Concept Weeks #9-12: Butterflies, Horses, Kittens, & Wild Cats

* You have no idea how relieved I am that this is my FINAL post for our August/September/October quarter. With this put up I can now work on getting the blog up-to-date with our November/December/January news which will hopefully be done by the end of January/first week of February. I am SO happy and SO relieved!!! *

Scooby-Doo's final four Concept Weeks for this quarter!

Honestly, it was a bit of a relief since he really wasn't too interested. Optimus Prime & Bumblebee enjoyed the books, as always, but Scooby-Doo was still completely indifferent.

For the month of October we had four Concept Weeks:

• Butterflies
• Horses
• Kittens
• Wild Cats

This month we used the same story collection book as the last two months. Scooby-Doo also had a lapbook for each week. 

Week One covered butterflies. Even though we had just done an insect unit (and butterflies were covered) we had another book just for butterflies. The book went over the life cycle and body parts of the butterflies. It also went over the journey that some take to warmer weather and disguises and defenses they have.

Week Two was all about horses. First we went over horse relatives (which include zebras, donkeys, and mules), then we went over the different breeds (heavy, light, and ponies). This was followed with basic information about horses, how they live, what they eat, how they have babies, etc.

Week Three covered kittens (which I thought he would get really excited over but he didn't). The book went over the family tree of cats and how it included the larger (and smaller) wild cats. This was followed by a bunch of basic information about domestic cats and kittens. 

Week Four was like an extension of the kitten unit. Some of the stuff covered in the kitten unit applied to this one. This unit covered individual types of wild cats such as lions, tigers, etc.

I think next quarter we'll still do concept weeks but they'll be the same units that Optimus Prime & Bumblebee are covering. 

Concept Unit #43: Ancient Rome

October was the month of ancient Rome.

We started with the very beginnings of Rome - a ragtag group of lands ruled over by kings - and moved on to the myth of Romulus & Remus. From there we went on to democracies and republics (comparing them and how the Roman republic was different yet similar to the Greek democracy), warfare (the Romans revolutionized warfare at the time), the military, the conquests (a god chunk of the known world), the expansion of the republic, the emperors (Julius Caesar being the first), how the common people lived, the difference between being a citizen and not, slavery and what slaves are, more conquests (again, even more of the known world which they had a hard time keeping a hold of), the expansion of the empire, the mythology (largely stolen from the Greeks), the persecution of Christians, the rise of Christianity, the barbarians (which helped lead to the downfall), and the eventual fall.

We also talked about the impact Rome still has to this day on our own culture. How their laws and system of government influence our own. How their system of military and warfare influenced all other militaries to come in that region of the world. How the title czar/tzar comes from Caesar's name. Also, the influence and popularity of Christianity both in people's personal lives and in governments all over the world.

Lastly, we also took a closer look at both Julius Caesar and Pompeii through the books "Who Was Julius Caesar?" and "What Was Pompeii".

Honestly, though, it was a huge relief that this was our final unit. I look forward to going back to weekly (or bi-weekly) concept units. And I know that Optimus Prime & Bumblebee feel the same way.

Month in Review: October 2015

Well, we were still a bit of a train wreck this month but we seem to be slowly getting our act together.

I read somewhere once that when kids take the summer off they lose some of their knowledge, that when school starts up again in the fall it actually takes them 2-3 months to catch up and relearn all they have lost. This is part of the reason why we always do a summer semester, and I think that is part of the reason why we are all having such a hard time getting back on track.

This month we started bringing in 3rd grade schoolwork in the subjects where we were previously doing 2nd grade work. In Math we started bringing in multiplication on top of reviewing 2nd grade math. Optimus Prime isn't ready for 3rd grade math so he did a little but mostly focused on basic math. Bumblebee, meanwhile, is enjoying multiplication. Spelling/Reading was the same as it was last month. I think I like this new combination of spelling and reading so we'll keep doing it. Not next quarter, but maybe the following one, I'll start bringing English into that combination, writing up English pages to go along with what they are reading.

English was more phonics (weeks 9 & 11) and reading comprehension (weeks 10 & 12). The phonics have been really helping Optimus Prime but not Bumblebee who is the one who really needs it which is the whole reason we were doing this. History was ancient Rome which finished up our ancient empires for now. Science finished up our animals of the water unit and then we moved on to two new workbooks, one that covered animals of the air and one that covered animals and geography. Logic & Art was more painting, coloring, and activities.

Scooby-Doo is just doing speech therapy now. The whole situation has me so disgusted however after their unprofessional behavior I'm glad that he's only doing speech therapy instead of both therapies.

Scooby-Doo still had his Spelling, which I think I'm going to drop next quarter. I'll probably bring it back after that, but I think he needs a quarter off from it. For Science he had his last four lapbooks. Handwriting was more practicing his abc's and numbers. Once we run out of all of those sheets I already have for him I think we might drop the subject. We still had our daily story time, and he also had his Art and Logic as well as Magazine days.

All in all it was our best quarter so far even if our game was still off. Hopefully next quarter we'll get back on track. Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to a week off and Halloween.

Concept Weeks #5-8: Fish, Snakes, Spiders, & Bugs

For the month of September Scooby-Doo had four Concept Weeks:

• Week #1 - Fish
• Week #2 - Snakes
• Week #3 - Spiders
• Week #4 - Bugs

Week One covered the basics of fish - body parts, where they live, how they breathe water, what they eat, protection, etc. 

