Mommy To Bees

Studying Weather

Year of the bunny

So a bloggy friend of mine posted this today:

 

“People born in the Year of the Rabbit are articulate, talented, and ambitious. They are virtuous, reserved, and have excellent taste. Rabbit people are admired, trusted, and are often financially lucky. They are fond of gossip but are tactful and generally kind. Rabbit people seldom lose their temper. They are clever at business and being conscientious, never back out of a contract. They would make good gamblers for they have the uncanny gift of choosing the right thing. However, they seldom gamble, as they are conservative and wise. They are most compatible with those born in the years of the Sheep, Pig, and Dog.”

 

 

 

Well, since I'm a Bunny person I just couldn't resist.

 

 

 

“People born in the Year of the Rabbit are articulate, talented, and ambitious.

 

Good to know....currently my ambitions run to making dinner and figuring out

 

who is going to teach Algebra.

 

 

 

They are virtuous, reserved, and have excellent taste.

 

SNORT!!!!  I have excellent taste....just ask my husband.

 

 

 

Rabbit people are admired, trusted, and are often financially lucky.

 

I am a Bunny person, Thank You Very Much!!

 

 

 

They are fond of gossip but are tactful and generally kind.

 

Okay, I'll go with that.

 

 

 

Rabbit people seldom lose their temper.

 

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!!

 

I say a Rabbit Person is just an Ugly Bunny Person.

 

 

 

They are clever at business and being conscientious, never back out of a contract.

 

Something correct as yet!

 

 

 

They would make good gamblers for they have the uncanny gift of choosing the right thing.

 

Yes, but unfortunately I think gambling is sinful and a waste.

 

A is grateful!

 

 

 

However, they seldom gamble, as they are conservative and wise.

 

Snicker!!!

 

 

 

They are most compatible with those born in the years of the Sheep, Pig, and Dog.”

 

Okay then!

 

 

 

I married a snake.  Gave birth to a tiger and a snake.

 

I have a Tiger nephew, a Rabbit niece, a Dragon niece, and a Monkey niece.

 

Fun!

.

.

.

.

I wonder when the next run of nephews and nieces are going to come about....

I'm becoming a nomad.....

...specifically a math nomad.

I'm lost and desperate.

 

My kids get math.

They understand it.

They did NOT get this math gene from me...

...maybe through me, but not FROM me.

I lay the blame on my husband.

Years ago we started with Saxon math.

Your typical "American" math program.

Kyler hated it.

So, on the advice of a friend we changed to Singapore math, the state curriculum for Singapore.  

Singapore has awesome standards for math.

Oh!  What a great fit.  We stuck with it for several years.

Well, about three years ago I realized we were rapidly approaching a point in math

where I wouldn't be able to teach the subject anymore.

So, we moved to Math-U-See.

An American curriculum written by a math teacher for homeschoolers.

Perfect!  A teacher on the DVD.

Phew.  Saved.

Fast forward 3 years....

ACK!

Kyler has started Algebra 1

and

Loralai started Pre-Algebra

and

I

can't

help

Kyler

at

all!!!

(I'm doing okay with the Pre-Algebra....)

 

Crabs!

I ordered Teaching Textbooks Algebra and Pre-Algebra.

FAIL!

Neither child liked it.

Why?

The program was "too easy and simple".

As Lori put it, "I'm not slow."

(No offense intended to those of you who do like TT.)

GRUMP!

Alright, we are back to MUS....

... but I decided to go ahead and take the leap and go back to Singapore.

Right now the kids are doing their respective MUS levels and

Kyler is doing New Elementary Math 1 (basically pre-algebra level)

and Lori is doing Primary Math 6A (first half of 6th grade math).

A is going to be making a decision in the next week

about which curriculum we will be using for Algebra 1 and beyond.

I might be hiring a teacher for when A leaves.....

..... but at this point....

I'm just a nomad.

Week in review: Nov 15 - 19

Kyler

We finished reading The Sherwood Ring.

I loved this book!  The vivid pictures which were described were wonderful.

Kyler finished reading The Iron Peacock

and is working on finishing the

essay questions.  There were 10, 100 word essay questions.

 

Lori finished reading the Freedom Train.

I finished reading The Fever of 1793.

