school days, school days...

Usually when I disappear for days at a time it is because there is so much going on, I'm not sure where to even begin. This is just one of those weeks! Monday started our school year off. We started slow, and will be adding math next week. So far so good. We have a schedule that is working well logistically and still gives us a bit of freedom so that we don't feel like prisoners to school. We started a new program and it is so great. It is called Five in a Row. I read a children's book to them every day for the whole week. This week was The Story about Ping(it is about a duck in China running from a consequence and the adventure that almost leads him to a dinner table) . Then, using the book, there is a different subject that breaks off from what the book has introduced. I'll share this week's overview so you get the idea. Monday we had Geography/culture. We found China and the Yangtze River on our world map. Then we looked up several things on the web, watched some video clips about life in different areas of China, looked at some Chinese food menus with pictures, and ate Chinese food(okay, so rice is all it was with some mixed veggies stirred in...but it worked for them!). I was impressed how much better they accepted the tidbits of gathered information than reading pages from a textbook. Still today they remembered a majority and was able to teach Marvin. Then Tuesday, we learned about literary devices. Yes, they learned that word and can use it in a sentence!!! We figured out how to tell if our story was Fiction or non fiction. We also learned a literary device used in this book was literary repetition. And yes, my smarties use those big words and understand them. Then we made up fiction stories of our own. Wednesday was Science and we learned about buoyancy and how and why things float. That was a fun day for them with lots of water play. I also threw in water safety that day too! Then, on Thursday, we talked about relationships and families. Also right and wrong and consequences using the characters in the book. Today we had an art lesson. We learned the pictures in the book are called illustrations and that they are done with colored pencils in this book. They got to use colored penciled to draw pictures about the story. Let me tell you, they have had a blast!!! So have I! I learned things right along with them! I am also doing a program called Before Five in a Row with Josh and the girls. Basically the same idea with simple stories and just ideas for fun, easy learning each day. They loved it. Along with that, the boys are doing Handwriting(which will become spelling and literature in about 2 weeks), Phonics, Science, and will be starting math next week. This has been a great week and has left all of us excited to start again on Monday! Can't ask for anything more. We also found a martial arts studio run by a Christian man that incorporates Bible verses and lessons into each belt test. We found it yesterday and just dropped by unexpectedly to check it out and ended up staying over 30 minutes after our tour just talking to the owner about God. I love it when people's love for God is genuine! After soccer is done for the boys, we will be starting both of them at this studio. They are pumped! Marvin is jealous, I think he wants a ghee of his own!