November 19 - 30

MATH

Preston:

Preston completed two math assignments the week of Thanksgiving and five math assignments the following week.  He is still working on three digit addition and subtraction as well as reviewing some time and money concepts.  

Preston has had A LOT of practice counting money the past several weeks.  The kids decided they want to go to Disneyland for Christmas.  This is something we have been trying to make happen for almost four years and finally decided to go for it.  It's a HUGE goal for our family and our budget.  We told the kids they would need to help earn part of the money.  We gave them the astronomical task of raising $1000 by Christmas.  Preston and his older brother, Dylan, did quite a bit of yard work before the weather turned.  In addition to manual labor, Preston, Marissa and Caleb have been selling chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate.  They are about 3/4 of the way to their goal and do not show any signs of giving up.  It's been a great opportunity for them to choose something they can do to make money, set a specific goal, find times and locations they can try to sell to earn a profit and work hard even when it gets cold and dark.  Preston has spent most of his time selling cookies, counting money in the jar and figuring out how much more we need to make it to our goal of $1000.   

Marissa:

Marissa completed two math assignments the week of Thanksgiving and five math assignments the following week.  She is just starting on lessons that will introduce her to the concept of carrying.  She is learning about two numbers in the one's house and one number in the ten's house.  It seems to be making sense and she is excited to start working problems on paper that look like the ones Preston has to complete.  

Marissa is also getting lots of practice with money selling chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate.  She is a hard worker and quick to figure out money in her head.  

Caleb:

Caleb is grasping simple addition better than I thought he would so we have been focusing on forming numbers to practice his fine motor skills.  Most of his math has been writing numbers since the actual figuring and computing seems to come a little more natural to him than other kids.  We use many opportunities in daily life to incorporate math for Caleb.  This week, Preston and Caleb sorted all the army guys from Toy Story into different types (standing, kneeling, lying down, etc)  Then they counted each group and arranged them for an epic battle.  Here is a picture of part of the army moment captured with my phone.   

LANGUAGE ARTS

Preston:

Preston completed two language arts assignments the week of Thanksgiving and five language arts assignments the following week.  He is progressing well in his reading, writing, spelling and grammar.  

Marissa:

Marissa completed two language arts assignments the week of Thanksgiving and five language arts assignments the following week.  She doesn't love language arts right now so we are trying to ease into the assignments to keep her excited and prevent burnout.   

Caleb:

Caleb completed one language arts assignment the week of Thanksgiving and three language arts assignments the following week.  We are focusing on forming letters now that he has a fairly solid grasp of the names and sounds of the letters.  

HISTORY (WORLD GEOGRAPHY)

Preston, Marissa & Caleb:

We had a Thanksgiving party with our friends from our co-op class the week of Thanksgiving.  We made pilgrim hats, Indian headbands with feathers and had a finger feast with Thanksgiving-type foods.  We watched a short video about the first Thanksgiving.  We later read a couple books about Thanksgiving, including one called "The Pilgrims at Plymouth" that we really liked.  

The following week, we attended "Newsies" at Northridge High School for our co-op class.  We really enjoyed it and got to see friends we know who were part of the play.  

TECH (BUILDING & ENGINEERING)

Preston, Marissa & Caleb:

The kids worked together this week to build a snowman and a big fort under the tramp.  They used water to make the snow stick better and solidify the sides more.  It'll be interesting to see how long it lasts.    

OPTIONAL (PE)

Preston:

Preston attended his karate class Monday-Thursday.  He loves it! 

Marissa:

Marissa attended her tumbling class this week.   She is still working on her back tuck, but her back handspring looks amazing!  

Caleb:

Caleb attended his karate class on Monday and Wednesday.