Year 5 :: Week 9 Home Learning Report

In world geography, we are now learning about South America. We read books on Columbia, Brazil, and Argentina. While searching for interesting books for our geography at the library, I cam across this series by Bobbie Kalman. I have used her history books before, but these were new to us. There are full of photos from the countries and are perfect for our studies. I don't always read the entire book, but we always look at all the photos and talk about those.

In Canadian History, we read about Montcalm and Wolfe in the Plains of Abraham battle. We  watched the related episode from Canada: A People's History. We learned more about the colonists, the people who came from Europe to this new world. Andre and Adrienne researched what kind of food the Habitants ate and what the Voyageurs would have eaten as well.








In Science, we covered motion this week. Every week, while I am reading the Usborne Science Encyclopedia, I have encouraged Andre and Adrienne to take notes. We have done narration for years but note taking was new to them. They are both getting better every week.

In Art/Music Appreciation, we started a new artist, Vermeer. I thought it would be fun to read aloud Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett.
We have really enjoyed this book so far, with the puzzles to solve. There are some free resources at Scholastic for this book, including printable pentominoes. While completing our biography notebook page and looking at various paintings by Vermeer, we found out that The Concert (see below) was stolen in 1990 from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. You can watch the account from the Director of Security on Youtube here.

We had another nice week of homeschooling, getting our main subjects (LA and Math) done and having fun as well. We even did some French!

With Halloween coming soon, Celeste and I have been decorating a bit and doing some simple crafts. We like the dancing skeleton and paper banners in particular, from the Toy Maker site. They remind us of our Mexico study! 

Book Sharing Monday :: The Elson Readers

This week I am sharing a series of books that is partly curriculum. 

Celeste uses them to practice reading aloud every school day . Adrienne and Andre also do, but not as regularly. We haven't enjoyed readers in the past. We didn't like that a story was cut up or too short to be enjoyed, but my children really like these! I think it's because of the content of each short story or passage and the quality of literature.  

The Elson Readers were written by William H. Elson, who also wrote the Dick and Jane series, in the early 1900s. As the back cover explains " The real beauty of The Elson Readers series is the kind of literature within its covers--wholesome literature that views the world of nature with awe, upholds the ideals of service to others and our country, and encourages sound moral development in the reader". As the levels go up, the reading selections increase in difficulty. For example, the Elson Readers book five concentrates more on understanding the meaning of the story or poem. There are discussion questions. There are also teacher's guides available.

All the readers are seperated in sections, in themes. The primer that Celeste is reading now is divided into Animals and Birds, Nature, Festivals and finally Slumberland. As the levels increase, the themes stay similar, Nature, Adventure, Home and Country, and more. As the levels increase, the stories change from being re-written at the lower levels to being actual excerpts.  

You can read more about the Elson Readers at the Lost Classics Books Company. You can also read The Elson Readers, Book Five at Project Gutenberg.

The book you see open in the photo is the Elson Readers Primer, the one Celeste is using right now. She loves it!

I was tagged!

Barb from Harmony Art Mom tagged me yesterday in a post!

She said "There's a game of tag going around the blogosphere. Someone tags you with 8 questions to answer. You answer them, and then tag some other blogger buddies with your own set of questions".

She asked (my answer in italic):

1. Do you use a bookmark or do you turn pages down? How many books do you read at a time? For Bible readers-Do you write in your Bible?
I use both methods. For library books, I usually use a bookmark and for my own books I turn the pages down. I sometimes read two books at a time, but usually just one. With non-fiction books, I like to take notes while I read.

2. Where do you dream of traveling some day? Alone with your dh or with your children?
My kids and I were just talking about that! I have many places I would like to travel to. I was fortunate to travel a lot when I was growing up, but there are still many places I would like to visit. Brazil, Peru, Russia, Netherlands, Norway, China, Thailand, New Zealand. I also want to visit Oregon, California, Washington DC, and in Canada all the Atlantic Provinces, Alberta and British Columbia. I would be happy to visit all these places with my husband and my children. If I were to go somewhere by myself, then I would pick France, to visit my mother, siblings and friends.

3. What is your favorite household chore?
I enjoy vacuuming and washing mirrors.


4. What is a personal goal you have made this year?
To keep running, consistently, at least three times a week.


5. How many blogs do you read every week? What attracts you to certain blogs?
I am not sure how many blogs I read a week, probably around 25 or so. I have a lot in my Google Reader and on the side of my blog, but I don't read them all the time. I can't find enough time for all of them! I am attracted by beautiful photos and topics that interest me. Some blogs I read regularly relate to homeschooling and unschooling, but I also read a few about simple living, quilting, sewing, and books.
 

Now it's my turn to tag a few blogging friends and ask questions...
 
I liked Barb's idea of tagging people that left comments during that week on her blog, so I will do the same.
 
Fiddler from Rockhound Place
Tracy from Secular Nature Homeschool
Lori from Keeping it Simple
Sheri from Our Pace
Playing by the Book
Red Ted Art's Blog
 
I also think five questions is plenty...so here are my five. If you see your name in the list above, play along by answering these on your blog and if you don't see your name, but want to play too, then TAG! you're it!
 
My questions, with a "favourite" theme:
 
1. I have been looking for some simple but interesting halloween crafts/decorations, what is your favourite one to do with your children? please include a link if you have one.
 
2. What is your favourite way to spend a rainy day with your children?
 
3. What is your favourite fall food?
 
4. What is your current favourite read aloud book?
 
5. Last one just for Mom..what is your favourite novel?
 
Have fun!

Home Learning Report :: Year 5 :: Week 8

We have had a great week here again.

We continued with our study of Mexico and also moved on to Central America.

Adrienne and Andre worked together to complete some trivia questions related to the P is for Pinata book. You can find them here.

I encourage them to work together, even though they would prefer not to. I think it teaches them useful skills, like patience for example! 

I made the Pan de Muertos (Mexican Bread of the Dead) but I have always

had a difficult time with rising bread. The taste

was really good, I love anise, but it didn't rise right.

With our study of Central America, we talked about the Panama Canal and watched this cool time-lapsed video:

Celeste continues to show a lot of interest with Math and is doing great!

This week, she started learning about subtraction.

Andre decided to teach Celeste how to play Battleship,

but ended up telling me that she wasn't ready. She understood the game,

but he didn't think she took it seriously enough!

Too cute!

Adrienne and him ended up playing together.

They both started laughing so hard and came to show

me why...they realized that they had

positioned their ships in a very similar way

without meaning to! 

You can see in this photo: 

We worked on science this week again, learning more about gravity

and doing another experiment. I am using this Thames & Kosmos kit.

We built the potato trap and had a lot of fun learning about the force of gravity!

We continued our art and music appreciation this week. We learned more about Mendelsohn

by completing our biography notebook pages and listening to his music.

We also looked at a few more paintings by Rembrandt.

Next week we will be studying a new composer and a new painter!

As part of the art and music appreciation, we are also doing a little

bit of art ourselves! We are using a fun Klutz book:

We are doing this all together. The kids are using loose watercolour paper

and I am using the book. We had a lot of fun with the first

assignment, it was simple and relaxing.

Andre started a new lapbook. I don't have photos yet, because it is only

in the information gathering stage.

One of his career choices is to become a movie director, the other is

a pilot for the Canadian Air Force. He told me this week that he wanted

to do a lapbook about famous movie directors.

He has already started gathering information on

M. Night Shyamalan and Steven Spielberg.

That wraps up our report for this week!

With fall here, we have been busy baking too...

baking is a great learning activity as well, and it's yummy!

On Handwork.