November 2-6, 2009

Okay--back on track!  Hooray for me.  Next week, I might even take some pictures!

Odyssey of the Mind is no more, and we're probably not doing Spanish class anymore, at least not until after the first of the year (longish story, and not interesting), so our Mondays are mostly open now (except for book club once a month).  This is good because I've been feeling kind of rushed and behind, and we can definitely use another morning home.  And bad because I kind of liked not having to rush around Sunday night getting things ready for Monday morning.  Sunday night is, after all, usually when I'm finally getting around to updating my blog.  Oh well.

Ari:
WWE: we've finally done it!  We are FINISHED with WWE 2!  I just need to get WWE 3 now.  I've decided to buy the e-book, so I need to go do that after I finish here. 

Reading: after a failed attempt at having Ari read  Roger Caras' Yankee: Inside Story of a Champion Bloodhound (which I LOVED as a kid, but maybe a kid a little older than Ari) and a failed attempt at Turn Homeward Hannalee, I pulled out my copy of How to Get Your Child to Love Reading and showed him the list of books you must read before you're 13.  He's read several of them and liked them all, so I figured maybe the author is sort of on Ari's wavelength as far as good books go.  We have a couple of the books on there that he hasn't read yet, so I let him pick one of those and he chose The House with a Clock in its Walls.  He's reading that with no complaining thus far.  I know eventually he's going to need to read things that aren't his very favorites, but for now I'm good with him just reading lots of well-written books that he enjoys.  He's funny--he was an early reader, and he's a very strong reader, but he's never been one of those kids who always has his nose in a book.  He has to really like something.

Milo:
Reading: he's almost finished with Mouse Soup, and I checked Amelia Bedelia out of the library for him to start on next.

Math: Milo can finally remember how much pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters are worth!  I remember despairing of him ever learning it last year when he was doing Singapore EB, but turns out he just needed to be six.

Together:
History: more pioneers!  We, uhh, tried making sourdough starter last week, but it didn't turn out so well. I had Ari do a narration page about a chapter in Caddie Woodlawn, and he did a great job.

Science: we're nearly finished with the "Try it before you buy it" part of REAL Science Odyssey, so there's another e-book I need to buy soon.  We learned about the digestive system this week.

Other stuff: co-op's going well.  Milo's liking his science class, and Ari loves all of his classes.  They're learning "Walk Like an Egyptian" and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" in chorus, and Ari came home on Tuesday and made tape recordings of himself singing both of them.  Only another 2 or 3 weeks this semester and then we're finished until after the new year.  I'm probably going to actually teach a class next session--exciting and nerve-wracking--more details to follow :)

So there are the highlights!