Here's Our Homeschool This Week

This week-ish, we:

had lots of marble races with our newish-to-us garage sale marble maze; spent some time on PBSKids.org (Dinosaur Train, which is mathy/sciencey, is perennially popular); watched a little Cyberchase and read How Big is It? over and over and over again, and requested Hillman's other books from the library because they are GREAT; and played with building toys both familiar and novel. Sydney played a Blue's Clues computer game, pretended that she wanted to work a 500-piece puzzle with me but instead rolled around on the floor in all the pieces and griped at me whenever I stopped working on the puzzle for even a second, and decorated and cut out innumerable paper snowflakes:

Willow asked me to get Crazy Machines from the library again, so I did, and she spent some happy time immersing herself in the wonder of physics:

goofed around a little with some homemade handwriting sheets. Willow still enjoys creating signage, and Sydney wrote out greeting cards to be mailed to beloved and far away family.

continued an obsession with Magic Tree House, occasionally listening to the audiobooks for hours at a time while otherwise occupied; sampled other audiobooks and CD readers now and then; were read to and read to themselves; visited Borders and the library; and watched Martha Speaks. Willow spends the majority of her waking hours reading, alone or in company:

She finshed all the Breyer Stablemates books except for Penny, which is currently in the possession of some other small library patron; read out loud to her sister and the kittens quite often; FINALLY received the Dinosaur Cove book that she'd been waiting for from the library forever (I actually got my librarian friend to purchase more copies of these books for the library--a six-year-old shouldn't have to wait two months for a book), and read it; and received from the library and read all the rest of the Boxcar Children graphic novels.

went to the farmer's market, went on playdates, did a little shopping and a lot of chores, gardened, played on the jungle gym (I just don't look when Willow + cast dangle from the monkey bars), and helped out at the craft fair. Sydney finished up swim class, and earned her certificate this time, so when swim classes start again next summer, she will finally, FINALLY be in Level 2.

watched a few documentaries; played a little Petz (not so much this week, thank GAWD because it's annoying); held a Great Cookie Bake-Off of our own--

--dried flowers in our flower press; watched Dinosaur Train amply (Willow instructed me to mark my planner for the date and time of some sort of Dinosaur Train special episode next week); pored over some of our collection of Smithsonian handbooks--primarily the horse and butterfly handbooks, I believe); attempted to use the laminator (great lessson for the babies on dealing with frustration, that laminator) and played with, cared for, trained, and loved our sweet, sweet foster kittens:

Willow baked her loaves of exemplary French bread, and managed to goof around with our collection of beach rocks and the hose without getting her cast wet, thank goodness.

There was singing, and instrument play. There was Wee Sing.

Sydney and I colored some of an amazing set of coloring greeting cards about the American Revolution, a souvenir purchased in Boston. While doing that we discussed the American Revolution, and how people get dead and what happens to them next, and how come Sydney wasn't a baby during the American Revolution or even growing inside Momma and Momma wasn't even a baby yet, and what Sydney could possibly be doing if she wasn't even a baby yet, and my personal views on war.

picked out quilt fabric for a new I Spy quilt; created our own art and also filled in coloring pages; sewed; made patterns and designs and pictures with Colorforms; and fingerpainted in the front yard:

Willow dug out some Valentine craft kit that I bought at 90%-off who knows when and happily made a Valentine craft. Sydney took advantage of some work that I was doing on the Cricut to request a bunch of cuts, and happily made herself some paper doll mermaids out of the pieces.

And that's how we homeschooled this week!

Next week's goals:

• 
  
  coffee can ice cream
• 
  
  fireworks in the driveway
• 
  
  Indiana State Fair!