Week in Review 1

Kieron, Year 7:

• Latin is Fun pages 6-16, with a bit of p 18 on agreement of adjectives.
• Basic Greek pages 14-17
• Math Review using Core Knowledge 5 -- Properties of Addition and Multiplication, review of place value up to billions, and rounding.
• We Went with Magellan chapters 1-4

Patrick and Aidan, modified Year 1, each did a couple of lessons of phonics, and painted, and played with playdough, the feltboard, the pattern beads, and the cuisenaire rods.

Learning Highlights:

• Starting! and finding out that Paddy can already read quite a bit.

Low Point:

• Most of these involved meltdowns by Aidan over various transitions.

Needs Work:

• Paddy and Aidan's sibling relationship (look for solutions); computer time.

Projects:

• I moved most of the school stuff upstairs in order to center our work up here more.

Discussions:

• I talked about American Government and the Summa with Liam -- interesting!

Milestones/Progress:

• Aidan, who used to be very scatter-brained, now puts things away neatly -- shoes in shoe rack, cell phone on recharging cord. Both the little ones do MUCH better about putting something back after they've played with it.

Focus, Theme:

• Starting off the new year.

Independent Interests:

• Kieron has been very involved in making sprite comics. Aidan has learned to use the cell phone camera and movie-maker.

Spiritual:

• The Assumption

Nature/Outdoors:

• Nature Walk yesterday, daily walks to the Post Office.

Life Skill or Work:

• Changing jobs -- the little ones have taken over Sean's chore rotation.

Literary:

• I read Grandpa's Gift and Oats and Wild Apples to Paddy, and Kieron listened in.

A Photo Memory:

Days 64 and 65

I realize I did not log yesterday. It was a very basic day but we did get those basics done.

Today we did more basics but that was all. Both needed a lot of help with math -- Kieron's writing execution difficulties are making it difficult for him to stay on task. Conceptually, he is fine. He has the most severe problems of any of them, I think. I checked his pencil grip and it is not that bad. So I'm not exactly sure what is going on except that he has one of those visual-spatial difficulties that prevent thought from reaching motor function efficiently.

Yesterday we had a horrendous trip to the oral surgeon -- the surgery itself went fine, but it took over 2 hours of waiting time, plus the 2 hours of travel time. Not something I want to repeat.

This afternoon I am bringing the younger set to homeschool Stations.

Anyway, even the little bit we got through is helpful.

We didn't have OT or Speech this week so I didn't color those in but I did a phone consult with both of them.

Day 63

Another minimal day: but I'm rather proud we did anything at all. Clare had an orthodontist appointment at 8:15, which meant we had to be out of the house by just after 7 am and did not get home till close to noon.

I told the boys that we really had better do a bit of math at least, so they both did math; Sean did Greek and Vocabulary and the Latin cards; and Kieron did handwriting and another daily activity card (#63).

Sean has been having an easier time with the math (maybe because of the break?) He has been doing a weight-lifting routine with his dad.

I read Inkheart during the Thanksgiving break, and yesterday and today read a book called Super Reading Secrets. It was one of those dime sales at the library, and I found it at the back of one of our bookshelves when I was helping Clare look for Post Captain (she is on a Patrick O'Brian reading tear). It is actually more substantial than it looks on the surface. I am already quite a fast reader, too fast in some ways. But this had some of the same study and reading techniques that you find in How to Read a Book, only expressed in more "popular" basic language. While I was reading it I rediscovered how I managed to get adequate grades in several classes which I barely studied for. I have a very quick memory (my dad has the same trait), to the point where I can memorize my credit card number in about 2 minutes and retain it permanently along with expiration date and code on the back (yep, just checked). I only have to dial in a phone number 2 or 3 times, and it's part of my longterm memory. And I am a fast reader. I can get the gist of a book in only a few minutes. See, that is not the same thing as really learning something, but it certainly serves its purpose at times.

Not writing this to boast in the least; but I am thinking that this is something I learned accidentally, partly out of necessity (being lazy and disorganized in my younger days) and it could probably be learned intentionally for better motives. So this is what the book led me to ponder -- I wish it weren't so ...gaudily colored and ....based on a gimmick -- I would have Sean read it for the study skills information, but I don't want him to get the notion it is necessary or desirable to read a page in 3 seconds.

