Ant Colony

This was not part of our lesson plan but I wanted to keep it somewhere we could access it easily if the time comes.

Cells

Today one of our subjects was Science.  In particular, CELLS.   We just took a bite sized piece of the new material and then we did a pop quiz on some old work.  Characteristics and Needs of living things and he got 8/8.  For me, that is the real test.  Retaining the information we cover.  So who knows, maybe we are moving slow (maybe not), but what good is going fast if it's all for not?

We also watched a DVD of the ocean from the Planet Earth series.  We discussed how all of the living things are connected in one way or another.  All designed to work together and help one another which I know is a very broad statement.  He was going to write a paragraph about the connections but he had to head off to PE and we ran out of time.

Mckenzie did his Math Whizz again. 

He went to his PE class at the college

He read and did another chapter report for the book Stranded. 

We'll need to get him a new book since last night he finished Percy Jackson (the 2nd book)

Art

With Halloween around the corner we took on a day of the dead art project.  Really it's just a decorated skull.  He's not quite done.  Nothing says scary like the colour pink.

Science World Field Trip

We finally managed to get away for a field trip of our own.  Kalea had a pro-d day and the whole day was wide open so off we went.  We took in an Electricity show - again, since I know we'll be covering electricity a bit later in our Science curriculum. 

 Mckenzie wasn't quite himself yesterday so we took it easy on the lessons.  Having had memberships for a while we've seen it all many times and one of the great things about Science World is that even the things we've seen over and over can teach us or remind us of principles we use every day without even knowing it.

Above:  we spent a fair bit of time working on the brain teasers they have on the main level.  We never did figure this one out.  But he did figure one out that seemed particularly challenging - until you change your way of approach.  Maybe that's the key to most things we often find challenging - change our point of view.  It's fun to watch the kids working things out in their minds and with their hands.  We can easily underestimate their ability to solve tricky 'puzzles' when sometimes it's the kids who have the easiest time solving them because of their fresh minds that haven't been programmed to only look at things in one way. 

Elaborate costumes made entirely from plastic bags. 
Checking out the new Amped exhibit

Queens Park Greenhouse Field Trip

 We've lived very close to these greenhouses for years and we know the previous caretakers but we've never actually been to the greenhouses.  On Thursday we finally got to see all the goodness inside.  I'm a huge fan of succulents so I was in for a real wonderful surprise.  I think Mckenzie felt a bit more casual about it.  But aside from it being so fun to see all the gorgeous succulents it was a great field trip for more than just his Architectural Landscape class; it was great for us because as you know we've been doing lots about the diversity of life.  Seeing so many different plants and flowers (not so many flowers because of the season), was a good conversation starter to discuss the many ways we could classify all the amazing creation around us. 

 Each child was able to plant their own succulent to take home (and the parents too!!!).  What a nice way to end the tour.  All the kids did a great job of planting, they all looked so great.

A Little of This and a Little of That

 Mckenzie's fully completed LEAF CLASSIFICATION chart. 

Playing THE MAIN IDEA board game.  Each player gets a card with 3 multiple choice answers.  The aim is to pick the main idea the story was getting at.  Good for comprehension. 

 The the sports/PE program.  That's Mckenzie jumping for the ball.

 Standing in goal.  For a kid who is not sports minded he does ok.  You can tell who is really into sports and who is neutral.  Mckenzie is at best, neutral.  But he's improving and the benefits of working with teammates, on co-ordination, sportsmanship, physical activity, etc... is great.  You can see the timid pride on his face when he knows he's played well.  It's nice to see.  I still think that he may always gravitate towards individual sports.  We've heard there is an archery location nearby so we'll look into that since he seems really interested in that.

Thoughts on Homeschooling

It's been a little over a month now since we began this adventure and I feel like it's going pretty well.  Both Mckenzie and I are happy with how it's been going.  We have no problem filling our days which I didn't really expect.  I thought we'd have more 'down time' but we really don't.  I guess most of the down time we do have is filled with him biking.  In fact it feels like we don't have enough time.  But then again I have no point of reference.  Are we doing enough?  Are we on the right track?  Are we moving too fast?  How do we fit it all in?  Those are questions I'm hoping to figure out.

 

I think we're on track but the pace is probably the biggest question I have.  I keep reminding myself that one of the things I was drawn to was the fact that you can be flexible, choosing to focus on what you want and in which order, etc..  So maybe I don't need to worry so much about whether or not we spend all day working on Language Arts, or on Science, etc... If we need extra time to focus on an area then we have the luxury of doing that rather than glazing over a subject for the sake of time.

 

My teaching days are Monday, Wednesday and Friday while he goes to the centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  We were typically 'learning' from 10 am - 2 pm with a good lunch break.  But now that the sports program has begun it's right in the middle of our Monday and Wednesday making me feel even more like we're not spending enough time learning.  On the up side though is that I'm very happy that he's taking in the many benefits of an organised sports program. 

 

Throw in the fact that I'm getting into the thickest part of planning the main fundraiser at my daughter's school right now and time seems to be the biggest concern.  I'd love to be able to do more 'outtings' with him, more experiments but time just isn't allowing that - right now.  My hope is that once the sports program concludes and I'm done planning this fundraiser that we'll be able to take more of those things in. 

 

And I think I might just need to keep reminding myself that it's only our very first month and I've heard many times people say that the first year is really about finding your groove and what works and what doesn't.  Regardless, I must say that I'm very happily surprised with how much I'm loving it and how easily we are transitioning in.  I wasn't sure that I would be able to be the 'teacher' Mckenzie would need and I guess it might be too early to tell but my gut is telling me that this was exactly the right move for us.