As I finally sit down to blog I'm wondering where exactly to begin. The past couple of weeks have been a blur, sort-of like a dream that I vaguely remember. My beloved grandmother passed away leaving an empty space in our lives and hearts. It's so hard to imagine and put life back together without her. She's always been a staple in our family. The one you always knew you could count on to give advice, or just sit and listen. When I reflect upon her life and our memories I always come across one thing that stands out more than anything else. I have never heard my grandmother speak an unkind word about anyone. And I mean that. No matter how much you pleaded your case, or thought you were right, grandma would always bring you that other side of the story....the other point of view....letting you know that you weren't the only one involved. She always had a way of making everyone feel loved and comforted no matter what the situation. Even if you had made some poor choices, she was there to help pick up the pieces, without judgement. I believed she lived her life without regret. This is what I want to consciously do in her memory every day. And, this is what I wish would be impressed upon the heart of humanity. What a beautiful world this would be....I'll miss you grandma.
On the home school front things have been going really great. It's nice to get totally involved in our studies, learning all kinds of great things, and making this part of our healing process. This time together is so special, and I feel so thankful that I have been blessed with a husband who supports us and does whatever it takes to make this possible. Also, how lucky we are to share the same dream for our family. He is the best.
For science this month we wrapped up our Earth science, and started working on physical science. Our last experiment with Earth science was about shadows. We attached a straw to our globe with play doh, shined a flash light down upon it, and slowly turned the globe to see what happened to the shadow. This was awesome and really opened her eyes to what's really happening around us. It's cool to realize the sun isn't just 'going up and coming down'. We made a trip to the Tulsa Air and Space Museum this weekend as well. We went through every exhibit and watched a show in the planetarium. BabyGirl was absolutely enthralled with every aspect of this trip, and can't wait to go back again. She really is an outer space girl, and has been as long as we can remember. She takes after her daddy. We were also able to blend in our studies of Wilbur and Orville Wright with this trip. We got some great resources from the library about the Wright Brothers including a cute little story about a mouse family who lived in their house and watched the evolution from the glider to airplane. We started physical science this week working with matter. Today we gathered lots of different objects from around the house and sorted them into groups according to differences or likeness. Then, she sketched them in her science journal. We have lots more exciting things planned in this unit.
This month we are studying the continent of South America. Again, we've gotten some wonderful resources from the library on this one, including a BBC DVD series called Wild South America. It has awesome footage of the wildlife and the different wonders of the continent. This has been a fun addition to our reading. Our Nanny has also given us some WONDERFUL books on this continent. Our current favorite is one that is filled with different crafts and foods. So far, we've made a black cat for our front window which was taken from an ancient Inca drawing, and a Quetzal made from a paper roll. This weekend we will be experimenting with a dinner and dessert we found in the book. BabyGirl is truly excited about that!!
Our phonics, reading and writing is coming along beautifully. I'm so proud of the progress BabyGirl is making in her hand writing. I'm finding that she tends to gravitate towards continuous-stroke hand writing naturally, and will be introducing that book after we finish the little bit we have left in the kindergarten writing. This week we've also introduced spelling words for the first time, and she was so excited about it! She's doing great with all of the concepts of the first grade curriculum, and the only thing I notice that is a little too difficult sometimes is the writing. Some days there is just SO much. I don't want to overwhelm her. So, we'll just keep patching things together as we go.
This week in math we're working on plane and solid shapes as well as symmetry. She already knows these concepts, but thoroughly enjoys testing her knowledge! There are all sorts of ways to play with all of these, so we're coming up with games and work sheets every day. Her favorite is using pattern blocks to make plane shapes. She could do this all day!
Today, as many of you have done, we watched the Inauguration and briefly discussed what an important day this is in history. After our discussion on Martin Luther King Jr. Day yesterday I thought this was such an appropriate time for this to happen. My hopes remain high for a wonderful future for our Country and our children. Our freedom is so precious....
Until next time.....
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