Weekly Wrap: Projects to the left, projects to the right

I’m the project cheerleader. “Projects to the left and projects to the right. Stand up. Sit down. Write, write, write!” We are heavy into preparations for our annual Homeschool Expo with our homeschool group. It’s just two weeks from today. We have four science projects and I don’t know how many history projects going. It seems to me that this is a time where independent learning takes wings. Putting together a display board and presentation takes thought. Research, writing and so many skills come into action. I love to see what the children come up with. And it’s also a nice break in the day-to-day routine.

But before we got heavy into projects, we started the week off with singing. The children participate in weekly Bible study and/or choir and missions activities at our church. Last Sunday we got to hear Middle Girl sing in big church with her choir, pictured at top. Every week our two older girls also have a Drama Troupe practice. They are working their way towards a May performance of Alice in Wonderland.

Another day we enjoyed a glorious morning at my grandmother’s house (the children’s great-grandmother). An enormous flock of robins were darting in and out of the ivy on her tall pine trees. I’ve never seen anything like it! They were very noisy and filled the spring-like morning with song. Plus we did lots of just plain exploring in her yard. What a huge blessing to spend time with Mama Ann!

Tapestry of Grace: This week I read aloud Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot. It was all I could do to get through it without crying! Yet another reason I adore Tapestry of Grace – for the wonderful living books we enjoy. To wrap up our unit studies the 6th and 7th graders have been putting together a the 20th century history display board. They each built time lines. One, a time line of presidents. The other a time line of aeronautics and space missions.

Did you know you can watch the American Experience series on the presidents – online HERE? Also teacher resources available.

I just love this photo of littlest looking at Amelia Earhart’s airplane. The eyelashes!

Geography/Tapestry of Grace: I mentioned what fun we had with geography week before last. A whole post on Where in the U.S. is Hodgepodgedad in Automobiles and Airplanes: An Atmosphere of Learning.

Nature: We combined the Outdoor Hour Challenges and Winter Wednesday studies into one. Sort of by trial and error. A patch of Georgia clay didn’t prove a very good first choice for variety. So, the one small square was moved to underneath some backyard logs. Millipede and more found! Winter Insects in One Small Square.

Plus a new resource when we did a Google search for that millipede – Creation Wiki

Science: we enjoyed watching the shuttle land mid-week. Plus there was plenty of space exploration study going on with preparing the time line of aeronautics and space flight. We tapped our science text, Answers in Genesis God’s Design for Science: Our Universe as well as the good resources on the NASA website. And, of course, we are praying, listening to and watching coverage of the earthquake and tsunami news we awoke to this Friday morning.

Art: Bubbles a Pastels Tutorial

Writing: Middle Girl posted Junie B. Jones review along with link to the fun website and a recording of herself reading an excerpt: Junie B. Jones books. Plus, plenty of composition with display boards.

Preschoolers: I cracked open our Slow and Steady Get Me Ready and was pleased to find that we’d been working on the skills listed: throwing a ball, climbing a ladder, matching pictures and the pounding block with the hammer  🙂

Math: One morning, five-year-old enjoyed watching Mathtacular. It’s a DVD we’ve had for several years from our Sonlight curriculum origins. Fun to pull out and watch for a change. Lots of living math examples. Which then translated to our family room. Something like this…

The older three are continuing on in Teaching Textbooks. Sixth and seventh graders are working through the Key to series on decimals and fractions. That’s still giving them some extra confidence. Third grader has completed all the online sample Teaching Textbooks lessons and continuing on in Saxon Math 3.

In the kitchen: Grandpa’s Asparagus Casserole, Sunbutter® Buttons (which can be made with peanut butter in non-allergic households) and eldest’s work on her science project. I think she’s smart to study food. Don’t you? All the recently posted Hodgepodge recipes can be found in the Homecooking section.

Life Skills: We made another round of homemade laundry detergent. That powdered version we made a few weeks ago? We gave one batch to Nana. The other batch only lasted two weeks due to the stomach sickness we are glad to be rid of. So this time, we went back to making the large, liquid batch, using the Duggar family recipe. When we originally made the liquid last summer – it lasted for five months!

PE: Our homeschool group goes back to our weekly park days this week – now that the weather is nicer. Hooray for seeing other unsocialized homeschoolers!

Bible verse copy work: Just so you know it’s not all puddin’ and pie around here all the time…a couple did write several times the following Bible verse. It’s one my friend, Little Sanctuary, posted a while back. Love this in The Message version:

Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. 1 Peter 3:8

Started reading Amon’s Adventures! There’s still time to order and enjoy it. On Tuesday at Habits for a Happy Home I’ll be sharing all our favorite Easter resources. What are yours?