Sept.3-7, 2012 Core E / Week 5

We had a good week, and didn't managed to get all our 'have-to's' done.  We still have one chapter to read in our Lincoln: A Photobiography and Dd took the whole week to finish the Reader she was 'suppose' to finish last week.  We also didn't get a lick of Science done this week...blah!

We did have a good Labor Day on Monday.  It was great having Dh stay home an extra day!  I wish every week were like this!  It just doesn't seem fair that he has to be away from us so much!

I'll put some pictures of Dd's art work from this week in here:

Dd just put this together.  She just makes stuff while I read-- and you never know what she will make!

Sonlight work- we didn't really add anything in this week.  I am still just getting our groove or tempo started.  We have had some 'readjustments' to make on having our days be a little longer than our summer days.

Bible:
Acts, Matthew, and Ephesians.  We also read from Starting Strong together.

History:
We are really liking: Lincoln: A Photobiography.
We have been reading Sounding Forthe the Trumpet in it's entirity.  I know SL tells you to delete this line and that line; but I think we are doing fine reading the book and weighing our own thoughts accordingly.

We *finished* Moccasin Trail.  I really did like that book!!!  That Jim Keath!  And the great words they used in that book! Cracky, by gore!  I could hear them talking and it made for such fun as I read it aloud in my fun accents!

Thee, Hannah-- I could have read the whole book the first time we started it; Dd definitely wanted me too!!  But, we are being very good and only reading what we are suppose to read!

Dd finished Feedom Trail!!! finally!  She was not impressed with the writing style of this author; but loves Harriet Tubman.  She actually was telling people from church about Harriet; and my Dd is actually very  quiet...I was very surprised.

Math:
We did one day of the "8 Family" and four days of the "6 family".  Skip counting has been great for my Dd.
Teaching Textbooks 5: Lessons 8 & 9; Quiz 1 and Math U See: Lesson 22 F

Pledge of Allegience: Every day for the past week or more!

Language Arts:
AAS 3: We reviewed Lesson 13 on Tues, Wed, Thur, and Fri!!!
Taught Lesson 24 and worked on it all week--passed
Friday: Taught Lesson 25

FLL 3: Writing Letters Lesson
               Dictionary Skills

FLL 4: Lesson 4-6

WWE: Lesson 33 Days 1-4 ( on The Hobbit by Tolkien )




For anyone who is wondering why I have pictures of caterpillars on my blog-- We were cutting down some Kohlrabi from our garden and I happened to see one tiny black speck of a caterpillar and brought it in...and 3 weeks later I have over 20 caterpillars.  Even today I found 2 NEW tiny specks!  Which will soon grow into huge caterpillars.  You just never know when nature is going to knock on your door and demand that you pay attention!!  So, I am definitely paying attention!!  This morning our first chrysalis as in the corner of our tank.  I hope we have many more!  I also found our first fatality-- one tried to make a b-line for our back door and got smushed in the door jam; and never made it out..so sad.  Remember when you see the BIG caterpillars that they were the size of a pin head such a short time ago!!

And some new pictures of our caterpillars here:

Here is our FIRST CHRYSALIS!!!

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Sept. 4, 2012

Happy Labor Day--- we canned:

Here is Dd back at her lessons; doing AAS (All About Spelling).  I thought I would put in some new pix of her doing that, since I haven't in a while:

Okay, so this pix has nothing to do with our lessons.  You should see these 2 love birds in action.  I never have a camera when they are sickly lovey; but this is proof that they do adore each other!!  They literally snuggle together day and night...to the dismay of our other cat (that is left high & dry!!)  Sophie did have the whole blanket as hers to lay on...until Smedley came along and somehow he managed to get most of the blanket??!!  How?  Smedley is the boy cat, btw.

We reviewed this past lesson on the 1-1-1 Rule and then started a new lesson.  This one lesson is a tough one to remember, so we have reviewed it almost once a month for the past 3 months.  Here's hoping it will stick soon!

Now, we have put the 1-1-1 Rule aside, and are doing our lesson.

