text: School 4 Princesses: February 2011
  TOG Year 4 Week 26
  This week we studied Johnson's idea of a Great Society. Once again, I was a bit unhappy about the resources that we were assigned to read in that there were several facts about the Civil Rights legislation of the 1950s and 1960s that were missing in the books we read. I spent some time looking for some alternate sources, but did not find many that were at the proper reading level. So I tried to just connect a few dots in our discussion time and decided that the next time we go through this year plan we can read more then.
  Latin for Children Primer A: Finish lesson 27 and begin lesson 28
  Math-U-See Epsilon: Finish lesson 2 and part of lesson 3
  IEW: We continued lesson 10.
  Foundations 1: Finish suffix -ED and begin suffix -ING
  MCT Language Arts: The Music of the Hemispheres: Read pages 64-79 We were learning about alliteration and the importance of letter sounds and cluster sounds that evoke the sounds of the subject.
  Practice Island: Sentence 52-55
  McCrabbs: 56-60
  Science: Lesson 12 & 13 - Fossils and Fossil Fuels
  TOG Yr4 Wk26: Timeline; SAPs; AQ/TQs; Reading - The Lilies of the Field; A Dream of Freedom; Idiot's Guide; Brother Andrew: God's Secret Agent; 10,000 Days of Thunder. Read Aloud - The Story of the World, Volume 4.
  Growing With Grammar 4: Chapter 5.12 to 6.2
  Math-U-See Delta: Finish lesson 1 and begin lesson 2.
  TOG Yr4 Wk26: Quizlet vocab; important people; SAPs; Reading - All the People, Martin Luther King Jr, The Cold War, Water Buffalo Days. Read Aloud - same as above.
  MFW First Grade: Lessons 57-63.
  Math-U-See Alpha: Lesson 3 - This lesson was for all review as she learned the blocks and their colors in Primer. We speed through and began lesson 4. Since we started flashcards earlier this year, she already knows her 0+ and +0 facts.
  Explode the Code Book One: finish book
  Explode the Code Book Two: Lesson one
  Nothing much to report with this little one. She had her best friend over for a few hours this morning for a play day. Her sister's choir concert was today so her mom asked me if she could drop her off. They had great fun playing with our Fischer Price Little People sets. We have all the pieces from when I was a kid that my mom saved, as well as some of the more more modern sets. When they get them all out they fill up the family room.
  Labels: TOG Yr4 U3
  With The Music of the Hemispheres, we talked about rhyme schemes. We talked about end rhyme, internal rhyme, and eye rhyme. So they had four minutes to make a list of rhyming words - as many as they could. Then they were instructed to use these to help them write a poem where they experimented with different rhyme schemes. I'll put Princess S's poem first.
  Pat has a hat. So does Mat.
  Pat and Mat are cats.
  Pat and Mat sat.
  Deep in wonder, they wander away.
  They see roses, oh so pretty.
  They see a thistlebush, what a pitty.
  They see a plate.
  They see a rat.
  I thought this was a great poem that showcases the different types of rhyme. And of course, her sense of humor has to show through.
  She dances into moonlight
  holding up her heavy head.
  Twirling out of sight,
  and tumbling into bed.
  The maiden spots a starry line
  as they twinkle, while she finds
  that counting stars instead of
  sheep will maybe help her find
  One star, two star, three star, four,
  five star, six! Hundreds more!
  Her eyes they fall,
  they flutter and twitch
  A sleeping maiden,
  beautiful to all, has fallen
  into dreaming calls.
  Princess E has been waiting impatiently for us to get to this book. She believes it will help her with her song writing. As you can see she has a way with words. The ending is a little wonky, but other than that, she did great. She experimented mostly with end rhyme patterns, but there are a few spots with internal rhyme.
  Labels: MCT Language Arts
  TOG Year 4 Week 25
  This week we looked at the last year of JFK's presidency. We learned about the March on Washington and why it was significant. Princess E looked at how the fight for civil rights in certain African countries was similar to the fight in the United States. Princess S has started a project for co-op on the Apollo missions. Princess L took an audiology screening this week to rule out a hearing loss. She passed with flying colors. Based on that, she will have one more week of speech therapy and then we will take a break to see if a little maturation will solve the remaining issues.
  Latin for Children Primer A: Finish lesson 26 and begin lesson 27
  Math-U-See Epsilon: Lesson 1 and part of lesson 2
  IEW: We began lesson 10.
  Foundations 1: Suffix -ED
  MCT Language Arts: The Music of the Hemispheres: Read pages 49-63 (learning about rhyming schemes) and did the writing exercise. I'll do another post with the poems that they wrote.
  Practice Island: Sentence 47-51
  McCrabbs: 51-55
  Science: Lesson 11 - Learning about Igneous Rocks
  TOG Yr4 Wk23: Timeline; SAPs; AQ/TQs; Reading - Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes, A Dream of Freedom, Idiot's Guide, Brother Andrew: God's Secret Agent, 10,000 Days of Thunder, The Making of Modern Africa. Read Aloud - The Story of the World, Volume 4.
