The Learning Nook

READ ALOUD: 30 min; 20 min.
INDEPENDENT READING: 15 min.

Singapore Math 2A - textbook pages 88-90; workbook page 117

Introduced a blank Multplication Chart for equations up to 12X12.  Filled in answers for equations already known.  Discovered that Sydney already knows almost 3/4 of the table!

Literature Pockets - Read Brave Little Tailor; created a comic strip

Holy Cow Science experiment - experimented with color combinations

Read aloud from American Girl - Meet Josefina

Read 1 chapter of Who Was Helen Keller?

Completed information in the journal for our Flat Traveler visiting from Montana.

Swimming

READ ALOUD: 20 minutes

Read Welcome to Josefina's World, pages 2-5 and answered questions orally.

Writing Skills, Grade 1 - pages 46 & 47

Spectrum Spelling, Grade 2 - pages 62 & 63

Singapore Math 2A - workbook review pages 110-113

Think A Minutes - pages 10 & 20

Time 4 Learning - 1 2nd grade Math & 1 3rd grade Language Arts section

Used dictionary to look up spelling & definitions

Read aloud The Kings Chessboard by Devis Goebu

Prepared and mailed 2 Flat Travelers (one is going to Montana and one is going to our her penpal in Scotland who will be journeying with it to Nepal).  Created journals and info sheets for the travelers.

READ ALOUD: 30 min; 30 min
INDEPENDENT READING: 20 min.

Gymnastics class

Logic Safari ~ Pages 27 & 28

Read First Reports-Japan pages 17 - 23 answered comprehension question. We had a lengthy discussion on WWII, the atomic bomb, Hiroshima, and how it affects relations today.

Singapore Math 2A ~ text page 85; workbook page 107-109

Thinking Skills, Grade 3 - page 49

Time 4 Learning - 1 3rd grade Language Arts & 1 2nd grade Math section

Wrote a short story based on this prompt: "A man is walking down the street pushing an empty stroller." Of course, hilarity ensued. LOL!

Read 1 chapter in Who Was Helen Keller?

Practiced assigned piano music - 30 minutes

Completed music notes worksheet (to refresh music reading)

Girl Scouts

Slumber Party with a friend who is moving away. The girls went swimming, scrapbooked pictures of themselves, and watched movies.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Played assigned piano pieces

Read 1 chapter of Who Was Helen Keller

Time 4 Learning - 1 2nd grade Math and 1 3rd grade Language Arts section

Singapore Math 2A ~ Word Problems, page 38 & 39

Visual Perceptual Skills - pages 63-80

Welcome to Josefina's World - read pages 2-5 and answered questions

Read aloud from American Girl - Meet Josefina

Crafts

Sydney and her troop won an all-expense paid sleepover trip to Sea World because they sold so many &^%$! cookies this year. It was a lot of fun and definitely a once in a lifetime experience! We got to touch a shark, walk hand in flipper with a penguin, and pet the dolphins. We even slept with the penguins in the Penguin Encounter ~ truly a trip to remember!

Sydney spent the week at gymnastics camp.  It was her first all day camp and, though it presented some logistic issues because of her peanut allergy, it went quite well.  Sydney enjoyed the gymnastics and crafts, and I liked that she was getting some all day instruction in "the real world."  Invariably, she would return home with little to no lunch eaten.  hmmm...something to do with taking MUCH to long to eat (like I've been telling her all along!).

READ ALOUD: 20 minutes
INDEPENDENT READING: 20 minutes

Think A Minutes - page 33

Visual Perceptual Skills, Grade 2-4 ~ pages 54 & 55

Read 3 chapters of Who Was King Tut? COMPLETED book!

Played assigned piano pieces.  Helped teach Mom how to play C-scales and helped me through some of her earlier songs.

Singapore math 2Z Extra Practice ~ page 21

Writing Skills, grade 1 ~ page 45

Played Math War card game with Mom & Dad

Time 4 Learning ~ 1 3rd grade Language Arts & 1 2nd grade Math section

Swimming

Lots of discussion on eating safely - gymnastics camp starts tomorrow.

READ ALOUD: 45 minutes; 30 minutes

Literature Pockets ~ Began The Brave Little Tailor - made a mobile of pertinent story points

Singapore Math 2A - textbook pages 83 & 84; workbook pages 103 - 106

Read 1 chapter of Who Was King Tut?

Thinking Skills, Grade 3 ~ pages 47 & 48

Time 4 Learning ~ 1 3rd Grade Language Arts & 1 2nd grade Math section

Read First Reports - Japan pages 12-18 and answered study questions.

Was given print out of some words written in Japanese and copied the one she wanted.

