Other subjects, other plans

Very glad to report that I am "outsourcing" my middle child's math studies to a private tutor and to the nearby Mathanasium, a place of which I have heard many good things. As a family, we are participating in our TORCH group's fall coop on Marine Biology. They are bringing a mobile lab to dissect a small shark, among other enriching science activities. Just as I did last fall, I am teaching a fourth grade class. I really love 4th grade science. When I was nine, I could not put down my Nancy Drew books or the tomes from my set of Jacques Cousteau encycopedias. I have always loved reading and writing, both fiction and nonfiction. Mrs. Burke, my elementary school librarian and I were great pals. I shelved books and took lots of them home on loan.

OK -- so Maggie, is enrolled in 8th grade KOLBE -- this intimidates me, but I think it will be good for both of us. KOLBE's paperwork is minimal and they are FLEXIBLE. Because of Maggie's KOLBE load, I want to get those creative juices flowing now for J and JB, so I can have us on smooth clip by the week after Labor Day. I want to get us registered for fall classes at a local art studio that has a special mission to Christian homeschooling families.

Next week, I am taking us on an imaginary trip across the U.S., and around the world, to warm up our writing skills through some geography fun. (I usually do this with the morning reading on the saint of the day, but I want to do something different to jump start our brains, then settle back into what works with our Morning Prayers and devotions.)

Last, I want to dedicate a day to Copy work, Narration, and Dictation, probably M, T and Th., then do Latin on T and Th. I need to keep W and F fairly light, with a spelling test on F morning.

We are going to sign up here for the Pizza Hut "Book It" program, so as to get some free food for our reading. I will be more strict this fall about how long J and JB read every day, as, honestly, they tend to slack. I think reading is like this: the more you read, the more you want to read. Likewise, the more you watch television and play video games, the more you want to watch television and play video games.