Here's Our Homeschool This Week

It's that time again! This week, we:

read books out loud and books independently and books online:

listened to audiobooks of the entire rest of the Magic Tree House series, I think (I'm talking several hours, here, as in at least one entire day of little people camped out on the floor next to the CD player); and played ourselves some Scrabble. Sydney and I pored over all her Valentines from last February AGAIN, and one night, after Matt read her Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, she spent the entire evening with a glow stick taped between her eyes. I taught Willow how to use the Primary Search database (available through our university library system for teacher training) and she had a happy time looking up Ranger Rick articles and having them read to her by a tinny digital voice.

spent some time (not as much as in previous weeks, thank gawd this phase is passing) on PBSKids.org; made and played with balancing butterflies; and played and played with our newish Cuisenaire rods. Willow masterminded the very successful butterfly snack of the weekend. Sydney ventured a maze or two, and watched her first episode of Cyberchase, which she liked only okay.

took many more photographs--

--and drew and created and imagined. Sydney did all of the decorating of the balancing butterflies, painted many pictures from the icky Disney Princess coloring book that she bought with her Christmas money--

--painted her nails in a gorgeous amplitude of colors, and helped me make her a butterfly wand.

read children's comics about the Boston Tea Party and the creation of the Star-Spangled Banner, and played with the timeline. Willow and I read Roald Dahl's book about the discovery of the Mildenhall Treasure, then researched it at the British Museum web site and added it to the timeline, too. I realized as I was pasting up some photos that I didn't leave much space for the world wars--we'll figure that out later.

watched just a little Syd the Science Kid (he's pro-vaccination); played with our brand-new stethoscope a LOT; attended a Demolition Derby with Daddy; worked in the garden; explored the local farmer's co-op with me and bought some bulk seeds appropriate for a fall garden; visited the Humane Society to love on the animals; and played a heck of a lot of Petz (Will has spent almost the entire day on this game today, adopting and caring for and training and taking digital photos of and playing with some inane, big-eyed computer Dalmatian puppies). Willow watched an episode of Life with me; researched whether or not umbrellas could be used as parachutes (youtube evidence is to the contrary); experimented with whether or not umbrellas could be used as boats (yes, if it's something super-light); read A Seed is a Promise, and was so moved by the part about the prehistoric seeds that are sprouted thousands of years later that she read the passage to us all at the dinner table; and read a lot of Ranger Rick. Syd had done a lot of cooking and baking with me this week, everything from lentils to French bread:

In the process, she's had a lot of flour and water play, making her own concoctions--

--and drawing pictures in a layer of cornmeal spread out on the table:

attended the county fair, riding the rides and seeing the sights; played in the dirt; played with friends; played on crutches; and hiked downtown. Will's newest method of getting around is to hop on her sound leg, and she has developed this skill to stunning heights. She can also go up and down stairs and inclines on her crutches, now, which is a pretty big deal. Sydney is again rocking Level 1 of swim class (sigh), is my go-to girl when I need some basil picked, and has taken it upon herself to keep all the household pencils nice and sharp.

Will has been heavy into creating signage this week, and Sydney is painstakingly working through copying out a letter to a friend that she dictated to me earlier this week, inviting said friend to go swimming with her:

Sydney is also a rock star:

And that's how we homeschooled this week!

P.S. Nope, all those photos of Sydney were not taken on the same day. She just likes that dress!