week 11

Our avian neighbor during school. Hulk was fascinated watching it build its nest in the tree above the picnic table.

This week school moved outside due to bathroom renovations at Grandma and Grandpa's house to help accommodate Grandpa's wheelchair. The house is on the smaller side with just this single bathroom. I won't lie and say that the kids got creative at times this week., especially Hulk. The girls more often then not walked the 2 blocks home as we tried to disturb the work as little as possible. God blessed us with some absolutely gorgeous weather. Hulk greatly enjoyed to freedom to run "wild" during his breaks.

The kids really enjoyed this weeks SITB. The spent almost 30 min making water droplets "dance" on the hot pan. We aren't doing all the notebooking but I really think they are understanding the concepts and I love the way this curriculum breaks things down. Its simple but in depth. It's hitting just the right mix for them.                       

Our new math's are working well so far! The girls are loving the Beast Academy's comic book and game approach. SO far tons of logic games and problems using multiplication, area, and perimeter. We've even taken the recommendation for the company that some days you only work on one puzzling problem. I have had to do more hand holding then with TT but we are working light years ahead in "thinking it out." Its going to take them time to get used to  being asked vs told how to do a problem. Here's and example of a "3rd grade " word problem. I am really impressed with the # of skills intertwined in this one problem!

In other news: Hulk and Ying tested for their new belts during co-op this week. We now have a Yellow Senior and White Senior belt in the house. They are very proud.

Hulk also gave me his sweet art project. He was very proud of himself. I am proud of how much effort my no nonsense boy is putting into his art class. I think the fact that its all boys and the teacher's assistant are 2 older ( MS/HS) boys is having a real impact. Something I LOVE about our co-op is how our older kids are taught to treat and mentor the younger ones. Our co-op is close to 300 kids and its routine for me to see a group of older boys stop my 1st grader in the hall just to see how his day is going or to close his overflowing backpack. In many places that 1st grader would be apprehensive about being approached by a group of older boys, but not here. I am so thankful for the foundations laid in those boys and how its challenging my little man to take his first steps into being a man by helping those weaker and smaller then himself.