Confessions of a Coastie Wife: Weekly Wrapup- Nov 15-19

Ok This week has been fun for us and rewarding for me as a mom. Sometimes you just need weeks like that to reaffirm that you are doing the right thing.

Calendar time- We actually got to this a whopping three times this week. Kids still love it. I'm bored. I have to find something fun to add in there. Plus side Jakob is really starting to understand and appreciate the value of learning to skip count and has told me how it has helped him in his math multiple times this week.

Math- Marilyn Burns is a flippin Genius! We read One Gorilla and How Big is a Foot this week and worked out group adding of more than 4 numbers (like 15+12+13+16+18) and how to break those numbers down and make them more manageable. We also worked on converting measurements by measuring things with our own feet and then measuring our feet, and then figuring out how many ACTUAL feet that is. Super fun, especially since he got to make Mom lay down on the cold cold floor.

Science- We attempted to make recycled paper. It was fun while it lasted but in the end it stuck to the pan and tore. I was bummed, Jakob says we should try again next week. Love that kid.

Step 1: Tear up Paper

Step 2: Pour in water and make mush

Step 3: Figure out the best way to dry paper so it doesn't stick and rip (you're on your own there)

Social Studies- Lots of reading and discussions about the Native Americans. Reading traditional Poems, looking at their Calendar System in comparison to ours, and beginning discussions on Longhouses. We also talked about how some tribes communicated with drums as signals as well as using them for ceremonial music. Then we made drums out of a salt box and an Oatmeal Box and jammed up the day with our own beats. Jakob also experimented making his own drum signals (meaning he tapped out the syllables and made me try to guess what he was saying)

She dances to the beat of her own drum... with crayons.

Beginning his picture story for his drum. "An arrow pierces through Day and Night"

Writing- We have had discussions about whether he feels ready to take a stab at cursive again. I am worried since last year he would cry and scream everytime he brought home writing practice from school because he couldn't make it look just right. We agreed we will wait until the New Year. So instead he wrote a letter to his oldest friend (whom he still thinks that he will marry someday) in Guam. We edited it and rewrote it. I was thoroughly impressed with the length of the letter (a full page) as this is usually a toughie for him.

Hazel discovered a couple of weeks ago that she knows how to write her name and is writing it on everything. Sometimes are more legible than others but still. Today she called me downstairs frantically and wanted to show me what else she figured out. How to write a lowercase "e" she was super proud. So was Momma.

See the "e"? And of course the "H"

Scouts- They had a visit from a Police officer who talked with them about his really cool job, how much he LOVES coffee, and fingerprinting. Jakob loved it!

Inventions Class- This week they learned about flying and what makes things fly and did various experiments with paper planes, cylinders, and twirlys. From what I can gather there was a "BOOM" of some sort with one of the experiments but he was so excited he couldn't find the words and just ran off flying his papers.

Miscellaneous- You could call this Art, but art is more of a inspired part of our day. We do things was we see the need there. This week there was a need to keep the kids at the table while I took a phone call concerning an accident my Dad had been in (Thank goodness he is fine). I sometimes pick up books at the library to leave around for Jakob in case he might be interested an this week's winner was a how-to draw sea creatures and forest animals. Kept BOTH kids at the table for a good 30 min. I actually had to put a limit on the paper, they were just so excited by the ability to draw these things!