One-Sixteenth

This week we completed Week 25 in Tapestry of Grace, which means that we are sticking to their schedule. However, we can do this because we're still really only doing the history; occasionally we do geography. I only do the literature when it suits me. So we read the history assignments, and discuss.

Somehow we were supposed to focus on Native American tribes this week, and I managed to fail to assign any reading about Native Americans. The library did not have the recommended books, and I didn't realize the emphasis TOG was trying to place here. Because I want to stay "on schedule" for history, we are not going to pause to make this up, even though I do think it's important for the kids to learn about the Native Americans. I think, instead, we will find a way to spend some time at the Smithsonian American Indian museum.

Meanwhile, my kids are learning things about the founding of the colonies that I never knew. They are learning about how each of the colonies was founded, and about the Indian wars that affected each. The level of detail is something I simply do not remember from my time in school. We learned how the colonies came to be as a group, and we learned a great deal about the local Indian tribes. (Except when I lived in Panama; then, we learned about the Iroquois.)

Connor continued his math and programming lessons with his father. He also continued reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond, as well as selected chapters from This Country of Ours and Our Island Story. He attended his last writing class, for now. He learned about the imperative mood in chapter 8 of Latin Prep; I haven't actually checked his Greek work yet, so do not yet know if he learned anything. He watched the first two lectures of Elizabeth Vandiver's Teaching Company lecture on the Iliad.

Aidan learned to multiply fractions in Right Start E. He learned about appositives, and did more work with the third declension in Henle Latin. I haven't checked his Greek, either - do you see a pattern here? He read Diane Stanley's Peter the Great, and a couple of chapters of Story of the World. He continues to read The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and will read D'Aulaire's Greek Myths whenever we find it again. He outlined a portion from SOTW, and composed a narration based on the outline. He, too, did programming lessons with Dad.

He also attended his first pack meeting with our new Cub Scout pack. It turns out that we've been sort of misled about Scouts. Aidan actually joined as a Tiger, when he was old enough to be a Bear. We were told that this would not matter, in the long run, and that he could just join Boy Scouts when he was 12, instead of 11. It turns out that this is not true. So, he has just one year to do the entire Webelos program - and he wants his Arrow of Light.

Griffin had a rough week in Singapore 1B, until I remembered that we have not yet encountered subtraction in Right Start, yet. This is my signal to leave the Singapore on the shelf, and go back to Right Start for awhile. Once the concept is introduced there, we can continue with it in Singapore. Every day, Griffin does handwriting practice, two or three pages in Explode the Code (he's currently in book 2), grammar from First Language Lessons, and either copywork or narration. A couple of times a week he also reads from Phonics Pathways, and I give him dictation from that. His confidence in reading is very low, and he needs intensive work.

Lachlan resists the 20 minutes of schoolwork I ask him to do each day. Still, he did do most of his lessons in Singapore 1 A, and his grammar in FLL, and his handwriting. He also did one narration for me this week.

We all did a nice nature walk, that I'll get to in another post. That, and documentaries about dinosaurs, comprised our informal science for the week. Aidan did read about Newton in SOTW.

A few weeks ago we read about the Great Fire of London. This week we finally got around to coloring and assembling a paper London. Now we just need to set it on fire. Homeschooling is always better with fire, right?

Tonight we're exhausted. We went back into D.C. and visited the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial. We walked a total of five miles. It was a beautiful day, though.

Tonight we also celebrate Mabon, the Fall Equinox. This week it has begun to feel like fall - the days are still warm, but the nights are cool, and the trees are thinking about changing color. The neighborhood kids are back in school, and the grocery stores are selling pumpkins. And we're having baked apples and pumpkin pie, tonight.