Week 26 Day 2

Fractions and friction dominated our school day today. I am amazed that Andrew is understanding 1/2 and 1/4. I was prepared for a long haul on this one. At the restaurant today he actually quartered a french fry and made a big show out of it.

Our science lesson introduced us to the friction. I figured, the easiest way for Andrew to grasp it would be through his shoes. So, I asked him to bring out a pair of cleats and a pair of cowboy boots, and I asked him, wearing which ones would he slip easier running in the soccer field. Talking a bit deeper about friction was much simpler after that. We rubbed the coins on paper as well, to prove that friction and heat go hand in hand.

More about soccer. Andrew got to meet his coach tonight and some of his team mates. He is a Rattler now! Can not think of a better suited team name for Andrew. There is God in Heaven.

Week 26 Day 1

We had a wonderful week end visiting with dear friends and celebrating Andrew's birthday. He will turn six this week. Already!

It was a bit of a challenge to get back into the learning mode, but we did it and had a good time even with practicing sight words.

We also practiced sewing on a button. I have tried to teach both kids how to handle the needle and thread, how to make knots and poke the fabric the right way. It has always been a short lesson for they get the thread all in tangles very fast. Our lesson today was short as well. Andrew managed to sew two buttons on his piece of fabric. The second one came out rather well.

In science, we learned about floating and sinking. I doubt, Andrew quite grasped the concept of density, but he does understand that if a thing is heavier than water it will sink and if lighter, it will float. I gathered some objects around the house and had him guess, what will float and what will sink. He was rather surprised that his guess about a domino block and a candle were wrong. There's science for you.

Week 25 Day 4

It was a Cat in the Hat type of a day. I think. We took a break from our school day to go to the library story time as usual. On our way there our car was chased by a friendly stray dog, who was driving me crazy for half the time I could not see whether he was running by or under the wheels. Thankfully, he decided to leave us alone after a while.
At the library it really was Cat in the Hat day and I realized I had forgotten my camera AND my cell phone at home. So much for pictures ... but the story time was fun.
On our way out of the library, I got yelled at about there being no parking spots by a passing-by silver-haired granny with a costly silver cross necklace. That was interesting. The children even did not notice the incident, they were too busy finding dandelion puffs to blow. Of course, it brought us back to the lessons about seeds and how seeds travel.
And to top it all off, our car got almost rare-ended by another car that looked more like a graffiti on wheels. Boy, was I glad to be back home today!

Considering the eventful trip in the morning, our afternoon lessons were rather calm and steady. Andrew surprised me how well and fast he learned about 25 cents. And he also surprised me how much he messed up the end of the alphabet. We have not gone over all the letters in a while and he mixed up his w, y, and u letter sounds and letter names. Ironically, his sister, younger by 21 months, assisted him greatly. This is one area now we have to focus on and iron out. That is one more reason I like homeschooling - flexibility, I am free to address issues and problem areas and I have time to do it.

By-and-by, we are done with our week for now, but Monday will come soon enough and with or without a cat or a hat we will dive into Week 26, God willing.

Week 25 Day 3

Our day started off with some science experiments. As I did not have any sugar cubes or cucumber at hand today, I promised Andrew and Saara, we will do those experiments over the week end. Today, however, we worked with dehydrated materials and tried to find out why it is good to dry out some things. Our first experiment of dried beans soaked in the water behaved just as expected: the swelling beans popped the lid of the container right off. Our second experiment will take a while longer as we are waiting for mold to start growing on one of the pieces of bread - just to demonstrate that dried foods keep longer.

Andrew and Saara have always loved rhymes and poems. I have had them memorize a few over the months. Today we looked at some of the poems published in the High Five magazine. We read them and examined them and shared our thoughts about the content of the poems. It was a rather good exercise and I am thinking about doing it again tomorrow as we start reading our March issues of both Highlights and High Five.

I had to include a picture of the birds. Andrew and Saara are very familiar with the word 'migration' because twice a year our pond is a pit-stop for flocks of black birds. They never fail and for us they usher in either the fall or the spring.

Week 25 Day 2

Our day went according to the plan and we were done with our classes rather fast - free to go outside and enjoy the beautiful afternoon.

Three things I would like to mention about today, though: first, the children really like "The Wizard of Oz" (or as Saara calls the book "The Lizard or Oz").

Second, I had no reason to fear that Andrew would have hard time understanding fractions. We moved on from 1/2 to 1/3 and 1/4.

Third, games as part of a school day is always a welcome change. Today, we played a memory game that was included in the High Five magazine. Very simple, but a lot of fun. We also played the "21 Questions" game suggested in the curriculum. It was a bit harder but both kids understood the rules and found a better way to ask questions to reveal the object that I drew on a paper.

Tomorrow will bring us some science projects. We are still exploring the Land of Evaporation.

P.S. Do not ask me about the Santa hat Andrew keeps wearing. I am greatly puzzled myself.

Week 25 Day 1

Quite a lot happened today and past weekend. The 'rainbow sugar' experiment was a colorful and tasty success. Right after church on Sunday, we crumbled up the dehydrated mass of sugar water or something like it. It was rather pretty.

Our science lesson today talked about what happens to molecules when a material is heated up or cooled down. The suggested experiment with a water bottle and a balloon worked 50%. The cooling down part with the air contracting and sucking the balloon into the bottle worked nicely. The opposite of the air heating up and filling the balloon worked somewhat but not enough to get the kids excited. But they did get the idea across of materials expanding in heat and contracting in cold very well.
In our studies about the world and people and cultures we talked about clothes and how different countries and cultures and regions have their different national costumes. It prompted me to dig up my Estonian national costume. I made it like 20 years ago. Last time I tried it on was ten years ago. Thank God, moths had not found it yet, but it sure needs some tender loving care if I intend to pass it on to my kids.
So far, so good.

Week 24 Day 5

It being Saturday and all plus having Daddy around all morning, I wanted to keep our school day today 'fancy fee', i.e. all the extras that I insert to our daily studies, like reading the "Highlights" magazine and some other things. Besides, the weather was too beautiful outside to sit around the table too long. So, we got done with the day's requirements and off to see the sunshine outside we went. By the way, so far both of the children like the book very much.