Pages

WONDERFULLY CRAZY

A space where family, friends and anyone else can follow our adventures. We are a homeschooling, crafting, music-making, back-flipping wonderfully crazy family living on the coast of Maine enjoying everything life has to offer us!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

School Right Now

I don't know about other folks out there, but the holiday bug is starting to hit and we are finding concentrating on school work a bit harder this week.  So much to do, decorating, crafting, cooking, gifting and yet school work needs to be done.
We've been moving right along through US history with a few different guides.  I figured I'd try the Oak Meadow online curriculum and see what we thought.  It's really not bad, works as a nice launching pad, we're doing 5th grade history which is focusing on westward expansion and the civil war right now.  We've watched some Ken Burns The West  It's fantastic but I wouldn't recommend it for younger kids at all...The kids are a bit horrified by the violence that went on with the American Indians.  This is the first time they have really heard the brutality of all that was early America. 

We've just started a new Chemistry unit from Real Science 4 Kids .  I am absolutely thrilled with this find!  The price is very reasonable and the content is perfect for middle school.  It's still new but I expect we will continue on with their biology and physics units as well.  It's broken down into a text and lab book and really engages the kids (and myself), there is a teacher manual that helps me along too:)
Math Mammoth has them busily dividing decimals right now.
Crammer and writing are done  in workbooks sometimes as well as Oak Meadow which gives lots of different assignments that are sometimes fun (I do like to pick and choose).
 Both kids enjoy writing in a journal and presently writing a short story together.  I can't wait to read it.
We read poetry and other assorted bits of knowledge from the What Your 5th 6th Grader Needs to Know, I also find lesson plans on their website occasionally.
I'd love a good recommendation for a book to read together.  Both kids read independently, but we don't have a group book right now.
Of course handwork is crazy around here, I think it's everyones favorite!  Both kids are knitting quite a bit.  Molly has really been enjoying using the sewing machine to make doll clothing.  She's found some free patterns at Liberty Jane.  I must say she is becoming quite the seamstress.  Corey has been doing a bit of hand stitching.  Right now he's working on the horse from Feltcraft I enlarged the pattern by 150% and he insisted on using recycled sweaters!  I'll be sure to post pictures of everyones creations as they are finished.
I think it's time for me to help with some math before we get all crafty for the holidays.  I'd love to hear what others are up to in school these days.




4 comments:

  1. We are having a hard time here too...only one more day and we go on break. I am really thinking I 'm more excited about this break than the kid's are about it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ang, I have Real Biology 4 Kids if you want to borrow our set. I think it's Level 1, but would have to check. It's a great series, we did both Chemistry & Biology and our kids all loved it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Wendy! I may take you up on that!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, thanks for all the links Angie. I am going to bookmark and check them all out. We just watched a bit of a documentary called Story of Math. It was a little too much for my 6 year old, and just a tad much for my 9 year old, but it was fascinating, about seeing math everywhere beginning with egyptian history. I bet your kids would like it!
    xo

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by! I love to hear comments and try to answer any questions so feel free to tell me what's on your mind!