Dance! (44/180)

J had her Parent Observation dance class this week on Monday!

We also had a rather traumatic time when we lost my dad's dog for several hours.  D had hold of the dog's collar right before she ran away, so she was beside herself with fear that the dog would get run over by a car and it would be her fault.  All's well that ends well, though.

W played Dungeons and Dragons three times again.

We went swimming (with friends!) and visited those friends' bunnies and chickens.

W helped reorganize all of our books, including some basic alphabetization and lots of categorization.  

R & D had their last circus classes of the summer.

All the kids attended their religious education classes (on dancing!) and sang at church.

W read independently and wrote some stuff for his D&D groups.  R wrote sentences AND VOLUNTARILY READ TO THE END OF A CHAPTER in this book:

This is a huge milestone for him - keeping reading just because he wanted to find out what happened next, and not because he was required to!  D kept working her way through the first box of Bob Books and J started using the Bob Books Alphabet books.

I read to them:
The Shelf Elf by Jackie Mims Hopkins


It's Only Stanley by Jon Agee


I Love You Because You're You by Liza Baker


Meet Mr. and Mrs. Green by Keith Baker


The Mushroom Center Disaster by N.M. Bodecker


Backyard Pets: Activities for Exploring Wildlife Close to Home by Carol A. Amato


I'm Not Reading! by Jonathan Allen



W is making good progress on a) actually understanding and b) remembering how to calculate long division.  And he worked with LOF: Fractions.  R worked with LOF: Honey, and D with LOF: Apples.

R & D experimented with reflection, and did some mechanical engineering:

W is listening to a podcast about the Supreme Court (plus other various podcasts).

They watched science documentaries and W used Scratch.

D did lots of drawing and creating.

This week included six "days of instruction".

D&D x3 (38/180)

J went to her dance class.

W went to a training session for aspiring Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters.  He's been DMing for quite a while, but this was a more formal opportunity.  He also played with a multi-age group and then he and R both played in a kid's group.  Lots of D&D!

D had chipped one of her adult teeth, so she went to have it repaired this week.  J observed and asked questions throughout the process.

R went to his Circus class.

W went to an all-day LARP event.

All the kids attended their religious education classes (science as a spiritual practice) and sang in church.

W read independently.  

Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Little Sisters of Eluria by Robin Furth


R worked on reading Bob Books and Hi Fly Guy!  He copied sentences.  D worked on reading Bob Books.  I read to them:

We're Going on a Lion Hunt by David Axtell


Good Night, Firefly by Gabriel Alborozo


The Stupids Take Off by Harry Allard


Olive's First Sleepover by Roberta Baker


The Loathsome Dragon by David Wiesner




W worked with LOF: Fractions and on comprehending both the concept and notation for long division.  R worked with LOF: Honey and D worked with LOF: Apples.

They watched several science documentaries.

R watched a history documentary.

W & R took several long walks/bike rides.  We went swimming!

This week included 6 "days of instruction."

Ramps (32/180)

J took her dance class.
We went to the library.
R built several different ramp setups to do scooter and bike tricks on:

We went swimming.
R and D went to their circus classes.
All the kids attended their religious education classes and sang in church.
W read independently: Epic by Conor Kostick


Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor


R kept reading Bob Books and The Fly Guy, and writing sentences. D worked on reading Bob Books. I read to them all:
Going to the Sea Park by Mercer Mayer


Move! by Robin Page


Splat the Cat: Twice the Mice by Rob Scotton


My New Friend Is So Fun! by Mo Willems


Are All the Giants Dead? by Mary Norton


W worked with LOF: Fractions, R started LOF: Honey, and D worked with LOF: Apples.
We talked about what rotates around what in the planetary system.
This week included 6 "days of instruction".

Ordinary Time (26/180)

Juniper went to her dance lesson.

We went swimming a few times.

Robin went to Circus School.

All the kids attended their Religious Education class and sang in church.

W read independently. R worked on reading the Bob Books and an Easy Reader. He also copied sentences. D worked on reading the Bob Books. Even J insists that I help her 'read' by reading out each word in the easiest Bob Book and letting her repeat it after me.

I read to them:

I Want to Be a Ballerina by Annabel Blackledge


Freedom River by Doreen Rappaport


Get Well, Good Knight by Shelley Moore Thomas


This Little Piggy with CD: Lap Songs, Finger Plays, Clapping Games and Pantomime Rhymes by Jane Yolen


Little Ballerina Dancing Book With Cd by Fiona Watt


How to Clean a Hippopotamus: A Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships by Steve Jenkins


The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Saved Jews During the Holocaust by Karen Gray Ruelle


The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families by Susan L. Roth


W is working with LOF:Fractions, R is finishing LOF:Goldfish, and D is beginning LOF:Apples.

They watched some documentaries (both scientific and historical).

J had a doctor's visit, which D observed.

W and R did their exercises daily. We went for some walks.

This week included 5 "days of instruction".

Graves Mountain Lodge (21/180)

We spent most of the week at Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria, Virginia with Matt's extended family. There was LARPing, fire-building, hiking, swimming, horseback riding, visiting farm animals, and cooking:

Some of the pictures were taken by D! R and D attended their Circus classes. We all went to see Two Gentlemen of Verona produced by Shakespeare in Clark Park. The kids attended their religious education class and sang in church. W read independently: The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor


R and D did a little reading of Bob Books (but not much). We finished listening to Eragon by Christopher Paolini


This week included 4 "days of instruction".