Decorating Christmas Cookies

One of our fun Christmas traditions is to decorate cookies. The kids are old enough now to handle the frosting themselves without making a major mess. :) This year they actually showed a lot of creativity. Sweet-tasting creativity.

'14/15 Week 16 Day 5

Our last day before we take a little Christmas break. It was relaxed and fun. We finished up the week's lessons and readings. We are caught up on everything. It is a good feeling. Merry Christmas!

Math. Saara matching the coins to the presidents.

More coins: Andrew solving some equations.

The Lights of Tejas

For Saara's birthday we took a short trip to see the Lights of Tejas. It was a lot of fun!

Decorating a cupcake.

A cupcake for Jesus.

And a cup of hot chocolate for us.

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Our renering of Joy to the World in a small chapel.

Watching the fireworks.

Christmas Play, Ballet Recital, and Choir Concert 2014

It seems, our Christmas was busier this year than ever before. Maybe because all the important performances happened one after another in one week. The craziness aside, it was a great experience for the children and wonderful memories for all of us.

Christmas pageant. Andrew as Joseph, Saara as an inn keeper.

Ballet Recital. Saara got to show off all her new steps in a little sweet dance.

A fun cookie party after the recital.

Our Starshine singers...

... and Precious Notes.

Playground Fun.

This past Saturday was unusually quiet, and we finally had a chance to drive to town to play at a park. I must say, a park day like this rarely comes along: we were in for a couple of surprising treats.
We walked along the paths in the park, looking at the nature, when we saw this big brown animal in the bushes. No, it was not a bear, like Andrew thought. It was a horse who came very close to the park fence. Not only did we see a horse, but also a few ponies. The kids were super excited, like they were taking a trip to a petting zoo.
 

'14/15 Week 16 Day 4

It was a very gray day outside. Thankfully, we had no time to get depressed. Lots of school work to do. 

The children's spelling test went well. Andrew was reviewing capitalizing the names of holidays. We were pouring over his calendar looking for holidays we celebrate and the months we celebrate them in. It reminded me that the year is almost over and I need to buy new calendars for us all. 

Math. Learning about the nickle. Saara looking for Thomas Jefferson in the long line of presidents.

'14/15 Week 16 Day 3

The last day of ballet! Saara danced her little heart out, and she cannot wait to start the class again in January.

'14/15 Week 16 Day 1 and 2

I am so thankful that I have been able to get a lot of school work done these past two days. Our water heater needs to be replaced, and searching for plumbers and information has made the days busier than they would have been.
Kids are true troopers. They do their school work well and diligently. Both Andrew and Saara have started to read their science books by themselves in stead of me reading the day's portion to them. They love it, and I love it. One more step towards starting to do school work independently. 

This past weekend, we also celebrated Saara's birthday. She is growing up.

'14/15 Week 15 Day 5

Science experiments day! Saara learned more about floating, buoyancy, and the Plimsoll line. 

A fun end to a busy week: watching another Christmas parade in downtown.

'14/15 Week 15 Day 4

It was a story writing day. Yesterday, the children made a story grid, noting down the characters, the plot, the setting, etc. Today, they used their notes to create a short story. Saara's was really neat about a princess and a dragon and a hero-prince. Andrew's was a bit shorter, but every inch a 'boy-story' about jedi and space battles. I was just thankful to see both of the children enjoy their writing tasks.

Also, we had a fun afternoon traipsing around the creek bed with our neighbors' kid, and then playing boardgames after dinner. Good friends time, good family time.

'14/15 Week 15 Day 3

The spelling test this morning did not go very well. One of those days. We have to take it again tomorrow. I am thankful that homeschooling gives us second chances. We will work hard and practice until we have mastered the words. 

Today was Saara's last ballet practice. Next week her and other little ballerinas will perform for their moms and dads and show what they have learned since October.

'14/15 Week 15 Day 2

Out with the old. Andrew finished studying his book about oceans and seas, from cover to cover. We are juggling a few books in his year of biology. We have read our way though mammals and birds, and now also fish. Next kingdom to conquer, so to speak, is the one of insects.

In with the new. In history, we also use a couple of different books to learn about the American history. Today, we took a break from those books and started a story about Benjamin Franklin.

'14/15 Week 15 Day 1

It was only a few days ago that Andrew started to learn a new thing in math: how to multiply with double digit numbers. Today, he was introduced to yet another new thing: how to write fractions as decimal numbers (at least the fractions with number ten as the denominator). New things are pouring in left and right. 
Andrew also did a fair share of writing. There were numerous sentences to combine or copy as a writing practice. He did a good job reading my cursive and printing it in his own handwriting. 
Dad walked in just in time to hear Andrew finish his last page of reading practice. He was mighty impressed how much his son's reading has improved. It has, indeed. It is a joy to listen to Andrew read these days.

Math. Starting to make sense of this fractions to decimals business.

While I was reading, Andrew was stringing up beads to make a Christmas ornament.

'14/15 Week 14 Day 5

A big science day for both kids. So far, Andrew's and Saara's subjects have been different: Andrew learning about energy or water, Saara about magnets. Today, however, both kids had the same subject: floating. Andrew's lesson was a bit more in depth, but his suggested experiments were exactly the same as Saara's. We spent most of the morning hours floating or sinking objects.

Science. Testing various objects' buoyancy.

One pulling up, the other pulling down. Making the toothpick float just beneath the surface.

Saara pushing on the balloon and feeling the upthrust fist-hand.

'14/15 Week 14 Day 4

Today was one of those wonder-days when everything gets done before lunch break. Wow! I am glad we finished early because our afternoon was busy enough. We spent some time at the library, the kids attended their last choir and bells practice, and then played on the playground for like forever. The weather was warm for December, and it was just a joy to be out of doors.

Andrew and Saara are not shy, they make friends everywhere they go.

Both children have been writing letters to friends and relatives. Every time one of them receives a letter, they are beyond excited.