Sonlight Core H Week 13 April 3-7, 2017 (The week Zeus attacked)

Sonlight Core H - Year 2/2 of World History

Week 13 

April 3-7, 2017 

(The week Zeus attacked)

I'm showing the pretty end, the view from the back isn't good.  

Hello, Friends!

Another visit to the dentist, taxes, music, lessons, power out, bulbs, and my rooster, Zeus, attacked, Girls Night, all in one week.

This week I've been trying to analyze how our Sonlight core is working, and trying to determine how I can improve it.  Thankful to Chelle, for helping me accept that my Dd should be able to drop a SL book, here and there, if it isn't up to her standards.  I have to say, that is one (of my many) downfalls--expecting my daughter to read and finish all the books in each core, plus the one's I've added!  I can see now that Dd has passed the target range for Core H; which is intended for grades 7-9.  Dd is in grade 9, but is not stretched by this level.  I guess I assumed she was like me, and was happy reading from any book, regardless of ability.  

Church:

We have been attending a wonderful local church for one year and five months now.  We tried to sign up for membership before we went to Italy (in January), but we have had to wait for a monthly board meeting to attend, in which we could share our testimony before we could officially be up for membership.  I have to say, this procedure is very different than what we experienced in Indiana.  Well, after delays, and meetings that didn't have enough of the members present, etc. we finally put in for membership this week.  I had mixed feelings about being required to share my testimony, but after some thought, I figured I appreciated the fact that our church wants to get to know us better as we become members.  We could have answered it in one sentence, but Dd, Dh and I all shared a little detail about our journey finding the Lord.  It turned out being a very nice meeting and I appreciate how much this church treats us like a member of the family--which I like very much!

Dh and I have been working up our gardens, and putting in our old compost and some 'used' straw.

Flooding:

The Grand River is way over the normal borders and a lot of flooding has occurred here.  Luckily we live on a hill on a small mountain range and we don't have to worry about our home flooding.  It is odd to see places underwater that normally are woods or grass.  

Spring:

The bulbs we planted in the fall are starting to show in the dirt, we may soon have some spring flowers.  We saw lots of daffodils driving around!  I love spring and all the pretty flowers that come with it!

Migraines:

I had a bad go of migraines this week.

Zeus Attacked: (Friday)

Our rooster, Zeus, protected our hens from attack and took the full brunt of an attack from a neighbor's dog--a bull terrier.  Our hens started making such a fuss we could hear them inside our house.  Dd ran out first, and then I got there second and ran toward the action.  Inside our chicken run, pinned in a corner was poor Zeus and the dog.  I was yelling like a mad woman and got the dog away from Zeus, and Zeus took off at the opportunity.  I had to open a gate to get the dog out, as he had jumped into the run.  It took two hours to get all the hens back into our coop.  They did NOT want anything to do with our coop!  It was a lot of work trying to convince them the dog was no longer in there!  All the hens and Zeus had found shelter under some evergreen bushes.  I had to cut branches and crawl under the bush to retrieve Zeus, who was wounded and in shock.

I put up a cardboard wall, in a chicken tractor, in our garage, for Zeus to have a little solitary spot where he could heal without getting pecked at by the other chickens.  Poor Zeus didn't move much and was totally out of it Friday and Saturday.  I didn't even try to clean him up on Friday.  Saturday I started giving him salt water baths in my tub and brought out the Neosporin and Bag Balm ointment.  The dog had torn out all his tail feathers and all the feathers around his back end and lower back.  The skin had lost the top epidermis, but not showing any deep damage.  The worst part is the puncture hole above his anus hole--so it looks like he has two holes back there.  I'm sure that is too much information to share, but that is what is wrong.  He has bruising and his butt is all swollen and injured.  I'm going to do all I can to help him recover.

Saturday, neighbor conversation:

Saturday, I walked down to our neighbor's house - luckily the husband was working outside and I didn't have to go to the door.  I prayed and thought out how best to discuss this without ruining our potential good relationship.  I thanked him for the welcome basket they had given us last year and then proceeded to ask if he knew what happened yesterday, and he had no idea anything had happened!  I told him about the whole thing, and he looked regretful.  He told me that his dogs are usually in their fenced in back yard, but one had escaped and that was how she got to us.  The meeting went well, and I was so thankful for that!  He offered to pay me for Zeus if he died.  I had to share how I'd hatched Zeus from an incubator and hand raised him for the past year, holding him almost daily to ensure a friendly rooster, which was a lot of time, effort, and heart.  

