Friday, December 3, 2010

Week in Review, Vikings, No-Smoking, and The Preamble


It always hard to get back into the swing of things after a wonderful vacation.  We took Monday off to regroup and get our house back to some semblance of order.  So first thing Tuesday morning, we were off for a week full of schooling.

Boo was working hard on her sight words flash cards..... and I look over and find Banana on the floor doing her schoolwork under a blanket.....


Oh dear - not a good sign. She faded very quickly and slept most of the day. The next day wasn't much better. So, Tuesday and Wednesday, not a lot of schooling happened. But she perked up greatly on Thursday and then we were back on track! Meanwhile, I took those two days to decorate our home for Christmas - pictures to come soon.

In science, we have been learning about the respiratory system.  What great timing with all of the sneezing, runny noses, and Boo having to be on a nebulizer - it was hands-on learning for sure!  The girls made a poster for co-op about the dangers of smoking.

In memory, we are learning a few new things ~  we are using Wee Sing America to learn the Preamble to the Constitution, along with a Latin Table Blessing, and the Christmas carol in Latin "O Come All Ye Faithful".  The girls were able to take advantage of having an audience at their grandparents house in Florida last week to perform all of their memory pieces they have worked on since September.

This morning, my mom called at memory period time so that she could hear the girls sing her favorite song "Coram Deo".  They also sang their Latin Christmas carol for her too.  We put her on speaker phone and she sat right on Banana's desk!

In history, we are learning all about the Vikings. We learned about Eric the Red, the Viking invasion, and even that the Vikings discovered the continent of North America long before Christopher Columbus ever did!  We found it interesting how Eric the Red discovered Greenland, and he named it so to trick his people into making the treacherous voyage to come and live there.  It was of course, NOT green!  It was icy, rocky and bleak.

The girls really, REALLY enjoyed the story of "Yo, Vikings!".  It fit in so perfectly with our history lesson today.  It's about a little girl who loved learning about the Vikings, and she wanted a Viking ship of her very own - read the story to find out the exciting ending!

And so did this book! Banana worked on this one throughout the week while she was sick. It was light easy reading while she wasn't feeling so well.

Our history project for the week was making a Viking Boat.  We made ours without the sail (because we just forgot it!) - But they turned out pretty cute anyway.



8 comments:

Carrie said...

So glad Banana is feeling better! You guys seemed to accomplish a lot, considering you only really had two days!! Can't wait to see pics of your Christmas decorations! I'm sure it looks lovely! :)

Carrie said...

P.S. Have you been hanging around Kevin and Amandas?! Love the new fonts!! ;)

Alice said...

heather - i love to read your homeschool posts. now that kali is older i really miss all these fun activities! it's really wonderful that your girls are able to stay home with you and learn the fun way. what a blessing!

The Full Nelson said...

Sounds like you and your girls are having a wonderful homeschooling experience. Wish I had the discipline to do it! Love the viking ships and I may have to find those books. my little boy would love them!

Heather O'Steen Photography said...

Thanks ladies ~ It's a daily struggle to have the discipline to homeschool properly, and there are plenty of days that I FAIL miserably. It's definitely a daily lesson in acquiring more self-discipline with my time. I question myself everyday if I am doing the right thing, especially when the alternative is an INCREDIBLE wonderful christian school, and part of our church family.....sigh... but thanks for the encouragement!

And YES Carrie - thanks for the font info!! I have been having so much fun!

Anonymous said...

I hope everyone's feeling better! GREAT job on those ships! Just a quick question: What sight words cards are you using?

Jessy
(Our Side of the Mountain - Weekly Wrap-up)

Heather O'Steen Photography said...

Hi Jessy - I picked up those site word cards at our local Walgreens! :)

Carrie Thompson said...

Wow. I LOVE your pictures! amazing!

sounds like you had a productive week... even with a sick one!