It's just the beginning of Winter and already we've had well over 2 feet of snowfall this month.  Great for kids who like to sled, snowshoe, build snow forts and have snowball fights.  Not so great for the parents that have to shovel and drive in the winter weather!

Here is a paragraph Caleb wrote one morning after a particularly bad snowstorm:

("snowball fight." is on the back side of the page)

Caleb is also learning spelling/grammar rules and works on paragraph writing and spelling words each week.  He also writes about the books he reads.  We are reading On The Shores of Silver Lake together.  (In the page pictured below Caleb confused the title with the book that came before it, On the Banks of Plum Creek!)

 

 

 Smiley continues to work on handwriting and is learning to read and write word endings.  We also play a variety of games that reinforce his reading.

 

Caleb is doing great with multiplication.  Some of the facts are hard for him to memorize, but he still claims math is his favorite subject.

 

Smiley is doing well learning basic addition and applying it a variety of ways, including story problems.

 

 

We are continuing to study ancient cultures, which provide a great opportunity to hear stories, read, and draw maps.  We've recently read lots about Egypt and ancient Egyptian pyramids.

Smiley continues to practices mapping and learning the four directions using maps and compasses.

 

 As always, we spend time observing the seasonal changes around us, reading lots of books and exploring the outdoors.  Caleb is also studying weather, which includes learning about the water cycle and more.  The last few weeks he has been studying lightning, which also led us to learning about Benjamin Franklin.  We read some great books together, and Caleb is now reading Ben and Me independently.

(Caleb's drawing of the water cycle)

(Smiley's picture of Benjamin Franklin discovering electricity.)

December brought a variety of fun seasonal activities, including lots of baking, making cards and presents and lots of healthy play outside!  Before the Winter break at Riverwood, I attended the school's Winter Party.  Caleb and Smiley's class recited poems, sang in Spanish, and played the flute in front of the large crowd of visitors and parents.  It is fun to see how much the boys enjoy learning and interacting with their friends.  Our Friday Outdoor Day now includes a bit of time inside as well, so we can warm up after our hikes and games out in the snow.  We come inside to dry off, eat lunch and then do a variety of nature and animal games and crafts.  Our winter break at home is about over; we'll be back to our normal routine tomorrow.  The week after Christmas was filled with playing with all the presents they got for Christmas, including many wonderful art supplies, fun board games, and a few great science kits.  The best kind of learning is when they don't even realize it's going on!