I took this last Friday but thought it was an appropriate way to start my week 2 of being house bound…Nick built me two raised beds in the last week!He also has been moving the shed across the yard all this week (whenever the rain lets him)!We enjoyed more Super Charged Science again this week.The lessons were about astronomy and the girls had trouble listening but they still enjoyed the experiments.There has been frog and lizard catching.And lots of outside time.I have been using this time to practice my photography more.It helps me to look for beautiful moments when it seems dark and stressful.The girls practiced tree climbing while the guys moved the shed.I also used this time to do one of my twins hair. Little sister is next!
The news is draining right now and I felt tense this week. Hoping for a better week next week. Hoping you and your family are safe and have dirt to play in.
We are pretty socially isolated during the day normally but with everything going on it feels different.
With the extra stress I am trying to give myself extra grace in schooling so that I have more to give my kids.
I make sure we get our main subjects done every day but other than that I am taking advantage of the free online classes happening right now.
We have been taking a free online science class called Super Charged Science and it is excellent. She is an amazing teacher and I am letting it take the place of me teaching my youngest three science for right now.
Check out her facebook pagefor free classes.
I liked her robotics class so much I purchased the course.
Building catapultsLearning about lasers
After that we still do quiet time for my sanity sake. Ha
Then we watch the Cincinnati Zoo live keeper chat which has been a fun treat to our day and something to look forward to. It is on their Facebook page if you want to check it out.
Add to that daily walks(which we did anyway) and lots of outside play(when the rain allows)!
It was pouring when we would usually go for a walk so we checked out a local waterfall instead.
What are you doing to fill your days?
My 2yr old does not like being left out so I do a little lesson with her on most days.
I am trying to start our day with a short story or poem with all of my kids.
Then one of the boys plays with the 2yr old and the other starts his math.
I do reading with one of the girls.
The other does an independent reading project, like word matching cards.
I then switch and my other daughter reads to me while the other does independent work.
When I am done with both of the twins it is my youngest’s turn.
We work on letter sounds, numbers, and simple things like farm animals or butterflies.
After I am done with her lesson we usually go for a walk.
The boys can do most of their work independently.
They just need writing assignments, new books for their school shelf, and their work monitored.
I also will give them science or history projects.
For our current study they are researching the Erie Canal with the knowledge they will have to build a working canal with a lock.
I tie together the boys history, geography, science, and literature by time period.
For instance, they are studying the war of 1812, the Erie Canal, Francis Scott Key, Peter Cartwright, Steamboats, Mark Twain, and Beethoven at the same time.
I put all their books on one shelf.
Here are steamboats that they made.
I actually had them research and make their own prototypes first.
Then I gave them some sites with directions and needed to help them troubleshoot.
We eat lunch and have quiet time.
The boys do their reading during quiet time.
I am usually correcting in the midst of working with one.
After quiet time and snack I start the twins math lessons.
They do not learn well together so even though they are learning the same thing I do the lesson with one at a time.
Sometimes they are able to finish their math lesson, but often they need extra help to pay attention and need to wait for Nick to get home.
This is probably a pretty honest picture of how our lessons go.
I have found holding a hot cup of tea calms me.
Sometimes I just need to hold my cup of tea, breath, and think of how I can explain something so that it is understood.
The boys and girls both do the same math curriculum (RightStart Math).
Once in a while we do projects all together.
Most of the time the boys do projects independently.
I like how calm these pictures make it look.
It was not calm.
It was a thousand questions and a toddler that kept spilling things.
Not questions about the science of it by the way.
Ha
If you follow me on Instagram, you have probably seen these.
I took the first group of pictures at the same time to show what everyone does at a given moment.
This one shows the aftermath of our math lessons…
Hope you liked getting a peek into what our day might look like.
