Dec 2011

A sample from our learning adventure during the month of December 2011~

My Reading

Around the Year With the Trapp Family (Advent and Christmas)
A Little Way of Homeschooling
Homeschooling With Gentleness


Living the Liturgical Year ~

Advent Books

A Basket of Hope
A Basket of Peace
8th The Immaculate Conception.  Read from Our Lady's Feasts.
A Basket of Joy
An O Antiphon Basket of Love

A Merry Christmas Basket

First Friday Mass and Benediction with our homeschool group. 

Christmas Play.  HC led the music, SB narrated The Presentation scene, and B&HB were Mary and Joseph.

Other Reading

The Hobbit (SB)
Letters from Father Christmas (HC)
Father Brown Mystery Stories, Chesterton (SB)

Tracks in the Snow (B & HB)
Big Tracks, Litle Tracks (Selsam, M.)


Music

HC - guitar and singing for Christmas play.
We all sang at a  local Christmas fair.  HC and SB had several duets and original song arrangements.

HC - Learned the new Mass of Renewal for cantoring at our parish.

Religion

Catholic Girls Guide (Faith)  SB&HC
The Twelve (HC)
Prove It! Jesus (SB)
Angel Food Stories (B&HB)
Tales of Virtue (B&HB)
The Ten Commandments (B&HB), Faith and Life 2


History

Finishing Unit 3 in Connecting With History.
You Wouldn't Want to Live in Pompeii.  A.D. 79

Angels in Iron (SB)
1565 The Knights of St. John Hospitalers defend Malta from Turks.

Poetry - Paul Revere's Ride, Longfellow

Writing

HC & SB both had works published in The Homeschool Literary Quarterly Magazine.

Memory Work

Classically Catholic Memory (B&HB listened to CD weeks 1-9)

Geography - The United Kingdom

The Bill of Rights
HC 2nd and 3rd Amendments
SB 1st Amendment

Math
Anno's Magic Seeds (B&HB)
String, Straight-Edge and Shadow (HC)
Metric conversions (HC)
Baked 5 dozen cookies for cookie swap.  Altered recipe for this.

Science
Greg's Microscope (Selsam, M.) B&HB


Continuing Earth Science study.
The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth.
The Magic School Bus Blows It's Top.
Types of Volcanoes
Inside the Earth folder/lapbook

Brother Astronomer, Adventures of a Vatican Scientist  (HC)

Latin
 HC & SB working on Latin/Greek word root cards


The Arts
The girls and I went to see The Nutcracker Ballet.

Lives and Legends of the Saints with paintings from the great art museums of the world.

Made Homemade Christmas cards.

Buck continues to build and create like crazy with Legos.


Viewing

The Holy Lands Globe Trekker series.  We enjoyed the first part.  I wouldn't recommend the 2nd part with Tel Aviv. How sad.....


History
The American Presidents by Disney (the first eleven).
Johnny Tremain (B)
Karol, The Man Who Became Pope (I watched this alone - very moving!)


Holiday
The Nativity Story
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
Veggie Tales ~ St. Nick
White Christmas
Scrooge (Ala Stair Sims)

Other
HC & SB watch Jeopardy when we are home. 
B & HB watch Fetch on PBS.  Buck says this is their Jeopardy :)