Mind Games

As of July 1, we are officially homeschooling and responsible for reporting to the state. This is the second week that I’m writing a post summarizing the things we’ve done that I would include in his records. I enjoy reading this type of post on other blogs, and if I can continue to put them together without too much fussing, I’d like to make a similar post each week. This week I’m a bit late in posting since we were out of town this weekend!

If you’re interested, you can find my summary of the week’s learning notes behind the cut.

Math

• Math-U-See Alpha, Lesson 19 student pages 19A-F, Lesson 29 dvd segment, student pages 20A-F, tests for lessons 19 and 20 - still has trouble writing his numbers but got all the answers correct
• 4 sticker sudoku (The Backyardigans Easy Sudoku Puzzles #1)
• 7 addition worksheets from a Spider-Man addition and subtraction workbook
• 100 addition facts flashcards (reviewed once, got them all correct)
• worked with pattern blocks; Investigating With Pattern Blocks p.10-13, 16-19 and over two hours on his own

History

• The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child: Volume 1: Chapter 1 and review questions
• made a big cave painting on crumpled paper bags using charcoal and crushed berries
• created his own “nomad shelter” with branches and leaves in the back yard
• played “nomad” several times during the week - made a tent with chairs and blankets in the living room
• did the map work on SP4 - the Fertile Crescent
• read related books: The First Dog, It’s Disgusting and We Ate It! (JediBoy didn’t like this one so we didn’t finish it), Ug: Boy Genius of the Stone Age, part of the The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia

Science

• Fun With Nature: Rabbits, Squirrels and Chipmunks p.148-183
• made a chipmunk tightrope by hanging peanuts off a string hung between a pole and a tree
• read related books: Mild Animals, Hidden In The Woods, Why Do Animals Have Paws and Claws?, Shoo! Scat!, The Dead Tree
• watched squirrels, chipmunks and birds - especially some juvenile robins
• found a cabbage moth caterpillar and put him in a tank with leaves so we could observe

Misc.

• Handwriting Without Tears: Letters and Numbers for Me p.3-6 (F, E, D, P)
• made a Super Foamerator bubble blowing toy
• played board games: Labyrinth Treasure Hunt (twice), Balloon Lagoon, Slamwich, Rat-a-Tat Cat
• tried an exploding paint art/science experiment
• worked in his Lego Lab at least an hour a day Monday-Friday
• went to see “Wacky Chad the Stunt Comedian” at the library
• sore throat on Wednesday, diagnosed with Coxsackie virus on Thursday - discussed germ transmission and virus vs. bacteria
• watched the movies Home Alone, The Bee Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan - lounging on the couch not feeling well on Thursday and Friday
• first soccer game of the season on Saturday - played both defense and offense for “Team USA”
• Saturday afternoon through late Sunday evening went out of town for Aunt R and Uncle J’s wedding - as always, a real life event is an enormous teacher - geography of a part of our state we hadn’t traveled to before, distance and rate of speed determining travel time, storms and weather patterns on the ride home, the significance of friendships and family and “found family” (Aunt R isn’t actually related, but a “found” aunt), religions and religious rituals (his first Jewish wedding), social and cultural rituals (what do people do at a wedding reception - what is this Electric Slide of which you speak?), proper social behavior (do not scream in the hotel hallways!), etc.

Reading

I read most of the reading passages in other subjects (except those noted below). JediBoy requested more of Owls in the Family at bedtime, so I read it through again and again and read his favorite chapters (especially Chapter Seven, with Wol teasing Mutt) several extra times.

The list of what JediBoy read independently this week doesn’t have books he may have read on Thursday or Friday - when he was sick - because he forgot to set them aside and I didn’t want to make him reconstruct his reading from those days. What I know he read is:

1. The First Dog (history)
2. Ug: Boy Genius of the Stone Age (history)
3. Hidden in the Woods (science)
4. Why Do Animals Have Paws and Claws? (science)
5. Tikki Tikki Tembo
6. My Great-Aunt Arizona
7. Clifford’s Adventures (more than once)
8. Bear’s Bargain
9. A Clue for Scooby-Doo (more than once)
10. The Magic School Bus in the Time of the Dinosaurs
11. The Wind Blew
12. Doctor Desoto
13. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
14. Frog on His Own (more than once)
15. Alexander, Who’s Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move
16. “Let’s Get a Pup!” Said Kate (more than once)
17. The Biggest Shadow in the Zoo
18. The Complete Story of the Three Blind Mice
19. The Velveteen Rabbit
20. The Quangle Wangle’s Hat
21. Maisy’s Pirate Treasure Hunt
22. Bigfoot Cinderrrrrella
23. The Black Cauldron movie storybook
24. Pirates Don’t Change Diapers
25. Cars A Read Aloud Storybook
26. The Hobbit graphic novel
27. Hero of Hamblett
28. Walter the Wolf
29. Beowulf graphic novel
30. Marti and the Mango
31. Looking at a Castle
32. Robin Hood: Classic Comics
33. Patrick’s Dinosaurs
34. The Silent e’s From Outer Space
35. The Teacher from the Black Lagoon
36. Andrew’s Loose Tooth
37. Pooh - Just Be Nice: And Let Everyone Play!
38. Pooh - Just Be Nice: And Help a Friend!
39. Meet the Robinsons: The Movie Storybook
40. Tom and Pippo Go for a Walk
41. Nurse Nancy
42. Alphabet Adventure
43. Mulan
44. The Magic School Bus Makes A Rainbow: A Book About Color
45. The Black Cauldron: Taran’s Magic Sword
46. Robin Hood and Little John
47. The Tale of Custard the Dragon
48. The Twin Princes
49. Parts
50. Sir Charmer, the Brave
51. Curious George
52. Curious George Takes a Job
53. Pigsty
54. Shrek: The Complete Guide
55. The Popcorn Dragon
56. Good Morning, Gorillas (Magic Tree House #26)