Week 12 Wrap Up

For the 2nd year in a row I haven't been able to get an actual "week 12" completed.  I should really prepare for this phenomena next year.  During the month of December we did a little bit of phonics to keep us on pace, and let every thing else go.  I love having my babies celebrate 25 days of christmas.  Every day there was something to look forward to either a craft, baking, activity for the family, or a small gift.  Here's a little bit of what my darling Ava was up to...

Thank you so very much for sharing our first 12 weeks of first grade with us.  It's been a fantastic year so far.  I look forward to the next trimester of school.  Oh man, you though I got distracted this year?  We have some BIG changes coming up in the next few months.  Thank goodness we homeschool.

Week 11 Wrap Up...

This week in first grade...

 

We were a little (whole lot) less structured this week.  I was planning a half week due to Thanksgiving so we really managed to stay on pace, for the most part.  As long as you consider putting lights on the house, making our 6th annual turkey hand print cards, making butter, making our 5th annual turkey family page,  and adding to our Thankful Tree as all crucial tasks, then yes we did fabulous!

In math we played games, learned a new game (math War), learned the strategy of transofming facts into known facts, and partitioned 7 and 6.

Aside from Math the only "school thing" we worked on was phonics.  I was distracted in every way this week of our lives, so all and all I think we did excellent!

Week 10 Wrap Up...

This week in first grade...

In Poetry..
Our poem of the week was Important Spoon, from Important Book, by Margaret Wise Brown.  (I think it's amusing that Ava feels she needs to correct what is and what isn't important in this book)
Our poem of the month was Prediction from Swing Around the Sun.  Our silly poem this week was The Wheels on the Bus, a very old, very silly, and somehow oddly infectious poetic singalong.  Ava drew a picture with oil pastels depicting our homeschool on a bus, in the forest.

In Social Studies....

We explored Antarctica.  A fascinating frozen dessert.  I don't have a whole lot to put in my content box, yet, but I look forward to adding more.

In the Kitchen..
Ava was thrilled to start safe knife practice.  Using a pineapple gave us lots to chop, and a delicious snack!

In Music...
We made music with glasses of water.

In Art..
We made Antarctica collages.   I found an old National Geographic with a cover story about Antarctica, and we used it to make (and learn about) collages.

In Art Study..

I've lost my notes on this particular art study.  What I remember clearly is that Ava liked this painting, but wasn't thrilled.  She said it may be an interesting place to explore, as the desert looked different from 'our desert', and she insisted on calling the bones 'dinosaur bones'.  Oh, Ava.


In Science We..
We discussed how to identify various materials.  Described how to separate items into categories using differing characteristics.  (Metal, plastic, rubber, ceramic, textiles, fiber, fabric, elastic, wood, leather, glass)

In Math We... 
~added four place numbers with the base-10 cards
~took the "nine week test", and passed exceptionally.

This week actually wrapped up over a month ago so I wrote this based off notes.  I'll let you know a secret about what I do remember:  This was the last week of school that was fully completed in the month of November.  We all got into the holiday spirit just a tad early.  (that and for a few days there was a very real possibility that our family was moving 800 miles away in three weeks from Thanksgiving.  Eeesh.)

December Preschool Wrap Up...

We take the whole month of December to just be together enjoying the season as a family.  This is what that looked like for my preschool boy...

Decorating, baking, swinging, running, hiding, jumping, throwing, discovering, laughing, gathering, laughing, and a lot of red jacket wearing.

Brilliant.

November Preschool Wrap Up...

Here's what preschool looked like for us in November...

Sorting, stacking, snacking, cutting, looking, building, sitting, stretching, painting, touching, and little Lite Brite action!

Perfect.