Weeks 10 and 11 (yep, still behind!)

So, that whole idea of posting a two-fer and then getting back on track with WEEKLY updates... well, that didn't work. 

Here's weeks 10 and 11, and here's to hoping to get caught up before the end of the year!

Week 10 

October 30 to November 3

1) Monday was a mostly regular day, except for that mounting Halloween excitement.  Elementary kids did their regular math and language arts, then played outside.  We worked on finalizing costumes, especially Minecraft Steve for the kinder kid.  We also did a lot of yardwork and clean up in the afternoon.  When Dad came home from work, we painted our pumpkins, which was our exhausted adult way of getting out of carving them.  We didn't have our big kids, meaning we didn't have anyone in the house besides us who should really be handling sharp knives or motorized fancy pumpkin carving machines.  

2) Halloween is arrived!!!  The excitement is too much to handle.  School for the elementary kids at the kitchen island is a poopshow.  But we blundered through some times tables review for the 3rd grader, and some money math for the kinder kid before lunch.  After lunch, we had OT at the library, which includes storytime and a Halloween parade.  So we got our costumes on and went!

Minecraft Steve, Pebbles Flintstone and a proudly-serving Police Officer

Later that evening, these innocent looking piles of sugar set the tone for the next few days...

3) We lamely tried to make the Day-After-Halloween a normal day, but.... fail.  The big kids fared okay.  A little slower than usual, but mostly okay.  Aged 7 and under.... disaster.  Staying up late + massive build up and excitement + candy = 2 to 3 day recovery period.  3rd grader did her animal habitats lesson on Minecraft, kinder kid did some online math games. 

9th grader does math online in his room, clothing on floor courtesy of little brother

Kinder kid does all of our States maps and games. Because when Mom opens the cabinet to get ONE, and he sees FIVE, well, then, OBVIOUSLY we have to do all FIVE. 

In the afternoon we meet up with homeschool friends at a local arboretum. 

Walking sticks are the best.

4) 3rd grader has started NaNoWriMo, which is a crazy hard-to-say tongue twister for National Novel Writing Month.  It encourages kids and adults to write every day in November, and at the end, you have a novel, like it or not.  We are not requiring this, as writing should be fun not forced.  But if the kids want to participate, they can.  3rd grader grabbed a notebook and jumped in for a strong start.  Kinder kid did some sight words, some money math, and other various language arts. It's still decent outside, so we get outside. 

Action shot

5) The candy is starting to wear off... and disappear.  The candy fairy has been culling the herd, thankfully.  We have normal subjects, plus NaNoWriMo, a Theraplay appointment for kinder kid, and a 2nd field trip this week to a new place for us called The Little Pod.  We meet some homeschool friends that we've seen at a few events lately and we played all afternoon.  

Week 11

November 6 to 10

1)  We rocked our Monday this week.  No more Halloween hangover.  Kinder kid does have a croupy cough, but if he's still showing up in his chair at the island, I'm not going to suggest that he needs to take a break.  He accomplishes money math, 4 pages of his math book, and reads me 4 BOB books.  3rd grader picks some 3rd grade math review pages from big sister's old Singapore Math workbook, she does grammar, her Phonics and Word Study book, completes the state bird and state flower pages of her Pennsylvania work packet (so very public-schoolish, I know), and works on her Minecraft science as well as Prodigy Math online.  Guess what?  I have ZERO pics of this day!  

2) 3rd grader jumps into her NaNoWriMo notebook, and spends a good hour in Prodigy Math.  She comes to me when new concepts pop up, practices until she's got them, then goes back and uses them in the game to whoop some wizard butt.  Kinder kid is working on shapes and designs in math, so we use his Play Break to get into the Play-Doh and copy some shapes.  In the afternoon, we have an educational program at a local farm park about Squirrel Signs.  We learn a lot, but when the educator puts on a CD in the background of squirrel sounds, kinder kid simply cannot concentrate.  He goes from coloring and cutting nicely for his craft to a hot mess.   Luckily, I am getting better at bringing along a big beach bag of stuff, and I've remembered his noise-canceling headphones.  His behaviorist is attending with us and we get his headphones and he is able to get back on track with the squirrel crafts.  What a difference!  

Tot loves to color.  Part of this program is always outdoors, so I layered her in footie pajamas.  

Play-Doh fun

Kinetic sand play break. 

3)  Normal routine, we have no planned field trip this week so we do some house cleaning and organizing instead. 

Tot sorts bells in various kitchen items. 

Felt board story telling

Tot is getting really bored with her puzzles.  She now will take each piece, hold it over EVERY wrong spot and say, "No." before finally putting it in the correct one.  

Still writing for NaNoWriMo

Skip counting cut and paste.  I love freebies on www.teacherspayteachers.com

Prodigy Math

4)  Big kids had a regular schedule, plus some extra music practice.  Elementary kids and the tot had a normalish day, and then spend the afternoon outside.  We are making good use of the above-average temperatures this fall.  

3rd grader rides the zip line

5) We wrapped up our week with.... another normal day with little pictures.  Sight words, math, money math and BOB books for the kinder, Pennsylvania state work packet, math, language arts for the 3rd grader, regularly scheduled program for the bigs.  

Stay tuned for Week 12's post... we got a new cookbook, threw aside our regular schedule and baked our little hearts out with yummy goodies!  Mmm mmm mmm!