Weekly Wrap-up #1

I'm going to start doing these "Weekly Wrap-ups" each week, as a way to record what we have done. 
We actually started our new school year this week. Everyone else is enjoying their summer break, and we are doing school work. The kids would not hear of this summer break thing. We got our new books, and they were begging to start them right away. Joel even said in his whiniest voice, "Mom, If we don't do summer school, we will forget everything." I love that they love to learn so I gave in and let them so some work. 

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What we learned:

Trista 

x Genesis 1 to 3 - read to Joel

x Rod and Staff english - 3 lessons

x Editor in Cheif - 1 lesson

x McGuffey Spelling - 10 spelling words

x Khan Academy Math - 20 minutes

x Math lessons - 3 exercises

x Daily Word Problems - 3 days 

x This Country of Ours - Ch. 29 - The Founding of Connecticut And War With the   Indians 1636-39

x Child's History of the World - Ch. 71 - Charles I

x Trial and Triumph - Ch. 28 - Richard Cameron, Lion of the Covenant (1644-1680)

x Minn of the Mississippi - Ch. 1

x Daily Geography - 3 days

x Spectrum Science - Lesson 1.1 

x Storybook of Science - Ch. 1 - The Six & Ch. 2 - The Fairy Tale and the True Story

x Building Thinking Skills - 6 pages

Word Roots - 1 page

PLUS - Notebooking and Timeline activities!

Joel

x Genesis 1 to 3 - listened to Trista read

x Missionary Stories - Introduction

x Primary Language Lessons - Lesson 1

x Phonics Pathways - 2 pages

x The Boxcar Children (RA) - Ch. 1-2

x Real Mother Goose - 1 page

x Math Lessons - 2 exercise

x An Island Story - Ch. 1 - The Stories of Albion and Brutus

x Paddle to the Sea - Ch. 1

x Discovering Nature: All Nature Sings - 2 exercises

x Building Thinking Skills - 4 pages

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Mom's Education

I started Don Quixote exactly one month ago and am now on Chapter 26. This is actually my third time reading it, and I am seeing things in a different perspective. It is slightly difficult to motivate myself to read it everyday, since I have already read it, but I am still enjoying it.

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We had fun roasting marshmallows over a bonfire Thursday night!

Mom's Education

Background: As a homeschooling Mom I am pretty much learning new things right along with my children. When I went to government schools, I tuned just about everything out. It was so boring; I thought. By the time I got to high school I didn't care anymore. I didn't even try to make good grades. I remember being rather shocked when I was told I was going to graduate on time. I'm not really sure how that happened?

After school is when my love for learning actually began. I suppose my sense of autonomy helped spark a thirst for knowledge. I always loved to read, but I used to read "teen dramas" and "fan fiction" nothing beyond that. My love for classics began when the movie Lord of the Rings came out. I wanted to read the books, too! After reading the rich language of these books I couldn't go back to what I was used to read. I tried reading a Star Trek fan fiction book and remember thinking it seemed so elementary. Ever since, I started reading any classics I could get my hands on!

Flash Forward: I just recently discovered the book The Well-Educated Mind. Not to be confuse with the book written by the same author The Well-Trained Mind (I never read this, by the way). I am so excited to get this book! This book teaches you how to read the Great Conversation.  You learn the process of understanding, evaluating, and expressing an opinion. The niftiest thing about this book is the list of books to read in chronological order in different genres. (Find the list here) They include: Fiction, Autobiographies, Histories, Dramas, and Poetry. I have already read many of the books in the fiction list; I don't mind reading them again to possibly get a new perspective. Oh, by the way, the very first book in the fiction list is DON QUIXOTE!! One of my favorite books, EVER! Can you tell I'm excited?!

Right now, I'm reading the beginning chapters. I Can't wait to get into the reading list!