Week One- A.k.a. The adjustment week

Whew! Week one is done.  Since we started the Tuesday after Labor Day, we didn't actually complete the week until Monday.  Also, our Friday afternoon was interrupted, so some work from that day had to be completed the next school day.

So, how did it go? Overall, I think it was.... okay.  Just like any new school year, there is a time of adjusting to the new schedule, material, and expectations of the day.  The adjusting isn't done just by the kids, either.  It's been quite a change for me, as well.  Bug ended her first day with tears because Bean was done quite a bit earlier in the day than her.  Prior to the start of school, we had discussed multiple times that she is older and in a more advanced grade, thus her work load would be heavier.  She had always seemed fine with this, but an abstract thought about the future is easier to accept than the harsh reality of the present, I guess.  By the end of the week, she was still struggling to get all her work done each day, so we'll be working on adjusting her daily schedule this week.  I'll let you know all about that in my next post.

Disclaimer:  There were certainly many positives to the week.  I think this curriculum is great so far and will work well for us.  The issues are ours to resolve at this point and not the fault of the material.   :)

So, with all that said, what did the girls do this week?  Both girls were very excited to learn that they had a painting project.  Girls love arts and crafts! You know, I bet boys do, too. :)

Bug worked on a watercolor painting that corresponded to the Robert Frost poem she studied this week.

 Bean experimented with mixing colors to get different shades of purple.  Then she painted ocean waves with a swirly blue sky.  Oh, and we studied Columbus sailing across the ocean this week.  That was convenient. ;)

To reinforce the locations of each continent and ocean, Bean taped index cards to a large ball.  The only big one we have around the house is primarily used for outdoor play, so it is filthy. Please, pay no attention the the dingy, grayish-pink color of the ball!

Bug loved her science experiment.  To demonstrate the concept of camouflage, she dropped M&Ms into a basket full of colored paper and had two minutes to find as many as she could.  Beforehand, she formed a hypothesis about which color would be found most and which one least.  Then she recorded her results and formed her conclusion.  Of course, the best part was at the end when the whole family got to devour the material.   Yum!

Sit ups! Jumping jacks! Running in place! Memorizing Bible verses is more fun when using those large muscle groups at the same time.

On Bean's last day she drew her own picture of the earth as depicted in one of the books we read.  This week she added Columbus' route to the Americas, but she'll be adding more things to it as we continue.  Her coloring was a bit sloppy, yes, but it was the end of the day, she'd had a rough time during the previous reading section, and I didn't feel the need to be picky about that one thing.

Overall, we did a LOT more fun learning activities than we did last year during my pieced-together curriculum.  Bug commented on how much she appreciated that all the subjects were covering the same material (that unit-study concept I was excited about, too) and Bean slowly realized it isn't as much work each day as it seemed like it was going to be. Onward we continue!