics
Reading:

to her: RLBSFONT pp. 37 - 55 (Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah)
by her: started reading DK First Human Body Encyclopedia

Lorelei

Science: browsed DK First Animal Encyclopedia together
PE: gymnastics
Reading:

Read Little Farm in the Ozarks, "Tree-Topping"
RLBSFONT

Now What?

We sold the house, started homeschooling, have set an end date to our time in Colorado....but now what? We aren't sure where we will go in June when our lease ends.

Here are some of the places we are considering:

Seattle
Portland
San Francisco
San Diego
La Paz
South Florida (Ft. Lauderdale?)
North Carolina
Chesapeake
Hawaii
New Zealand

This is a partially brainstormed list of the criteria we want to use to decide:

How big the boat market is
Boat Prices
Slip Prices
Can we live aboard year round
Job Market
Weather
How easy is it to practice our cruising
availability of cruising training
Cost of living

In other news, we are unpacking very slowly, but it is starting to come together. We will probably be done just in time to sell it all and move again. One of my big goals for the next move is to find a way to offer lots of stability to the girls. This last move from Nederland was harder on us all then we had hoped for. We were deeply connected to both the town/people and the house. Also, because the girls were acting so excited about the apartment, it never crossed my mind that it was the only home they had ever had.

The first few days in the apartment were wonderful for them. They loved the novelty of sleeping in the same room! It was like vacation. Then after a few days Audrey asked, 'Mom, can we go home now?' That was a little heartbreaking. I still believe that this all will be a wonderful experience for our family that will be incredibly bonding...but the transitions are hard.

Riding her imaginary unicorn Starlight

practicing her gymnastics moves

Grampsy flew in just for Lorelei's birthday!

11/12 progress

Finished Chapter 3 on hull construction in TMCS.

11/12 schoolwork

Audrey

Math: SKBA, Unit 18 activities 1, 2, 4
Spanish: RSHS Unit 1 > Lesson 3 > Speaking
Kinderheart
Spelling: MCP B, lesson 4
Reading:

Amelia Bedelia for Mayor
The Greek King and the Princess
The Princess That Never Smiled

Lorelei

Reading: RLBSFONT through page 36 (creation, Eden, the flood, and the Tower of Babel)

11/11 progress

Finished the sections on fiberglass and wood hull construction in TMCS; started on metal.

11/11 schoolwork

Audrey

Math: SKBT, Unit 18 review
Spanish: RSHS, Unit 1 > Lesson 3 > Speaking
Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 40 (months)
PE: Swim lessons
Spelling: Spelling Workout B, Lesson 4
Composition: WWE: 1, Week 9, Day 1, Charlotte's Web copy work
Science: Read DK First Animal Encyclopedia pp. 20, 21 on bears
Poem practice: "Mary Had A Little Frog", by Bruce Lansky
Reading: Read and Learn Bible Stories From the Old and New Testaments through page 36 (creation, Eden, the flood, and the Tower of Babel)

Lorelei

PE: Swim lessons
Reading: RLBSFONT through page 36 (creation, Eden, the flood, and the Tower of Babel)

11/10 progress

Read on fiberglass construction in TMCS.

Weekly retro and planning, 11/10/2013

Action Items

complete planning for the year
discuss how to offer kids more normalcy during our next move
log onto the library website and see if we can download Charlotte's Web
copy Narnia and The Tale of Despereaux to Audrey's iPod
research how to switch to Human Body for Science next week: What curriculum, manipulative? (Audrey requested it)
order 1st grade Singapore Math

Shopping/Library List:

The Magic School Bus: inside the human body
Uncover the Human Body
Melissa and Doug floor puzzle
Rookie Read about Science Series
Somebody: 5 human anatomy games

Schedule for the week

Monday

early

Math: Unit 18 review
Spanish: finish Unit 1 Lesson 3 writing
Grammar: Lesson 40 (months)

morning

Swimming (A&L)
Spelling: Lesson 4

afternoon

Composition, week 9 Charlotte's Web day 1, copy work
Science: Bears, pages 20 and 21
Quiet time (self directed time)

options include, correspondence, handwriting, art for science or history

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

reading

Bible Stories through page 24 (Creation and Eden)

