Week in Review {Week 1}

We're back! This week we started our new school year with a 3rd grader and a kindergartner. We're starting earlier this year than we have in the past. In the middle of the last school year, I rearranged our school calendar to be 6 weeks on, 1 week off (with a longer break at Christmas), and we also switched from a 5-day to a 4-day week. It was the best thing I've done and so I studied the calendar and got the schedule worked out for the next couple of years and it works perfectly if we start school at the end of July. It did sneak up on me and I wasn't fully prepared, but we went ahead and started anyway.

Third Grade

Bridget had a rough start to the week. She is not used to having to share me during school, but because George is only in kindergarten, his lessons are not done independently like hers can be. We are working with her on being patient, taking turns, and finding something constructive to do while waiting for help (such as moving on to a subject she can do by herself). 

Bridget is studying chemistry this year and this week she learned about atoms. She built a simple model of an atom, complete with protons, neutrons, and electrons. She had fun with the lesson even though parts of it were challenging for her to understand. Learning chemistry is different from learning about animals and volcanoes. 

She is also learning Latin this year and has been using her new words outside of school. Daddy hasn't a clue what she's saying and Bridget said that she and I now have a secret language to communicate in. She is so excited to finally be learning a new language (she's wanted to do this since kindergarten). 

We're also working on world geography this year. It is slow moving because I am making the lessons myself. This week, Bridget is learning about Afghanistan. Tomorrow night for dinner, she'll prepare a meal from the country. 

Kindergarten

I took a lot of pictures of George this week, as it is his very first week of kindergarten. He was all smiles with each lesson and proud of anything he finished. 

This week, George learned about Delaware. I made some worksheets for him and bought flag stickers and star stickers to mark the states capital. He did a little bit of the state each day and will be making a peach pie tomorrow afternoon for dessert (Delaware loves their peach pie!). 

For science, George is also studying chemistry (but only for six weeks). His unit starts with learning about solids and liquids. 

History is another fun subject for George because we get to snuggle on the couch and read books from the library and do fun crafts. He is learning about the Native Americans and will be working on a wampum belt for the next few weeks. Here are our "wampum" beads as we were letting the paint dry. 

Preschool

Admittedly, I didn't do anything special for Liam this week. Once we get a schedule running smoothly for the older two, then I'll know when I have some free time to sit with him and do something fun. Even though he had no structure this week, he did color some of the same things George colored and built houses with the math manipulatives. I also let him sleep in every day and on this particular day, he slept until 9 o'clock! He marched into the school room all bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to sit alongside big brother. 

Final Note

In May, we bought these desks from IKEA that have magnetic whiteboards attached to the backs of the desks. I thought maybe I'd buy the kids some magnets for them to put their artwork on display. However, the night before the first day of school, I thought that perhaps a checklist would be the best use of the whiteboards. The kids love it! They're able to easily see what needs to be done and check off what they've completed. I also started putting an asterisk next to each subject on Bridget's list that she can do independently. This has worked well in keeping her on task and from interrupting George's lessons. 

 

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