Summer Schoolin'

Since summer is just about over, we plan to ease our way into our new school year this week. I have a lot more work to do this year with the kids and I feel a little overwhelmed. But then I remember that I feel that way every September! So this year I am determined to face my year with peace, because Jesus promised: "My peace I give unto you."

Anyway, we actually did a bunch of schoolish things during the summer I thought I'd share:

-math drills 2x a week using "Holey Cards"
The kids math facts have really improved through this method! I give chocolate chips for every score they improve on.

-geography facts through Geography Songs
There is a song covering all the sections of the globe that stick in your brain whether you want them to or not! Every few days or so I gave Asher and Autumn a blank map and tested them. When they could correctly identify a country they got more chocolate chips! Do you know where Tuvolo is?

-research papers
Asher wrote "Planes Over the Pacific", covering the air battles over the Pacific during WW2. Here's a quote: "The A6M Zero with its 2 machine guns and 2 cannons was the best of the Japanese fighters. It gave our boys lots of trouble! The Zeros destroyed over 800+ aircraft!"

Autumn did a paper on the arts of China. She really loved looking through all the library books at the different Chinese ceramics, painting, embroidery, and jade. "Through the different dynasties there were different “color themes.” For example, my favorites were the Ming dynasty’s blue- and-white masterpieces. As I mentioned before, there were actually ceramic pillows. It was usually a curved, porcelain surface for the neck to rest on. The Chinese enjoyed the cool surface on hot summer nights."

-I read aloud to them. A lot.
We read:
A biography of David Livingstone, the great explorer/missionary to Africa
Teddy's Button
The Magna Charta, not a novel but written like one about the making of one of the most important documents of history
The Golden Key, (we did NOT like this book)
The Wizard of Oz (we really did like this book, especially Aiden-post a comment to guess who his favorite character was)
The World of Columbus & Sons, also not a novel, but just as exciting, we're only 1/2 through it

So you see, the children didn't spend all their summer sewing, making forts, or building Lego sets.
Only 3/4ths of it.