Tuesday

early

Math: Unit 18 activity 1
Spanish: Unit 1 Lesson 3 speaking
Grammar: Lesson 41 (months)

Kinderheart
dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

reading

Bible Stories through page 36 (The flood and the Tower of Babel)

Wednesday

early

Math: Unit 18 activity 2
Spanish: Unit 1 Lesson 4 listening
Grammar: Lesson 43 months

morning

Spelling: Lesson 5

afternoon

Composition: week 9 Charlotte's Web day 2, narration
Science: Bears
Quiet time (self directed time)

options include, correspondence, handwriting, art for science or history

Gymnastics

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories through page 48 (Abraham and Isaac)

Thursday

early

Math: Unit 18 activity 3
Spanish: Unit 1 Lesson 3 review
Grammar: Lesson 44 ideas

Kinderheart
afternoon

Fabricate

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories through page 58 (Esau and Jacob)

Friday

early

Math: Unit 18 activity 4
Spanish: Unit 1 Lesson 4 vocabulary
Grammar: Lesson 45 4 types of nouns

morning

Spelling: Lesson 6

afternoon

Composition: week 9 Charlotte's Web day 3, copy work
History: Chapter 7 Hammurabi and the Babylonians, read, review and narration
Quiet time (self directed time)

options include, correspondence, handwriting, art for science or history

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories through page 70 (Esau and Jacob)

Saturday

early

History: Chapter 7 Hammurabi and the Babylonians, map work, coloring page and crossword puzzle, page 132 in the history encyclopedia.
Composition: week 9 Charlotte's Web day 4, narration
Spelling: Lesson 7

dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories through page 81 (Joseph)

Sunday

Weekly planning
Pick a new poem
dinner time

Poem practice
Spelling bee

Reading

Bible Stories through page 98 (Moses)

11/8 schoolwork

Spanish: RSHS, U1 > L3 > writing

11/7 progress

Started Chapter 2 in TMCS on hull construction and materials .

11/7 schoolwork

Math 18.12-18.14
Kinderheart
Fabricate
Finished TWO with both girls
Audrey read Lo and me the story of Jacob and the goatskins from her Bible stories book

11/6 progress

Plugging away at TMCS. Finished Ch 1. Need to write up notes on form and reserve stability, stability curves, capsize indexes, etc.

11/6 schoolwork

Math 18.10, 18.11
Spanish U1 > L4 > Grammar
Science: Read three books on wolves, did a narration and dictation excercise
Wrote a letter to GranMiri

11/5 schoolwork

Spanish with Audrey
Read Little Farm in the Ozarks, "Theif!" to both girls
Read TWO, "Slaying of the Suitors"

11/4 schoolwork

Math 18.6, 18.7
Grammar 38
Spanish U1 > L3 > Listening
Read TWO, on the archery contest

11/3 retro and planning

What went well:
Two long lessons in Spanish this week that went well. It meant postponing two days of math, but that is the nice thing about homeschooling -- you can focus on what feels important in the moment.

Areas for improvement:
We still haven't gotten back on schedule with our poem memorization. We are behind on correspondence, mostly because we can't find our envelopes in all of the unpacking mess. We still haven't made it to our new library.

Action Items:

Hear Audrey read to us daily
Go to the library by Friday morning
Pick a new poem on Monday night at dinner
Look into switching to the human body for science next week. Audrey is really interested in it, so we are thinking of postponing the second half of biology (animal studies) until after human body.