Played Dino Math Tracks with Dad

Played assigned piano pieces

Swimming - Dad worked with her on diving

Finished reading Harry Potter & Prisoner of Azkaban

Started the next American Girl series - Josefina

READ ALOUD: 30 min; 20 min

Read 1 chapter of Who Was King Tut?

Time 4 Learning ~ 1 3rd grade Language Arts & 1 2nd grade Math section

Practiced piano pieces

Visit from Aunt Amber & Shelby

July 31st was Harry Potter's birthday. We have been "All-Things-Potter" in this house for the last few months, so I thought it was fitting to celebrate the day. Syd decorated the cake and made him a card. She even insisted on a candle and singing Happy Birthday. Considering poor Harry is usually with the Dursley's on his birthday (not to mention what happens on his birthday in Deathly Hallows!), I think this was one of his finer celebrations.

So, Happy Birthday Harry. And thanks. For everything.

(And yes, the card says "71st" birthday. Either Sydney is numerically dyslexic, or it was her attempt at projecting his longevity and safety into the future!)

READ ALOUD; 30 min; 20 min; 45 min

Top Secret Adventures - Japan (solved another puzzle)

Read pages 1 - 11 of First Reports - Japan and answered questions

Building Thinking Skills - pages 82 - 84

Think A Minutes - pages 29 & 31

Singapore Math 2A ~ textbook pages 80-82; workbook pages 99-102 (Began simple division)

Spectrum Spelling, grade 2 ~ written test on Lesson 13

Played assigned piano pieces

Completed Potions lesson from her Hogwarts classes.  Had to develop a "test" liquid by boiling cabbage (Oh my god - how the house stunk!) and then added other things to determine is they were an acid, base, or neutral.  This Potions class was EXTREMELY well received and made me realize how we need to add more science.

Creative Writing - working on a story in journal

READ ALOUD: 30 min; 20 min; 45 min; 45 min
INDEPENDENT READING: 15 min

Singapore Math 2A Extra Practice ~ pages 32-36

Time 4 Learning ~ 1 3rd grade Language Arts & 1 2nd grade Math section (completed quiz on symmetry - 100%)

Looked up synonyms for given words in a Thesaurus

Played assigned piano pieces

Reintroduced tying shoes - we've worked on this off and on for years. This is one area where I took a "less is more" approach and never pushed it. Today I showed Syd again how to do it and VIOLA! she has mastered the skill!

Spectrum Spelling, Grade 2 ~ pages 60 & 61

Worked on our Japan unit ~ located Japan on the globe (listened to the talking globe's stats); colored flag; wrote name in Japanese; played with Japanese fashion paper dolls while I read aloud haiku & Japanese folk/fairy tales

Read 1 chapter in Who Was King Tut? ~ Discussed Egyptian beliefs in the afterlife again

Read so much Prisoner of Azkaban, I thought my jaw would clamp shut!

Worked through a LOT of fear and apprehension and finally extracted her 3rd wiggly tooth. The 2nd one had had traumatic consequences (fainting/seizures) and neither of us were in a rush to repeat that! After yesterday's trip to the dentist, however, we learned we needed to yank it to protect the adult tooth coming in (otherwise gunk gets up under the dangling tooth and goes to work on the adult tooth - not a good thing). We had long discussions on physical responses to shock/pain and also about bravery and courage. In the end, the tooth popped out when she forgot she'd ask me to wiggle it for her and she suddenly jumped up to go to the bathroom. No fainting or seizures this time! Whew!

READ ALOUD: 30 min; 45 min
INDEPENDENT READING: 15 minutes

Building Thinking Skills, grade 2-3 ~ Page 59

Writing Skills, grade 1 ~ page 43 & 44

Daily Dash Diary - 1 entry

Played assigned piano pieces - 30 minutes

Spectrum Spelling, grade 2 ~ page 58 & 59

Read 1 chapter of Who Was King Tut?  Discussed different types of pyramids; egyptian beliefs about afterlife, etc.

Math Scavenger Hunt ~ Had to solve multiplication problems and looked up answers on a key to locate next clue/problem.  The clues led her throughout the house until she found the prize (an art book).

Read more of Harry Potter & Prisoner of Azkaban

Gymnastics class

Discussed adoption on a micro and macro scale.

READ ALOUD: 45 minutes; 45 minutes; 20 minutes
INDEPENDENT READING: 15 minutes

Completed weekly Hogwarts work in Divination & Care of Magical Creatures

Read 1 chapter in Who Was King Tut? This lead to a discussion of the Rosetta Stone and it's importance. We viewed pictures online of the actual stone and compared the 3 languages written on it. It also lead to a discussion of perseverance (the man who decoded hieroglyphs for the first time on the Stone took 14 years to do it!).

