Week 18, Day 1 in ECC

Off to Kenya, Africa!

We started with our usual Pledge and review of Awana verses, and then our Bible time, reading about a people group in Northern Africa.

Then, for Geography, we got on our "airplane" (the stairs), and flew to Kenya. I put a sticker in each child's passport, and then wrote the date. Rabbit and I looked at the map to see that Kenya is right on the equator - so it is in both the northern and southern hemispheres. We also looked at the globe.

Next, we read our science pages and talked about grasslands. We then got out the Atlas and looked at the map of population and compared it to the climate and noticed how it very much correlated.

After snack and Spanish, it was time for the swearing-in of the new President, so we watched that and his speech. Then it was time for Rabbit to do seatwork, while I worked with Tigger and Pooh. We did our usual calendar time, phone number, and Awana verse. Then, we worked on what sound the letter "b" makes. That took all our time.

I realized I forgot to do all our Brain Integration Therapy between subjects today, so we did all those we missed, and then our writing eights. Rabbit had a better attitude about them today. After that we did Lesson 86 again in our English book - the proper use of "It is I," or "It was she." Since the library was closed yesterday, I didn't have any books from the library on Africa for book basket, so she did seatwork while I prepared lunch.

After lunch, we did the Math unit test - which she did great on. Then started our next spelling list. She got the idea that all the words had the long "o" sound, and we went through and discovered all the spellings and copied them to her spelling dictionary. Then, I did a sneaky thing with her. I had her spell "old." Then I gave her a bunch of other "old" words (mold, told, cold, gold, etc.) to spell. Then I asked her what they all had in common. She didn't see the pattern (that they all have "old" in them) until I pointed it out. Patterns are a tricky thing for her, that is for sure.

Last week we got a book to help us prepare for standardized testing that our state requires us to do in 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th grades. So, we worked on that some today. I think it is good, because it helps show us weaknesses. But, in doing it, I realized how unfair these tests are. For example, I call my purse a "purse." One of the things on the test was to make compound words. Well, the first half of the word was "hand" and then she had to chose between "bag," "glove," "foot," and something else. Well, she's never heard me call a purse a "handbag" so she didn't know that was a real word. Same thing came up with "streetcar." We don't live in a city, nor have we read any books or stories, that talk about streetcars. She doesn't even know what one looks like. Just because I've never called my purse a "handbag," doesn't mean she isn't smart. I've decided the tests are totally bogus, because unless you've experienced the use of these words, you're not going to know they are real words.

Then we wrapped up with reading, and I read the first chapter of David Livingstone to her. Talk about staring into the lion's mouth! Oh my!