We are still here ;)

I don't know if I'll continue to post much on the blog anymore, but just wanted to say hello and update all my school stuff on the side bar. Why? I don't know, just because I want it to be semi-accurate ;) We did finish our 180 days, and I have started the new year. We are all enjoying school and though some voices grump and say nooooo when I say it's time to sit down for lessons, all voices are asking for more when we stop. Well almost all. Micaela often has a lot more to do than the others, and she's always grateful to stop.

We're reading novels aloud each day. So far in this school year we've read Caddie Woodlawn and nearly all of Treasure Island. I haven't chosen our new book, but we'll be ready to start it by Monday, so I better figure it out, I guess.

Gabriel and Nathaniel are working at a K level right now. Nathaniel is doing much better than last year. He's able to sound out 3 letter words slowly, but on his own. He can count easily- but not yet all the way to 20. Using blocks, he's able to add tens and units but not carry. Gabriel looooves his school books, and he's trying hard to catch up with Nathaniel. Well not really, but in math he's only 10 lessons away. In phonics I think he's about 20 lessons away. I'd like for them to be on the same page because it would cut my teaching time in half, but I suppose part of the beauty of homeschool is working at your own pace. I'd hate to ask my meticulous, perfectionist son to charge ahead with his rough and ready younger brother.

Everyone likes our history, literature, geography, art, and science assignments as we do most of them together. However sometimes my older students have review pages to do or more reading. Micaela and Nathaniel are assembling lapbooks that correspond with our History assignments. They've liked them so much that next time I'll be sure to buy one for Gabe.

Of course after the summer and not being diligent enough, I'm behind on my TOG. We'll be starting unit 3 (Crowns and Colonies) in about 4 weeks, so I doubt I'll start year 3 in January. However, we will be learning about colonists and pilgrims right around Thanksgiving, so that will be wonderful! By January we should begin unit 4- all about revolutions (I assume the French and American revolutions). I cannot say enough how pleased I am with TOG. I love the freedom and depth within each unit, and it is simple to use as well. I am excited about the new digital format. I like using it, but don't often since my computers' batteries are both dead :(

The children really enjoy the new astronomy book and I hope to make at least one full day's visit to the Space Museum in Huntsville before we're done. It's designed to last a year, but I'm doubling up on the lessons because they are so interested and because I'm anxious to complete this full serious before Micaela and Nathaniel are done with elementry school. They continue to add books, and all the topics sound so fun!

Our last news is that Micaela has broken her right arm. She was just swinging in the back yard. She says she fell backwards off the swing. Both bones are broken and have been set and are now in a splint. She'll go tomorrow for an evaluation of the splint- hopefully she won't have to have surgery. She'll get a real cast next week. To her great satisfaction, she is now free to write as sloppily as she can in her math and spelling books, and she doesn't even have to do handwriting at all! In fact she is able to ask her mother to write anything she wishes for her! Her mother is trying to be very accomodating, but it's a sore trial to let such sloppiness go down in the books :) You should have seen her splatter painting the sun for our model solar system! She skipped our other painting/drawing lessons yesterday and seemed to thourougly enjoy cutting class.

I think spell check is not working as I've never written a post this long without at least 10 errors. Micaela's spelling curriculum must be working for at least one of us :)