What We've Accomplished Today...04/07/10

I may start making this a habit because I like it.

We started our school day at 9:45am (oops later than yesterday...) because I ran out of coffee this morning and had to have some to fix my head.

Started with Bible: Genesis 32. Jacob is going to meet his kindred. He is afraid for his life and that of his wives and children. He sends ahead many gifts to Esau in the hopes of softening his heart. Because both of my kids know that Jacob had 12 sons they were confused when it said that Jacob was running with his two wives and 11 sons. His youngest had not yet been born. This is when Jacob fought with an angel all night and Jacob prevailed. From then on, Jacob was to be called Israel. I thought it was interesting that Fox wouldn't read the word for donkey in the verses and I at first thought his Bible was translated differently! He was appalled that I thought he would read what he sees as a cuss word. He does know the difference between the reference to donkey and ..well the other. But that is okay he wouldn't say it, okay with me. We (Fox & I) gave a short little narration of what had been going to catch Lee up to speed before we started the chapter. There was talk about the deception of Isaac by Jacob (and Rachel) pertaining to the blessing that was meant for Esau and that is why Jacob was afraid as he traveled through the land that his brother, Esau, inhabited because Esau had vowed to kill Jacob. That was the second time that Jacob had taken what was "rightfully" Esau's (his birthright and his blessing from his father).

Next was Plutarch's Life of Julius Caesar. Oh this one is slow going. It has been neglected much like Church History. They tried to recap what they could remember about Caesar (power hungry, educated, others were unsure of his intentions) and then read on how he won the election to pontiff. I asked what this election reminded them of in our time and country. Fox right away said "the presidential elections"; Lee was a little unsure at first. Fox was not very attentive to this subject and therefore he had to narrate first, every time. We read about his debt preventing him taking charge of his government in Spain, and further leading him to Crassus, a wealthy man in Rome. That was about as far as we got. Maybe 6 paragraphs? Like I mentioned...slow going. I hope that they will be more in tune next time.

I, being such a nice mommy, allowed them a 15 minute break today. At which Fox balked, saying they had a longer break yesterday. Oh, it's always something. I am constantly reminded that being a mother/parent means always reaffirming what really happened the day before. Oh, yes, and the consistency of 'push your chair in when you leave the table'. But it seems that the "this is what really happened" needs reaffirming just as much. Life is so unfair when you are 10 ;)

We got back into the 'school room' -aka: living room- to work on Natural History. For this subject in Yr 5, Wild Animals I Have Known is recommended and we did start with that one. The kids loved it. But for the dying. They both almost cried on the first story. Granted they know and are aware that all things eventually die; that is part of the life cycle. But I didn't see it necessary to read a book that many of the animals die an unnatural death. Okay, they also are aware that people hunt animals and this causes them to die an unnatural death, but really, why do I need to subject them to dying story after story? We got through the first story and I re-browsed the rest of the book and decided that it would either be a book for another year or not used at all. Too much death. All that said, now we are reading Animal Heroes by the same author. I haven't read it completely but what I have read, I am okay with. If it turns out this one is, well, not going to work we will find something else. One of the great things about home schooling. We read about The Slum Cat, the gray cat and beginning of The Slum Kitten (chapter 2). Narrations were short but I can tell they like this book, much as they did Ernest Thompson Seton's other book.

Then it was separate work: Fox did a Self-Test in Math, Lee did 'pages & pages!' of reading to start a new unit in Math. They both did Language Arts (Lee did her workbook; Fox did spelling on Spelling City). Fox & Lee both drew a picture for the Sketch Tuesday: First Aid put on by Harmony Art Mom. Lee had me turn hers in already but Fox says he is not finished quite yet.

I am drawing a blank on their other independent work ... must be my old age :) But I do know that Lee did Mere Christianity with me and Fox and I did Complete Book of Marvels. Both did copywork today :yay! OH! No foreign language or daily news yet...

Lee is now at the after school Bible program for elementary students that she volunteers with. Fox is playing Legos and being devastated that his friend can't play today- or tomorrow.

And that is what we have accomplished today (in school at least and the day isn't over!).