Homeschool Wrap Up – Weeks 23 and 24

The last two weeks have gotten us back into a groove (finally!). Taking a week off was much needed, but those winter blahs have set in around here. We’ve had a lot of snow and don’t even get me started on the cold. YIKES! Let’s just say I’m not a fan and would rather be curled up by the fireplace, under a warm blanket, with a  cup of tea, and reading a book. It definitely makes it hard to get in the mood to do school!  But maybe that’s just me.

And somehow – despite my goals from last time – I have no pictures of McKenna (again) other than the one where I fed the girls chocolate cake before breakfast (because I am a FABULOUS mom and wanted it out of the house so I wouldn’t eat it). Meanwhile, I will snack on apples and drink lots of water, ok?

Learning Multiplication with Carrying

Even though he could use the laptop, Kaleb has decided to use just the textbook with me for Teaching Textbooks 3. The past two weeks we have learned about writing dollars and cents out (and that decimal point) and multiplication with carrying. Boy wonder figured it out on the first try! Woot!

Cooking with Mom

Sometimes the days get frustrating and attitudes get cranky – and both parties involved need a little bonding time. Zachary and I had a rough day one Monday, so we ended up in the kitchen making cookies for co-op the next day. I often forget that 1:1 time with the kids is so very important and can make a world of difference in both of our attitudes. Zachary loves to bake and I definitely do not let him help out enough – because to tell the truth, sometimes (ok, many times) it is easier and faster to do it myself. But in that, I miss out on moments like these when he is in his element and having fun. And in the end – all is good.

Portable Homeschool

One of the great things of homeschool is we are portable and able to move anywhere. Because let’s face it, the bed is way more comfy than a desk.

Building Rockets and Growing Crystals

One of the projects for Laurianna’s science class was building a rocket. Not nearly as intricate as her boat or glider, but still fun! The kids didn’t get a chance to test them out because it was SO VERY cold and we were feeling rather nice at the time, so testing will have to be another week.

After talking about crystals, Laurianna used salt and water to grow crystals as part of an experiment (the coloring is from the paper they are on).

The Benefits of Co-op

One of the things that I love about having Laurianna in a small in-home co-op is the chance to work with friends and bounce ideas off them. The group we are a part of has four teens (all working on 9th grade subjects) and we meet weekly for science and literature. I’ve been teaching the lit class this year and it has really been quite a bit of fun.

For each of the books that we’re reading the kids have a 500-600 word paper due. While revisions and suggestions from parents are great, the kids have really enjoyed the weeks of peer reviews where they all read over each others’ papers and give their honest feedback (at times hilarious). It can be really intimidating to share your work with others, but they have been CHAMPS in this process.

Maybe your kids are different, but I can sometimes tell mine that an idea in a paper needs some tweaking or doesn’t make sense and said child doesn’t necessarily agree with the changes. But the same words or ideas from friends – well, suddenly it’s a whole new ballgame (wink).  It has been MUCH fun this year walking the high school road with several other friends.

If you’re interested, you can see our Peer Review Form here – it’s not fancy, but it’s been a great help to us this year.

Ending the Week on a GREAT Note!

Laurianna and I were able to help out at one of the Rock and Worship Roadshow concerts. You all – do yourself a favor and see if there is a show coming your way. It was absolutely amazing. We volunteered to help with Compassion during the concert, but were able to enjoy the entire concert and hear I Am They, Group 1 Crew, Crowder, Tedashii, Jamie Grace (Laurianna’s favorite!), Matt Maher, and Mercy Me. Loved it so much! Tickets were only $10 and it was something we hope to definitely attend next year too – with the entire family!

Needless to say, it was a great way to wrap up our week. It was a late night, but this girl and I needed some time together – and worshiping and serving were a great way to do that!

That’s it for the last two weeks – how has your homeschool time been going? Be sure to share either in the comments or link up with one of the ladies below!

Linking up this week with Collage Friday and Weekly Wrap-up!