Week in Review 2015: #49

Life

Last Friday night we attended our church's annual Christmas party. During the party, the primary children got up to perform a few songs while dressed in costumes related to the Nativity. Bridget is always shy during this, and she had herself almost completely covered by her costume (she was a woman shepherd). George decided not to go up and that is okay since he is technically not a part of the primary yet (he's still in the nursery).

We also made a couple of Christmas ornaments out of perler beads this week. I brought them out while Liam was taking his nap. Bridget had a blast and could not decide what to make. George thought it was neat for awhile. He made the outer blue border around his star, but then wanted me to finish it while he picked the colors. Neither of the ornaments are very Christmas-y, but it is what the children wanted to make. They were very proud of their creations.

George and his blue star ornament

Bridget and her rainbow heart ornament

On Friday, Liam did not feel too good. He did not wake up until after 9 o'clock and by 10:30, he was asleep again in my arms. He didn't feel like he had a high fever or anything but was just very sleepy. He fell asleep again after lunch, this time in daddy's arms. That night, we had made plans to go to Raleigh for a couple of things (which I will blog about later) and my parents watched Liam at their house. He fell asleep there around 7:30 in the evening, which is rather early even for him. He is however, back to his normal self again.

I also took a break from blogging this week because I have been working on a homeschool-related project. My computer time is very limited, so I can either blog and/or browse Facebook, or I can get some actual work done. I opted for the latter this week and was able to get a good amount of work done, considering the interruptions I get every two minutes.

Homeschool 

As I had mentioned last week, we had gotten behind on our history notebook pages because I had only been making them a few at a time, but I am now working on just getting it all done for the year (and getting ahead for next year). In addition to that, I've made my own timeline cards. Nothing I found online was exactly what I wanted (I also need things to be very uniform). Because history is my favorite subject ever, my thoughts fly all over the place when I am teaching and I just need to stop and breathe and pick just a few additional topics to add to the curriculum (I could probably spend an entire year on ancient Greece). It is so easy to get lost in the study of the ancient world. Now that I've got it figured out, hopefully things will run more smoothly. 

I did manage to put together our Reading List for Story of the World, Volume 1 (Ancient Times) which will be an ongoing project, as we are barely halfway through the school year. 

Family Movie Night

With it being Christmas, we have been watching all of our Christmas movies almost daily. It has been nice and a real treat for the kids. 

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Reading List: Story of the World, Volume 1 (Ancient Times)

We are using Story of the World, Volume 1: Ancient Times in our homeschool this year. I knew the moment the first book came in the mail that this would be our history curriculum for the grammar and logic stages. We absolutely love it! Using this as our guide to the past, the real fun comes in with the additional reading! (We do not follow a separate literature curriculum, as all of our literature is based primarily on what we are studying in history. They go hand in hand.)

I have spent way too much time looking through our local children's library for books that would accompany each lesson (I can do this all online!). We have already read so many great books this year that I needed a place to document them so that I know what books to borrow when we cycle back around in four years with my younger children. I have also found books online that are highly recommended that I wish our library had. Some I was able to purchase, others I have not. I've included those here as well.

While I am currently only homeschooling a child in the grammar stage, I have come across a few books that are more appropriate for the logic stage and am recording them here for my own future use.

If you are unfamiliar with classical education, the "Grammar Stage" refers to grades 1-4 (or ages 6-9) and the "Logic Stage" refers to grades 5-8 (or ages 10-13). Books appropriate for the Grammar Stage are marked as "(G)" and books appropriate for the Logic Stage are marked with "(L)".

This list is still a work in progress.

Introduction: How Do We Know What Happened?

What is History?

Me and My Family Tree by Paul Showers (G) (L)

What is Archaeology?

Archaeologists Dig for Clues by Kate Duke (G)

The Magic School Bus Shows and Tells:A Book About Archaeology by Joanna Cole (G)

Chapter 1: The Earliest People

One Small Blue Bead by Byrd Baylor (G)

The First Dog by Jan Brett (G)

Little Grunt and the Big Egg by Tomie dePaola (G)

Discovery in the Cave by Mark Dubowsky (Step into Reading) (G)

The Secret Cave: Discovering Lascaux by Emily Arnold McCully (G)

The First Drawing by Mordicai Gerstein (G)

The Cave Painter of Lascaux by Roberta Angeletti (G)

First Painter by  Kathryn Lasky (L)

Boy of the Painted Cave by Justin F. Denzel (L)

Painters of the Caves by Patricia Lauber (L)

Maroo of the Winter Caves by Ann Turnbull (L)

Chapter 2: Egyptians Lived on the Nile River

Two Kingdoms Become One

---

Gods of Ancient Egypt

Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile by Tomie dePaola (G)

Croco’nile by Roy Gerrard

The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt by Leonard Everett Fisher (G)

The Star-Bearer: A Creation Myth from Ancient Egypt by Dianne Hofmeyr (G)

The Voyage of Osiris by Gerald McDermott  (G)

Chapter 3: The First Writing

Hieroglyphs and Cuneiform

Seeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroplyphs by James Rumford (G)

Chapter 4: The Old Kingdom of Egypt

Making Mummies

You Wouldn't Want to Be an Egyptian Mummy! by David Stewart (G)