  Growing With Grammar 4: Chapter 5.9 to 5.11
  Math-U-See Delta: Lesson 1 - I made the same deal with her for that I made with Princess E. If she can get 100% on her choice of the A,B or C sheets, then she can move straight to the review sheets. She must do all of those. If she is getting the new information wrong, then she will be doing the other sheets.
  TOG Yr4 Wk25: Quizlet vocab; important people; SAPs; Reading - All the People, Martin Luther King Jr, The Cold War, The Phantom Tollbooth. Read Aloud - same as above.
  MFW First Grade: Lessons 50-56.
  Math-U-See Alpha: Lesson 2 - this lesson has her practicing writing her numbers through 20. It is frustrating that she still does numbers backwards. If it were the same one all the time, that would be understandable, but she does random numbers backwards throughout the page. Since Alpha stresses mastery, I'm waffling with whether or not to move on, but I probably will. I think she'll get frustrated by doing the same writing every day.
  Explode the Code: pgs. 90-92
  I've come out of denial about this little one being a southpaw. For a while she would switch back and forth, and sometimes will eat right handed. But give her a pencil or crayon, and it will be put in her left hand. I know the saying goes that lefties tend to be more creative - so I'm clinging to that. I'm on a mission to learn more about how to teach a leftie to write.
  Awesome Giveaway at Keeper of the Home
  There is an awesome giveaway right now over at Keeper of the Home. I've always wanted a better water filter. We use a Brita which is kept in our fridge. We use it for drinking water and when we make some kind of drink mix (Crystal Light or reconstituted 100% juice). I do not use it for cooking. But I'd love to win this. Go here to find out more.
  Last Saturday, Princess E performed in her fifth MFMC piano festival. She performed two songs - Pagoda Bells by Rejino was the required song and her chosen song was Scherzo by Haydn. For the fifth year in a row she received a Superior score. This is the top score (five points) that one can receive. She earned a trophy after 15 points, and is looking to earn the next trophy. Princess M did not prepare for the festival this year, but is working to take her first piano exam in May. She has the songs almost memorized and is working on rhythmics and dynamics. She also is still working hard on the theory that is required for her level. Princess E has learned about another program called Bridges which will allow her to perform some required songs in addition to some of the songs she has written herself. She has to have a written score, however, and is trying to get her music put into Noteflight so that she can print it out nicely. It is a little difficult to do on a netbook because the screen is so small. I'm happy about her dedication to it, however she has used some of her school time to do it. Now she is quite behind for this week.
  Today I did something I have not done in thirteen years. I used to do it quite a lot in my youth, and a few times as an adult. For my kids it was their first time, and they enjoyed it. For me, I enjoyed it, but it makes me ask myself if I'm too old for it.
  The it in question would be downhill skiing. We had the opportunity to go skiing today, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The last time I went skiing, I has not yet a parent. And I was a bit lighter back then, too. Princess E and Princess S came along with us and were given a lesson. They caught on pretty quickly. Princess S was a bit more cautious and wanted to stick with the smallest hill most of the time. Princess E just enjoyed shooting down the hill without any poles and (sometimes) crashing at the bottom.
  As for me, it was like riding a bike. Once I went down the first hill it all seemed to come back to me. I did have one wipe out. Of course, it was right in front of the girls. I was slowing way down, but not stopping, and trying to look behind me to see where the hubby was. Then I ran right over my own pole and found myself on my back in seconds. The girls thought it was pretty funny. While it didn't hurt, getting up was not nearly as easy as it used to be. I had to straighten out and then wait for the hubs to help me up.
  However, I will admit that I am dreading having to get up out of bed tomorrow morning. I think my thighs will be in sorry shape, and my feet are quite sore already. So I ask again, am I too old for this?
  Labels: field trip, fun stuff
  Accountable Kids - Second Check In
  I figured I should report on how this is continuing to work. One problem is that while I don't have to remind them of each and every chore, I do have to remind them that they are to be working on their cards. I have to say to them about every 15 minutes, "Do you have free time yet? Are you done with your yellow chores? Your red chores?" That hasn't gone away yet.
  The other issue that I've come across is that they are forgetting to flip their cards over when a chore is completed and then I don't check it. If I don't check it then they cannot earn a ticket. It's difficult to check if the bathroom quick clean was done in the morning when it is 4:00 in the afternoon. I'm not sure yet how to combat this other than to remind them to flip over the chores when they are done.
  The final issue is that they are not completing any of the chores that they can earn money for. So this fix is easy and will be rolled out sometime later this week. From now on I will be assigning one of these chores to the bigger three girls each day, and they will not be earning money for them. The opportunity to earn money will still be there as I'll only put one chore on for each day, but the other chores will continue to be hanging as an opportunity. My hope is that eventually they will come to see that it is much more desirable to earn money for doing the chore than to simply have it assigned.
  TOG Year 4 Week 24
  This past week was a busy week. We learned about the first year of JFK's presidency and about the freedom rides. We learned about the Bay of Pigs incident, and about the beginning of the moon flights. But, because Nanny was with us this week, we focused only on our Tapestry studies and our individual work. Group work was set aside for time with Nanny. She was a big help and took the lead in doing some early spring cleaning with the big two girls in their bedrooms. She also got me started on a weighted blanket for Princess S. I have a plan now to hopefully have it finished by the time spring break roles around in a few weeks.