Schedule for the week

    Monday
        early
            Math
            Spanish
            Grammar
        morning
            Swimming (A&L)
lunch
            reading with Lorelei
        afternoon
            Spelling
            Composition
            Science
dinner
            Poem practice
Spelling bee
        bedtime
            reading to Audrey
            reading by Audrey

    Tuesday
        early
            Math
            Spanish
            Grammar
        daytime
          Kinderheart        bedtime
            reading to Audrey
            reading by Audrey

    Wednesday
        early
            Math
            Spanish
            Grammar
        lunch
            reading with Lorelei
        afternoon
            Gymnastics A&L
            Spelling
            Composition
            Science
dinner
            Poem practice
Spelling bee
        bedtime
            reading to Audrey
            reading by Audrey

    Thursday
        early
            Math
            Spanish
            Grammar
        daytime
          Kinderheart        bedtime
            reading to Audrey
            reading by Audrey

    Friday
        early
            Math
            Spanish
            Grammar
        lunch
            reading with Lorelei
        afternoon
            Gymnastics A&L
            Spelling
            Composition
            Science
dinner
            Poem practice
Spelling bee
        bedtime
            reading to Audrey
            reading by Audrey

    Saturday
        early
          History          Composition
            Grammar
            Spelling
dinner            Poem practice
Spelling bee
        bedtime
            reading to Audrey
            reading by Audrey

    Sunday
        Weekly planning
        Pick a new poem
        bedtime
            reading to Audrey
            reading by Audrey

Activities for self-directed time:

correspondence
handwriting work book
history/science coloring sheets
copy work of poems/picture of poem

11/2 schoolwork

Audrey

History: Narration and review on Judaism, finish map work from Jewish People chapter, and word search.
Reading: A Little Princess
Grammar: Lesson 37

Reading to Audrey and Lorelei: finished TWO, "The Beggar in the Corner"

11/1 progress

11/1 schoolwork

Audrey

Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson36
Math: SKBT, Unit 18.6
Spanish: RSHS, Unit 1 > Lesson 2 > Listening
Spelling: MCP B lesson 3
Handwriting: ZBH1, self-paced through p.60
Composition: WWE: 1, Week 8, Days 3
Science: Read and Color on Anteaters

Read Lorelei Ch. 6, 7 from Stuart Little

10/31 schoolwork

Audrey

Spanish: RSHS, started Unit 1 > Lesson 4 > Core Lesson
Math: 18.4
Kinderheart

10/30 progress

I made some progress in TMCS.

10/30 schoolwork

Audrey

Spanish: RSHS, started Unit 1 > Lesson 4 > Core Lesson
Grammar: Lesson 34
Spelling: started SWB lesson 2
Composition: WWE: 1, Week 8 Day 2
Science: Reading and narration on anteaters
PE: gymnastics
Reading

to both: TWO, started "The Beggar in the Corner"
by Audrey

anteaters page out of DK Animal Encyclopedia

Lorelei

PE: gymnastics
Reading

to both: TWO, started "The Beggar in the Corner"
Stuart Little, Ch 1-5

10/29 progress

I've been learning lots about lateral hull form -- full and fin keels, attached and spade rudders -- from The Modern Cruising Sailboat : A Complete Guide to its Design, Construction, and Outfitting. Our next steps at this point are:

to continue to reduce our load
to figure out where to go next
to complete out first aid training project
to continue training and educational efforts in cruising skills -- celestial and coastal navigation; diesel and electrical maintenance and repair; sail and deck maintenance and repair, etc.
working and sustaining while we're out

We'll forge ahead on those while continuing to learn all we can about about boats and boat design and cruising and continuing to press ahead with school, and continually reevaluating and adjusting of our approach it.

10/29 school

Audrey

Math: 18.2, 18.3
Spanish: Unit 1 > Lesson 3 > Vocabulary
Grammar: Lesson 33
Kinderheart
Reading to her: TWO, "Return to Ithaca"

Reading to Lorelei and Audrey: Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

School retro and planning for the week of 10/27

What went well
We managed to fit in a small amount of school in the midst of our chaos. We finished Spelling Workout A, enjoyed our chapter on Jewish People in Story of the World. Audrey really wanted to do Spanish lessons, so we found time for it, and she had her first writing/spelling assignment, which she ACED (93%)! Finished unit 17 in math.

