'14/15 Week 24 Day 1

The temperature outside is a step away from freezing. I heard the schools in some counties are closed because of  icy rain or even snow. It is cold, but no snow and no snow-days for my little students. 

We started our new week off with a math test and completing the Math Book 1. Both children did well, and now we are ready to move on to the next 80 lessons in Book 2. 

Saara also finished Arnold Lobel's Owl at Home and tomorrow will fill in a questionnaire about the stories in the book. It will serve as a book report for this book. Some of the questions are rather fun, and I am looking forward to hearing/reading her answers. The inspiration for the questionnaire came from a Teaching Guide material online. Considering the horrific weather outside, we should have enough time at the end of the school day to do a little owl art project as well. Just another thing to look forward to.

When we were enjoying the last of good weather on Saturday, Andrew stumbled over this little guy.

Science. Four fun weeks with beans and corn are starting now.

Beans and corn seeds ready for germination.

Both children finished their first Math Books. We will start with book number 2 tomorrow.

'14/15 Week 23 Days 3 and 4

These two days have flown fast. We have been doing lots of reading. Both kids started new books for reading practice, and we have been getting new read-aloud books as well.

We were supposed to take a math test this afternoon. Well, the UPS brought our kids their suitcases we purchased last week, and they could not contain their excitement. We continued with a math lesson instead. Interacting with them kept them focused much better than working on their math tests on their own would have.

This is what we call homework. Some math practice after dinner.

Spring is in the air. The next few days are going to be wet and cold. We took a short nature walk this morning and looked for sings of spring.

Science. Andrew finished a chapter on photosynthesis. Saara dug up a few Shepherd's Purses for us to examine. We reviewed all the information on plant parts (but the flower) on these two specimens.

History. Andrew also finished his lesson introducing the US constitution and government.

'14/15 Week 23 Day 2

We had a short but productive day. In the morning, it took us a while to build Andrew's scales for his upcoming science projects. We also tested them by weighing different seeds. It was a lot of fun. 
I was also pleased to see that the new writing program I am using with the children is working well. Both kids are slowly getting more confident in their writing assignments.

Science. Building scales.

A portrait of a ballerina.

'14/15 Week 23 Day 1

Shrove Tuesday. I started our day off by reading some Shrove Tuesday traditions that are still honored in Estonia. We also had pancakes for breakfast and the specific 'vastlapaev' cardamom buns with whipped cream after all the school work was done.

In history, Andrew has been getting a little information here and there about the government structure. Today, we read a whole chapter on how the US government is built up. It was a good read and he understood everything.

In science, Andrew started a new project: growing corn and beans. We will not get to the actual planting yet this week, but we will do a lot of preparatory activities. Like this afternoon, Andrew made his very own plant journal.

Sinking his teeth into the cardamom bun.

Children's Museum

Our local children's museum has a new location. Andrew and Saara spent the rather cold and rainy Presidents Day here with their friends. There's lots of room  to roam  around and lots to do. We enjoyed our time here and will come back soon.

'14/15 Week 22 Days 4 and 5

Wonderful days of warm weather and lots of playing out of doors. As we missed out our play group date on Thursday, I gave the kids extra time on Friday to play after the choir practice.
The good news is that all this fun and play did not interfere with our every day studies and lessons. We are right on track with everything.

History. Listing the help of Charlie Brown to learn about the birth of the US constitution.

'14/15 Week 22 Day 3

What a busy day! Andrew filled out his last graphs recording the growth of his radish seedlings. He is very excited about his next experiments with corn seeds and beans. He also filled in another book report and will start reading his next book tomorrow. He confessed, he likes reading so much more than writing reports.

Saara had another fun ballet class. On our way back from town, we called on our elderly neighbor we all enjoy visiting. 

This was the last day of very warm weather. The forecast promised colder days for the rest of the week. We stayed outside as long as we could.