  Latin for Children Primer A: Finish lesson 25 and begin lesson 26
  Math-U-See Epsilon: After spending some time during her free week watching the DVD myself, I made a deal with Princess E, as I believe that this book is going to be a bit on the easy side for her. I told her that after watching the video and playing with the manipulatives, she can choose which worksheet - A,B or C - she wants to do. If she can get 100% (not 99.5%) on that sheet, then she can go straight do the review sheets for the lesson. She must do all of those as they often contain word problems which I think are so essential. If she doesn't get at least 85% on the test, then she has to go back and do the other two remaining worksheets.
  IEW: skipped due to Nanny's visit
  Foundations 1: Prefix FORE-
  MCT Language Arts: skipped due to Nanny's visit
  Practice Island: Sentence 43-46
  McCrabbs: 46-50
  Science: skipped due to Nanny's visit
  TOG Yr4 Wk23: Timeline; SAPs; AQ/TQs; Reading - Onion John, A Dream of Freedom, Idiot's Guide, Jim Elliot, The Making of Modern Africa. Read Aloud - The Story of the World, Volume 4.
  Growing With Grammar 4: Chapter 5.6 to 5.8
  Math-U-See Delta: She enjoyed her week off from math and will begin Delta on Monday.
  TOG Yr4 Wk22: Quizlet vocab; important people; SAPs; Reading - All the People, Martin Luther King Jr, Nate Saint; The Phantom Tollbooth. Read Aloud - same as above.
  MFW First Grade: Lessons 45-49.
  Math-U-See Alpha: Lesson 1 - this was all review, technically, but we're working on saying the "teen" numbers correctly. She always gets these confused with the "t" numbers - for example seventeen with seventy, so we spent a bit more time on that. Also we're trying to focus on writing the numbers a little better. Instead of making a snowman for "8", she is working on making an "s" with a straight line.
  Explode the Code: pgs. 85-89 We haven't used this in a while but I decided to go back and finish this one and move on to the next. Though these are quite easy for her, I think she needs the pencil practice and it is nice for her to have something that she perceives as being easy to make her feel smart.
  She spent a lot of time with Nanny coloring pictures and reading books.
  The girls also got to pick out a box of Valentines from Target and spent some time figuring out who to give each one. They will give them to kids from their Sunday School classes and their Awana book groups.
  TOG Year 4 Week 23
  The best laid plans. That is the theme for this week. I had big plans - God had other ones. Princess M came down with a nasty cold over the last weekend and gave us some temper tantrums. Then Princess E and I ended up with the same thing. We spent the last two days of this week of school tired, cranky and skipping anything unnecessary.
  Latin for Children Primer A: Begin lesson 25
  Math-U-See Epsilon: Princess E just enjoyed her week off from math and is ready to begin Epsilon on Monday.
  IEW: Final drafts are being worked on, but due to our illness on our IEW day, we didn't finish.
  Foundations 1: Suffix -NESS
  MCT Language Arts: The Music of the Hemispheres - we wrote a poem where we focused on using words in which the letter sounds sounded like our subject.
  Practice Island: Sentence 39-42
  McCrabbs: 41-45
  Science: Our Planet Earth - Lessons 9 and 10 - We learned about how rocks are formed.
  TOG Yr4 Wk23: Timeline; SAPs; AQ/TQs; Reading - Onion John, A Dream of Freedom, Mao Zedong's China, Idiot's Guide, Jim Elliot, The Making of Modern Africa. Read Aloud - The Story of the World, Volume 4; So Far From the Bamboo Grove.
  Growing With Grammar 4: Chapter 5.3 to 5.5
  Math-U-See Gamma: Finish Lesson 30 and Unit test and End of book test. She will get one week off and begin on Delta the following week.
  TOG Yr4 Wk22: Quizlet vocab; important people; SAPs; Reading - All the People, The Cold War, Martin Luther King Jr, Nate Saint; The Hardy Boys - The Tower Treasure. Read Aloud - same as above.
  MFW First Grade: Lessons 40-44.
  Math-U-See Alpha: She enjoyed her week off from math and will begin in Alpha on Monday.
  We have reached a block in the road that is tying in speech therapy and reading. Princess L's speech therapist wants us to have her tested with an audiologist for hearing loss. Not that she cannot hear sounds - she can do that fine, but that she is not interpreting those sounds as they are. If it was only her speaking certain sounds incorrectly, I'd say no big deal - she'll grow out of that. But it is causing problems with her reading and spelling also. So we do need to look at what is going on. I'm not sure what to hope for. In all honest, I just want the quick fix. But, God will show us the way through this in His time. I just need to learn patience.
  As I said, this little one had a bad cold. Every few minutes someone would have to chase her down to wipe her nose before she wiped it on her sleeve. It left her cranky and tired. (I know that because I got the same cold and I feel the same way.)
  This next week will have my mom visiting us from NC. We are still doing school, though the princesses are going to try to get as much done over the weekend as they can.