IN THE CAR THIS WEEK
The Phantom Tollbooth "This ingenious fantasy centers around Milo, a bored ten-year-old who comes home to find a large toy tollbooth sitting in his room. Joining forces with a watchdog named Tock, Milo drives through the tollbooth's gates and begins a memorable journey. He meets such characters as the foolish, yet lovable Humbug, the Mathemagician, and the not-so-wicked "Which," Faintly Macabre, who gives Milo the "impossible" mission of returning two princesses to the Kingdom of Wisdom."
So far, so good! I was excited to learn there is a Phantom Tollbooth movie, which we will watch after finishing the audio. It was filmed in San Francisco!!
Abrahan Lincoln and the Heart of America
MONDAY
9:30 – 3:00 Homeschool in the Forest
The scene at drop-off, all games and fun. Unfortunately, at the time of publishing this post, I had not yet received any summaries from group leaders.
5yo: n/a
7yo: n/a
10yo: n/a
3:30 - 6:00 Our usual pick-up of friend's daughter ended with us going back to our house for art, instead of library time. This kids get crafty on their own, building a beanie babies house out of cardboard and graphic duct tape. And that counts as art class to me!
6:00 I take the kids to see Pelican Dreams at The Rafael. (Same filmmaker as The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.) Lovely movie. The Rafael has so many great offerings.
TUESDAY
9:00 - 12:00 Big kids go to Language Arts and Math/Drawing out Arithmetic classes for homeschoolers. Math class consists of four students (two 2nd grades, and two 4th graders). Language arts is just three students, but content is delivered at appropriate grade level for each, while being in-line with their specific interests.
Summary from Drawing out arithmetic teacher:
"We worked on constructing a square. Both kids learned a lot about construction, especially how to line up their straightedges. We will be using square grids to illustrate multiplication over the next few weeks."
12:00 - 2:00 Open studio art class for homeschoolers. Imagine a fully stocked open room and the freedom to create whatever you want. The 10yo built a birdhouse and covered it in moss. Beanie worked with clay and drew.
1:00 - 4:00 PreK for Tiny Buns
2:15 - 3:15 10yo has music class. Today's focus was on the electric guitar and learning Rock the Casbah.
Beanie and I walk two blocks to our regular cafe and read.
3:45 - 5:15 10yo soccer practice
WEDNESDAY - Beanie is sick today
8:30 - 9:30 Family Tennis Lesson! Our first day. We do it as five. Everyone loved it. What's not to love about hitting balls around??
10:00 - 11:00 In-home family Spanish class. Because Beanie is sick, she stays in bed, and class is just the boys. Soooo much order and focus with just the two. OMG - seamless instruction. They work on writing down common phrases which we've only spoken up until now.
11:15 I drop Beanie at her grandma's house to sleep while I run the boys around.
11:45 - 12:45 At friend's house for science classes, I bake olive oil muffins with the big kids before their class begins.
1:00 - 2:30 Anatomy of the Heart - Science for 10yo. Report from teacher:
1:00 - 4:00 PreK for Tiny Buns
On the way to PreK, I snap this shot of Tiny Buns working on a letters book. This kid is so fun to watch - he's incredibly eager to learn and a total self-starter. He makes my job so much easier. ;)
1:00 - 2:30 10yo's science class where they dissect a pig's heart. I wish I had a picture!
3:00 10yo works on multiple math assignments due in the morning.
THURSDAY
Because Beanie is sick, she misses soccer and French. Instead she peels off the plastic wrap on a new set of School House Rock and watches every awesome song known to man. At one point, she takes time out to help Tiny Buns learn to read. It feels like he's been on cusp for a while now. Then he shows me this:
HE'S READING!!! :-D
8:15 - 9:15 10yo's math tutor
9:30 – 3:00 Homeschool 4-wheel drive - the 10yo's second day a week in nature. Run by the same organization as Monday's class, this group happens have only boys enrolled at this time, which I love. It's great to see them just go off a wild adventure with a great male leader. This week's report: n/a yet
1:00 - 4:00 PreK for Tiny Buns
FRIDAY
Crab fishing with friends!
EXTENDED LEARNING (aka THE WEEKEND)
Beanie took a Saturday drawing class on perspective.
As I always like to say: Don't overestimate the education your kids get in school, and don't ever, ever underestimate the education you give them at home and on the weekends!