Back again :)

Well, this is what is going on in the Big Woods-

We're studying Ancient Egypt and having fun. I'm stealing De'etta's craft ideas because I can't buy my own books right now :) and Micaela's having a good time. She definately identifies idols as evil, so that makes me feel better. We've enjoyed Sumerian cuneiform and Egyptian Hyroglyphics.

I've been faithfully doing math, and Micaela loves it just as much as ever.

Nathaniel daily asks me for lessons. He's learning the short vowel sounds (very slowly), and the numbers 1,2 and 3. He already knows to say 4,5,6,7,8,9,10- but three is VERY hard to remember when your name is Nathaniel. He can recognize the written numbers 1 and 2. He can definately count up to two objects, but anything three or more is classified as 'a lot' with an especially serious look on your face :) It's really funny.

His coloring is improving as is Micaela's drawing. We have started a nature notebook. We find a still bug or catch a lively one and talk about it's body and the shapes of its body parts. As we talk, Ian or I will draw the shapes and fill in the details to make a decent looking bug. Micaela has really enjoyed this. She 'copies' our drawing on her own, and then I write a few lines about it- where we found it and something distinctive about it. She copies that along with a date and a name into her notebook, and she loves it. I'm using a primary lined journal with space at the top for pictures.

She still loves spelling even though I'm incorporating daily oral spelling quizes over the words. I may be a little crazy- I didn't realize till halfway through the book, that she was not learning to spell. She was just doing the lessons like puzzles with the list in front of her. Of course, I knew that, but it took a third person to suggest to me that perhaps she should be spending more time on the lessons and actually remembering how to spell the list words. Duh. Even a genius can't think of everything, right? Anyway, she's still covering two lessons a week, but the words are so simple at this stage that she can spell most of them before the lesson. Except today, the word was fill- not fil. I explained twice (after a second mistake) that we double the l after the short vowel sound (I feel smart because I learned that off of an amazing phonics webpage). By the end of the lesson she said 'I know mom, just like the s in boss.' Ok, she learned something! And I don't think she's ever read boss. I was impressed with the application- but how will I explain the difference between but and butt? Could someone teach me phonics?

Inquiring minds want to know why love, cove, shove, Jove, dove the bird, and clove are not said the same way. My amazing phonics page was only an excerpt from a book, and so it did not cover exhaustive phonics.

School is very nearly all I think about right now, so I don't have anything especially fun to say. Asher is a mess, and he's watching everything. He's just waiting for the right moment to get in on the action. He loves to find his way into the boys' room and play with their toys while they are playing. Gabriel is still attempting to use the potty consistently. He thinks it's much easier if you're naked. Unfortunately, I can no longer allow him to be constantly naked, so he's had a few accidents.

Days have been much cooler here, and the children have enjoyed playing outside and having picnics. We've been fascinated by the humming birds using the feeder on our front porch. They're not afraid- they just buzz right by your head. If they weren't so neat, they'd almost be a nuisance.