Week Two talked about how snakes are cold-blooded, where they live (some live in water), what they eat, how it takes a long time for them to digest their food, how they protect themselves, how they are born, etc. 

Week Three talked about the difference between arachnids and insects then we covered how spiders eat, where they live, their webs, their egg sacks, etc. There was even a spider mentioned that could breathe underwater by making a giant air sack.

Week Four was just like the Spider unit, only it covered insects - where they live, what they eat, how they protect themselves, etc.

These Concept Weeks went along with the same book as last month. Again, I'm not sure that Scooby-Doo cared about the stories but his brothers loved them. I also made a corresponding lapbook for him for each unit - and again, he went back & forth on his lapbooks, just like last month.

I am hoping as he gets used to the lapbooks he'll warm up to them and find them to be more fun.

Concept Unit #42: Ancient Greece

This month we covered ancient Greece.

Democracy and city-states - each city-state was their own little country with their own customs, government, and way of life. We even talked about how Athens and Sparta were so powerful. The deities and heroes - the different gods, their myths, and how they interacted with the humans as well as the famous mythological heroes of the time. The art and theater, the architecture, the philosophy, the science and math - you name it, the Greeks pretty much invented it. The wars and armies, the famous generals and kings - the Peloponnesian war, Alexander the Great as well as his father, the different armies.

We covered EVERYTHING.

Mostly, they learned all about how ancient Greece impacted history overall and even our everyday life today. How we still use the teachings of their famous philosophers, how we still use their style of architecture, how countries today base their governments on the ancient Greek governments, etc.

It was a good unit, but like I said in the Egypt post, it was just too much for one unit and one month.

Month in Review: September 2015

This month started off much better, but things were still a bit rocky for which I largely blame the school district (see more below). Hopefully next month will be better.

This month was pretty much the same as last month as far as curriculum went. In Math Optimus Prime & Bumblebee worked on the same stuff, all 2nd grade math. Spelling/Reading was more spelling units based upon the books they were reading. In English we alternated again between reading comprehension (weeks 6 & 8) and phonics (weeks 5 & 7). History was spent on ancient Greece. For Science we finished up our earth, weather, and plants unit then we moved on to a new workbook that covered animals that live in the water. Logic & Art was spent with more painting, coloring, and activities.

Scooby-Doo went back to therapy. We seem to be having some issues with the school district so I'm not sure what is going to happen. Legally, they have to give him speech therapy. But now, since we won't enroll him in pre-k (even though we told them about twenty dozen times he was going to be homeschooled) they are refusing him all other services. We'll have to see what happens. Either way, we are homeschooling him.

Scooby-Doo still had his spelling, which he is largely uninterested in. For Science he had his four Concept Weeks. He also had his usual subjects of Handwriting, Art, and Logic. And we had story time, which he goes back and forth on each day - some days he likes it other days he doesn't. He, of course, also had his magazine days.

It was a very full, very chaotic, and very stressful month.

Concept Weeks #1-4: Dinosaurs, Whales, Seals, & Sharks

I debated how to go about doing a post on Scooby-Doo's Concept Weeks. Do I want to follow the same format I did with Optimus Prime & Bumblebee doing a new post week by week? Do I want to start numbering them at #1 or skip ahead to the same number that Optimus Prime & Bumblebee are on (which, for the record, is #41)? Do I want to combine all Concept Weeks into one post? Well, since next quarter their Concept Weeks are going to be the same that would make sense. However, nothing says the following quarter it will all be the same again.

I really went back & forth on this and finally decided that I have no idea what the future will hold. So, for this quarter, Scooby-Doo will get his own posts. And they will start at the #1. However, since his Concept Weeks are watered-down compared to where Optimus Prime & Bumblebee were at at his age I'll just do a monthly post for him. So, four Concept Weeks in one post, starting at the #1. For now. Who knows what I will do next quarter.

So, for the month of August, Scooby-Doo had four Concept Weeks:

• Week #1 - Dinosaurs
• Week #2 - Whales
• Week #3 - Seals
• Week #4 - Sharks

Why these four topics? We have a book called "Know-It-Alls Treasury of Animals and Nature" that has exactly 12 books in it. Which is perfect - one for each week. These were the first four books.

Week One covered the very basics of dinosaurs (carnivore vs herbivore, extinction, fossils, etc) and then talked about some of the more well-known dinosaurs out there.

Week Two covered the basics of whales (what they eat, how they breathe oxygen, birth live young, etc) and then talked about some of the different whale breeds. 

Week Three talked about how there are actually three different types of seals (eared seals, earless seals, and walruses). Then the book covered seal basics such as food, swimming vs. walking, blubber, babies, enemies, etc. This one did not go into different seal breeds.

Week Four covered shark basics then talked about different breeds of sharks. 

For each unit I also made a lapbook for him which was more like a mini-workbook dedicated to the animals we were learning about. Some of the lapbooks he enjoyed, others not so much.

The books were a bit beyond him, however his brothers enjoyed sitting in and listening to them. 

Overall I'm not sure if our first four Concept Weeks were successes or not, but I'll push through for the rest of the quarter and next quarter I'll have it match up with what his brothers are doing.