Day 62

Sean

• Algebra ch 6 lesson 2 (still doing well)
  
• Greek
• Vocabulary
• Latin cards
• Reading (but I'm not sure exactly what he read so I will have to ask him)
  

Kieron

• MCP Math ch 7 lesson 2 (plus a review problem)
• Handwriting practice with me (we started with a spelling test, but he was having a bad day, so we moved to phonogram review)
• Spelling Cards
• verbal declensions (rusty on those, too)
• Reading Red Planet

Paddy

• counting crystals
• whiteboard markers
  

Aidan

• numbers up to 12 -- matching cards

In general, reality hit. This time of year always seems to be hard for me. Plus it's always hard in general to transition from planning mode (daydreaming!) to actually doing it (reality). Plus we have another busy week ahead of us and the time in the car makes me nauseated for the rest of the day (whining now!)

I'm going to stay in observation mode and see if this is something we can get past or if we need to make adjustments.

In the mean time we did the very minimum basics and I can look for informal things to strew and do to enrich this very sparse academic day.

Aidan is supposed to have speech therapy today but I'm waiting to see if I can muster up the energy to call and make arrangements for the meeting. First, though, I need a bath!

ETA:

I played many games of SET with the younger kids.

Day 61

We started off slowly today since it's been a couple of weeks since we did much formal stuff.

Sean did Algebra, chapter 6 lesson 1. He did really well.

Kieron did Chapter 7, lesson 1 in MCP Math -- about multiplying fractions. His lack of fluency in writing slows him way down, and contributes to him moving off task, which is where I think the SWR curriculum has a point. My kids always learn to read much faster and better than they can write, which slows them down at the middle school stage (then they move forward again at high school, but still, we spin our wheels a bit too much).

I gave them both a daily activity card -- starting in the January section right after Thanksgiving. It was sort of like Boggle -- making words out of letters and then making sentences out of the words. They seemed to enjoy it and it fits a bit into the "copia" category.

Sean did Greek and Vocabulary. He is reading a book about dueling that his friend lent him.

Kieron has been listening to Redwall books on tape.

So I'm calling that a day.

Day 4

Sean

Henle Latin: more review
Algebra -- lesson 2 -- it was a bit of tough going
Greek
Vocabulary lesson 4

Kieron

Henle Latin -- with Clare
Math -- MCP F -- lesson 2
Greek
Spelling (from Writing Road to Reading)

Aidan

Alphaphonics lesson 1 and 2 -- blending a bit better.

Paddy

100 Easy Lessons #8-9
Horizons K Math -- coloring

Kieron is printing out coloring pages for the little ones.

Later on we are going to homeschool Stations of the Cross -- so that wraps up our first week of work.
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Update and Informal Learning Log:

Stations was cancelled, which made me sad because of Kieron's sadness. He looks forward to seeing his friends all week. Instead we made peanut butter cookies together, and then when Kevin got back from town where Sean was seeing his uncle, a chiropractor, for his muscle tear, --- we went to the lake after dinner. It was spectacular, and so quiet. Clare and I talked about future plans and her reactions to her course of studies so far, and several other things, while the younger boys played in the water.

Oh, and also Clare, who had been pretty sick and miserable this week, took Kieron and Aidan for an "expedition" out in the woods, and later sang Irish drinking songs with him : ) like Wild Rover, which cheered him up quite a bit.

It was nice, but I wish it was easier for Kieron to meet up with his friends. Because a miscarriage came between him and Aidan (we lost twins in mid-gestation) there is 3.5 years between them and 3.5 more years between Aidan and Paddy. Aidan's developmental delays put him closer in level to Paddy than Kieron, and Sean is firmly planted in the teenage world, while Kieron is still a youngish eleven, and a very different type than Sean. Consequently, though there are consolations like Irish songs and trips to the lake, Kieron is lonely in a way the other kids weren't.

(photo, courtesy of my Treo -- it's not good quality, but it gives you a glimpse of the beauty -- we've made plans to go back there again one of these late summer evenings, and maybe we'll bring a "real" camera)