June - July 2007

We are have transitioned to a more relaxed "finishing up" mode these past two months. Goals for the summer have been:

Both children:

• to complete math workbooks
• to complete Story of the World vol. 2
• to continue daily catechism review
• to continue daily copywork or handwriting practice
• to read aloud and narrate Pollyanna
  

Additionally, for Erin:

• to progress as far as possible through the second grade First Language Lessons
• to complete reading and narration of the book of Genesis (I am having her read this aloud since she was having difficulty with unfamiliar names of places and people.)
  

And for Aidan:

• to continue reading and narrating daily from 365 Bible Stories

The children have worked on each of these daily on lesson days. Each child has typed and printed his own daily routines to make a Flylady-inspired control journal to help them manage their daily routines, schoolwork, and other responsibilities. We have done a handwork project, making dolls from My First Doll Book. We have captured black swallowtail caterpillars from our garden, learned how to care for them, made a butterfly house, observed the butterfly life cycle, and recorded it in our nature notebooks. We have also made two fishing trips and a field trip to a vet's office as part of Erin's 4-H projects.

Erin's independent reading:
Li Lun, Lad of Courage
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
The Wizard of Oz
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
The Book of the Dun Cow
Childcraft Guide for Parents (seriously. she read the whole thing.)
James Herriot's Stories for Children
Big Backyard and Ranger Rick magazines

Aidan's independent reading:
Li Lun, Lad of Courage
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
The Wizard of Oz
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
Big Backyard and Ranger Rick magazines
The Dangerous Book for Boys
*Andrew Lang's King Arthur
*The Sword in the Tree
*Favorite Medieval Tales
DK Shakespeare and the Globe
Aliki's William Shakespeare and the Globe
*Mr. Popper's Penguins

Generally as they complete a book, I ask them to tell me about it and we we discuss it informally. A * indicates a re-reading of something previously read.

Erin's independent activities:
creating a map of South America
completing her 4-H projects for the year (fishing & veterinary science) including reading, preparing a project talk, writing her 4-h story, completing her record book, and preparing exhibits for the fair
attending 4-H camp
learning new string figures and locating their countries of origin on the globe
garden square: marigolds and zucchini
playing Fritz & Chesster 2 (chess tutor). She is becoming very aware of and uses strategy in her chess playing now.
caring for guinea pigs
caring for neighbors' gardens and dogs while away
swimming, biking
imaginative play
watercolor painting (including illustrating Aidan's stories)
acolyte at church, attending Sunday school, family worship
attended VBS
participated in 4th of July bike parade and won 3rd place

Aidan's independent activities:
practicing the recorder (He hopes to perform two pieces at Christmastime in church.)
caring for guinea pigs
playing with computer map puzzles while listening to Bible mp3
playing Fritz & Chesster & Outnumbered (math game) He is becoming very adept at mental math, even beginning to handle large number operations mentally.
writing stories
a little woodworking with Dad
watercolor painting
garden square: corn and nasturtiums
imaginative play
swimming, biking
attending Sunday school, family worship
attended VBS
participated in 4th of July bike parade and won 3rd place