end of the first quarter!

Last Friday we finished our first quarter of school. We were about a week behind what I had originally planned, but with the move and our retreat at Hume Lake, I think only a week behind schedule is pretty good! We continue to study Ancient Egypt. Today, Jason learned to do math like an Egyptian using symbols instead of numbers. It's very similar to Roman numerals. Abraham continues to decay on my kitchen counter. We can't wait until he's fully dehydrated! Meanwhile, Jason has searched the pantry to find other dehydrated foods because his science experiments have been about hydrating and dehydrating. Today, after I dismissed Jason from school he went in his room to play K'nex. He came out a few minutes later to proudly show off his pyramid. As I typed he is adding a passageway and burial chambers. It's nice to have these moments when you can see your efforts pay off and learning and play become interchangeable. ****Homeschooling tip**** For the parent who has a preschooler underfoot-- learn to love play-dough. I know, it's messy, the colors get mixed up, it gets under your fingernails, it smells funny.... but the thing is, it keeps kids busy. And it's a good kind of busy, especially when they have tools to use to manipulate the dough. And also, it doesn't hurt to give them an activity that is messy because it makes them feel like they are secretly getting away with something they shouldn't be doing. Learn the mantra, "everything is washable". Because it is... set up a sandbox, get out the paints or markers and use the playdough. Happy, busy preschoolers make for a quiet morning for the school aged kid!