Homeschool - Term 3 so far

So much happening!

Language Arts

Lili and Amy enjoyed watching Charlottes Web by the Young People's Theatre Company. 

Lili is continuing on with LLATL Red, and reading loads of chapter books.  Here's just a sample of her reading material from the last week or two:

 Amy is moving along with LLATL Blue. She has mastered single short vowel  and single consonant sounds, and now we are starting blended consonant sounds.  She has started to realise that she can read some books and has a new interest in reading early readers.

Both Amy and Lili enjoy using Reading Eggs.

Nathan has finished Finish this Book, and so started Rip the Page by Karen Benke.  It's focus is more on creative writing and he really disliked it so after a few pages we have stopped and have now gone back to LLATL Purple. I'm still on the look-out for ways for Nathan to gain writing and spelling skills in a way that he can engage with.

Nathan's reading is going well, as usual. He has almost finished the entire Harry Potter series after only starting them a week or two ago.

We played around with some Spanish as part of our Mexico study, using this site

History & Geography

We are continuing on with our study of Mexico which we are all enjoying.

We went to Fighterworld, a military aircraft museum, which has re-ignited Nathan's interest in historical military planes. He has been watching you-tube videos of re-enactments of dogfights, and reading library books on the subject. He is planning on making another model aircraft- this time a German plane.

Maths

We are rolling along with Math-U-See.  Nathan has started Zeta which is all about decimals.  Lili has just started subtraction with re-grouping in Beta, and Amy is working on subtraction in Alpha.  Plenty of other real-life maths in cooking, shopping etc.

Science and Technology
 Nathan spent a day doing a CSIRO Science workshop on laboratory skills, which he thoroughly enjoyed.  He uses a weebly website I've set up for him and likes to watch episodes of Scope.  He has an interest in Architecture so has been watching Grand Designs. And Minecraft, of course!

All the children like to use the computer which can be used with a keyboard or detached and used as a tablet.

With all the animals and particularly the birth of our lambs, the girls have had lots of hands-on biology happening.  While Nathan was too grossed out to see, the girls were happy to come with me to inspect the placenta and amniotic sac from the lambs.  We have been watching the development of the lambs and the behaviour of the mother ewe.  Lili has been asking loads of questions about reproduction and has been reading Let's Talk About Where Babies Come From.

As part of our Mexico study we learnt about volcanoes.

 

Sport & Health

Lili and Amy have been riding their pony as well as having weekly lessons.  Having their own pony means they have learnt lots about general horse care and handling, like rugging, feeding etc.

Nathan is still doing Archery once a week with a homeschool group, and has started weekly Circus classes, learning how to use various circus apparatus.

Plus bike riding in the bush, scooter at the skatepark with friends, and jumping on the trampoline.

Creative Arts 
Lili and Amy enjoy their weekly Art classes at a local gallery.

All the children have done some art with our Mexico study.  The Prickly Pear cactus is on the Mexican Coat of Arms, yet it is a weed here and we happen to have a patch just over the fence in the neighbours paddock.  We went over to look at it before coming home to draw and paint it.

 We've done a little Mexican cooking.

 
Plus playing at the park with friends, Girl Guides for Lili and Amy, birthday parties to go to and plenty more!