Agnes always finds the most interesting places to nap!

Girl's Night:

After getting Zeus settled in his new mini-hospital we had to rush to Girl's Night.  The group of young ladies had fun playing games together this month.

Youth Program (Sunday Night):

Dd has started going to the Youth Program on Sunday nights.  This week they watched: God's Not Dead Yet II.  She has seen this movie twice now, but still hasn't seen the first one!

Our Academic Lessons for the week:

Bible:

We finished our devotional: Walking With Frodo by Sarah Arthur.  I have already ordered the other book in this series, Walking With Bilbo.  I've passed along Walking With Frodo to another homeschool family that loves LOTR and would enjoy this devotional.  

Psalm of the Week: Psalm 24

Bible Verse in Cursive completed

Bible reading: Matthew chapters 8 & 9

Started a new devotional:

Finding God in LOTR by Kurt Bruner

(We've just read the 8 page introduction so far, so I can't say how we will like this yet.)

Math:

Dd had missed too many questions on Lesson 14 to continue forward.  We rewatched lessons 6 & 7 for review, and redid all the questions she got wrong on Lesson 14.

Poetry:

The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (I've always liked the poems in this book)

pg's 12-31

Readers:

The Kidnapped Prince by: Anne Cameron: COMPLETED

Dd didn't really enjoy this book very much.  I should have let her drop it after the fifth chapter, but I asked her to complete the whole thing.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

Dd was liking this book but decided to drop it and focus on the SL books

George Washington's World by Foster

Pg 256-276

Dd enjoys reading history through these Foster books instead of the shorter (and less detailed) Kingfisher encyclopedia's that SL had switched in--we have both a new Core H and an old Core H IG's and the new core has Kingfisher and old core has the Foster books in their place.  After reading George Washington's World she will read Abraham Lincoln's World!

The Broken Blade by William Durbin

Dd is liking this book!  So glad, she had been on a row of uninteresting SL books.  

Story of the World: Early Modern History by Susan Wise Bauer

Chapter 32: Lewis and Clark

33: The End of Napoleon, Waterloo, 

34: Freedom in South America

35: Mexican Independence

36: The Slave Trade Ends

Language Arts:

Word Roots: pg 299-315

Art:

Lesson on sketching from a Degas painting

Sewing:

This week Dd is trying to prepare for a party she is having next week.  The idea is for her friends to come as a Marvel character.  She is dressing up like Peggy Carter and has been working on her handkerchief and embroidering "PC" on it.  She worked on these for a few hours this week, and then ironed them too.

Letting the older hens come in and visit with our younger poultry.

Fun Reading:

G.I. Brides: The Wartime Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love by Duncan Barrett

Goodreads review: an absorbing tale of romance and resilience—the true story of four British women who crossed the Atlantic for love, coming to America at the end of World War II to make a new life with the American servicemen they married.

Physical Education:

Treadmill 1x, evening independent workouts x3

Home Economics:

Dd made taco's from scratch, made Baggett tuna sandwiches,

Music Lessons:

Beginning Band (Tenor Sax) 1:30 hours

Intermediate Band (Alto Sax) 1:30 hours

Sax and Piano lesson with Mrs. March: 45 minutes

Violin: spring break for teacher

Strings Group (ukulele): 1:15 hours

Music practice: rough estimate:

ukulele: 45 minutes

piano: 1 hour

violin: 1:10 hours

tenor sax: 1:00 hour

alto sax: 2:30 hour

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Sonlight Core H Week 12 March 26-April 1, 2017 (World History Year 2/2 1600-1700's)

Sonlight Core H Week 12 

March 26-April 1, 2017

(World History Year 2/2 1600-1700's) 

A picture for Christie!  I'm so glad you enjoyed seeing this orchid finally re-bloom!  For you, friend!

Hello, Friends! 

