What We Learned 7-11 Jan 2013

Well, this being our first week of structured homeschooling, I figure it might be a good idea to recap the week for future reference.

Here is what our schedule for the week looked like on paper.

Monday        
Science: Read about crystals; make borax snowflakes
Math: Worksheets- addition, subtraction, place values
Reading: Start reading "Paddywack" by Stephanie Spinner

Tuesday
Writing: Letters to family/friends (don't want to spoil the surprise)       
Art: Read about Leonardo da Vinci; recreate the Mona Lisa
Music: Read about Mozart; listen to Mozart CD while recreating the Mona Lisa

Wednesday
Math: Worksheets- Addition, subtraction, place values
Geography: Read about Austria; trace the route that Maestoso Petra traveled during WWII
Reading: Continue with "Paddywack"

Thursday
History: Discuss and create a timeline
P.E- Yoga DVD, dance party, family fun zone.

Friday
Math: Worksheets- addition, subtraction, place values
Writing: Begin monthly story (Emma will write/illustrate a story throughout the month based on the people, places, and things we learn about all month long)
Reading: "Paddywack"

And here is what our week looked like in pictures:

Monday- no pictures, but we started our day with 10 minutes of yoga, then we manage to get the math and reading done, as well as a ton of cleaning.  Science got pushed to Tuesday due to all the cleaning and the need to get ready for our weekly meetup with the base homeschool group at the base gym. Emma and I typically get there between 1:00 and 2:00 as Jared brings us in after his lunch. Most of the homeschoolers don't show up until 3:30 or so. Gives Emma lots of time to have the place to herself. This Monday was extra special because a girl Emma met the first weekend we arrived here was able to come play as well (we have been trying to set up a play date, but the holiday's made that difficult).

Tuesday-

Borax Snowflakes- Day 1

Read from: "Growing Crystals" and "Rocks and Minerals"

Emma's recreation of the Mona Lisa

Read: "Leonardo da Vinci" by Barbara Witteman and "Mozart Finds a Melody" by Stephanie Costanza

Our Mona Lisa recreations, created while listening to Mozart's Symphony No. 40.

How we did our Mona Lisa recreations- Printed out image to recreate. Roughly traced the image using tracing paper. Cut some watercolor paper to printer size (8.5 x 11). Copied tracing onto watercolor paper using the printer. Paint! 

Emma really loved this. I reminded her before hand that we were not shooting for perfection, and I think that helped her a lot. She enjoyed making her own colors for her Mona Lisa. 

Wednesday-

We ended up taking a family field trip instead of our regularly scheduled school work. Hey, what's the point of homeschooling if you can't answer the door when opportunity knocks?

Thursday- Uh, we are just going to call this a recovery day. Emma and I made a trip to the grocery store to stock up a bit as we are going to be getting anywhere from 2-18 inches of snow in the next few days. We spent the rest of the day crafting and listening to Harry Potter. 

Friday- We played catch-up all day. Thankfully our days were not overly scheduled to begin with.

Started the day with some yoga 

Filling out the the rest of the Horse Geography sheet

Reading Paddywack 

(she actually finished it today)

Our Borax Snowflakes 

(after an extra day in the saturated solution)

Well, it wasn't the smoothest week, but we had a great time, got some learning accomplished, and even kept the house reasonably clean. 

We'll take it.