We are a family who likes to be busy and when we are busy all is well in our camp. And this week has been super busy which has lead to a super week! This was a schooling week (as opposed to an unschooling week) and we finished everything I had planned.
The older children continued with Conquer Maths for an hour each day with very few problems cropping up. They also completed their first unit in Cover Story and wrote their first formal piece, a review article for their magazine. They all did a great job except I could see C12 had got herself into a tangle and lost her flow of thought. She is by far my strongest writer but doesn’t really enjoy non fiction stuff. She chose to write a review of Taylor Swift’s song Style. Having never heard it I was at a bit of a loss to help her immediately, so we left it for a day to give me a chance to listen to it. I am so not musical, at all. I therefore googled other reviews of the same song, photocopied them with a copy of the lyrics. She read them, which gave her a clearer idea of how to write a review. I also scrawled one of the most useful things I learnt at university on the inside of her book. KISS – Keep It Simple Sweetiepie just to remind her not to complicate things unnecessarily. She has a very busy mind which goes off at a tangent very easily!
In our morning meetings we finished off chapter two of Who is God? and the older ones filled in their journals; after which we read a couple of chapters from a teen girls’ and boys’ devotional guide to the teenage years.
I have also begun the Mystery of History Book three. I haven’t really liked the Homeschool in the Woods curriculum we were using for the renaissance (I love their explorers one, however) because there seemed to be no logic to it. I decided I would begin reading Mystery of History, one lesson a day. This week we have completed five lessons. We won’t be doing all the activities which go with as we quite enjoy doing our own thing with whatever takes our fancy.
The older ones have spent their quiet time reading the Tudor books I bought for them and yesterday both twins had finished the list. So the book reviews I was requiring after each book did absolutely nothing to slow them down. Amazon, here I come…
The afternoons have been spent finishing off tasting all the foods we had dried from the last school week as well as learning heaps of things about DNA. It has been an exceptionally busy but productive week.
But that is just the school wrap up. Life still occurs in between the books with cuddling, playing, dressing up and all sorts of other activities filling everyone’s time.
A6 became queen for the day, for no particular reason:
And my littlest showed off her new birthday present from Auntie Nik, a gorgeous princess dress:
In fact she has spent most of the week in this….
….learning how to wink:
…and playing with Daddy and her big sister:
We have had pond times and park times:
And great fun tree climbing:
The girls have taken up jogging along side T as he cycles:
He has also found time, though, to take his littlest sister for a walk in the rain so she can use her new to her umbrella:
Speaking of which, the little girls have been enjoying their new charity shop acquisitions outside the house and in(!):
I’ve snapped a few photos of the children in the kitchen doing their chores this week. Who says chores can’t be fun?
I’ve watched my two littlest bond terrifically since they have had their own room and they play for hours – with pipe cleaners making all manner of accessories:
as well as the new bane of my life – straws. These get everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. And no sooner are they picked up, out they come again for round two, or three, or sixty-three. Here is A6 holding up her spider web, complete with a spider that the two of them had just made:
Loving my life right now. So blessed with my little family and home schooling. I hope you have all had an equally fandabbydosy week and I wish you a fun-filled weekend ahead!
You have a beautiful family. It looks like you have so much fun together!
Thank you, we certainly try to have lots of fun!
You all had a very busy and fun week it seems! Love the way you all do one week of formal school another week of unschool. Is Conquer Math like A+ Interactive? Dropping in from Weekly Wrap Up.
I’m not sure what A+ interactive is but I can say Conquer Maths has revolutionised how we do our maths!
Thanks for stopping by!
looks like a “well-rounded” week to me! 😉
LOL! Thanks Mary!
Your kids are so adorable!!! I love those weeks where the kids get along and work together! Kudos to the girls for jogging alongside brother! That is my summer goal: getting back in to jogging. My hubby is in your ‘neck of the woods’ as he moves through Heathrow for a connection to the US. Would you wave for us if you are close enough? Have a great weekend!!
We are directly under the flight path of many planes out of London, so I’ll give each one I see a wave!!
I love their two dresses they have.
We had a hard time with Homeschool in the Woods too. Of course for me part of it was my kids youth for the program. I still really like the notebooking pages and such look. My kids on the other hand…. Not so much.
I really love the explorers one but the renaissance seems less logical to me and it bugs me much!
Fandabbydosy! My new word of the day! I smiled from ear to ear reading this post.
It’s a kind of cool word isn’t it? Spell check really didn’t like it though 😉
What a wonderful week you guys have had! I love the princess dress and how B is learning to wink. I remember Tiger learning to wink many years ago, asking me every other minute, “Am I winking, Mummy?” 🙂
I just love, love this age. Everything is still new and exciting but with the added advantage of being able to express themselves clearly. She has Gary and I in giggles all day long!
It really looks like your family is doing well with the new curriculum choices. I love the dress and the umbrella. I especially love the chores photos. What a happy family!
Thanks Phyllis. The happiness might have something to do with the fact we are at the end of February….
We love Homeschool in the Woods, we even have the Renaissance set. However, it’s not our primary curriculum. I use it for project ideas, writing prompts, and timeline. I also re-order the assignments to go with our chronological study and not in the order they present. We used Mystery of History last year and I waffled if I wanted to use it again this year, but Tapestry of Grace won out.
It looks like the kids all had a wonderful week too. I so love to see how they interact.
Thank you Christy. We have really enjoyed this week and I’m hopeful that next week’s unschooling will be just as special.
Yay! I am so happy you had a fantastic week. Yay!!!
We use Mystery of History and I really like it. I use it as a spine, so it keeps me on track. I don’t do the activities; we do a written narration on each lesson and read lots of books, mostly biography. We had an opportunity to hear the author speak at our local home school conference, and she really loves what she does. I think it shows in her work.
B’s winking made me laugh out loud. She is so C U T E ! ! ! They are all growing so quickly. We were looking back at a post from a couple of years ago, and they have really matured. Hang on to your hat, Claire!
I hope you have a most excellent weekend. I am looking at a yard completely covered in snow and it is still snowing. Makes me think of this verse:
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18
Hugs to you and yours.:)
Oh, I tell you Donna, she is SUCH a character. HUGE character. I’m not sure we’ll ever contain her, not that we really want to…
Another MOH user (we are on lesson 50 of vol 3) and we don’t do the activities. Some week I am going to have as many photos as you. You do such a good job documenting your week.
Thanks Beth. I keep saying to myself that I need to take more of me. I want the children to remember I was there during their childhood as well as Gary, but I keep forgetting. Next week maybe?
The series of photos of your youngest trying to wink are brilliant – so cute and so funny!!
Aren’t they just?
What a marvelous week. I love all of the great learning. I am hearing a lot about Cover story. I am going to have to check it out.
Blessings, Dawn
It has been a success so far, although very expensive for us (because postage is almost as bad as the actual price). But I think it has been worth it.
We have had a wonderful, busy week as well – love seeing everything you are up to!!
Thanks Julie. It really was busy this week, but very happy as well 🙂
Wow, a very busy week, Claire! I like the photos of your lovely family very much!
Thanks Karin, I was a bit snap happy this past week!
You guys are ALL so creative. You truly are blessed with a wonderful family, Claire!
I know it, too. Thanks you Sylvia.
Learning to wink! Oh my goodness, too cute!!
Isn’t it just? I had to include the photos of her winking – they make me giggle every time I look at them!
Oh my! How sweet are those photos of B4 winking! So many blessings!
I know!! I keep looking at it and it makes me smile every time!