End of First Quarter Report Cards and Changes

We have finished our first quarter of school.  Man, that went by fast.  No major changes, just a little bit, and only because we need to move on.  Caitlin is studying some Earth Science, and Geography.  The Geography is part of her going west curriculum.  She has been watching supplemental videos for Geography, and I am ready to move her on to some more substantial lessons for this topic.  Also, for Science she has been doing videos and reading, but it is time to move on.  She will be using, the Glencoe website for both Geography topics, and Earth Science.  I also have a lab book for Earth Science, that I think both kids will do together will see time wise.  Her writing has improved immensely, but she is still not where I think she should be.  She has a B+ in Math, so that is awesome.  Though technically she would be considered behind, because we are using Common Core standards, she really is right where I want her to be.  A few things we decided to last, but she is moving fast enough to be able to go on to the next grade hopefully by the end of the second quarter.  I am over all very, very pleased with her progress.  She also has been singing with the little youth choir at church, and of course continues with 4H. 

DJ, will have no changes, as he is doing quite well both in progress, and management of his day.  I am quite impressed with his maturity this year in handling everything on his plate.  He finished up Digital Design 1, early, so won't have to start Digital Design 2, until after Christmas.  Marine Ecology has ended until January, and Driving will be over soon.  So, his schedule is a bit lighter than it was at the start of the school  year.  He has a 100 in Biology so far, definitely his thing, lol.  I have not graded his Math, yet, but I am very proud that he has been working his way through it, using various resources to find the help he needs.  That is awesome!  He continues with biweekly guitar lessons with 4H, playing in youth praise band at church, and he volunteers every two weeks with Camp Kerusso, which has been a wonderful experience so far for him. 

We start back to lessons Monday, after a short and much needed break.  Plus, Dad is off these days, and he is disruptive to school, lol. 

Some Thanksgiving Art, Wood Burned Gifts, and End of First Quarter of Homeschool Year

I just realized I had not posted on this blog in a few weeks, good grief. Today, was the last day of our first grading period. I will be working on report cards over the next few days, and evaluating if we are where we need to be.

Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away, and the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special is on ABC tonight, at 8 PM. That means it is time to start thinking of Christmas specials, something my children and I enjoy immensely. Even at 15, and 11, this is a tradition they still love to do. This year, we are actually having no company for Thanksgiving, a first I think. Normally, we also decorate the tree Thanksgiving night, however this year, we are starting something new. We are taking the kids to the movies on Thanksgiving eve. I might regret it, lol, but we are going to give it a whirl. I am not sure when the tree will get decorated, maybe on Black Friday, a day I refuse to ever leave the house. I will be doing some shopping this week.

Speaking of shopping, some of my readers know I have an Etsy store, where I sell jewelry, crochet items, and art. I am having a BOGO sale, buy one get one free, that goes all the way through January the 1st. Click here to visit my shop, and I offer layaway too. The first three items below are made by me, and the last two wood burned pieces are my son's. He made them for two friends who turned 16 the last couple of weeks. Him, and I both love wood burning.

State of Florida Marine Ecology Event and Competition

Yesterday, we took a trip to Kissimmee, for our first time at the Florida Marine Ecology Event. We are in Gilchrist County, and I believe this is the third year our county has attended. It was our first year on the team. Since DJ, always, and still says he is going to be a Marine Biologist, this was perfect for him. Our team won 3 photography awards, but none of the other awards. However, I got a ton of information, and what a wonderful learning experience. It was a very long day, because the event is almost 3 hours away from where we live. But, so worth it. After the kids had finished the contest, we went to lunch, and then you could come back and see the specimens with the answers. You could take pictures of the ones you got wrong, to study for next year. These are a few of the ones DJ missed. He figures he missed about 8 all together, out of he thinks 75 specimens. We won't know for sure until they return the answer sheets to the leaders. Even with that few missed, there were those who got less incorrect. These kids are serious, lol. We look forward to doing this again next year. Below are some links I want to save for future reference. Please feel free to browse through them, and use as you wish. If you live in Gilchrist County, and would love to join the Marine Ecology team, you can message me and I will hook you up with the leader.

https://skml.clas.ufl.edu/

http://holmes.ifas.ufl.edu/4hy/4-h-seaperch-robotics/

http://www.flseagrant.org/

http://www.guyharvey.com/ocean-conservation/

http://www.4-h.org/resource-library/grants-awards/




 

Halloween Fun!

This is the first year that neither of my kids were young enough to Trick or Treat. Yes, that is a rule of mine, and most people don't agree, but hey I am not one to care much. So, this year we planned on handing out candy to all the little munchkins. We had a ball getting ready, carving and painting pumpkins, messing with props, and just having fun.

It was an interesting evening. It was quite warm, and the mosquitoes came out right after dark. They were biting like crazy. I couldn't find any bug spray, but I had read the mouthwash works. So, in the house I went to apply mouthwash. I took some out for the kids, and as I was applying it to DJ, a huge frog, ok huge to me, jumped off the roof onto my chest, and partially on my face. Needless to say we all had a good laugh, and the mouthwash ended up in my hair, and the frog, well he got a free ride to the other side of the yard. There were lots of little cuties, but I do know that I do not need as much candy as I bought. Will keep that in mind for next year. How was your Halloween? Got any funny stories? Share them here.

Caitlin, and I have a few projects for her History class, that hopefully we will be getting to soon. She is studying the fur trade right now, and needs to make a journal from the Lewis and Clark chapter. This week for Science, she will be starting some country research, and then closer to Thanksgiving, a Christmas Around the World series. She is writing at least three days a week, so some of these lessons could end up on her blog. She is currently doing letter topics, for writing. We are enjoying, The Yearling. Our first quarter ends the week of Thanksgiving, so I still have time before I have to stress about catching up on grading, lol.

DJ continues with all his studies, and is progressing quite nicely. Guitar, Marine Ecology, and Youth Band are going awesome, plus our regular 4H group. He volunteered twice this month at Camp Kerusso, and that has been such a blessing for him, and them.