Just About 3/4 Done With Our School Year!

I love this time of year, we start to finish up some classes, and get more free time for fun stuff.  Plus, it is warm outside, gardening, pool, hiking and springs are on our mind, not textbooks, lol.  Caitlin has finished up her Spanish, for this year.  She is 90% finished reading her History book, then we get to start some of the fun activities, which I will be sure to share for all of you.  DJ finished up Driver Ed, and Digital Design, some time ago.  He has writers block about half way through his second book, yes I said his second book.  So, I think I will be supplementing that time with Biology labs, plus he is reading the first Percy Jackson book to his sister.  A couple weeks ago, Caitlin and I finished reading, The Yearling.  Now, I will not say it was the most exciting book, it was not, and it took us a while to read, mostly because of the slang language.  I really wanted to sound like they would have, lol.  However, it was an amazing coming to age book, and though I had predicted pretty early on the ending, I still was shocked, and horrified.  You will just have to read it to see what I mean.  Classical literature is very often not that exciting, I find, but the lessons taught are really amazing.  DJ, and I read,  To Kill A Mockingbird, last year, not his favorite by far.  But, I loved it, a little slow, but so worth the read.  Now, I am reading the sequel which moves quite a bit faster.  Don't expect me to have it done anytime soon, I am notorious for reading three to four books at any one time.  I know, crazy, done it my whole life though.  I think I will have DJ read it for next year.  Speaking of next year, it is time to start thinking about it.  For DJ, I think the only two things we have completely agreed on is Saxon Geometry, and the next class in the Digital Design certificate classes, on FLVS.  Most likely he will also do World History, on FLVS, as well.  That saves me both money and time.  For Caitlin, I think I will also stick with Saxon Math, and she will use 7/6.  I am going to skip 6/5 and move right to 7/6.  She has improved greatly, and she will be in 7th grade, so she will be at grade level.  I used Saxon Math, when I was in school, so I am very comfortable with the layout and lessons.  That is what we have been up to, Monday we are going on a family field trip, should be fun!

A Separate Peace, Romeo and Juliet, Martin Luther King Jr, and the Winter Olympics

Our school week was shortened, due to one of the kids feeling ill yesterday.  Today, DJ and I will be watching, A Separate Peace, then Math and Spelling.  Caitlin will finish her next friendly letter, Math, Science, Reading and Spelling.  Our Earth Kids meeting was postponed, for today, due to a scheduling conflict. 

Next week, we are switching things up a bit.  Monday we are taking a field trip, our final visit to Bush Gardens.  Then we start a Martin Luther King Jr, unit study, and our new Geography game, which we only got in once this week.  Learning via games is especially fun, and a nice way to learn.  If you missed the states Geography game post, you can find it in my archives.  I will have the virtual states up soon.  I am about halfway through with that.  We won't start that, until the kids have mastered the Geography part of the game.  DJ, and I, will also begin reading Romeo and Juliet next week.  We will read, and also listen to the book.  I chose this method, because sometimes Shakespeare is hard to understand.  I read Romeo and Juliet in high school, but that was a real long time ago.  Over the weekend I will share all the links to all these, and some Winter Olympics lessons too.  Feb will be a different month for us.  We will get in as much as we can, plus do Olympics studies as well. 

The end of this second grading period is Jan 31st which is also the date of the Medieval Fair.  Boy, that is a busy weekend, but more on that later.

Robinson Crusoe Audio Book

If you have children that like to listen to audio books, then today's freebie is perfect.  It is a Robinson Crusoe mp3 audio book.  My kids hate listening to books, so this is not one we will use.  I hope many others will find it very useful though.  Just click the link to visit the website, to obtain your freebie. 

Today is our Earth Kids meeting, and we continue studying Oceans and the creatures that live there.  I will post all the links, and pictures of the projects we do, after the meeting is completed.  I told the kids today, I am switching the meetings to only once a month, rather than twice.  They are not super happy about that, but there are several good reasons to do it.  As with all classes, done during school hours, there is a reading, math and geography lesson, centered around the Leafy Sea Dragon, oh and art too.  I am making a pizza in the shape of a Leafy Sea Dragon.  You will have to come back to see how it comes out.  I have never done one like this before.  I figure we are going to eat it anyways, so if I mess it up no big deal.  I found a cake also, but that looked way complicated.

I love all the Scholastic products, and am considering trying the book below with my daughter next year, for fifth grade. I do have the Saxon book I can use, that my son used, but will have to see.

Lesson Snips, a website I have used a lot in my years of homeschooling, is both a paid and free website. You sign up, and then pick if you want free, or paid. I recommend the free. I had the paid, but was not happy with it for many reasons. You get a lot of stuff for free. Check it out, and they have all subjects, and all grades.