Magic and Mayhem

A little of what we’ve been up to lately…

Social Studies

• Jack, Anna, Victoria and I watched “IMAX: The Eight Greatest Places on Earth” about the Amazon river, Tibet, Greenland and other amazing places.  We learned a lot about everything from the rainforest to prayer flags to lemurs.
• Anna and I are still reading “Pollyanna” at bedtime, which leads to discussions about the early 1900’s.
• Victoria has been reading a great book about the Middle Ages that’s made to read like a news book for kids.
• Anna has been reading another book in the series about Ancient Egypt.

Math:

• Jack has been doing lots of addition of higher numbers for fun.
• Victoria did lots of workbook pages.  We’re trying to finish off a 4th grade workbook by the end of the year just to get rid of it.  :)  A lot of things are clicking for her this month that just didn’t before, so it’s coming faster and easier now.
• Jack has been playing a math game on the computer.
• Victoria played Rainforest Math on the computer a few times.
• Victoria did lots of math planning, running and evaluating her lemonade stand.
• Anna did a bunch of math workbook pages.  She flew through them and got only one wrong on all the pages.

Language Arts:

• Both girls are reading assorted books (picture books and chapter books) on their own.
• Victoria, Daddy and I have all been reading various books to Jack.
• Jack is getting better at recognizing some words and sounding out others.
• Victoria has been blogging.
• Victoria and Anna have been emailing friends.
• Victoria had me help her spell some rather advanced words for a story she was writing.
• Victoria did grammar pages in her 4th grade workbook while running her lemonade stand.

PE:

• Anna just had her last gymnastics class.
• All 3 big kids played baseball and shot hoops with friends.
• We’ve been going on lots of walks.
• The girls have been climbing a lot of trees. 
• All the kids have been playing outside — running, climbing, swinging, etc. — till nearly bedtime a lot of days.

Arts:

• Victoria and Anna worked on an altered book for a friend.
• Victoria and Anna made paper doll costumes.
• Jack has been drawing.
• Victoria and Anna have been creating computer art.
• All 3 big kids and Daddy have been making up a perpetually changing song called “I love her more than wood ticks.”  Obviously, it is a very silly song!  They are really good at coming up with funny rhyming verses and they all take turns with the chorus.

Oops!  I’m being summoned downstairs.  That will have to do for records!