Friday Friday

//Oh the attitude this morning... I got her up early and let her eat breakfast and play a game for a bit while I did some German language learning... and then she threw half a fit when I told her it was time to get to her book.  She lost her privileges on the game for the rest of the day.

8:00a - reading: Half-Magic to pg.68
9:30a - break
/for all the fuss she gave she is enjoying this book and understanding it well.

10a   - Lewis and Clark : hour 3
//When Grandma came down for a visit she remembered that it was Thomas Jefferson that sent them out to the Pacific Ocean, but she had forgotten where they started their journey... remembering that colonists arrived from England in the United States, but forgetting that the expedition leaders were born Americans...will go over that a bit more when we round up the last hour next week.

11a   - vocabulary and dictionary words , fatigued, prescient, scarce, discussion of 'heretowith'

11:30a - Cc Math workbook
12:00 - Minecraft

12:30 - done
//I close again, third or fourth night in a row?  I can't even remember.... I get a day off on Sunday.  The book  Auralia's Colors is VERY good.

Pastel Thursday

9:00    - reading: Half-Magic to pg.20
10       - Quizlet vocabulary and copying dictionary definitions
10.30    - Art: Intro to Pastels
11    - Minecraft
11.45    - CC Math Workbook
12p    - break

12.30    - town; stores and mechanic's
//Daddy said she held a conversation with a mechanic named Rosemary and observed as much as she could from inside the vehicle, looking through the windshield and talking to the lady.  Mark said Rosemary was much amused to have a running commentary during the oil change, but very open to answering questions.
1    - break

2p    - Stardew Valley
3.30    - done

 

Esme's pastel drawing of a forest scene with a deer, a nest of eggs, a bird and an apple.

Wednesday

8.45    - Video: Lewis and Clark, hour 2
9.45    - break

10:30     - writing paragraph of Minecraft plans
11:00a     - CC Math Workbook
11:10a     - Stardew Valley
12.45    - reading: "Blowin' in the Wind"
    - "The King who tried to Fry an Egg on his Head"
1p    - Minecraft
1.30    - done

//I had the interesting experience of helping five German speaking teenagers (or so) with a project tonight at the hardware store I work at.  They didn't know I understand some German, and they were talking animately between themselves about the project the entire time, over my head, between each other, giving each other advice and exchanging ideas.  I did help with some things, as one of them spoke English well enough to be the interpreter for the rest.  But - I felt like I was a toddler, hearing things I understood all around me, bits and pieces - half the words understood, half not, some of that was too quick etc... but I have almost no ability to respond in German to any of this, only in English.

When I got home from work at ten Esme wanted to go right to bed.. and after she went to bed I opened up my Duolingo and refreshed my Spanish back to level, then started in on the German course (which makes three languages officially started on there, Spanish to level 7, French to level 5 and cleared level 1 in German in no time flat).  I remember a LOT about German, even though it has been years and years since I actively studied it.

Tuesday

8.30    - flea market & store
9.30    - break

10.15    - reading: Borrowers, to end + discussion
11.45    - break

2.45    - CC Math Workbook
3p    - remedial shoe tying
3.15    - Minecraft
4.15    - done

//I can hardly even remember this morning .. as it is now 10:30 at night... but I know I was there *ha*...  Esme asked me if I liked the Borrowers book.. and although she thought it was long and complicated (she asked me what raffia and morose meant as she was reading the end part today), I think she secretly liked it, too..and was a bit disappointed that they didn't tell anymore about them after they were discovered.... she doesn't want to have to read a whole next book (Borrowers Afield) just to know what happened next... but I wasn't intending on making her.  It is saved on my Kindle holds queue for me to read soon.

We're getting so close to the 'end of the schoolyear' for her... and we've really come a long way this year.  Reading all of these chapter books has really opened up something.. she may not want to read long books of her own volition yet, but she knows it is possible and that there is a lot going on in every book she meets.  She can read the Fairy books and the American Girl books with no grumble - as she knows there are even longer books she has read through and gotten to the end.

I'd still like to cover a few more history things - finish Lewis and Clark, cover the Mayans and/or the Incas and go over (because she asked the other day and didn't believe my answers) what goes on in plant and animal cells - and what that means in a bigger context (different types of cells etc.).

And then after the 'end' of the school year... there will be a summer break, and public school starts at the end of July.  Don't really want to think too hard on that yet, although I know I will worry about it subconsciously even as I try to let it be until it gets here....


Mom notes : // start painted lady peas and more marigolds... find transition metals book and dive into chemistry a bit again during MY  break... sew Esme's pair of pants from the Murray fabric, go through her clothes and pick out the destroyed stuff again.. pants and socks with holes etc.  get a clear picture of what she has again.  And I am eagerly awaiting the book for the Magnus Chord Organ we received from a friend at work... ordered a book of the music by mail.  I was reading Dragonspell, the first in a series by Donita Paul,and it has heavy religious overtones... making it a little difficult to keep reading, but it hasn't really stripped the story too much yet... getting close though.  I have Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet lined up for after that.