March 30th- even the little Bantams are jumping out of the brooder box, so I had to stop everything and put the second chicken tractor in the garage for the 2 Bantams and 2 ducks.  It was a LOT of work but I got them moved out of our sunroom and into the garage.

What a dreadfully busy week:
Square Dance, Band Classes, Music Lessons, Dentist appointment, Strings Group, Church and Sunday School, and Olympians (Awana-like group).  

We simply had too much going on for one week, but things will be winding down soon.  The Olympians (church program similar to Awana) will be ending on May 24, so only seven nights left.  Beginning Band, Intermediate Band, and piano lessons will all end in three weeks! Three weeks!  So things will lighten up soon.  I guess I should mention one thing we are going to add next month (May), since Dd doesn't have any band or piano in May we figured this would be the perfect month to do Driver's Education, which meets three days a week, for four weeks.  I am really glad Dd is going to have a seriously tough class, with lots of information she has to memorize, with a different teacher than me!  I think Dd could use some perspective from having other teachers.  On Monday, Dd went with me to the dentist, and last Monday she went with us to Dh's doctor appointment.  Monday's are usually a very big lessons day, and losing those two Mondays, back to back, has made the rest of the week harder for her than normal.

Merry, our smaller duck

"Books too easy":

Dd was stretched too thin this week, and her attitude was a bit frazzled.  For the past few weeks, Dd hasn't been liking her Sonlight books.  She says they are written for younger students and wants better books.  I'm just not sure what to make of that, but I do see that she is overwhelmed with too much going on this week and that effects how she sees her lessons. Yes, we are on the high end of the grade level for this core, which is designed for grades 7-9, and we are nearing the end of her 9th-grade year.  I'm trying to figure out how to proceed now.  Honestly, this has never happened to us before as she has always like the SL books.  I had been stretching out our cores, and adding in BiblioPlan, but I am weeks behind in the BP when lined up with our core. 

Pippen, our bigger duck

 I think I am just going to keep moving forward and try to finish our core in normal speed, one week at a time, with minimal stretching.  I plan on following up Core H with Core 100, and hope those books will match up better with her.  Another option is that I could add-in a few books from Core 200 or 300 or British Literature, that would satisfy her desire for more advanced books.  I'm thinking about our possible options....surprised by Dd's recent feelings about her books!  Thoughts and prayers appreciated (Chelle, Heather, or Christie feel free to send me a note if you have any idea's!).

The wing feathers are starting to come in--such an interesting stage.

Teeth:

One of my teeth went wonky and I couldn't eat or drink without setting off a major nerve shock of pain.  After I ate my eggs on Saturday morning it started, and that was my last meal until Monday.  I never thought I could fast before, but it actually was very easy to not eat all weekend when the outcome of eating was going to be pain!  Long story, but it all turns out in the end.

Chickens/Ducks:

All poultry in the garage, and doing really well!  Things are going really well with the new critters! 

The ducks are growing super-fast!  I'm bringing them in for a swim in my bathtub.

 The ducks are getting so huge it isn't funny!  I'm still bringing them in to my bathtub for baths.  My bathtub has never been cleaner since it is getting a thorough scrubbing after each of their baths, so it is enjoying all the attention!  I didn't mention that a few weeks ago, one of my older chickens didn't come back after foraging.  There was not one feather left behind!  Whatever 'it' was, it took her and left our property, maybe a raccoon or fox?  I kept waiting, day after day, thinking she might find her way home, but I have finally accepted she isn't coming back.  That is the one bad part of letting our chickens out of their coop, they can get taken.  I'm making sure I round them up by 5:30 pm so the chances of a critter taking them goes down since most things come out to hunt at dusk.

Square Dance:

Friday night we took Dd's church buddy, Hailee, to the homeschool square dance!  We took her the last time too.  The girls had so much fun!  The square dances are just good, clean fun!

Usually, there are five young ladies in the Strings Group, this evening we only had four of the youth.  The woman in the purple vest has only been playing her ukelele for the past few months, she switched to a Baritone ukulele b/c it is bigger and easier to play.