Egyptian Pyramids

Zekmet The Stone Carver: A Tale of Ancient Egypt by Mary Stolz (G)

You Wouldn't Want to Be a Pyramid Builder! by Jacqueline Morley (G)

Chapter 5: The First Sumerian Dictator

Sargon and the Akkadians

The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story by Rebecca Hickox (G)

The Three Princes: A Tale from the Middle East by Eric A. Kimmel (G)

Chapter 6: The Jewish People

God Speaks to Abraham

The White Ram: A Story of Abraham and Isaac by Mordicai Gerstein

Joseph Goes to Egypt

The Coat of Many Colors by Jenny Koralek

Chapter 7: Hammurabi and the Babylonians

Hammurabi's Code

Ten Kings and the Worlds They Ruled by Milton Meltzer (L)

Chapter 8: The Assyrians

Shamshi-Adad, King of the Whole World

---

The Story of Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh the King by Ludmial Zeman (G)

The Revenge of Ishtar by Ludmila Zeman (G)

The Last Quest of Gilgamesh by Ludmila Zeman (G)

That is all for now! Check back in the future for additions to our reading list as we work our way through the ancient world! 

If you have a recommendation for a book that is not on my list, please let me know. We'd love to find it and read it for ourselves!

Meal Plan: Week 49

SUNDAY

Breakfast
Cereal
Lunch
Pancakes and Vegan Sausage
Snack
none--late lunch
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Tomato Soup with Israeli Couscous

MONDAY

Breakfast
Toast with Peanut Butter, Fresh Fruit
Lunch
Chik'n Patty with Whole Wheat bun, Sweet Potato Fries, Mixed Fruit
Snack
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Hawaiian-Style Tofu with Brown Rice

TUESDAY

Breakfast
Homemade Bread with Fruit Preserves
Lunch
Gardein Mandarin Chik'n, Brown Rice, Green Beans, Mandarin Oranges
Snack
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Enchiladas, Refried Beans, Mexican Rice

 

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast
Pancakes and Vegan Sausage
Lunch
Southern Chickpea Salad, Crackers, Yellow Squash, Grapes
Snack
Chewy Ginger-Molasses Cookies
Dinner
Veggie Starter: Broccoli
Main Course: Baked Macaroni and Cheese

THURSDAY

Breakfast
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
Lunch
Quesadillas, Apples
Snack
Chewy Ginger-Molasses Cookies
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Sweet 'N Sour Meatballs and Vegetable Lo Mein

FRIDAY

Breakfast
Special K Red Berries with Soy Milk, Banana
Lunch
Gardein Fishless Filets, Whole Wheat Roll, Salad, Pineapple
Snack
Spiced Applesauce Cake
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Main Course: Leftovers

SATURDAY

Breakfast
Spiced Applesauce Cake
Lunch
Pigs in a Blanket, Tater Tots, Corn on the Cob
Snack
---
Dinner
Veggie Starter: ---
Dinner: Copycat Wendy's Chili


Recipes for the meals above are provided in the appropriate link or will be provided in a later post.

Week in Review 2015: #47 and #48

Life

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at our house and both sets of grandparents were able to join us. We ate our dinner in the homeschool room, which is really our formal dining area. It is the only place that would accommodate two tables and enough chairs for all of us. This is where you can read about our Thanksgiving in more detail.

The weekend after Thanksgiving, we bought our Christmas tree and I let the older two children decorate it themselves. My youngest has done a great job at showing us how destructive he is. Thankfully, he has calmed down a bit and is used to the tree by now. He loves the colorful lights and admires them often.

 
Bridget often sets up the little chairs in the homeschool room to play "church" with her dolls. She sets it up as the primary room at church and has singing time and a lesson. Sometimes she is able to convince George to play with her. George was busy with other toys so this time, Liam became her live student. He was so proud to be included and he sat very nicely in the chair with all of the other students.

Bridget was absolutely tickled with Liam's cooperation. They were both being so very sweet.

After Thanksgiving, Amazon had some really great deals on some toys (I prefer to do all of my Christmas shopping this way... isn't online shopping just great?!?). Along with the more "fun" toys to be saved for Christmas, I also got a few "educational" toys and gave these to the kids early. One of them is this marble run. They had a blast! I put Liam down for his nap and set it up for them in their room so that they could see what it's all about. This occupied them for THREE HOURS, until Liam woke up and I made them put it away.

They just love seeing how things work and building things. I couldn't believe they played so well together for that long. It was a blessing because I have had a cold for the past couple of days. I really needed that break from the children where I can rest my voice and try to get better.

Homeschool 

We started off the week very strong but because of my cold and inability to read aloud without having a coughing fit, Bridget has had to do most of her work independently. This is where I love math drill sheets and writing copywork.

In an attempt to still be productive while I am sick, I spent my alone time at the computer working on notebook pages for history. I had gotten behind on that. I'm also revamping the lessons, adding lessons that are not part of SOTW and changing the SOTW lesson order around a bit. It's our first year of a full curriculum and I knew things would need to be tweaked after we got started.

Family Movie Night

With it being Christmas, we have been watching all of our Christmas movies almost daily. It has been nice and a real treat for the kids. 

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