Monday

10    - reading: Felicity Saves the day chp 5
10.30    - reading: Borrowers to pg 150
12p    - break

1p    - CC Math Workbook
1.15    - PE; walking & stationary bike riding
1.30    - writing: 5 sentences about Stardew Valley
2p    - break

3p    - Minecraft with Mom
4p    - done

Saturday

We went out to the Amish Auction this morning with Grandma, my friends from work and their daughter.  After spending a bit of time there we came back and played at the lake for a bit.  Both of the girls ended up in the lake up their waists and a good deal of mud, as well. 

After they left, I settled down to playing a bit in the garden, getting some sun, and reading a book.  I started and finished (how often does that happen anymore?) a quick read - Pennyroyal Academy, by M.A. Larson.  It was really good!  I've downloaded two other books and will see if they are anywhere near as good.  In the garden more radishes and peas are coming up... some other things too, but harder to tell for sure.  I don't see the cucumbers at all, they might not have been good seed or just taking forever?

I might take Esme out to the roller rink tomorrow - will have to see how the day unfolds.

Friday

9a    - Stardew Valley
10a    - reading: Felicity Saves the Day chp 4
10.15    - reading: Night Gliders
    - reading: Borrowers to pg 120
12    - break

3:30 - working on a new box house
//I brought a new big cardboard box home from work - she got to cutting and taping and drawing on it immediately... I told her we would start the history movie a little after four...

4:15 - Lewis and Clark movie, part one
5:15 - done

Thursday

 We went for a walk and found lots of interesting things today.  

This birds nest was in a tree by Grandma's garden.

 This is a fungus that grows on our cedar tree... gross.

 This is a little grapevine growing in an oak tree.

 A hickory tree

 May apples

 An oak tree just starting to leaf our.

 A squirrel tree!  Err.. hmm.

This is a willow oak, we are fairly certain...

8.30    - reading: Felixity Saves the Day chp 3
9a    - reading: Borrowers, to chp 11
10.15    - CC math workbook
10.30     - Stardew Valley
12    - PE; stationary bike
12.30    - break
3:30  - Nature walk
4:00 - done

Wednesday is for bikes

 Zombies are coming, pedal fast!

my silly crew :)

9a    - CC math workbook
9.15    - reading: Felicity Saves the Day chp 2
9.30    - reading: Borrowers, to pg 60
11    - math: counting attendence record (17 days left!)

//We bought a stationary bike at the flea market for 3.00 yesterday.  It needed some repair, as the chain kept coming loose.  Mark and Esme planned to fix it today as part of school - and it works and works well.
11.30    - repair / adjust stationary bike
12p    - PE: 30+ mins stationary bike riding
12.30    - break

3:00 -  Nutrition: What's in a meal, and vitamins
3:30 - done

Tuesday

8a    - flea market
//We went out to sell Esme's toddler bed.. it didn't sell, but we still stayed out for a few hours
8:30a - reading: Felicity Saves the Day chapter one
9:00a - CC Math workbook
9:30a - reading : Borrowers, to page 13
10:00a - flea market
10:30 - grocery store, nutrition labels
11:00a - break
2:30p - reading: Borrowers, to page 35
3:15p - Nutrition book: 'Eating Well', and  identifying foods with vitamins
4:00- done

Our Second Grade Reading List (to be continued)

Incomplete List - but good to keep a record

Read together in turns
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Misty of Chincoteague Island
How to T rain Your Dragon
---------and How to Talk like a Pirate
Franny K. Stein books
Ten Kids, No Pets
Secrets of Droon books 1-5
Secondhand Magic


Mom read - She listened
--------------------------------------------------------
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House on the Prairie
Crenshaw
George and the Secret Key to the Universe
Sisters Grimm (book one)

Silent Reading on her Own!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rainbow Fairy books  - fifteen or so of these? and counting...
American Girl books : Felicity series, Kirsten series
Secrets of Droon book #6
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
James and the Giant Peach
Stuart Little
The Boxcar Children
The Borrowers

In Progress : Half - Magic

Other: Fables, children's picture books (lots)

Maybes:
Mr. Poppers Penguins (SR)

Monday and it's 85 degrees outside...