Strings Group:

Our church's Strings Group practiced on Thursday for the upcoming performance.  There is a "Singspiration" scheduled for Sunday night.  Dd has really figured out the ukulele.  Our group leader, Sarah, offered to let me borrow her banjo ukulele this week, and for Dd to teach me how to play it. 



 But, for now I am just going to be singing with Martha while all the band members play.  We have a regular banjo, a few guitars, and a variety of ukulele's.  Our band has a Tenor Ukulele, a Concert Ukulele, a Bass Ukulele, and whatever it is that Dd's has!

A guitar lesson, before we start, in the front pew.  It is great how much mentoring happens each night.

Our lessons for the week:

(another week where we didn't get all our assignments fit in!)

I chop up some lettuce, or any green, for the ducks to eat while they swim and play.  My yellow bathtub makes for harder picture-taking.

Bible:

Walking With Frodo by Sarah Arthur

pg's 123-148

I love how the book has 5-8 bible verses to look up in our bible each day that correspond with the days' lesson.  We only have a few more lessons left, and I am going to miss this book!

Bible Verse in Cursive

Church, Sunday School, Olympians (volunteer for 1.5 hours)

Dd enjoying watercoloring

Music Classes:

Beginning Band: Tenor 1:30 hours

Intermediate Band: Alto 1:30 hours

Piano lesson with Mrs. March: 30 minutes

Violin lesson with Christie: 30 minutes

Strings Group: 1:15 hours

Music Practices: (rough guess as she often forgets to document)

Piano: 30 minutes

Alto Sax: (she had a challenge this week- about 3:30 hours

Tenor Sax: 15 minutes? that doesn't seem right

Ukulele: 30 minutes or so



Math: 
Math U See: Geometry
14 A-E




Science:
 Apologia: Physical Science



First Quarterly Test: half done
Text: 105-116
Student Notebook: 60-69



Fun Science:
Dd made a projector out of a shoe box and two magnifying glasses and my cell phone.  Fun project.

Another watercolor, on the wrong paper, but Dd likes using the wrong sketchbook!

History:

Story of the World Early Modern History: 
Ch. 30: Freedom in the Caribbean
Ch. 31: A Different Kind of Rebellion

BiblioPlan Early Modern History:
Ch. 11: Bacon's Rebellion; King Phillips War

BiblioPlan Advanced Maps:
Map 12: The Middle Colonies
Map 13: China

(Reader) George Washington's World by Foster
pg's 231-255
(Dd was so tired of reading Kingfisher's History Encyclopedia and asked to read the Foster history books that use to be used in the older Sonlight Core H, and she really enjoys the Foster's writing.  She is almost done with George Washington's World, and then she will start Abraham Lincoln's World next.  She really loved Augustus Caesar's World, which we read in Core G.  The stories in these history books are very engaging and offer so many great details about the times, people, and places we are studying.  They make history reading fun.)



(Reader) The Kidnapped Prince: The Life of Olaudah Equiano by Ann Cameron
Dd is complaining about this book, unfortunately.  She thinks it was written for younger students.  She is dragging this book on too long, for such a simple-easy reader.



(Reader)The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emma Orczy
Dd was curious about this book that focuses on the reign of terror following the French Revolution.  She read three chapters this week, and thought of reading it instead of the book that Sonlight wants her to read; In Search of Honor.  After discussion at the end of the week, we decided to push ahead with the books Sonlight picked and not add this book it now, though she was liking it.

(Read Aloud) The Sherwood Ring by Elizabeth Marie Pope
*We are enjoying this book very much!*



Poetry:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: COMPLETED
We finished this book this week!
Chaucer
Milton
Killed at the Ford



Language Arts:
Word Roots:
pg 74-77

Easy Grammar:
pg 299-303



Fun Reading:
Finishing School Series by Gail Carringer
Book Three: Curtsies & Conspiracies: COMPLETED
Book Four: Waistcoats & Weaponry: COMPLETED
(Dd is really  into this series, and of course they are really big, long books.  Luckily, she only has one book left and then she promises to focus better on her Sonlight books.  She said this series has great vocabulary and fantasic writing.  I'm glad she is liking it so much, but am anxious for her to return her focus on our lessons!

