This is the last week before our Christmas break! The kids couldn't be happier. For math this week Elsie finished chapter 24. She had to redo a bunch of the problems with me and understands a little more clearly long division and multiplication and the importance of place value. She took the test and is about ready to move on to chapter 25. Peter finished chapter 24 and started chapter 25 on multiplying factors, for example, (x + 4)(4x+5). He also took a final test in his Pyramid Project, and was tested on things he hadn't learned yet. He was able to figure much of it out, however. Kimball did chapters 19 and 20. He learned how to skip count and multiply by 8s. He also reviewed other multiplication facts, addition with regrouping, and did many story problems. Anna also worked on her math. She finished the chapter on how to add zeros, and started on the chapter learning to add 1s. She is moving quickly through these early chapters.
The kids enjoyed reading this week. Peter finished the last half of A Swiftly Tilting Planet and enjoyed it. He also wrote a short story about 2 boats, where he worked on expanding the use of personifications. Elsie read about 30 pages of Railway children and 70 pages of Little Britches. She worked on her spelling where she learned about the final Y rule when adding suffixes. She also did 3 pages of handwriting. Kimball read Dinotopia to me for about 15 minutes Monday -Thursday. He is practicing sounding things out and recognizing compound words. He also read his scriptures on his own. He also worked on his spelling, and almost got a spelling test perfect. He did several pages of his handwriting as well. Anna read 2 chapters from her primer book. She learned about the blends "ink, ank, onk, and unk". She also reviewed many of the other blends and sounds she has learned previously. She did several handwriting pages as well, practicing her print. One big milestone we all met was that we finished memorizing The Living Christ. It is quite a long document, and we have been working on it for months. We recited it in front of their Nonny and Poppy.
For science Peter finished putting together his science project. He took times on how each of the boats he had built could travel from one point to another, and compared those times to the power of the motors they each had. Peter learned about Ohms Law, and learned how to use his dad's multi-meter. He found the amps and voltage from the multi-meter and used that information to figure out how much power the motors had, using watts.
The other kids watched a Nature show about cats. They learned about all sorts of different kinds of cats. Kimball said he liked learning about the Palace cat, which looks a lot like Garfield, and that it can live up high in the snowy mountains. He also liked learning about the Fishing cat, which is small and can fish using its whiskers. Elsie liked learning about bobcats, and how much they are built like the animal they eat, the snowshoe hare. They have big paws that help them land on the snow without sinking in. She said she also learned about her favorite cat, the Sand cat, which lives in the Sahara Desert. It eats rodents that can jump 10 feet, and stays hydrated by the blood of other animals. Anna liked learning about the leopard because it is such a good swimmer! It can hold its breath for 30 seconds underwater. It is a good hunter as well.
For Peter's mindcraft class he learned how to draw pixel art on the computer. He used some software and created Santa Clause. Elsie, Kimball and Anna all worked on their business. Peter even joined us. We learned about principles that are valuable as an Entrepreneur and they all picked one that they could work on throughout the week. Kimball chose Time management, Elsie chose the power of small and simple things, and Anna chose work. We also discussed their motivation for starting their own business, how it could impact their life, and made a goal of how much money they wanted to make. We also took a test to assess our personal readiness for business ownership. Through the test, we could see our strengths and our weaknesses. We watched a video which helped us understand how important it is to commit to the goals we will be setting and decided as a family to support one another. They are going to find a friend that will also support and motivate them.
For music the kids were really busy this week! Peter and Elsie went to 2 of the 3 rehearsal practices for their recital for Bows and Bridges. Anna and Kimball went to all 3. Peter worked really hard on practicing his songs up to the last day. In the end, he had them nailed. On Saturday they performed, and they all did well. Anna is very shy, and we were all so proud of her because she decided to play in front of everyone, which is the first time she has been willing to try. They all did really well on both their string instruments and piano. Peter also did a duet on the piano as well. They also had a couple choir performances on Friday, where they went to a nursing home and a retirement home. They sang wonderfully and Elsie also did her violin duet with her friend, Ruby. They worked really hard on their music this week, and it paid off! Merry Christmas!
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