September 15-16

Not a regular school day, but an educational trip non-the-less. We visited the beach with my parents since Hubby was out of town on business and it was my birthday. The kids decided to collect tiny mollusks and see how they worked in a clear bottle. It was very interesting to watch them. We also collected a tiny man-o-war in a bottle and watched it for a while. The kids have a better understanding of how long the tentacles can actually go and why these creatures are so dangerous. The kids also had two firsts even though they have been visiting the coast since infancy: first walk on a jetty and first ferry ride.

September 4-8

Yes, we did school on Labor Day. Since the kids don't take normal holidays, we decided to have school. Besides, Labor Day is a holiday for the blue collar American worker. My children are not blue collar American workers. This week we studied Parliamentary Procedure. The Princess also finished her badge requirements to begin working on her Girl Scout Bronze Award. The kids were off school Friday to prepare for a visit to their grandparents for the next week. Part of that included cleaning their room so I don't have to look at it all week.

August 28-September 1

I am now working from home so, I also started keeping assignment sheets on August 29th. This is a check off list I give the kids while I work from home. I check their progress throughout the day and there is space for evaluations at the end of the day. Anything left undone can be added to the next day's progress list. Our unit theme this week was the Constitional Convention. Lots of this was over the Prince's head and some was even too much for the Princess, but I think the children really learned about the hard work that was put into forming our country. The check list itself was also a learning tool. The kids are learning to be responsible and self-motivated while I am busy with work. They also have to learn to be respectful so that I can have a peaceful work environment. It was a rough week with me working and trying to make sure something got accomplished. It didn't go the way I planned, but it wasn't a complete loss. This week was a learning week for things other than just academics. It was definately character building.