7.30    - Diet & Nutrition questions, "There is really a Vitamin K?" and other questions
7.45    - break
9:45  - Nutrition article: reading about fats, proteins, carbohydrates and what different vitamins do in the body
10:00 - Happy Birthday Felicity : chapter 4 & 5
10:30 - CC Math workbook and number patterns
11:00 - break

12:30 - reading 2 'bear books' : Blueberries for Sal, Bruna
12:45 - break

//In the car on the way to the store she told Grandma what both of the 'bear' books were about and what happened... Grandma called it a book report ;)
2:00 - library, choosing books
2:30 - park, P.E. with kids
3:30 - nutrition in grocery store, comparing labels, choosing plants
4:00 - break
7:00 - gardening and cleaning /// We planted petunias and zinnias in a pot together, that she had chosen at the grocery store earlier.  I had her help me hose and scrub a plastic toddler bed she had when she was small so we can take it to sell at the flea market tomorrow.
7:30 - done


I took some pictures in the early morning while Esme was in the bathtub getting ready for town...

 Callie, our calico

 Our calico crew, from back Daphne, Lucy and Sweetie.. Callie is biting tails.

 Lucy is Esme's puppy.  She sleeps in Esme's room at night and reminds her when it is time to go to bed by dancing around her ankles and whining while pointing her nose in the direction of downstairs.

 Sweetie is my dog that thinks she has too much dignity to be photographed, unless, of course, someone else will be photographed..then it's unfair and she must be the only one how could I do that to my dog?  Oh yes, I am Sweetie's person - the one she must herd and look after... and she is my dog, the one I must pet the ears of and save a tidbit for from supper. 

bits

Put in half the garden yesterday afternoon.  Cucumbers, a single squash, radishes, arugula, purslane, kale and lots of flowers, cosmos, cockscomb, cleome, marigold, butterfly weed and zinnias.  Now we have to till the rest of the garden again to put in the beans and a few rows of corn.  Then my transplant tomatoes are getting second leaves - and/or buy a few.  The peas I planted inside (from last year's crop) are sprouting.  The lavender bushes I planted the other day seem to be doing okay - they might be wanting some drier weather, which is coming.

I'm reading 'Death of  a King', a middle-school book about time travel to the age of William Wallace and King Edward.  It was rec recommended somewhere, and it is turning out good so far.

Esme and I are both playing separate characters on Stardew Valley, and learning a lot about the game.

Saturday for Friday

I was home late last night and to work early today... *sigh* so here is yesterday's

8.15    - reading: Stuart Little pg 96-done
8.45    - English Worksheet: Irregular Verbs
    - Stardew Valley
9.30a    - Research / writing : Why are evergreens always green?

10    - CC math Workbook
10.15    - PBS Documentary: Journey of Man
//Mark said the attitude of the man doing the research was very bad, smug.. he did not respect the ideas of the very people he was studying, instead 'I'm right' about his research... true they were talking about their creation myths vs. evolution but still, show respect man, these people let you into their homes and helped you to further your scientific research.

12p    - reading: Happy Birthday Felicity, chp 4
12.15    - done

//She gave me a report on the evergreen trees when I got home, then she went to dig in the yard with a trowel for about a half hour...bath, dinner, then bed.

Thursday

//She had done some reading and we had watched the first half of Vikings yesterday before the appointment.  But, we still didn't officially count yesterday. Her cough is a little better - and she did take her antibiotic.  The doctor also told her to drink more water, which I hope she will continue to do - she said she is "trying to follow her doctor's rules."


8:00a - reading: Stuart Little  pg 80-96.
8:30a  - Vikings dvd second half
9:30a  - cc Math workbook
10:00   - break

12:30 - Stuart Little to pg. 96-113.
1:00p - Happy Birthday Felicity ch 2.
1:15p - Language grammar arts lesson worksheets
1:30p - StarDew Valley game first time play
//I began playing this game yesterday, now she is going to go through all of the introductions, reading the instructions and exploring. 
2:30p - done

Wednesday sick day

We took Esme into the nurse for her cough and stomach ache, and gave her the rest of the day off.  The nurse prescribed her one antibiotic and one antihistimine.  They took an x-ray, which was strange... but she said the coughing made her stomach hurt.  They'll call us tomorrow about the x-ray.  I spent some time in the garden, planting peas and the lavender bushes I bought the other day.  I did a little greenhouse check-up, and took some tomato plants out for some sun.

Esme seemed to be much better after her medicines.. still coughing, but not as much.
We'll see how tomorrow goes.. I have that day off, too.

Tuesday

8:00a - reading: Stuart Little to pg 63.
9:00a - CC Math workbook
9:30 - Minecraft survival mode
11:15 - reading: Happy Birthday Felicity ch.1
11:30 - break
11:45 - Spelling
12:00 - work with capitalization
12:30 - done
//
Greenhouse Log : Dianthus and Celosia are up, four tomato seedlings transplanted into larger pots.  Planted six of last year's sweet pea seeds in small pots for germinating.  Still waiting on: Comfrey and borage.  Petunias have begun to sprout, peppers probably need to be transplanted tomorrow.

