May 18 week - June 4th Beach house/garden

My blog posts always take forever because I never feel like editing them and making them a coherent whole. I add little bits here and there in the morning while I drink coffee so they are usually a jumble. I think I'm just going to make that my style. Life is easier that way :)

Monday, May 18

Last week we did half lessons (all independent work but no group work) and then watched a movie with a themed meal/snack each day. So this week was back to normal which usually means I will have a problem with Taven. Also, my husband went back to work and is not here to keep Taven in check. I did have some issues and I have yet to learn how to be successful with him. I need to have a talk with him about what he most likes and dislikes about our homeschool day and how he would like it to change. I know for sure math is a problem. He is good at it, but does not like doing the endless problems with Saxon. Still working on it. Update: He is going to a full time summer camp starting June 1 (through August) so there will be quite a change around here. Eaden also starts back at dance on that date. The craziness begins. The older kids are going to focus on only math and free reading. We will also do read alouds. Mirek will do all lessons and will be my number one focus for those two and a half months. We will do history and science on Wednesdays (Taven will not go to camp). Read to Mirek A LOT. LA is Brave Writer only - Arrows/Boomerangs, lifestyle, Partnership Writing.

Try to use what I already have - some elemental science, handbook of nature study, other science (esp for Mirek). Use Saxon tests (not require complete lessons) but supplement with fun activities and games.

Book stacks (what we read that year). This lady on Instagram had her kids take end of year pictures next to a stack of the books they read. We don't buy many books so that would be hard but neat.
Less LA workbooks and more writing in history and science (paragraphs and essays). Summaries and narrations.

Taven is reading Robert Fulton, Boy Craftsman

Asking Taven some questions about his independent reading:
Me: "Why did Robert dally on the way to school?" Long pause and no answer so I rephrase the question. "Why was Robert late to school?" 
Taven: "Because he was dallying." 🙄 
Me: "Okay, we will read the chapter together and discuss."
Reading: "Put forth thy hand!" he commanded as he reached for the birch rod. Whack! went the rod across Bob's hand. Whirr! Whack! Whirr! went the rod again. It stung fearfully. "There!" said the schoolmaster. "That will make thee do something."
Me: "You know what, I need a birch rod for you."
Taven: "Go get one then."
I go outside and get an oak rod 😊.
Me: "Okay, I'm ready." 😈

Mirek and meditation - Mirek, Lela, and I were listening to meditation music and attempting to clear our minds. After that Mirek said "place your hand on your heart and enter the mind of your spirit animal." That was pretty cool. I was an eagle and he was a black panther. Lela was an elephant. In my mind, I went to every place I ever saw a bald eagle. 

I bought Mirek some dyslexia overlays (not sure they are helping, update: he doesn't like them), bigger triangular pencils and a new grip (this one is much better than his last). He has been working on, and enjoying (relative term), cursive.

I am sure if you use Brave Writer or follow Julie Bogart at all you have heard of Dottie's art table. I made one for the kids. Ours isn't all that exciting because we just do not have a lot of supplies. However, a lot of painting happens there daily.

Working on a new way to spell for Mirek so that he writes the letters in order. Works pretty well. Sound out the word using colored tokens, then writes the word. Helps him keep the letters in order instead of skipping the vowel and then going back at then end to put it in. Would spell hat with the t last, then go back and write the h, then think about what vowel goes in the middle.

Finished watching Little Women (really good). Masterpiece one on Amazon Prime.

Tuesday
Mirek had speech, independent work, movie and hair
watched gardening show from Ireland

Wednesday
watched a robin building its nest.
Buddhism kids book came in the mail
baseball

Thursday
Summer plan - Taven going to baseball camp for June and July. Math and reading. Everything on Wednesdays just to stay sort of in the science and history loop. Mirek will do all. Actually yes! It's Mirek and Lela time!!! Also, lots of arts and crafts and board games. Paper craft ideas (bugs are cool).
Buddhist thought for the day - read in the morning as a reminder.
Art for me and embroidery (what I want to do, not actually doing it).
Naia and Lela's hair while we watched the Last Airbender and Spiderwick Chronicles. Independent work first. Cooked rice, beans, and eggs for dinner (running low on food). Let it Be Me by Ray LaMontagne, Joni Mitchell Big Yellow Taxi, and Van Morrison Stoned Me. Simple things that bring peace.
Finished On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (it was okay).

________________________________________

Reading - rereading some homeschool books, Buddhist Kids, finished On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, A Gracious Space Winter (I know it's not winter), started The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan, Buddhism for Mothers (massive book that I thought would be skinny).
Watching - Little Women and gardening shows. Pepper hunt at the window. Ken Burns National Parks, Free Solo documentary (that was crazy!).
Listening - meditation radio and nature sounds with music.
Gardening - pulled up beans, pruned tomatoes, lots of peppers and tomatoes coming in, some okra on a puny plant. Tied up tomatoes, need more cages, very heavy.
Planning - for homeschool like always, how my husband and I will get Taven and Eaden to their activities starting again next week.
Making - I've always wanted to do embroidery. It's useless but so is knitting in these parts. We have so many hand me downs and therefore I have zero need to make clothes. Kids crafts. Dottie's art table.
Cooking - eating vegetarian, thinking about pesto with tomatoes or salsa (when garden tomatoes and peppers ripen).
Struggling - A cleaning schedule, I do want a clean house for a clear mind but I fear this will always be my struggle until the kids have left. Settling for one load of laundry per day and bathrooms on Tuesdays. With remembering to take my reusable bags to the grocery store. With math. Looking into minimalist math using Saxon. Use tests to see what the kids need to learn and then learn it without all of the repetition.
Observing - Robins making their nests and House Sparrows thinking about moving into our bird house.
Wondering - How the kids will get books for summer reading with the library closed.

____________________________________________

Garden visitor.

Dottie's art table which is a mess.

The brown picture on the left is Pepper with a snake she killed in the house.

_______________________________________

Friday we left for the beach house. No guests or grandparents because of Covid.

There were millions of catfish for two nights straight.

_______________________________________

I started going on hikes every evening. I hope I can keep them up when Eaden and Taven become busy. They have been great. I don't take my camera but have been documenting them somewhat with my phone on Instagram.

June 1st - Our first day back with camp, dance, and baseball practice. I really only have time for Mirek's lessons and read alouds (2nd Harry Potter and Fever with all, Tristan Strong with Mirek). I will have to make time for the cleaning schedule and walk during dance. It's going to be a very busy summer and getting back to homeschool will feel like a relief I am sure. It will be nice for the kids, I just have to really take advantage of between time.

June 4th - Taven absolutely loves camp and did not want to take Wednesday off like we had planned. I am forcing him to take today (Thursday) off though because I need to do hair and Naia has Girl Scouts (her hair needs to be done fairly early). Mirek started Taekwondo with his cousin and they LOVE it! I have been rethinking curriculum again with the killing of George Floyd...mostly doing away with more Bookshark. The hard part is we have it already. I had found it used over the last 2 years. I will use the level 1 with Mirek and supplement where I feel it is needed but I think I will have the older three use a combo of Woke Homeschooling and Build Your Library. I have time to figure it out...I'm talking about history here (US - present day).

Mirek's grip.

From the garden.

Eaden did Naia's makeup lol.

Lunch.