Areas for improvement
Get morning school started again, which means getting the girls to bed on time. Find our new local library and start library trips again. Audrey is fed up with nouns. 48 lessons is a little much.

Action Items
Getting the girls to bed on time means we need to plan more effectively for evening routines. Get back on the horse with poems and spelling bees. skip some of the repetitive lessons in the grammar book.

Schedule for the week

Monday

Poem practice
Math - Unit 18.1
Spanish -
Grammar - lesson 31
Swimming (A&L)
Spelling - SWB lesson 1
Composition - Week 7 day 4 and week 8 day 1
History - Narration and review on Judaism, finish map work from Jewish People chapter, and word search.
Reading

to Audrey
by Audrey
to Lorelei
TYCTR

Tuesday

Poem practice
Math - Unit 18.2
Spanish - 1 piece
Grammar - lesson 33
Kinderheart
Reading

to Audrey
by Audrey
to Lorelei
TYCTR

Wednesday

Poem practice
Math - Unit 18.3
Spanish - 1 piece
Grammar - lesson 34
Spelling - SWB lesson 2
Composition - week 8 day 2
Science - Anteaters, Read and Narration Question
Audrey and Lorelei Gymnastics
Reading

to Audrey
by Audrey
to Lorelei
TYCTR

Thursday

Poem practice
Math - Unit 18.4
Spanish - 1 piece
Grammar - lesson 35 (1st 1/2 only)
Kinderheart
Reading

to Audrey
by Audrey
to Loreleip
TYCTR

Friday

Poem practice
Math - Unit 18.5
Spanish - 1 piece
Grammar - lesson 36
Spelling - SWB lesson 3
Composition - week 8 day 3
Science - Read and Color on Anteaters
Poem practice
Reading

to Audrey
by Audrey
to Lorelei
TYCTR

Saturday

Poem recitiation
History - Read about Judaism in the Usborne Encyclopedia of World Religions. Make a notebook page.
Composition - week 8 day 4
Grammar
Spelling - SWB lesson 4
Grammar

Sunday

Weekly planning
Pick a new poem

Schoolwork, week of 10/20

We've been completely derailed by this move, and we've missed lots of what we'd planned. April and Audrey have made good headway nonetheless and Audrey and I did a few things ourselves. Here's where we now stand:

Spanish: RSHS working on Lesson 3 of Unit 1
History: SotW1, Read Chapter 6, "The Jewish People." Need to do map work.
Math: SKBT, finished Lesson 17
Spelling: finished MCP A
Composition: WWE: 1, Week 7, finished Days 1 and 2
Grammar: FLL: 1, finished Lesson 29
Science: studies moles
Reading: TWO, "The King's Daughter"

10/23 progress

Moving has rocked our worlds but we are starting to get back to our routines and back to feeling like ourselves. April and Audrey did school today, and the girls both did PE.

We closed on the house yesterday, and with that we are debt free. Those are big steps.

Here's a picture of Audrey and our moving truck. Cool, right? Though I wouldn't recommend U-haul to anyone ever after our experience. Remind me to tell you about that sometime.

10/23 schoolwork

Audrey

Composition: WWE: 1, Week 6, Days 3, 4
Spelling: MCP A, Lesson 35
PE: gymnastics

Lorelei

PE: gymnastics

Driving and crying

Well that was fun. The movers didn't show so we were left scrambling.

We are in the new place for the second night but still have a truckload of stuff to deal with.

Everyone's sick but me. School has been on the back burner. Tomorrow I hope we'll be able to turn in the moving truck finally, and take a breather.

Closing is Tuesday.

We all had a good cry looking at the places we spent our first days and nights home with our babies, and rocked them to sleep, and changed their diapers and watched them learn to walk, and enjoyed the company of family and friends. I could start crying again right now.

So anyway, now we have 8 months to continue to cut mercilessly at our load. We thought we'd cut pretty deep but we need go way deeper, as two 24-foot truckloads attest.

