Homeschool Happenings

Just a few weeks left...see light at the end of the tunnel! However.. This is a tough time to get through for us. It seems we are close to finishing so much and excited to start new things. I am already looking ahead to next school year and in June will be taking a huge leap of faith attending my first homeschool conference. I am nervous to see things and think I need to be doing it...I am afraid I will feel I am falling short and will want to do everything I see. I might have to be medicated...only time will tell.

Let's see though..what is going on in CB's Schoolhouse these days.

I can say that we rock in Geography and History but I have to follow that up with admitting that we still stink in Science! I thought this year would be different. I thought that Apologia would change it all for us, but it is just us I guess. The way I see it is this....If one of my boys shows a strong interest in Science, we can cram...we can make it up...we can overcome!

Connor especially really loves the Geography and we have done really well except when we studied the countries of Russia! Wow are those hard to pronounce. This is Connor after filling in the Middle East countries we studied, he of course likes to fill in all that he is familiar with! Here is one area where I am definitely embarrased by what I am learning. Wow, my geography was pretty pathetic!

In History we are studying knights and castles and wow is that exciting! The boys are loving it and they are having a whole lot of fun documenting in their history notebook all that they are learning!

I have decided I am no longer qualified to teach to the level required for the higher math that my boys are in....OK, just kidding....I will be honest, 3rd grade is my limit. I had to get through equivalent fractions with Connor and the next week regrouping addition with Brody. They both did amazing with both topics, but I felt a little tongue tied trying to execute those lesson plans! Connor loved the fractions so much he wrote an expository paragraph on them! His last sentence was; "I like equivalent fractions because I like equal stuff." Brody is amazing in math as well. He adds in his head and grabbed onto the concept of regrouping in addition very easily. I still don't understand how he gets to the answer sometimes, but they are almost always right. Still though, I am looking into a CD Rom program for Connor next year called Teaching Textbooks that I am very excited about! The daily lesson plans will be on the computer followed by a workbook lesson! This will be good for both of us, I'm sure;)

We took two field trips in the last few weeks; one to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) and one to the Humane Society. We had a great time at both. We closed the place down in Portland and I could hardly pull my boys out of the play room at the humane society. They have decided they want to have their birthdays there this year.

I have to close with a big fat THANK YOU to the Clampett family from the Beverly Hillbillies! If it wasn't for the hours I spent watching that show as a kid, I am certain of the fact that I would not be able to pull off the voices needed for our current Read Aloud....Strawberry Girl. What a fantastic story! I have reinvented the accent of Ellie May for one of the main characters....Birdie! For that, I will be eternally grateful! Never thought that would come in handy...I guess you really just don't know!