5/25/10

Blog in Construction

If you get this in a blog reader, you won't notice, but I'm going to be doing some experimenting on my blog. Please bear with me. Thanks.

5/24/10

Princess S: Finishing TOG Y2

As has become our tradition, on Monday the 17th I gave the princesses all the rest of their assignments. I told them that when they were done with their assignments and the CAT testing, then they were done for the year. Princess S, who is normally always behind and unable to focus, pushed on through to finish everything in one week. Last night she said she figured she would be bored because her sister wasn't done yet, and none of the neighborhood kids were done either. Here is what she accomplished.

Growing with Grammar: 5.15 to Chapter 5 review - I really like this series and will be continuing it next year with her. There aren't any pictures or colors on the pages. This is what she needs as pictures and colors are distracting to her. The lessons are simple for her to use all on her own, and she can complete a lesson in about twenty minutes - if she concentrates, that is.
Math-U-See: Finish Lesson 20 and Unit 3 test - I decided to stop this early because lesson 21 deals with multiple digit multiplication. I didn't want her to learn this and then have to remember it over break.
Literature: Amos Fortune, Free Man
TOG: vocab, important people copywork, geography study
Reading: The New Nation (excerpts), Shh, We're Writing the Constitution (excerpts) Napoleon
Read Aloud: We got behind on our read alouds. We need to finish Pipe, Paddle and Song. We will do this over the next week or so during lunch. I haven't decided if we will do the last assigned Read Aloud for Year Two, or if we will pick one from Year Three, which we are skipping.

Princess S took the CAT test, which is one option of many in our state. She did pretty well. She insisted on doing all 6 tests in one day. I could tell by the last two that she was getting tired because she made a few errors that I know she shouldn't have made. Other than that she did great. Of course, that's not from having them scored but from going through and doing it myself. I will work on scanning in some of her work this year and add a slide show later.

5/17/10

TOG Y2 W34

The end is near. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Summer is about to begin! We've got two weeks left, and to continue what has become our tradition, today I will give the princesses their last two weeks worth of assignments. When they are done with them, then they are done with school for this school year. (Except for our required CAT testing, that is.) I think one will be getting done a week early. The other one - let's just say she may take more time than two weeks! Here's what we did last week.

Princess E
Latin: Lesson 16.1 to 16.3, Exercise 15.8 to 15.10, Word Power I1 and I2
Math-U-See: Start Lesson 21
Literature: Johnny Tremain
TOG: vocab, important people copywork, geography study
Reading: Our Living Constitution (excerpts), George Washington's World (excerpts), The Struggle for Sea Power (excerpts)
Read Aloud: With Pipe, Paddle and Song

Princess S
Growing with Grammar: 5.12 to 5.14
Math-U-See: Start Lesson 20
Literature: Amos Fortune, Free Man
TOG: same as above
Reading: From Colonies to Country (excerpts), Shh, We're Writing the Constitution (excerpts)
Read Aloud: same as above

Princess L
MFW Kindy: Lesson 22 through Lesson 24
Math-U-See: Start Primer lesson 18


Princess M
This little princess has totally entered the "I Do It Self" stage. She is always saying that now. Of course, as is par for the course, she always wants to "do it self" when we need to be somewhere and never when I want her to "do it self". She also picked up one of my constant phrases whenever someone calls for me. "Jus a secon!" she is yelling. I guess maybe it's not the best thing to do, but I got in the habit because it lets the person know that I've heard them and will be giving them 100% attention as soon as I finish the task I am in the middle of. (This is opposed to the complete silence that the princesses give me, requiring me to continually call their name several times, which drives them nuts and they respond back, not so nicely, "I heard you the first time.") But Princess M says it back to me constantly.

I have been working hard at next year's plans. We will be skipping TOG Y3 in order to join a co-op a few towns away. Thus, we will be doing TOG Y4. I also have been looking at some other new things to fill in areas of weakness. I'm pretty excited about them, and think it will help us to jump a few hurdles. I'm working at getting all the lesson plans entered into HST+. Some I found already done and am tweaking to how I do things, others I have to do from scratch. My goal is to have everything for next year scheduled into HST+ by the end of June. Then I will have July to get all my copying done and rearrange our homeschool/living room.

5/11/10

TOG Y2 W32-33

Well, we've had a crazy week and a half. First, DH's car died on the side of the road on the way to work. Then we are offered his Grandmother's Caddy to drive until we found a different car, as his wasn't fixable. It died on the side of the road on the way to work. So he took our van, which thankfully, did not die. But it left us without for a few days. But we now have a new-to-us car that should work great for several more years.

Princess E
Latin: Lesson 15.4 to 15.6, Exercise 15.3 to 15.5, Vocabulary I
Math-U-See: Lesson 20
Literature: Johnny Tremain
TOG: vocab, important people copywork, geography study
Reading: Why Not, Lafayette? (excerpts), Our Living Constitution (excerpts), George Washington's World (excerpts), This Country of Ours (excerpts), The Struggle for Sea Power (excerpts), Daniel Boone: Young Hunter and Tracker
Read Aloud: With Pipe, Paddle and Song

Princess S
Growing with Grammar: 5.6 to 5.11
Math-U-See: Finish Lesson 18 and Do Lesson 19
Literature: King Mountain
TOG: same as above
Reading: From Colonies to Country (excerpts), Daniel Boone: Woodsman of Kentucky
Read Aloud: same as above

Princess L
MFW Kindy: Lesson 16 through Lesson 21
Math-U-See: Primer lesson 16 to 17


Princess M
Potty Training is pretty much done. She's doing awesome! I am trying to think through what we will do with this princess next fall. She will be almost three. She will not be able to go into Cubbies yet. She's really at an awkward in-between stage. Too big for somethings, too little yet for others. Isn't that the story of life though?