So yeah. As expected, we built a lot of character.

our last picture of the view at 252 Switzerland Trail

10/18

Well, we had another big packing day, and no school.

Len and Audrey picked up the U-haul but we didn't really do anything with it. It will be good to be able to get started loading it first thing in the morning.

Len told me a funny story about how Audrey took off her socks and shoes and put them in the glove box. It was her first time riding in the front seat (since it only has a front seat). He said, "I see you put your socks and shoes in the glove box," and she said , "Is that what they call that? I thought it was for socks and shoes."

We had a really nice last visit to the Backdoor Theatre, and Kayla made a nice little spectacle of us. That was nice.

This Nederland weather is not doing anything to put me in a nostalgic mood. With this crazy cold and howling wind, it's really more like it's saying, "... and don't let the door hit you in the ass." Thank you, wind, we won't.

10/17 progress, sorta

So yeah, now we're all sick and it's snowing just as we are picking the U-haul tomorrow. We're all about to build a lot of character with this move.

With the pupils and teachers all sick we pretty much took the day off of school. We did finish the Telemachus chapter in TWO, and Audrey went go to Kinderheart and Fabricate, where all the other kids are all sick already too.

Packing, moving, schooling, ailing

Thanks so much to our wonderful circle of friends in Nederland who organized a sending-off party for us and said so many nice things to us and offered so much encouragement and excitement for our big adventure, not to mention contributing so generously to our boat fund. You guys are really wonderful friends and we feel so lucky to have you in our lives.

We had good success with our moving sale this weekend, both in reducing our load and in funding our adventure. We have been packing furiously for days. Saturday is moving day. Len flew all the way out just to help us this weekend which will be a tremendous help.

Audrey continues to make great daily progress, while we continue to gain confidence in ownschooling.

April and the girls having been trying with mixed result to overcome a tenacious bug which has finally begun to breach my immune defenses as well, just in time for moving weekend.

Audrey climbing trees at Kinderheart

10/16 schoolwork

Audrey

Poem practice
Math: SKBT 17.6-17.7
Spanish: RSHS
Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 29
Spelling: MCP A, Lesson 33
Composition: WWE: 1, Week 6, Days 3, 4
History: Finish Ch. 5
Handwriting: ZBH1, self-paced
Reading

to Audrey: TWO, began "Farewell to Calypso"

Weekly Planning 10/14 - 10/31/2013

Schedule for the weeks

Monday

Poem practice
Spelling bee
Math: SKBT 17.4 - 17.5
Spanish: RSHS Unit 3 Core Lesson
Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 28
Swimming (A&L)
Spelling: MCP A, Lesson 33
Composition: WWE: 1, Week 6, Day 2
Science: Moles
Handwriting: ZBH1, self-paced
Reading

to Audrey: TWO, "Sea Perils"
by Audrey
to Lorelei
TYCTR

Tuesday

Poem practice
Spelling bee
Math: SKBT 17.6 - 17.7
Spanish: RSHS
Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 29
Kinderheart and Aspen Grove
Reading

to Audrey: TWO, "Telemachus Seeks His Father"
by Audrey
to Lorelei
TYCTR

Wednesday

Poem practice
Spelling bee
Math: SKBT 17.8
Spanish: RSHS
Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 30
Spelling: MCP A, Lesson 34
Composition: WWE: 1, Week 6, Day 3
History: Finish Ch. 5
Handwriting: ZBH1, self-paced
Grampsy arrives
Reading

to Audrey: TWO, "Farewell to Calypso"
by Audrey
to Lorelei
TYCTR

Thursday

Poem practice
Spelling bee
Math: SKBT Unit 17 review
Spanish: RSHS
Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 31
Kinderheart
Fabricate
Reading

to Audrey: TWO, "The King's Daughter"
by Audrey
to Lorelei
TYCTR

Friday

Poem practice
Spelling bee
Math: SKBA activity 1
Spanish: RSHS
Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 32
Handwriting: ZBH1, self-paced
Reading