Read aloud Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban

Singapore Math 2A Extra Practice book ~ pages 27 - 31

Write 4 Real ~ Sydney wrote a letter to Emma Watson (Hermione)

Syd's piano teacher called for the week and Syd performed her assigned pieces for her (performed well, thankfully)

Swimming

READ ALOUD: 20 minutes

Singapore Math 2A ~ text pages 78 & 79; workbook pages 97 & 98

Practiced forming numerals properly

Hogwarts lessons ~ Transfiguration lesson on Animagus; Charms lesson on creating spells

Played assigned piano pieces

Swimming

Worksheet on identifying music notes on a Grand Staff

Spectrum Spelling, 2nd grade ~ Lesson 12 test

READING: 1 hour; 30 minutes

Visited library, selected books

Began Harry Potter & Prisoner of Azkaban as a read aloud

Playdate with J.

Swimming

Designed and sewed a dress from scratch; no pattern (I have GOT to get this kid some instruction - she has a knack!)

Played assigned piano pieces

READ ALOUD: 15 minutes
INDEPENDENT READING: 20 minutes

Began independent reading of Who Was King Tut?

Building Thinking Skills, Grades 2-3 ~ pages 219, 220, & 221

Singapore Math 2A Word Problems ~ page 7

Time 4 Learning ~ 1 3rd grade Language Arts & 1 2nd grade Math section

Spectrum Spelling, 2nd grade ~ page 55 & 56

Worked on Jumpstart Explorers and Math Missions for 30 minutes each

Played assigned piano pieces

Swimming & visit with Aunt Amber & Shelby

READ ALOUD: 30 minutes
INDEPENDENT READING: 20 minutes

Lots of artwork, journal writing and independent play while Mom read Harry Potter's final fate! 

Practiced piano - 30 minutes each day

Time 4 Learning - 1 3rd grade Language Arts & 1 2nd grade Math section

Read 2 chapters in Who Was Annie Oakley?  Completed book!

Visited library and selected books.

Calculated fractions for real life.  She got a new LPS toy - of which there are 5 total.  Her new one brought her personal total to 4.  I asked her if she could tell me, as a fraction, how many of the total she has.  She was pretty quick with 4/5th's.

READ ALOUD: 20 minutes
INDEPENDENT READING: 20 minutes

Spectrum Spelling, Grade 2 - Lesson 11 Test; started Lesson 12, page 54

Reviewed Thinking Skills, Grade 3 pages 44, 45, & 46 completed previously.  Talked about fiction and non-fiction.

Singapore Math 2A - text page 78, workbook pages 93-96

Literature Pockets/Fairy & Folk Tales - Completed The Bremen Town Singers

Piano Theory - pages 26, 27, & 28 (Completed PRIMER level!)

Played assigned piano pieces - 45 minutes

Read 1 chapter from Who Was Annie Oakley?

Read 2X2=BOO! in conjunction with our multiplication work

Write 4 Real - wrote a letter to a friend

Swimming

READ ALOUD: 15 minutes

Played both Roll & Add and Roll & Subtract games.

Completed weekly Hogwarts assignments.  Arithmancy (found shapes in nature and drew a landscape as variations in shape); Herbology (learned associated flowers, herbs, & trees for Gemini's); Divination (learned about the meanings of her Destiny Number that was calculated last week - the description was freakishly accurate for her!)

Time 4 Learning - 2 2nd grade Math sections; completed Fractions chapter test

Began Top Secret Adventure for Japan - located various demographic facts, learned a few Japanese words, completed word search

MORE paper airplane work - she's getting really good at this!  Some of her planes can go 15 to 20 feet!

READ ALOUD: 20 minutes
INDEPENDENT READING - 15 minutes

Literature Pockets/Fairy & Folk Tales ~ Began Breman Town Musicians

Visual Perceptual Skills Grades 2-4 ~ pages 33 - 38

Completed a fractions worksheet from Time 4 Learning material

Thinking Skills, Grade 3 ~ pages 43 - 46

Spectrum Spelling, Grade 1 ~ pages 51 - 53

Continued Hogwarts Assignments ~ Defense Against the Dark Arts (home & internet safety); Transfiguration (symbology of animals, created coat of arms); Care of Magical Creatures

Learned how to use a checkbook and register. Used an old set of checks and practiced filling out a check & register. Discussed balances.

Swimming

Time 4 Learning - 1 3rd grade Language Arts section

Read a chapter of Who Was Annie Oakley?