Our Week Ending 10/9/2008

Another week down!

Casey has started studying the Oceans section of My World Science. She's excited about it. I'm excited about dissecting a starfish, but that's a few weeks away.

I also decided, given the upcoming Presidential election, it is time to discuss the election process. Casey has been quite interested in the election for the last few months, but I finally got the materials I needed to teach her about the process. One book we're using is Vote! by Eileen Christelow. Cute, cartoony book - perfect for Casey's age - about the election of a town mayor from the viewpoint of two dogs and a little girl. Casey read the typeface print and I read the dialogue between the cartoon characters. As part of our elections lessons, Casey and I (and probably Daddy and Will, too) are going to play The Political Machine 2008. It's a computer game, which makes Daddy happy; and it's about elections, which makes me happy. And I feel another lapbook coming on!

We've finally started our Ancient Greece study. I'm so excited, as is Casey. In addition to the reading in Story of the World I, Casey is reading The Greek Gods and Goddesses of Olympus by Aliki and The Adventures of Odysseus by Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden. She's already telling her Nonnie all about Odysseus and the creatures and people he encounters. I love it when she finds a passion!

The other subjects are going well, but I think I'm about to throw in the towel on The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. Casey is bored with it. I'm bored with it. She already knows how to pronounce most of what the lessons cover (although she may not know "why" she knows), but she isn't going to remember all of the rules anyway. I might check her on some of the various rules from time to time, but now that we've gone through 141 lessons, I think it's time to move on to something else.

And, Casey started gymnastics this week - and LOVES it! So much so that she tried to make a vault in our living room out of a small step stool and the piano bench. I heard a crash and saw her writhing on the floor in pain. After the boo-boos were kissed and cleared of signs of breakage, I explained that we don't have the same kind of equipment at home as they do at the gym. She then proceeded to tell me that "gyn-nastics is so much better than ballet." I guess while the likelihood that she would break a bone attempting a ballet feat at this level is slim, the adventure of flipping and tumbling is far more exciting to her.

Will is almost finished with Get Ready for the Code. His preschool teacher left a note for me today that said Will knew every instance of the letter "F" as they were studying that letter this week. He can write it, identify the sound, identify the letter, and identify the pictures corresponding with the sound. Ahh... I LOVE the Explode the Code books!

Will has also recently discovered his talent for singing - he and I have even started singing a duet from a CD we got from Chic-Fil-A. I hope he keeps his love for music!

On Tricky's development front, she's decided she wants to potty train. This is not something I encourage at this age (I like to wait until around 2 1/2 years of age), but she's willing to do it, so who am I to stop her? I just dread the mess.

I hope everyone had a fabulous week!