to Audrey: TWO, "The Phaeacian Games"
by Audrey
to Lorelei
TYCTR

Saturday

Poem practice
Spelling bee
Moving Day

Sunday

Reading

to Audrey: TWO, "Return to Ithaca"
by Audrey

to Lorelei
TYCTR

Monday

Poem practice
Spelling bee
Math: SKBA activity 2
Spanish: RSHS
Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 33
Swimming (A&L)
Handwriting: ZBH1, self-paced
Reading

to Audrey: TWO, "The Beggar in the Corner"
by Audrey
to Lorelei
TYCTR

Tuesday

Poem practice
Spelling bee
Math: SKBT 18.1
Spanish: RSHS
Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 34
Kinderheart and Aspen Grove
Reading

to Audrey: TWO, "The Archery Contest"
by Audrey
to Lorelei
TYCTR

Wednesday

Poem practice
Spelling bee
Math: SKBT 18.2 - 18.3
Spanish: RSHS
Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 35
Spelling: MCP A, Lesson 35
Composition: WWE: 1, Week 6, Day 3
History: Ch. 6, section 1, read, review qsts, narration
Handwriting: ZBH1, self-paced
Reading

to Audrey: TWO, "The Slaying of the Suitors"
by Audrey
to Lorelei
TYCTR

Thursday

Poem practice
Spelling bee
Math: SKBT 18.4 - 18.5
Spanish: RSHS
Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 36
Kinderheart
Fabricate
Reading

to Audrey: TWO, "Peace in the Islands"
by Audrey
to Lorelei
TYCTR

Friday

Poem practice
Spelling bee
Math: SKBT 18.6 - 18.7
Spanish: RSHS
Composition: WWE: 1, Week 6, Day 4
Grammar: FLL: 1, Lesson 37
Spelling: MCP A, Lesson 36
Handwriting: ZBH1, self-paced
History: Ch. 6, section 2, read, review qsts, narration
Reading

to Audrey: TWO, "The Fall of Troy"
by Audrey
to Lorelei
TYCTR

Saturday

Poem practice
Spelling bee
History: Ch. 6, map work, coloring
Reading

to Audrey: TWO, "The Wanderings of Aeneas"
by Audrey

to Lorelei
TYCTR

Sunday

Weekly planning
Reading

to Audrey: TWO, "A Storm and a Welcome"
by Audrey

to Lorelei
TYCTR

Film poem

10/14 schoolwork

We'll Rest When We're Dead!

Or maybe just after we finish this move.

What a weekend! My wonderful aunt, uncle and cousins had the girls over to spend the night, and Jacob and I worked, worked, worked. We had a pretty successful moving sale, although we still have a few things left to sell/give before we move. We also packed our asses off. Tackling Audrey's room was a super huge challenge. I think we hauled two giant trash bags out. Jacob wanted to report her to the T.V. show Hoarders. She loves price tags, twist ties, buttons, ribbon scraps, you name it and she saves it! I know where she gets it from! I have been working for 37 years to be able to throw things away.

The good news, I think we will be ready to move next Saturday!

Some recent pics:

Audrey listening to audio books while she works on writing letters

Lorelei smelling the flowers

schoolwork

Audrey

Spelling bee
Math: SKBT 17.1-17.3
Spanish: RSHS L1, begin U1, L3, Core Lesson
Composition: catching up on correspondence
Handwriting: ZBH1, self-paced
Reading

to Audrey: TWO, ch. 5

10/10 schoolwork

Audrey

Kinderheart
Fabricate
Reading

to her: TWO, ch. 4, Circe
by her: April and Audrey took turns reading page in her Beauty and the Beast book

Lorelei

PE, art: dance lesson
Reading: TYCTR, Lesson 3
Little House on Rocky Ridge, "Barn Raising"

It's a funny thing

Blogging is a funny thing. Unless you're a famous blogger, you assume that no one reads what you write. Then you run into someone you haven't seen for six months and they're fully up to speed on your life.