1850MOD: Week 20

Well, posting once a month is better than not posting at all. Let's see, where should we start?

After struggling with Saxon math with Rabbit, we've decided we're going to limit ourselves to an hour a day. We just pick up where we left off and then continue into our next lesson until our hour is up. I will say this, Facts Practice Test N has really helped Rabbit with her fractions. Sometimes I have wondered about the value of doing the Facts Practice Tests, but this one has carried over into her ability to work the fraction problems in the Mixed Practice.

We're on Module 10 in Science. Not sure if we'll finish the whole book or not by the time we are officially done with our 172 days. She is getting a B in class right now. I have been using some of the alternative tests from the yahoo Apologia group to make our lives a little easier. We are really trying to do the experiments. I even bought some ivy for Lowe's so we could do the experiments.

Rabbit finished the Progeny Press guide for Johnny Tremain today. She did pretty well. We didn't do any of the extra projects at the end. I feel as if she is getting enough writing from Essentials in Writing. She has been continuing on in the Apples spelling book, and I am seeing improvement in her spelling in her writing. The All-in-One English book has presented some challenges for us, but we are making progress though it.

We have just finished reading about World War I, but we are way behind on Sargent York. I did order the CDs from Mantle Ministries, but it feels like he reads a little slow, so I have taken to reading it with a Southern accent. Rabbit did her first writing from an outline today. She didn't do it exactly with paragraphs. But, I tried doing it too, and even I had a hard time working in all the points.  It is hard when you don't exactly agree on the grouping of the outline. For a first time doing such an assignment, it wasn't bad. I expect it to get better as we go on. The boys have been getting their History from the book basket and the second grade supplement books. I'm fine with that as they will repeat all if this in 8th grade.

We are really enjoying Tales from Persia. It is encouraging to read these stories of how God has worked in the Middle East. We are also enjoying the hymn study. I am glad they have the songs on the message board, even if the kids think the singer sounds like an opera singer.

Each if the boys is about halfway through their level in All About Spelling. Tigger is in Level 3 and Pooh is in Level 2. Tigger has started doing a lot more free writing. They are both in the 3rd grade Pathway Readers, with Tigger a book ahead of Pooh. Pooh prefers graphic novels (comics) over regular books, but at least he is reading. Tigger has been reading Star Wars junior novels (not based on the movies). It's not the greatest reading material, but he finished those and is now branching out into some other stuff. It is hard to find good stuff at the library for boys (girls have many more choices, in my opinion). Hank the Cowdog is a bit below Tigger's reading level, but other series seem to be too high. We did find a sports series that he is enjoying, but the characters are middle- and high-school.

Math is going well for the boys. Pooh has a hard time remembering math facts when we do drill, but he completes his math assignments just fine.