Heart of Dakota Preparing did it again and provided us with a week full of fun and blessing. The girls have really been enjoying learning their memory passage and it is just wonderful to see them beginning to think a little deeper about the passage each week. Their actions make it so easy for them to memorise.
We have been mainly reading Life in the Great Ice Age. It has really been interesting to think about how these people lived, but also to delve into the tools they used, they way the cooked and how they passed on their stories. It has really made me realise that these people probably were just as intelligent as people today, despite most people of today thinking they were of lesser intelligence.
The girls are enjoying their independent science. It is wonderful to see them learning about the natural world. Science has been the one of the things I have never been consistent on. I love that not only are they reading about the Artic Tundra, but they are making notebook pages, orally narrating, answering questions and doing an experiment weekly.
Independent history is another hit. Shakayla in particular is loving the Draw and Write through History book. She is very much a creative and artistic person. It is a bit more of a struggle for Bethany, but my precious girl has been concentrating very hard and is producing some lovely pictures now.
We have started the year using a grammar programme free off the internet, but I am starting to get very frustrated with it, especially as we had used Susan Wise Bauer's First Language Lessons 2 and 4, last year and loved that. So, I took the plunge and ordered Rod and Staff English 3 and 5 yesterday for them. I'm sure it will be a far better fit for us.
The history project for the week was making a cave painting. This was a little disjointed because of the unexpected break. Bethany left her paper in the tea for too long and it ripped. By the time we got back to it, she had thrown her piece away, so thankfully Shakayla was gracious and we cut her piece into two. She obviously got the bigger piece though. They have done a cracker of a job on them. I was really impressed with their diligence.
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| Bethany peaking out from behind her painting. I helped her trace the bull, but she painted it and then she did the mammoth all on her own. She is doing such a great job, and is really perservering with her art. |
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| Shakayla was very proud of her efforts, particularly her mammoth which she copied, and it looked very similar to the picture she copied from. |
Shakayla is reading The Indian in the Cupboard, and Bethany is reading Stuart Little for our literature study. We are using Drawn into the Heart of Reading to help us delve deeper into these stories and to do some character studies. We are currently doing the adventure genre. It is proving to be an enjoyable part to our schooling. The girls are both really enjoying the books, but most of it, it is a delight to see them discuss with me the characters they are reading about, and comparing the book characters with people in the bible.
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| Beth really did a great job of her picture. She was having to help Stuart resolve his issues with Snowbell the cat, so her picture is of her role playing with Stuart so he is ready to discuss it with Snowbell. |
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| Shakayla also was helping resolve issues within The Indian in the Cupboard. She was helping Little Bull and Boone to discuss what was happening, so they could become friends. |
The growth in my girls abilities have grown in three short units of using this programme. I look forward with such joy. Shakayla has been looking ahead and tells me the things she is looking forward to doing in coming units.
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