Weekly Reports 2009: Term 3 Week 5-6

Literacy
Anna has read a half dozen more pages of Sparky the Space Chimp (ER#5) but still not finished it. I really need to sit down with her for some long slabs of time to listen to her read but we have somehow fallen out of the habit. She has continued to progress with Reading Eggs but her free subscription expired last weekend and we have yet to decide if we will purchase her a proper subscription.
Abigail has read Sam (BB#1.2) and Dot (BB#1.3). She has also completed another half dozen pages from LEM Phonics Workbook 1.
Anna has been doing more copywork and less tracework. Her tasks have ranged from five lines of copywork, which was one long sentence from her narration of Thumbeline (by Hans Christian Andersen) and six lines of copywork from Mark 10:32-34 (she still has another 12 lines to complete the passage).

Literature
We have read quite a few Hans Christian Andersen tales:
Thumbeline, The Tinderbox, The Sandman, The Jumpers, The Rose Tree Regiment, The Naughty Boy, The Swineherd, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Real Princess aka The Princess and the Pea, The Nightingale, The Little Match Girl and The Red Shoes.
The girls betook themselves to the Nursery Rhyme books one day as well.
I have continued reading aloud Anne of Green Gables to the extent where Anna just named a new Dolly that she won last weekend "Anne". Jeff has read aloud a much shortened version of Around the World in 80 Days which did incite interest. We have also shared a few picture books from our home library and Jeff has read at least three Asterix comics to the children. These last are Joshua's choice from the school library, but the girls are enjoying them as well, as I am noticing from a few additions to their vocabulary.

Mathematics
Anna has completed the chapters on shapes (Ch7) and measuring length (Ch8) from Primary Mathematics 1A and will be moving on to the chapters on Halves and Quarters, Time, Money and possibly Graphing from 1B over the next two months.
I ordered Earlybird Mathematics 1B (the second semester Kindergarten-level course from Singapore that Joshua and Anna used together last year at the Pre-Primary level) from Chariot Press at the CHESS conference on Saturday. Abigail will begin work from that as soon as it arrives, and leave the rest of the Nursery Rhyme maths books, which is similar to what I did with the older two. I picked the 1B to start with since that has less on numbers (which she is fairly adept with) and more on shapes and time and other practical mathematics, which Abi is less knowledgeable in. Of course, we will continue to use the Maths Mastermind hands-on materials and their tasks, which she enjoys.

Bible
Abigail and Anna did some tracework/copywork from Hebrews 13:17 to present to their BSF Children's Leaders, as I wrote about at the bottom of this post.
Anna chose to memorise Mark 10:32-34 to recite at our evening church service last Sunday, when Jeff was preaching from that passage (and the surrounding passages). She did a marvellous job of reciting in front of 12 unrelated adults, having already practised on such willing listeners as Dad, Granny, Mrs D (from Women's Gathering), Mrs Felicity (our BSF Teaching Leader) and Mr K (one of our elders). I learnt the passage along with her:
They were on their way up to Jerusalem with Jesus leading the way and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to them. "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the Chief Priests and teachers of the Law. They will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise."

Other
We have also made time for a little bit of craft and Joshua has been working with Jeff to make a Zoo for his "XYZ project" for the school open evening this week.

Social
Last Thursday two families from the Women's Gathering came over to our Play Room for lunch and a play afterwards, which was a lovely time to get to know one another better and encourage each other.
Abigail had a play day with her friend I on Saturday, while Anna had a play day with her friend R. The boys spent the morning at the church Busy Bee doing a big job of backyard clean up in the house next door to the church which is owned by the church and rented out. Apparently the boys had a great time, Josh with an axe and Sam with some secateurs (can you tell I wasn't present?!?) and their toy lawn mower.
I spent the day with several friends at the Christian Homeschool Seminar and Show. The talks were only so-so, but I was able to purchase the Earlybird Mathematics curriculum for Abigail that I used with Joshua and Anna last year, which pleased me immensely. The company I had purchased those books from previously is MIA. I was also able to examine the LEMP Phomics Workbook 3 and purchase that to do orally with Anna over the next two months (as review); Abigail will write in it when her turn comes to use it some time next year.
I am writing this post Monday evening. Since Friday evening, one or more of us have been involved in 15 different events, not including school attendance. The outings ranged from the Boys' Brigade Aladdin dinner Pantomime on Saturday evening (we only got the kids into bed at 10:30pm!!) to lunch with the F & B families from church on Sunday, after the morning service and the church AGM. Josh and Anna both had Brigades this evening and Jeff and I both had separate meetings tonight; fortunately mine was here at home! But as you might imagine, I am exhausted, mentally and emotionally. So now I am going to bed.