Fever turned out to be a riveting story

about a girl who survived the Yellow Fever outbreak

of 1793 in Philadelphia, PA.

 

Both kids did their math, Grammar, and other stuff as normal.

Week in review: Oct 18 - 22

School week 3

 

Busy week, but not really much to report.

History & Read Aloud:

We read a chapter from the American Adventures I

on the first woman doctor in the US.

We finished Moccasin Trail early

(we were to finish it at the end of next week);

I just really enjoy that story!  Is it fun!!!

We started a new book this week.

This is another book that I *really* enjoy.

Diary of an Early American Boy is about a 15 year old Noah Blake.

The author of the book found Noah Blake's diary in the remains

of the original homestead on his property.

Reading:

Lori read Sing Down the Moon this week.

She enjoyed the story and had a few complaints.

She really wanted to know the girl's "secret" name.

Math:

Lesson 22 of 30

Science:

Read about the types of birds found in Japan.

I'm having major allergy issues and both kids are having minor

allergy issues, sooooo, we didn't go out to see any birds.

 

Kyler

History & Read Aloud:

We finished A Murder for Her Majesty.

We started a new book called The Sherwood Ring.

Reading:

Ky finished The King's Fifth and is working on a mapping project for the book.

He started a new book this week, called The Iron Peacock.

Math:

Lesson 3 done in Algebra.

He's doing well so far.  The occasional mistakes, but he understands it.

Science:

Oops, we didn't get a single thing done for Science this week.

ARGH!!  Have to do double next week.

Week in review: Oct 11 - 15

School week 2

Okay, this is from last week, but the weekend was

busy and hectic and I didn't get around to posting.

 

Lori

 

History & Read Aloud:

We read a good chunk more of Moccasin Trail

and read more poems from Oxford.  Both books are in the side bar.

Reading:

She is still reading By the Great Horned Spoon

and is enjoying it!

Math:

Chugging along... she finished Lesson 21 of 30.

Science:

We did our last week on the unit study Nature Study.

She is keeping her Nature Journal and enjoys doing it.

We met up with a bunch of other homeschoolers at 

the camping area in the back of our housing base.

The kids founds lots of animals including a huge turtle that lives in the lake

and tons and tons of carp.

Not my pictures, as I forgot my camera.

Lori's in the pink.

Egret

Top of Ky's head!

 

Kyler

 

History & Read Aloud:

I read several chapters of A Murder for Her Majesty,

but are already behind.  We've been reading from the Usborne History

Encyclopedia and Ky's been reading from Story of the World book 3.

Reading:

He's almost done with The King's Fifth.

Math:

He finished Lesson 2 in Algebra.

He thinks it is easy and that he should have skipped Pre-Algebra.

I've told him the book gets harder.

Science:

We are working our way through the Knex engineering kit.

Totally fun!  I can't wait to start the Lego unit though!

Week in review: Sept. 27 - Oct 1

Week of Sept 27 - Oct 1

This was our first week of full-time school for the new school year.

Went well, all in all.  Both kids are doing much more this year than last year.

Everything has ramped up quite a bit.

Starting with Lori:

We have started in the early-mid 1800's.

History:  Simon Bolivar & South America

Read Aloud:  Oxford Poems & Moccasin Trail

Reader:  By the Great Horn Spoon

Math:  Lesson 21, MUS Zeta

Science: Nature Study:  Listening to Crickets & drawing plants

Together:

I have an art class with 5 kids on Wednesdays.

This week we did a line project using galvanized wire and beads.

No pictures.

We started Spanish this week as well.

It is going well, but we just started it.

Kyler:

We have started this school year in the 1500's Europe.

History:  Luther, Story of the World 3, & Usborne History Ency.

Read Aloud:  A Murder for Her Majesty

Reader:  The King's Fifth

Math: Lesson 1, Algebra 1

Science: Knex engineering

 

Art class: line using floss and paint

Lori got it on her leg, too.

 
 

Wooley B.

We have been inundated with caterpillars!

 So, we jar'ed one and are now watching it.

This is a wooley bear caterpillar, if he lives he'll become a tiger moth.

 

Started Lori's new school year, Science

 

Lori starting math.

 
 

Kyler doing math