So Much Learning, So Little Time

I decided that too much learning was going on in the course of a week to try and recall it all in one sitting. So, maybe I'll post a daily summary from now on, or at least every couple of days. We'll see how it goes. So, this is the latest from inquiring minds.

Jacob made a whole army of "American Revolution" style paper-doll soldiers with generals, tanks, horses and everything. Great uniform design too, I thought! (See the pictures below.) He and Micah have spent a lot of time playing war with them in the hall, using a marble as a cannonball. I picked up several books for Jacob at the library on the topic, and he's already read a couple of them, sharing the info with everyone. (That's how they take tests, by the way; proof that they understood and retained the information. It is a "Charlotte Mason," founder of homeschooling, technique, geared to show what a child knows and not what he doesn't.) I was quite amused when Jacob admitted, somewhat apologetically, that he liked the redcoats better! The little traitor!





These photos were taken before we put them on posterboard to make them stiff and made stands for them.

One morning when Jacob woke up before everyone else, he read a book about gladiators and another book about Julius Caesar. Later that day, he then helped me think of creative, pictorial, rhyming multiplication flashcards; a fun project we're working on. Also, we drew up plans for a medicine-capsule filler that would fill six capsules at once. I discovered a need for a device of that kind while I was sitting in the kitchen tediously filling empty blue-green algae powder capsules with a drinking staw.

Many games of solitaire and rummy were played the last couple of days. I taught Hannah how to play and she picked it up rather quickly. This helped her in critical thinking, memory, judgement skills, and comprehension. It also served as a review in counting and adding in fives, tens and fifteens. The whole of the experience was, of course, fun, quality time!

Mostly, they have been taking turns for hours-on-end with the keyboard. Even Eden, who would be happiest singing or dancing or playing music all day long, enjoyed it all. Nathan made up tunes, but then told a story to go with what he was playing. I gave Hannah her first real piano lesson. She can play half the C scale with both hands and also "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" with both hands. We drew out notes, along with their names and lengths, on staff paper. Hannah was able to the connection as to how the notes on the paper related to the keyboard.

Jacob, Hannah and I had a long discussion on diesel fuel, oil drilling and spills, and alternative energy. This conversation was prompted by Jacob, who out of the blue, asked whether or not our van used diesel fuel. He said, "Some kind of cooking oil would work if you add a couple of chemicals to it." Hmmm. I have no idea where or when he read or heard about that.

The kids received letters from cousins writing to be pen-pals, so Jacob, Nathan and Hannah made crafts and cards. Yeah, some actual writing! It was music to my ears to hear, over and over, "How do you spell such and such?" They didn't get finished writing back to their cousins but hopefully they will before the week is over.

I am most pleased to see that Hannah is now initiating reading times on her own(albeit with a book below her level). It has renewed her confidence in herself and her desire to read. She started to read an ABEKA reader full of short stories that get progressively harder one evening before bed. I bumped bedtime back and kept reading to Nathan as she tried to finish the whole 128 pages. She reached 84 pages before I finally said she had to turn off the lights. I formerly had to really push her just to read 5 pages at a time. The moment she woke up, she grabbed the book and started reading again before breakfast (or anything else)! She finished and we, and especially she, were quite pleased with her accomplishment. I honestly thought that I would have to wait a lot longer than that. She still dislikes reading aloud to anyone or reading anything that is a little more challenging than she's accustomed to, but I am pleased with her progress.

Nathan has had many library books read to him, including a book all about pandas. He has accomplished singing the alphabet correctly, all the way through. Additionally, he has counting to the number 12 consistently and correctly. Not that he can yet recognize all the numbers and letters by name; he currently only knows about half of them in that way.

Wednesday, we all went to the park on base for a homeschool get together and potluck. We stayed all day, had a lot of fun, and returned home at around 9:00 p.m. with new books and videos from the library, of course.

We started a new missionary book about Amy Carmichael this week and have been reading a couple of chapters aloud as a family each day. This always provides for much discussion, and Hannah benefits the most from the vocabulary, as I am always having to stop and explain some new word to her. (Although exasperated, the boys are learning patience and kindness.) During these reading times, Nathan and Eden are made to sit still and quiet and to practice self-control, even if they don't understand a word of it. So as you can imagine, it is a lot of work and somewhat time consuming to even get through one chapter!