New Year, New Grade

Though I generally have to follow the grade system set forth by the school district because we use a homeschool association, I usually use the beginning of the year for our grade change. The reason is because it just seems right for us.

We started our new year yesterday. It had it's share of ups and downs but I think it was an overall success. After talking chores we got cleaned up and went to town. Or tried to.

I pulled out of the driveway to hear something scraping on the ground. Chip got out of the van and found a piece of sheet metal being dragged. We finally found out it is a heat shield to something but we are unsure what to. As I was looking to see where the piece of sheet metal came from I noticed I had a flat tired. So we pulled back into the driveway, plugged in the air compressor and waited. When the compressor was ready I went to the tire to check the pressure. Two problems. One the cap wouldn't come off of the stem and two when we finally drove the tire to the garage a block away and had a mechanic remove the cap, my tired gage didn't work. So, I filled the tired with what looked like enough air and headed to town. We made it there!

We went to my mom and dad's house for the afternoon. I fixed lunch, threw chili in the crockpot and we got down to some schooling. I love schooling there. No distractions. No pets needing attention. Ahhh, the homeschooling that we can accomplish. :)

I had a list of things I wanted to get done. We didn't get to all of them but the list was ambitious. In an effort to categorize our evidences of learning I am going to list the work by child and put subject next to it. Maybe it will work. :/

All:
Watched Standard Deviants School Physics The Three Laws of Motion (science, math)
Watched Let's Move It Newtons Laws of Motion(science)
Dictation--see below (handwriting, listening, grammar, spelling, self check)
Word of the Day--see below (spelling, language, Latin, vocabulary)
Watched Standard Deviants School Shakespeare Tragedies What is a Tragedy? (history, arts)
Discussed the different meanings of the word tragedy. (vocabulary)

Chip
piano practice (music)
Sir Isaac Newton reading comprehension (reading, comprehension)
multiplication practice (math)

Dill
Sir Isaac Newton reading comprehension (reading, comprehension)
Mixed fraction practice (math)

Sweet
piano practice (music)
Historic timeline (history) (from Lessonpathways)
Signed thank you cards for paper delivery customers (handwriting)

Not too bad. Not as accomplished as I would have liked but a pretty good first day.

Menu:
eggs, toast, sausage, juice
ham sandwich, carrots, hummus, Combos
chili, salad

Dictation thought of the day:
"When I go into the garden with a spade, and dig a bed, I feel such an exhilaration and healing that I discover that I have been defrauding myself all this time in letting others do for me what I should have done with my own hands. ~~Ralph Waldo Emerson~~

Word of the day:
cothurnal: from the Greek kothornos, adjective meaning a grave and elevated style of acting

And, there it is. Our first day of the new school year. All assigned a new grade. New and exciting work. New methods. And an excited mommy!

Happy Homeschooling!

(c) 2008-2010 Wicked Pickles-Homefront Lines