Friday, April 15, 2011

Wrapping up the Week - 4/15



What we are reading ::

The Spirituality of George Washington

Reed of God

listening to: One Thousand Gifts, it's free right now on Audible.com

Family Reading: The Marvelous Land of Oz

Bob just started reading The Fellowship of the Rings to the boys

Around the House :: We switched some of our "theme" dinners around the last couple of months.  We moved our soup night to Friday.  It's easy to have a simple, meat-free dinner with soup.  We moved our pizza night to Sunday.  Lately we have been eating a big breakfast when we come home from mass, it's been a great was to use up leftovers!, a bit later we watch a family movie, and then we order pizza. As the weather gets warmer we may skip the movie to do more outside activities.

Around the Kitchen ::  Grilling season is upon us ~ finally!  Anyone have any recipes/suggestions for doing veggies on the grill?


Education ::  Due to the fact that I still can't find those darned George Washington books I misplaced a couple of weeks ago, I had a minor epiphany that I really need to be more organized.  I can't afford to waste time looking for things.  In general I feel like I am a pretty organized person, but I need to step it up in the school department.  Everyone is getting older, with more things to do, and I do them a huge disservice by wandering around looking for papers when they are ready to go.  So, I am thinking a binder of some sort is what I need.  The ideas have started swirling and I will see what I can get together this weekend.

Jacob's independent project lately has been learning how to make Lego movies.  He is taking pictures of Lego mini-figures with an old camera phone and downloading them into iMovie.  He has made some interesting little movies!

Jacob~4th grade ::  Horizons, The Tale of Solomon the Owl, Vocabulary, Handwriting/Copywork, IEW
Jonah~2nd grade ::  Math-U-See, various readers, Handwriting, Phonics-Explode the Code
Sarah~1st grade ::  Math-U-See, various books, Handwriting, Phonics-Explode the Code

This week our Five in a Row book was , Follow the Drinking Gourd

The kids were familiar with the story, we have a music CD that has the song on it, with a bit of an explanation before the song starts.

Follow the Drinking Gourd

We have a living history museum in our area that has several houses that were on the Underground Railroad.  They will have more meaning to us this time around as we have learned more of the background story.

Monday:  We read the story and located the places mentioned on the map.  We then looked at another, larger map that showed some of the various routes that the slaves took towards freedom.

Tuesday:  Talked a bit more in depth about slavery, why it was started etc.

Thursday:  We read our main story, plus a story called An Apple for Harriet Tubman.  Then we read The Patchwork Path and did a freedom quilt craft.  I was sort of floundering for a craft this week and I just happened to pick this book up from the library.  I had never heard of freedom quilts before.  The craft turned out cute.  




We also watched a short dvd about the Michigan Underground Railroad.  Several famous abolitionists lived in Michigan: Sojourner Truth, Fredrick Douglas, and Laura Haviland just to name a few.  So much history right in our own backyard!

Friday:   Our final read of Follow the Drinking Gourd and then Barefoot: Escape on the Underground Railroad, Freedom River and then as a review for the younger kids, ABC USA.  In the book, U is for Underground Railroad.

Thanks for tagging along on our week.  Join in the link up to share your week too.  Last week we had the largest number of link-ups yet, thanks to all those who link up and all those who are reading!

Next week (4/22) I won't have a Wrapping up the Week post or a linky due to Holy Week.  We will spend our week focusing on Holy Week and finishing up First Holy Communion notebooks for Sarah & Jonah.  Hope you have a most blessed Holy Week and Easter!





17 comments:

Robin said...

It sounds like you have had a full week! You made me laugh when you said you were doing them a "disservice by wandering around"..that is SO me and I only have one to tend to. I can't wait to see your binder. You always have such great ideas!

Have a great weekend!

Mary said...

I am looking forward to seeing the binder!

+JMJ+ said...

Love that schoolroom pic....the sun coming in. What a great spot!

Been thinking too about how I need to organize...that's usually my whole June.

Phyllis said...

I love to read your wrap-ups. I love your underground railroad unit!

Patty said...

I love that idea of the underground railroad unit study! I grew up near some of the homes in Illinois. I love finding out the history in one's own backyard. I plan to quiet things down next week as well. Then it will be the end of April already? Where has the time gone?!

Our Side of the Mountain said...

LOVE the paper quilts! I'm starting to organize for NEXT year (i.e September). We have SUMMER VACATION from mid-May-August. Organizing means purging unneeded/unwanted curriculum, reorganizing school shelves and drawers, making lists of needed supplies and curriculum, and putting together work binders for the kids. Phew! I can't wait to see what you do in a couple of weeks!

Jessy

Tiffany said...

I think the missing items and papers are symptoms of the final stretch of the school year..I am having the same problem. I feel like I don't have time to get organized right now but BOY do I have big plans for the first weeks of summer;-) Great job finishing First Communion binders!!! I am a little angry with myself for lagging behind on that completion with my daughter. We've done a ton of reading but I had bigger plans for her notebook. I am feeling the pressure with only 2 weeks to go!

Lori said...

Great week. I love the craft!

We grill our veggies on skewers. We do different veggies each time- mushrooms, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, red potatoes, pineapple (a fruit, but yummy!), zucchini... brush a little olive oil on and cook.

Finding a method of organization for school has been my quest for years! Some years are better than others.

Jessica said...

I have misplaced my Story of the World book! HOW does that happen?? Even my prayers to St. Anthony have not produced that darn book......If it does not turn up soon I am going to be forced to go to Barnes and Nobel and purchase a new one. Which won't be too bad, then each girl can have one to read from but it is oh so frustrating!

Tracy said...

Hi Jen,
I can relate to the wanting to organize, but can't seem to find the time either. Love all the activities you did this week and the paper quilts are beautiful! Have a blessed Holy Week also!

Jill said...

Thanks so much for the ideas, and the books. We had a fun school day yesterday learning about the UR and can't wait to go to the HF soon. We will have to plan a day to go together (Mom and Dad would enjoy going too, I think!) Thanks again for the inspiration, school has been a little boring around here!

noreen said...

Hi Jen, organization is key to having children yet I think, it's one of the hardest things to keep up with! Have a Blessed Holy Week!

Lisa said...

Oh, Jen, I felt like I was reading about myself when you said you couldn't find the book or "waste" time wandering around! I think all of us homeschool moms need a bit of an organizing break right around now! I am looking forward to really getting things together for next year. Do we all say that, lol? God Bless and Happy, Happy Easter to you and your beautiful family! :-)

Lisa said...

Oh, Jen, I felt like I was reading about myself when you said you couldn't find the book or "waste" time wandering around! I think all of us homeschool moms need a bit of an organizing break right around now! I am looking forward to really getting things together for next year. Do we all say that, lol? God Bless and Happy, Happy Easter to you and your beautiful family! :-)

Jill said...

Thanks so much for the ideas, and the books. We had a fun school day yesterday learning about the UR and can't wait to go to the HF soon. We will have to plan a day to go together (Mom and Dad would enjoy going too, I think!) Thanks again for the inspiration, school has been a little boring around here!

Jessica said...

I have misplaced my Story of the World book! HOW does that happen?? Even my prayers to St. Anthony have not produced that darn book......If it does not turn up soon I am going to be forced to go to Barnes and Nobel and purchase a new one. Which won't be too bad, then each girl can have one to read from but it is oh so frustrating!

Phyllis said...

I love to read your wrap-ups. I love your underground railroad unit!

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