'13/14 Week 17 Day 4

The kids have been fantastic students these past few days. They are trying their best, putting a lot of effort into their work, enjoying themselves, and handling mistakes without frustration. All this helps me to be a better teacher. 

Today, we had a sparkling start to the day. We concluded our Bible reading time with a craft. As we were learning about David becoming the king of Israel, the kids made their own crowns with stick-on 'jewels'.
In Math, Saara is mastering place value and Andrew the easier numbers in multiplication (the 0x, 1x, and 10x). 

In Science, Andrew enjoyed watching videos of various waterbirds. It so much more fun to read his science book when we can pull up some clips to actually see the birds in action and hear the sort of sounds they make. Like Fairy Turns. Never thought a chick can hatch and grow on a bare branch, nestless.

LA. Puzzle time for three-consonant blends.

'13/14 Week 17 Day 3

Another busy day. The longest class turned out to be Language Arts. I had the kids cut out words with three consonant blends, sort them and glue them in the appropriate boxes and then write them out one more time. They took their time with every step. Not because they were dragging their feet, figuratively speaking. Rather they were enjoying the process and trying not to just 'fly through it'. I have some more activities ready for tomorrow's LA. And if they take longer than I expect then let it be - I do not have a school bell bullying me to end the class. 

'13/14 Week 17 Day 2

Saara's ballet class started up again and we had a shortened school day because of that. I would have been a shame to sit indoors while the weather outside was absolutely gorgeous anyway. Andrew has been sharpening his baseball skills and is getting a fair share of exercise too. 
Andrew also took a animal knowledge quiz today based on the book we have been reading. We both did.

She loves her ballet class.

Saara discovered I had downloaded some children's books on my Kindle. It was nice having it for as long as I did. :)

The view from my window this afternoon.

'13/14 Week 17 Day 1

It was a quiet day. Saara (and Andrew) learned a few facts about the Industrial Revolution in England during the Victorian Era. Also, in her history class, we read a few facts about the fashion of the times. Andrew ended up with a bunch of homework which he did not mind. 

The highlight of the day for me came while we were out and about this afternoon. In the waiting room at a doctor's office, I had a good chat with another homeschooling mom. It was like a tiny teachers' conference comparing notes and learning more about different materials, exchanging experiences, etc. I always get so excited when I get a chance to talk about education and teaching. Passion and calling. I am in the right place doing the right thing. :)

'13/14 Week 16 Day 5

The day went pretty fast today. Both kids were eager to go to the library and to the choir after school. So, we were motivated and even the driving rain did not sway us one bit.

My chess partner at the library.  He is learning.

At the first choir practice this year.

'13/14 Week 16 Day 4

It was a rather ordinary day. The kids worked hard. 
For Andrew, the highlight was definitely learning about Genghis Khan. He was pretty fascinated with some of the facts. The mongols were excellent with bows and arrows. Galloping on horseback they released the arrow right when the horses hooves were not touching the ground, or their ability to bend over in their saddles and shoot arrows backwards. Pretty impressive.

Geography. Some countries she knows well, some she is learning, and there's still a multitude waiting to be discovered. When we revisit a country which location she knows well, we add another nugget of information to it.  Like today, Saara learned about 'sushi'. She promised to try it to see if she likes it or not.

LA. I had both kids sort out words ending with '-ck'. Little did I know, they turned the simple task into a game.

'13/14 Week 16 Day 3

A full day of everything. It is one of those times I feel like we did not leave any stone unturned. Being true to myself, I even found the time and energy to haul over more stones to peek under. 
Like in Andrew's history class, which did not have any assignments for today. I went ahead and introduced Andrew to the Northern crusades which were not as 'glamorous' as the Holy Land ones, but they have everything to do with his ancestors. In fact, Andrew has stood on the ruins of one of the crusader castles. 

Saara's science class surprised me a lot. It turned out to be more hands on that I had anticipated. The subject was 'Flowers' and it being January and the fact that we just got a licking from 'the polar vortex', talking about blooms seemed kind of out of place. However, in God's mercy, I was able to produce a few blooms that survived the cold outside and we ended up having a decent study of flowers.

This used to be the largest castle of the Knights of the Order in these parts.

I have shared this pic before, but it was a rare chance for Andrew to stand on the Medieval history.

1208 AD. Estonians still consider it a sad date. Yes, the Crusaders came and brought along the Christian faith, but up to this day there survives the saying that Christianity was forced upon the people with 'fire and sword.'

Estonians and other tribes around us were the last people groups to be converted into Christianity. For most of them it meant slavery for centuries to come. 

Saara has taken it upon herself to write down the date every morning. She uses tiles from her calendar to copy the words.

Andrew is learning multiplication for real.

Science. Flowers in January. Nothing short of a miracle.

We even managed to gather some pollen.

Which, of course, brought us to the process of pollination.

LA. Building questions and working with the 'wh' digraph.