Category: Art

I don’t share everything on this blog. It’s just what comes to mind when I sit down at the computer. I realized I didn’t mention a pretty major development in our lives. We started school last Monday. Yes, Mr/Ms. Reader, we did. I teach 8th grade, 5th grade, and 1st grade. I like all these grades and love all of my students. Here’s a list of some of the things we did during this school week:

• Studied archaeology, made pictures and diagrams and wrote summaries.
• Studied the Great Depression using The Story of the World and Learning Through History Magazine. Wrote essays about the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Sat up late at night talking about stock market and the Great Depression. If you ever need a good source for the Great Depression, check out the book, When the Banks Closed, We Opened Our Hearts, published by Readers Digest. It’s full of personal accounts of people’s lives as they lived through these years. It’s an uplifting book, reminding us that hard times can bring out the best in people.
• Worked problems in Algebra 1, Math 65 (Saxon), and Singapore Math grade 1.
• Worked on Vocabulary studies with Wordly Wise and Spelling studies through Spelling Workout books. No grammar this week; we can look forward to that next week :).
• Attended piano lessons. Paige had 3, Daniel had 2.
• Attended an art lesson about Picasso. Learned about his life and styles from a guest artist.
• Read for hours and hours.
• Opened up Rosetta Stone German lessons and moved through the first section of lessons at lightning speed.
• Studied astronomy and the endocrine system, each a marvel. We use Apologia science textbooks, but skip some parts in them.
• Had to postpone our Hamlet reading, but we will finish next week.
• Wrote the classic essays, “What I did on my summer vacation” because I wish even ONE of my teachers had asked me to do this when I was young.
• Created Picasso-style paintings and drawings in art class and at home.
• Painted with oils at home. I painted, too. Someday we’ll share our paintings. Paige painted the Mesa Temple; I painted a robin near a nest. I still need to paint in the babies. Paige has some more work, too.
• Played with playdough. We made igloos, cookies, cinnamon rolls, and other amazing things.
• Played with friends in the afternoons after school. I don’t like to mix friends with most school subjects…too much social pressure when you’re trying to think.
• Attended ballet lessons (3).
• Copied lots of things for handwriting practice.

# of teachers: 5

# of students: 3

Now, this is a great student-to-teacher ratio.