Although it's still technically Summer, Summer vacation is over at our house.  We started our homeschooling year this week!  Caleb is in 2nd Grade and Smiley is a Kindergartner.  Both of the boys moved into a new rhythm of completing schoolwork together each day (that I'm not at work).  Here's a bit of the fun and learning that went on this week:

Caleb read aloud most evening from the book Ben & Meg.  It is a nice story following the lives of two home schooled kids.  Caleb is reading better than he ever has!  It is a long, chapter book, with the most advanced reading he has ever done.  Not only does he enjoy it, I can see his reading has already improved from last year. 

Smiley spent several lessons learning the letter A.  He drew many pages with pictures of A words and with A sounds, made A's out of sticks and beeswax, said A rhymes, identified A's around our environment, and practiced writing A's.

Caleb did several lessons that included practicing writing.  For one, he wrote a poem about the story we are reading aloud, Jolly Robin.  It was a cute little poem that he made up on his own when I asked him to write a sentence about the first chapter.

The boys get to participate in Kids in the Creek, a creek-walk program on Wednesdays in Chewelah.  They learn about the ecology of the creek, this week collecting water samples and looking at microorganisms with a microscope.

Caleb's science lessons about animal senses included some fun games to reinforce the excellent senses that animals have (and some don't have).  We took turns identifying things blindfolded, using touch, smell, etc.  Caleb also learned about animal territory and identified the territories of our farm animals and pets (see the picture of how his cat hides under the front steps).

Sculpting with colored beeswax was a creative addition to each day, whether the kids made letters or reenacted stories we read.

Smiley is learning about the seasons.  While we were playing one afternoon in Chewelah,  he collected items that reminded him of our summer days playing at the creek and then made a collage in his science notebook.

Caleb is learning about ancient China.  Some of the things we did included reading a Chinese legend and playing with Tangram puzzles.

The kids also baked banana bread, played Frisbee, made sidewalk paint, rode bikes, sang to kittens, had lunch in the park with their friends Austin and Alyssa, worked with Dad on the farm, played at Janelle's house, decorated cards to send to their Sissy, and lots more.