Weeks 9 & 10, term 1, 2013

Time got away on me... here's a double whammy.

Big Brother: lots of time on Dreambox - aiming to finish 6th grade before the end of our subscription.  Also Hands on Equations (ready to start book 3) and Life of Fred Kidneys.

Writing: poetry - using our senses, and focussing on simplicity, as few words as possible.  Alliteration at play.   Completion of our big project - retelling a creation myth:

Spelling: last few lessons of All About Spelling 5.  I'm increasingly uncertain if we'll do 7.  

Handwriting: the copywork above, and continuing Getty-Dubay Italic E.

Music: HEAPS of practice to master Arabesque.  It's nearly there now.  

Lots of reading, chess, questions.  A library visit to research bacteria and antibiotics was interesting. 

Outside classes for recorder, choir, mixed martial arts, Penguins, drama and sports continue.. phew!

Little Sister:  Is really getting into learning new things at the moment.  She's working her way through Mercy Watson Fights Crime and is doing a great job on the tricky language.  She's at the point now where she just needs to build her stamina and self belief and her reading will really take off.  

She's also been enjoying her miquon

And lots of story writing

This one says:  One day Mum and Big Brother and Little Sister played checkers.  I had pink.  Her letter / number formation is getting pretty good (and much more independent now.

She also decided she needed a spelling list of her own, so I gave her the Essential Spelling List 1: a, I, and, it, in, my, the, to, was, we.  She got six right first try, so just four to learn:

<< her writing at the bottom.  

The beginnings of the playground model:

And through it all our faithful friend keeps us company... 

Week 8, Term 1, 2013

<< hard at work on the maths rounds.

World Education Games week!  Big Brother has been hard at work completing his rounds for Literacy, Maths and Science.  At the moment it looks like he has one top 10 world placing and one top 100.  He may also have some awards for New Zealand... we'll have to wait for scores to be verified.  Each child completes 50 rounds of each subject, so that's taken up a fair chunk of time this week.

Other tasks have included hands on equations, spelling, handwriting, turtle making (coffee filters and paint dabbers), drama, martial arts, penguins, piano, recorder, choir and gymnastics.  Next week we'll put turtle together with his story.

He has started to plan his playground for the amazing place competition too.

Little Sister read her first Frog and Toad book, practiced her handwriting, maths (Miquon Orange) and played with her friends at kindy. She is loving her piano lessons too.

Week 7, term 1, 2013

This week's focus has been learning the St John Penguin promise and core values

Little Sister has decided she quite likes this writing thing...

 And Big Brother had another go at drawing

<< puppy

ear >>

Dreambox math has been the order of the day as our subscription expires soon and some new material has just been unlocked, along with more Hands on Equations and practice for next week's World Education Day.  We touched on some Japanese multiplication and of course Life of Fred continues... only three chapters from the end of Jelly Beans and the Elementary series!

Little Sister has been enjoying more time on Intrepica and had a friend over to play this week.

We watched Pinocchio and had suitably themed dinner to go with it:

Here's Big Brother's story of the week:

One day, mining on Minecraft, I found myself surrounded by lava!  I threw some water on all sides and I found I had created a waterfall all around.  I took up all my water, wondering which waterfall to climb.  

Cautiously I chose the one in front of me because it had light at the top.  When I got to the top I found that the light was more lava!

Carefully I climbed back down, looking at the others on the way.  When I got to the there I chose the one behind me because it had light at the top too.  I climbed up and had an amazing surprise!  It was night, but a skeleton archer was in the way and I had no sword.  "Looks like I need to look for darkness," I said as I shot back down.

Finally, as I looked at the remaining waterfalls, I chose the one on my left because it had light at the top which I knew was my torches.  As I started to climb, I glanced behind me and saw a portal with lava behind it!  I had made the correct choice.  

At last I came to the top and found myself in front of my house.  I ran inside and had a whole lot of bread to fill me up, then I fell into bed.  

Spelling words this week:
beginning, circular, surround, threw, which, climb, science.