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Sept.1st, 2012 Caterpillars & Garden Highlights

Sept.1st, 2012 Caterpillars & Garden Highlights

I brought in new fennel folliage for the caterpillars today; and also found 2 large and 1 tiny caterpillar on the new folliage.  I did a rough count; and it looks like we have at least 13 caterpillars now (maybe more!).

It is hard to believe how TINY they are when you first see them; and how fast they get HUGE!  You can see why I have such troubles counting how many we have! Can you see the tiny black dot on the green needle shaped/dill shaped plant?  The black with the white little stripe?  That is the baby caterpillar!

I counted 6 caterpillars when I took this photo--they are so camouflaged that it is hard to see them now.

From the tiny speck to this huge guy in such a short amount of time!

Dh brought in a new batch of produce from the garden on Sat. and I took pix of what he brought in--yes, that is a cantelope!  We should have about 4 more to come!  I'm glad we compost b/c we get new produce from the seeds we throw away!

Zucchini, pumpkin, and cantaloupe

Lots of various red tomatoes

We are going to can some green tomatoes (for winter fried green tomatoes) and Dh wants to make a green tomato dill thing--sort of like bread & butter pickles; but with green tomatoes.

Green peppers, peppers, and green tomatoes

And Dd got to PLAY, PLAY, PLAY in the rain!

Dd got on her bathing suit and played in the back yard.  She found all the puddles and had a great time! 

Aug. 27-31st, 2012 -Week 4- Lessons for Core E

August 27-31st, 2012

We finished up the IG for week 4.  It is hard to believe we have already finished 2 books; almost 3!  We worked at "The Giving Tree" again this week.  It is the food pantry that our church owns.  I am so glad we are working there and volunteering our time and effort towards good things.  I'm really glad that Dd is excited to go and work!  I hope her attitude stays this positive.  Dd has been practicing her basketball skills.  She has been baking cakes, cookies and making lots of ice cream from scratch.  She is getting carried away!!  We had a nice tea party with some friends and brought cookies to contribute.

Let's see - for our lessons:
Bible:
John, Matthew, and John
Starting Strong

Math:
Skip-Counting 7 & 8 families
TT Lessons 2-6
TimezAttack

Science:
SL Week 28 and Week 29
worksheets 142-147
Plus, gardening & watching our caterpillars grow!

AAS 3:
Step 22-lesson & test-passed
Step 23-lesson & test-passed
Reviewed Lesson 13 again the 1-1-1 rule

FLL 4:
We started level 4!!
Lessons 1-3

History:
The Story of the USA-Book 2
Landmark (3 chapters)
Sounding Forth the Trumpet
Wee Sing America

RA:

Moccasin Trail by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Moccasin Trail--we have only 1 chapter left (maybe 2)-- We are really enjoying this book!  I really don't want it to end!  We could have finished it; but I kind of don't want to!  I know, I know!  I will finish it soon...but, I will miss visiting with Jim Keath!  I really like his character.  He left his white parents.  He was attacked by a grizzly bear, and was found 1/2 alive from some Crow Indians.  They nursed him back to life and finished raising him for around 6-9 years.  He left his Indian parents - again running away from things.  He eventually realizes he doesn't fit in the white world or the Indian world.  He is walking on the line between both and an outsider to both cultures.  Who among us doesn't sometimes feel the same way?  He decides to pick one over the other and try to make compromises to fit in. 

Dd is still reading Freedom Train--about Harriet Tubman. 

The other books she is reading right now:

The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) by Jeff Kinney

  *book*

The Last Straw (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 3) by Jeff Kinney

 

 

Aug 29, 2012 Green Things!

Highlights from this weeks green things-- our caterpillars are growing nicely, our 5 new garden sections are doing well--most of the seeds have sprouted, and produce is coming in each and every day! 

New fall lettuce---I've been missing our salads!

The huge masses of green are all the tomato plants!!  No red b/c we pick them!

This WAS where a 'box' was, but now it is planted with turnips and kohlrabi for this fall.

Just an update on how well the strawberries are doing!  They are sending out runners like crazy!!!

On the left is a pie pumpkin; and on the right is the biggest tomatoe we've grown this year!  It is absolutely HUGE!

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