Christmas! (114/180)

We celebrated Christmas at the No-Rehearsal Nativity Pageant, in which Day played a Wise Person and Juniper played an Angel. 

R, D and J decorated gingerbread houses.

D and J did MUCH gymnastic practice on their new gym mat for the living room.

Preparing for travel next week, things other than the holiday were kept simple.

W, R, D, and J worked with LOF.

D worked with Handwriting Without Tears.  J worked with Explode the Code.

W read independently.  R read with support: I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980 by Lauren Tarshis.  D and J practiced reading.

This week included 4 days of instruction.

Too busy getting ready for Christmas to do very much else ... (110/180)

The girls went to the library.

R went to parkour.  J went to ballet.

D went to circus school.

J went to hip hop.

All the kids attended a solstice celebration.

All the kids worked with LOF.

W read independently.  R read with support.  D and J practiced reading.

This week included 5 days of instruction.

J turns 6 + Nativities + Slime (105/180)

R went to Parkour.

J went to dance.

All the kids attended their MAHC classes.

W and R went to the Nativities Around the World display at the Glencairn Museum with friends.

D attended circus.

W played D and D.

D and J helped create and host J's 6th birthday party.

They also made lots of slime with a friend and sold it all at the MAHC Handmade Market.

All the kids attended their religious education classes.

All the kids worked with LOF.

W read independently.  R read with support.  D mastered

Fun in the Sun by Bobby Lynn Maslen.  J mastered
Ten Men by Bobby Lynn Maslen.

D worked with Handwriting Without Tears.  J worked with Explode the Code.

 I read to the girls:
Snow by Uri Shulevitz


Tamar's Sukkah by Ellie Gellman


The Bear's Sea Escape by Benjamin Chaud


Adventure Annie Goes to Work by Toni Buzzeo


Independent Dames: What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American Revolution by Laurie Halse Anderson


Another Way to Climb a Tree by Liz Garton Scanlon.

We went to the library.

This week included 6 days of instruction.

Lots of reading (109/180)

R went to parkour.

J went to dance.

All the kids went to their MAHC classes.  Here's the second week of Bake Sale (W, R, and D):

D went to circus.

The kids attended a Holiday Workshop and a potluck.  They all attended their religious education classes.

W, R, D, and J worked with LOF.  W completed Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra 2 with Economics by Stanley F. Schmidt.

W read independently:
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.  R read with support:
The Japanese Tsunami, 2011 by Lauren Tarshis.  D and J practiced reading.

D worked with Handwriting Without Tears and J worked with Explode the Code.

I read to the girls (and sometimes R):
Impact!: Asteroids and the Science of Saving the World by Elizabeth Rusch


I Spy a Freight Train: Transportation in Art by Lucy Micklethwait

Jumbo's Lullaby by Laura Krauss Melmed

Richard Wright and the Library Card by William Miller.

W made dinner for the family.  He also biked on a stationary bike.

This week included 5 days of instruction.

Goblet of Fire (104/180)

R went to Parkour.

All the kids attended their MAHC classes.

D went to Circus.

J went to Hip Hop.

W led a D and D game.

All the kids attended their religious education classes.

All the kids worked with Life of Fred.

W read independently.  R read with support.  D practiced reading, mastering
Bed Bugs by Bobby Lynn Maslen.  J practiced reading, too.

D worked with Handwriting Without Tears and J worked with Explode the Code.

W watched NOVA Wonders What's the Universe Made Of?  He cooked meatloaf, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes, muffins, etc. for the family.

I read to everyone:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling. 

I also read to the girls (and sometimes to R):
No Hugs for Porcupine by Zoe Waring


Mulan: A Story in Chinese and English by Li Jian

This week included 5 days of instruction.

Thanksgiving (99/180)

R went to Parkour:

We celebrated Thanksgiving at home.  W made great mashed potatoes.  The girls helped a lot with a lot of the cooking and setting up.  J took leftover pie crust and blueberries and made cup-pies for everyone:

D and J attended a performance of The Nutcracker, with most of the performers members of J's ballet school!

D and J attended their religious education class.

All the kids worked with LOF.

W read independently.  R read with support.  D and J practiced reading.

W watched a variety of YouTube videos on physics topics.

W stationary biked.  All the kids went to a Laser Tag birthday party.

I read to the girls:

The Littlest Owl by Caroline Pitcher


Seababy: A Little Otter Returns Home by Ellen Levine


If You Decide To Go To The Moon by Faith McNulty

This week included 5 days of instruction.

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (94/180)

We went to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, taking the fairly boulder-y Inner Loop up to the North Lookout.  We didn't see any hawks, but it was a great hike, and we learned a bit about birds of prey.

All the kids attended their MAHC classes.

An unseasonably early snowstorm created a chance to practice snowboarding on the hills around our house.  R, D, and J had a great time!

J went to dance.

W played D and D.

All the kids attended a multigen worship service, hearing live music and participating in ritual.

W cooked a roast beef dinner for the family.

All the kids worked with LOF.

W read independently:
First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher.

R read with support.  He also read independently without us telling him to for the first time I'm aware of, parts of
The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden.  D practiced reading:
Funny Bunny by Bobby Lynn Maslen.  J practiced reading too.

D worked with Handwriting Without Tears and J worked with Explode the Code.

D and J went to the library.  I read to them:
Frederick's Journey: The Life of Frederick Douglass by Doreen Rappaport


Once Upon a Starry Night: A Book of Constellations by Jacqueline Mitton


Sea Clocks: The Story of Longitude by Louise Borden

This week included 5 days of instruction.

Soccer Champions! (89/180)

R went to Parkour.

D and J observed me vote.

D went to circus.

J went to dance.

R played in the championship for his soccer league and his team WON!

All the kids attended their religious education classes.

All the kids worked with LOF.

W read independently:
Princeps' Fury by Jim Butcher


Captain's Fury by Jim Butcher



R read with support:
I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011 by Lauren Tarshis



D and J practiced reading.

I read to the girls:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Case of R.B.G. vs. Inequality by Jonah Winter


Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill by Maud Hart Lovelace.

This week included 6 days of instruction.