From School Library Journal:

Gr 6-9-Sophronia is far from the proper Victorian young lady she is expected to be. She would rather climb, take apart machinery, and cause a general ruckus than sit for tea and crumpets, making her a blight on her mother's reputation. She is enrolled in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality to learn proper decorum. But she soon discovers that its students are learning more than a proper curtsy. The school is a floating airship charged with teaching the skills of espionage. Sophronia is an early savant of sorts and quickly learns to use her skills to help thwart a fellow student in an attempt to steal a prototype essential to communications. The author touches on themes of gender identity and racial and social equality, though they are not developed thoroughly enough to either add to or distract from the story. Carriger's leading lady is a strong, independent role model for female readers. There is still more to be learned about the relationships of other characters who are integral to the story, perhaps in a sequel. Ladies and gentlemen of propriety are combined with dirigibles, robots, werewolves, and vampires, making this story a steampunk mystery and an adventure mash-up that is sure to intrigue readers who can get past the language of the time period.-Betsy Davidson, Cortland Free Library, NYα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Physical Exercise:
Trying to get ready for Band Camp coming up.  Dd is doing push-ups, crunches, etc each night to prepare.

Art: Drawing:

3 hours this week

Home Economics:
Fish Chowder: AMAZING!  She makes the best soups!!



Cherry/Raspberry Cheesecake!
Dd did spring chores outside on Saturday--cleaning the gardens and yard.  
Plus, her normal chores-chicken care, ducks bath, dishes, etc.

Well, it was a hard week academically.  For the first time, Dd isn't enjoying our core very much, and I am going to have to figure out how to improve this, if I can.  It is hard to tell what is fact or if she is just tired.  We are due a week off, but the weather has been raining and I want to wait and take our time off when we can actually go do something; like visit Lake Michigan again.  



Next 'year' she will be dropping her Tenor Sax and only playing her Alto Sax in Band and *hopefully will pass her audition to gain entry into Intermediate Orchestra playing her violin.  I'm sure she will still want to continue her piano lessons with Mrs. March and playing the ukulele or guitar in the church's Strings Group.  Not having the Tenor anymore should be helpful at decreasing her load.
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Portico Restaurant in Bologna, Italy

Portico Restaurant in Bologna, Italy

One of the best things we loved about Bologna was the food.  The food was better in Bologna than Florence or Rome.  I thought it might be interesting for others to see a few dishes we enjoyed.

Bologna is known for a few things, this picture shows their famous balsamic vinegar, which was beyond amazing, and on a different plane than American versions!
A basket of bread is usually brought to the table upon sitting down and olive oil and balsamic vinegar is for dipping the bread.

The water buffalo balls (the white balls with olives and tomatoes) in Bologna were unbelievable.  They are similar to mozzarella but much, much better.  There is prosciutto (meat) on the plate, but Bologna is famous for their mortadella; which is like the caviar of bologna, and what our bologna in America was created after.

This dish is a pasta made with spinach, bacon, and cheese.  

This is Bologna's version of a spaghetti dinner; it is Bolognese sauce on some amazing noodles.  It might not look it, but the taste was great.

Up against Dd's left hand is one of the bottles of water we drank during the meal.  It is interesting how in Italy, though the water actually tastes good in our hotel, at restaurants only bottled water was served.  There were two options: gas/fizz or natural/no fizz.  The 'gas' is carbonation and 'no fizz' is no carbonation; plain water.

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Due Torri, the Two Towers, Bologna, Italy

Due Torri, the Two Towers, Bologna, Italy
In Process a.k.a. Asinelli and Garisenda towers, the Two Towers of Bologna are probably the most well-known items in Bologna.  They are medieval structures that have survived the years.  There use to be more than 100 towers around Bologna.  There are now only 20 of these structures still up, though these are the tallest of the remnants.  The Asinelli tower is the tallest, and it was completed between 1109 and 1119 and stands a height of 318 feet.  It leans 1.5 degrees.  The shorter is the Garisenda Tower which was built around the same time as the Asinelli, but leans more--3.97 degrees.

This is a close-up of the tower above.

The area around the Two Towers was always hopping; even at night.  As a popular tourist spot, there were some fancy shops in the square.  

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