Weekly Wrap Up 9-18-15

Another busy week for the family, but this time my husband and I were able to sneak away for a date!  The kids also had some field trips on top of the weekly coop classes and work at home.  Our schedule is pretty crazy right now trying to fit everything in!

We went to  Korean restaurant.  Our first time trying this cuisine and we both liked it a lot.  We will be going back again and maybe even take the kiddos;)

This week I had scheduled a trip to a TV station for our local field trip coop.  It was pretty neat.  Fire drake opted to stay home as she had lots of coop homework and was worried she wouldn't be able to get it done.  I am please to see her taking her school assignments more seriously and hope that she will be able to balance her time better as the year progresses, but I am allowing her to make decisions on what she thinks she can manage in her week.

MarioFan was very excited to see in progress the weather report and see how the free screen works!

after the live broadcast he got to sit in the broadcasters chair.  I was very surprised to  find out their is no camera men in the studio, it is all done automatically these days!

The activity we all looked forward to the most was attending an IEW workshop locally!  We have been using this program for three years and we all love it!  So when I heard that Andrew Pudewa was coming I signed the kids each up for a 2.5 hour seminar.  

MarioFan did a review course on story sequence skills and I sat  in on it as I wanted to see if I was missing anything with how I teach the kids.  

Firedrake attended a different seminar looking at how to do research papers as that is a topic we have began to work on at home.  I was so please to see after class she had taken 4 pages of notes (an area we have been working on) and she was very excited about her paper and said Mr. Pudewa said she was very talented.  She was smiling ear to ear after that compliment!  Writing is her passion at the moment along with art!

I finally captured a moment of my Husband and daughter working on Biology together and Firedrake completed her first Test which was written by my Husband.  Boy, he is a tough teacher!  Firedrake did well over all and he was pleased with the results of the first test!  I have never given the kids tests in our homeschool so Firedrake is having to learn how to study and prepare for a test, which is a process all on to itself I am discovering.  I have no doubt she will get there!

MarioFan is learning about electricity and this week we work on understanding the difference between parallel and series circuits.  First we did a few with our snap circuits

Then I brought out our new electric circuit board that is more real life like.  It took a bit to figure it out

But then he had success with it ands so happy!

In History this week and for the next several weeks we are watching Ken Burns Civil war documentaries.  MarioFan finds them a bit dry and does lose interest about mid way thru but we are encouraging him to focus!

IN addition to the documentary we are reading these books to help cement the kids understanding of the many battles  and political agenda of the war.  

The second week of coop classes went well and the kids are managing the new schedule with little resisitance:).  Next week we add in Fencing and Soccer lesson into the mix!

Have a great week!