week #4, block #1 summary

This was the last week of our first Language Arts Block. I'm not sure if I spelled it out previously, but Enki Education First Grade is set up in blocks which are four weeks long, alternating between Language Arts/Humanities and Math. As I've already mentioned, Science, Music, Art, Reading and Handwriting happen throughout the entire school year. I'm planning on eight blocks in all, four LA/Humanities, and four Math. Since we are doing a 6 day school week, that means the kids will be "in school" for 192 days. (I believe the required amount for public schools are 180 days.) Of course, my kids started later and will finish earlier than public schooled kids, and will have a full 4 weeks off over the winter holidays.

In any case, we had a great last week, working with the story "The Golden Stag", and doing a block wrap-up during which the kids reviewed what we worked on during this block. For math practice work, the kids alternated between doing cuisenairre block worksheets (seen above), origami, and tangrams. For reading practice this week, Zoo Boy read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle, and J read Frog and Toad Are Friends, by Arnold Lobel. This was also the last week for our Harvest Adventure Circle -- next week it's on to a new adventure!

On Monday we had our homeschool classes, where J learned a new dance (that he got to do with his friend D) and played soccer, while Zoo Boy learned about squirrels and made a cute pine cone squirrel in my Paws 'n' Claws preschool class. We had a smaller, more intimate, and much more controlled and fun community circle too. Tuesday saw us painting with yellows and reds (we produced some pretty cool paintings that look like fall!). On Wednesday, Zoo Boy took a museum class about animals that live in a shell. And on Thursday we took a Nature Walk with our friends T and D at the children's museum's nature center on this cute pond. It's hard to see in this photo, but the pond is full of geese and ducks, and there are two Great Blue Herons as well. The leaves are just starting to show a hint of fall colors.

After the walk, D and J took a museum class about apples, where they made and ate apple sauce (and hammed it up for the camera), while T and I visited and Zoo Boy explored the museum. We followed up this apple fun with our nature story this week, which was Duchess Autumn, followed by an apple picking adventure over the weekend. More apple sauce is no doubt in our future!

On Friday we met Kyra and Fluffy up at the Springfield Museums, where we caught a planetarium show (Fluffy likes space as much as J does), and then played a game of "Hyper Dash" out in the Dr. Suess Sculpture Garden. (Thanks for bringing the game, Kyra!!)

Story Time this week featured "Autumn, An Alphabet Acrostic" by Steven Schnur, illustrated by Leslie Evans; The Acorn and the Oak Tree, by Lori C. Froeb, illustrated by Chi Chung; and the ever-popular Apples, Apples, Apples, by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. We also made good progress on our chapter book, Mr. Popper's Penguins, by Richard and Florence Atwater, which is rapidly becoming the new favorite book around here.

Sunday night J had his third chorus rehearsal. They are starting to choreograph the movements that go with their songs. On our way home, J said that he feels like every Sunday is a holiday, and he calls that holiday "Excitement Day" because it's just SO exciting to go to chorus practice. Next week they are handing out speaking parts -- if they're smart, they'll give him one, because he already knows the entire show by heart. That's because, as pictured, he spends a lot of time reading through his show score and singing all the songs, enlisting Zoo Boy to play various roles as well.