American History

I've been going back and forth the past few weeks on what to use for our American History study. We are currently using SOTW 1 for history but I want my dc to learn about the country that they are a part of now and not in a couple of years, at the rate we're going in my take that long to get through SOTW 1! LOL I thought about using My Father's World I posted a few questions on the WTM board and got a lot of great reviews for it, I even got an offer to purchase it for a fraction of the cost. However after looking thoroughly at the main spine I was just not happy with it. Don't get me wrong, I think MFW looks like a great curriculum but the Adventures program just isn't for us.

I found a book called "America Alive a history" by Jean Karl It looks to be a great spine that covers from the first Americans all the way up to the present, or the early 90's, on my dc level. I think this will work well for us the only thing is it is out of print. I could just keep renewing it and then once my renewals are up check it out again. I might be able to make it work.

Another book I got from the library is called "Jamestown 1607" by Michael L. Cooper. This
book goes into detail about what life was like for the first colonist.

I'm excited about putting together my own plans for our American History study! I've been really nervous about doing this. I tend to be a perfectionist, if I can't do something just so I start to get overwhelmed and anxious and then just give up. I'm going to take the bull by the horns this time and just plow threw! Wish me luck and check back as I will keep you updated on what we are doing!

Weekly Report

Well another week is coming to an end so here is what we got accomplished so far.

Math

Princess and Speed Racer have been completed lessons 117-122. They have learned two new triplets this week14, 7, 7, and 14, 8, 6. They've practiced counting by 5's from 100. Speed Racer has been having trouble writing numbers over 100, he has been getting the ones and tens places mixed up. He'll write 151, for 115 and can't figure out why that is wrong. I'll cover the 1 and ask him what is this number '51' he'll say fifty one, so then I'll ask him would that be the way to write 115 and then he'll erase and fix it. I'm having trouble figuring out how to explain this concept to him. I think I need to go back and have him fill out his 1000's book that we never did and hopefully that will help.

Reading

Princess finished The Box Car Children #2 Surprise Island yesterday I'm so proud of her.

Speed Racer has read book 22 in the BRI books. I need to print off some more books so today I'm just going to have him read a couple of other phonetic readers that I have.

Spelling

Princess will finish step 11 today in All About Spelling level 3

Speed Racer will be spelling some words from the BRI books

Grammar

Princess is still working on adjectives. We haven't moved from lesson 13 yet in FLL 3 because she has quite got it yet. There was only one page in spectrum language arts on adjectives which I had her complete. I'm really not that happy with the way FLL 3 is explaining adjectives so I'm trying to come up with something else that will help princess, perhaps some worksheets from the internet will do well or we may just keep trudging through FLL 3 and hopefully it'll eventually click.

Speed Racer, I have pretty much dropped grammar with him at this point. I have him do some work in an old grammar workbook that I have but I think grammar is a little above him right now so I'm trying not to worry about it too much.

Poetry

Princess is working on memorizing The Land of Nod by Robert Louis Stevenson I'm amazed at how well she can memorize.

I haven't introduced any new poems for Speed Racer. Memorizing doesn't come that easy to him and it's another one of those things that I've let slide for now.

Read Alouds

We finished "Thanksgiving on Thursday" This week, the kids really enjoyed it. Yesterday I started read "The Pilgrims on Plimoth" It's a long picture book that we made about half way through before Sweetie Pie woke up. Then they colored a couple of Thanksgiving pictures.

Well, at least we got more done this week than last. I'm still not happy with where we are and I'm hoping to sit down this weekend and really work out a good plan of action for us. It's just hard to get anything down with a very needy preschooler and baby!

Like the new look?

I wanted to decorate my blog for Christmas so I went over to Simply Fablous Blogger Templates , where I downloaded my other blog design, and to my excitement she had new templates for the holidays! There were so many beautiful designs I had trouble choosing just one. But I finally did and I just love it! I hope you all love it too!

Thankful

This song has really spoken to me these last few weeks so I thought I would share it. It is the first song that is played on my playlist.

"Thankful"

by Josh Groban

Somedays we forget

To look around us

Somedays we can't see

The joy that surrounds us

So caught up inside ourselves

We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for

What we know can be.

And on this day we hope for

What we still can't see.

It's up to us to be the change

And even though we all can still do more

There's so much to be thankful for.

Look beyond ourselves

There's so much sorrow

It's way too late to say

I'll cry tomorrow

Each of us must find our truth

It's so long overdue

So for tonight we pray for

What we know can be

And every day we hope for

What we still can't see

It's up to us to be the change

And even though we all can still do more

There's so much to be thankful for.

Even with our differences

There is a place we're all connected

Each of us can find each other's light

So for tonight we pray for

What we know can be

And on this day we hope for

What we still can't see

It's up to us to be the change

And even though this world needs so much more

There's so much to be thankful for

Sweetie Pie Disciplines herself!

The other day Sweetie Pie kept handing me Casanova's muddy shoes while I was sitting in the recliner. I kept telling her thank you and then would put them back by the door, and she would promptly picked them back up and hand them back to me. Finally I told her in a firm voice to leave the shoes where they were. After I told her that, she walked over to the corner and put her nose in it! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry! I guess she has seen Casanova be sent to the corner one too many times. Since then there has been a couple of times when I haven't said anything to her, if she gets upset about something she will go stand in the corner. The poor thing. I keep telling her she doesn't have to stand in the corner but she doesn't understand. LOL

Weekly Report

Is it Friday already? Man where did the week go? I hate to say we didn't get much accomplished this week. It's been a very stressful week for me and I just haven't had the energy to do school with the kids.

I will list the few things that did get done. Hopefull next week will be better.

Math we did lessons 115 & 116 which is a lot considering there are 4 pages for each lesson in Rod & Staff. We are still on triplet 14 8 6, either today or Monday we will learn our new triplet 14 7 7

Princess is almost finished with The Boxcar Children Surprise Island! I am so proud of her.

Speed Racer will be reading book 21 in BRI today. He has two books to read to me today then he will earn his book-it certificate!

Grammer didn't get done at all this week, hanging my head low in shame!

History, I'm going to try to read our next Chapter in SOTW 1 today.

Spelling, I've gone over a few words with Princess in AAS. I really need to come up with a system for this that gets done on a daily basis.

Well at least we did something this week, it would have been very easy for me to just take the week off. Here's to a better next week!

What we are reading

Our read aloud for this week is Magic Treehouse #27 Thanksgiving on Thursday. This is our first reading of a Magic Tree House book and the kids are really enjoying it. Princess would be happy if I was able to read it all in one sitting. Everytime I say I'm going to stop she begs me to read more. I would but usually either Sweetie Pie Casanova isn't cooperating. It's isn't easy to read aloud when you have a baby sitting on your lap grabbing at the book or a very active 4 year old running around like crazy!

Princess is Reading the second book in the boxcar children, Surprise Island. She is really enjoying it to my relief. She doesn't like chapter books, or reading in general. I have given her the incentive of earning a pizza hut book-it award when she finishes it.

Spead Racer is on book 20 of BRI. He says he does'nt like them because they are too easy. I struggle with this because I know he wishes he could read things that are on a harder level but he just can't. I don't want him to feel like he is reading baby books. I told him when he reads 3 more to me he will earn his pizza hut book-it award. I'm really beginning to wonder if he is dyslexic. More on this letter.

I just finished read "Multiple Blessing" By Jon and Kate Gosslin. It was interesting. It gave me a little more insight into why Kate is the way she is. I'm the type of person that tries to give people the benefit of the doubt. She has issues just like the rest of us.