Weekly Report 8/23-27 - the unschool edition

We aren't officially starting our fall studies until next week on 8/30. However, this week the three boys decided to take matters into their own hands. Really it was Will's idea.

Each morning they went to 9:00 a.m. Mass (except on Wednesday because something was wrong with the car - wound up taking into the shop the next day and getting it fixed.)

I decided to encourage them in this by providing them with nice breakfasts. I put out place mats and set the table nicely on our screen porch. We enjoyed the beautiful weather and dining outside each morning. Sean informed me that my breakfast skills were getting better! LOL!

After breakfast they worked on memorizing poems. Will worked on the soliloquy from Hamlet, Josh on The Walrus and the Carpenter (which he recited to me quite nicely Friday), Sean couldn't decide on a poem he wanted. He tried Poe's the Raven but decided it was too long, then he was going to memorize some of Lear's Limericks but none grabbed him. Then he decided to memorize The Owl and Pussycat but he soon realized he already had it memorized!

Next they worked on writing. I don't think any actual writing took place, though. Josh started a short story and Sean wrote a little poem but they gave up after the first day. However, they did have fun brainstorming and they came up with an 'idea bucket' which was making up a lot of creative writing prompts.

They also focused on music. Will on guitar and piano for many hours. Josh worked a bit on learning to play the Ocarina. Sean fooled around on the keyboard. Will did voice training with them. Becky joined in on that. Sean got a jaw harp on Wednesday and has been playing it ever since.

They've also been doing a lot of work out of Mark Kistler's Draw Squad. We've discovered Josh can really draw! Sean of course drew the most because he aspires to be an animator.

Josh really focused most of his attention on learning the more complex stuff off of Gamemaker. He really wants to learn game design and computer programming stuff. He designed a couple of video games, but I haven't seen them yet.

Josh went to his CLC meeting on Wed. night.

Becky was out of the loop on all this. She spent most of the week watching Phineas and Ferb shows. This is her last TV week. Next week we start a more austere schedule when it comes to tv viewing! We also started reading Little Women out loud. Love it! She's hung out with her brothers sometimes participating with them and sometimes just annoying them. She also did some impromptu science. She went through a rock collection we have and poured vinegar over each rock to see which would fizz (rocks will react to acid if they have carbonate in them.) She also made props for Sean's recitation of the Owl and the Pussycat out of cardboard. Very cute! She found a big cardboard box and decorated it and cut out windows for it. She danced and played dress up too. She picked flowers from around the pond. Today she helped me set up our nature table. She put on it her deer bone collection, her seashell collection, her pressed wildflowers (from a couple years ago) and the flowers she'd picked earlier in the week on the nature table. She also listened to The Horse and His Boy and Hoot on audio this week. She went to Vision Therapy.

Hannah got her wisdom teeth pulled on Tuesday morning. Was rather miserable Wednesday and Thursday and left this morning to return to the University of Dallas.

One thing the boys learned was that it is hard to get into a routine. We've been so used to staying up and sleeping in. The decision the get up every morning by 8:30 and go to a 9 a.m. mass took some effort. I was really proud of them for that. I was also quite impressed by how they worked hard on the things they were doing. Sean had the hardest time because he was trying to keep up with two teen boys and they kept forgetting he's only 11 and can't focus as intensely for as long as they can.

Will also did some job hunting. He went to the School of Rock, Music and Arts, Noodles and Co, Gamestop, Coldstone Creamery and Starbucks to ask for jobs. School of Rock said maybe he could sub. Music and Arts isn't hiring. Noodles and Co, Coldstone and Starbucks all said to apply online. Gamestop, though, gave him an application and said they might be looking for someone in October.

Next week I hope to fold in math, assigned reading (nobody seemed to be reading this week at all)and PE (except for Will, he's been going to the gym regularly).

Also, Josh will be starting his high school Biology class on Tuesday afternoon.