Weekly Report 8/21/09

Okay, back to something resembling a reasonable week. We're continuing to gear up to "full schedule" mode, and are still missing several subjects, but feel like we're accomplishing a lot.

MONDAY

Thalia decides she would like to try Jacob's Algebra, and since she likes to work through things sequentially she starts at the beginning. Which is easy-peasy work in addition.

Annabeth picks up where she left off in RightStart D, lesson 93 "Square Inches in a Square Foot". We don't time the Quick Practice sheet, which is just as well since she's totally out of the groove of quickly answering 50 multiplication problems. The lesson itself, though, is easy -- simply finding the area of various rectangles.

Somehow we end up reading the section of the first chapter of Story of the World 4, The Modern Age, entitled "Victoria's England". We discuss the questions listed in the Activity Guide, and I suggest that Thalia work on the outline while Annabeth does the map. Thalia objects since she wants to do the map -- she used to HATE the SOTW maps, so this is a new twist. But, okay, they each get a map. I'm not really planned out on how we're going to do history this year, so this is sort of experimental as far as what we do and how much we do. While putting the Activity Guide away I notice that the book At Her Majesty's Request has a note that it should have a parental preview; I had checked it out of the library, and when Annabeth asked what it was I handed it to her and told her she should read it. Well, hmm, maybe that wasn't so clever on my part. I ask the kids, and they say, yeah, it has some fairly graphic parts about people being killed -- Annabeth had shown them to Thalia. Welcome to the Modern Age, kids, where we explore man's inhumanity to man.

Thalia also works on her beloved Analytical Grammar. I really don't understand the attraction, but maybe if someone had helped me choose a grammar program I liked and understood I wouldn't have developed such a bad attitude towards the subject.

Annabeth wants to start grammar, but, alas, her books aren't here yet. She'll be using First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Child, Year 4.

Thalia also picks up Latin Alive and reviews vocabulary.

In the meantime, Annabeth decides to do some art. She wants to paint. I suggest that she paint from photos, as that's a bit easier. We end up in Artistic Pursuits 1, looking at the chapter on Degas, who painted ballerinas from photographs. She decides to paint portraits of our cats.

We do some read alouds -- another chapter of Little History of the World. And we finally made it back to the top of the hold list for Theras and His Town, which we had started several weeks ago. We all remember the plot line fairly well, so we just start in where we left off, as Theras is heading to Sparta. The book is due back soon, and has more holds on it, so we'll be reading several chapters each day.

Both kids practice piano, and we go to piano lessons, during which we discuss with Mrs. Piano Teacher what to look for in voice lessons -- Thalia has been asking about these.

And the day ends in dance lessons.

TUESDAY

Annabeth is now working on 2 digit multiplication in RightStart D. This seems fairly easy for her -- is this review material? It seems like so long since we've done math that I can't remember.

Thalia continues with Jacob's Algebra. I notice a tendency to get sort of showy with her answers -- she can see how some of these problems could be expressed as functions.

More Analytical Grammar for Thalia, then she requests that we do spelling. In the past we've used Spelling Power -- she likes the program, I'm somewhere between "neutral" and "active dislike". We pick it up exactly where we left off months and months ago -- Level G Group 42. Bleh.

Annabeth paints another cat.



We read more Little History of the World. -- we're up to Charlemagne. Several more chapters of Theras and His Town are read. And Annabeth asks if we can return to reading The Secret Garden.

Piano is practiced, Annabeth takes off to photograph the neighbor's cat for future painting projects, then comes home to go to another dance class.

Thalia starts back in on actual lessons in Latin Alive.

WEDNESDAY

More 2 digit multiplication for Annabeth.

More Jacob's Algebra, Analytical Grammar and Latin Alive for Thalia, as well as more Spelling Power. Sometimes her algebra answers are better than those in the answer guide.

More Secret Garden, Theras and His Town, and Little History of the World.

We go through all of the art bins and boxes to see what equipment we have. We have 2 sets of everything for Artistic Pursuits K-3, an extremely random selection of drafting and drawing equipment (pencils, Rapidograph and points, Design markers, a nice compass set), a selection of Waldorf-type art supplies (Stockmar block crayons, Stockmar stick crayons, Stockmar watercolors, high quality paintbrushes, a wooden jar holder, brand new box of colored beeswax for modelling). And, of course, the box of 48 Prismacolor pencils and box of Prismacolor markers. We rarely "do" art, by the way. We discuss the possibility of signing up for an art class, but Thalia would rather work on things here for now. We also have the Middle School version of Artistic Pursuits, and she decides to start on the first lesson.

More piano practice. More dance classes.

THURSDAY

RIghtStart D is a review sheet, which is always a nice break from the regular lessons.

Our new copy of First Language Lessons, vol. 4 has arrived. Annabeth considers waiting until Monday to start, but I point out that the first lesson is almost exactly like the first lesson in vol. 3, so she decides it would be okay to do today.

Thalia fits in some algebra, some spelling, some Analytical Grammar.

We attend a scout meeting, which is mostly a planning session.

At this point the kids are taking sketch pads around everywhere.

Annabeth remembers to practice piano. Thalia subs for a ceili team practice (dance team). Annabeth has to go along, since Rick isn't home.

FRIDAY

Theras and his Town is FINISHED.

Another chapter of Little History of the World, and of The Secret Garden are read.

We read the next section of SOTW4, The Sepoy Mutiny (hey, I read about this in The Far Pavilions earlier this summer), questions discussed, mapwork done, work on homemade timeline, and outline completed.

Thalia finishes chapter 6 of Latin Alive, commenting that the book's explanation of Indirect Objects is fairly lame, but she understands them from Analytical Grammar. I notice that she seems to have totally missed the entire Dative of Reference concept, probably because the book's explanation is weak.

She also completes Level G Group 47 of Spelling Power, leaving only the various review tests to go in Level G.

Annabeth continues reading At Her Majesty's Request independently.

Piano is practiced. We visit a place that gives acting classes and sign up for the semester.

Still to come: 2.5 hours of dance class for Annabeth.