Monday

8:15a    - Art : Everking dragon drawing and diagrams

9a        - Writing : Everking description

"This is the most rarest dragon in ever.  When you press fire it will shoot for a long time.  When the fire lands it creates a thick smoke screen.  The EverKing has 20 legs and 8 wings.  It is 14 people high and 84 feet tall.  It has 150 teeth.  To create the Ever King you need 2 Night Fury fire and of all the dragon's fire to create him.  And when he's Level 1 he can fly.  The Ever King eats underground fish and smaller dragons.  The Ever King loves to dig with his claws to find fish.  He likes to eat terrors as a treat.  The Ever King can wreck ships in an instant.  He controls dragons with his wings in a tempo."

10.15    - break

11a    - reading: Stuart Little to pg 25
11.30    - reading: Grandma Elephant's In Charge
    - reading: Charlotte the Sunflower Fairy
    - reading: Olivia the Orchid Fairy
1p    - done

Misha

 Our Misha dog passed yesterday morning, after having a very hard time these past months with stairs and other issues.  She had a seizure early in the morning.  Mark looked it up, and she was thirteen years old, and all of our other dogs except Nova are her grandchildren or great-grandchildren.

These were her favorite things, digging, swamp dog, and carrying things around in her mouth she found in the yard.  She was always watchful of Esme, or for that matter, anybody she thought needed close herding and watching.  The first memory I have of meeting Misha was when I visited Mark's farm for the first time, before we were married, and suddenly realized there was a dark dog sitting just inside the treeline following and watching me.  I was frightened at first, but then we were introduced, and she was a constant presence making sure I didn't get lost or into trouble - as if that was her job, which, to her, it was.

Mark said this is perfect dognity.. sometimes you just have to lay down and roll all over and scratch.

Friday

9a - reading: 'Box Car Children'  finished to chapter 13
10:30 - CC Math workbook
10:45a - break
11:30 - library // geography game and choosing books
12:30 - break (town)
3:45 - science: Origin of Species dvd episode 2 and 3
4:15 - writing: Mouse Story
5:15 - done

 Writing is still her hardest subject, but her handwriting has improved during the year (penmanship lessons) and she is less resistant to going back and making edits and spelling corrections.  The goat took a big bite out of this page as I had laid it down to take a photograph of it and hadn't returned promptly.  The goat ate the homework.. how many times do you hear that?

This is her Minecraft interpretation of the children's boxcar and where they lived in it in the woods.  This is survival, which means she mined all that redstone herself for this project, and there are 9 redstone powders per block.  So, this is some effort put in to the materials.  It is set along a road I was building through a spruce forest.  She put a stone square outside with a furnace deep in it and she will fill it with water when they need to boil the kettle - the square.  She has some wood mats in the boxcar on one side and a chest to put food in that they find in the forest.

//And it is the weekend!  And I work the weekend... oh, right.  I did get some fabric today and am working on two pairs of pants for Esme.. one finished, one planned.  I am still working on my writing projects..(the ones started in December) .here and there, adjusting them between reading books, and adding some new stuff on lately.  As for books, I got another by Kim Edwards at the library today.  Esme got Stuart Little and Happy Birthday Felicity, the latter of which she sounded happy to read next week.  We got some other shorter books, too - and I think she'll like some of them.

Thursday

8a    - reading: 'Box Car Children' to chapter 10
9:30     - CC Math workbook
10:00a     - break

10:30     - science: Origin of Species dvd episode 1
11:00     - Minecraft
12:00     - lunch break

12:15     - Minecraft cont.
------- She was building a boxcar in the woods like in the book.  I'll have to get some screenshots of it.
12.45    - English worksheet, selecting proper punctuation
1p    - done

Wednesday

8a - reading: 'Box Car Children' chapter 3 to 6
8:30 - history : "Richard the Lionheart" dvd
--This was a little dry, but it did have a few good facts and scenes.
9:30 - CC Math workbook
10:00 - Minecraft
11:30 - English test: NY Regents test 2010 book 2
12:00 - done

Tuesday after break

9a    - reading: "Box Car Children" chapters 1-3
9.30    - "Experiment house" design and discussion
10.30    - CC Math workbook
11a    - Nova: "The Umknown World"
12p    - break

5p    - English test : NY Regents test 2010 book 1
5:30p   - Minecraft
6p      - done

Land Between the Lakes LBL 1850s Homeplace working farm

 They had some beautiful little children's toys in one corner...

 

 Sheep!

drying shed

 Looking in the tool barn

 This cow was a ham... well, you know what I mean :)

 A fossilized honeycomb stone

 They've been planting their garden

 We watched them hitch up a team of mules to plow a field.

 Washing wool

 They said this man has been doing this since he was sixteen, and the mules answered to his whistle and voice commands.  The plow went right through the earth so easy... and we know it was much harder than it looked.

 We also took a trip up to the Golden Pond Observatory and Plaetarium to catch a show.

And then we all had lunch and came home... long tiring day!