February

End of January: We had some very casual homeschooling recently while relatives were visiting. The girls learned how to play checkers and chess, we took field trips to the gardens at Greystone Manor in Beverly Hills, the Griffith observatory, took a hike in Griffith Park, and spent time at the California Science center. We are in the process of doing two hands on science lessons on crystals, one from sugar and one from a kit CL got at the Science center from her grandparents. Cl also learned the basics of knitting. Em did reading each day either with Nanna or me and is improving a lot. She likes both the McGuffy primer and Reading Pathways

The past two days we got back into the swing of things. Monday Cl did Khan academy math, her Spanish CD, copy work, poetry reading, a biography about Shakespeare. Em did copywork reading from Reading Pathways, listened to poetry and biography of Shakespeare. we all read a chapter from Trial and Triumph about St. Athanasius, and one about woodpeckers and flickers from Burgess Bird Book.

Today was super productive. We did Hymns, Memory work, Math, Spanish )both video/songs and Cl's CD, CL was singing along with the Calico Spanish for the first time :) we did composer study: Mozart's Magic Flute, Cl did spelling sentences and words, altogether we read poetry, Aesop's fables, listened to a Parable From Nature and a story from 50 famous stories retold (Training and Restraining and Casabianca respectively.) We finished Paddle to the Sea read some A.A. Milne poetry and William Blake. Cl read a biography of Michelangelo to herself. E, did reading pathways,  singapore math and worked on counting by 2's 10's and 11's. We went on a fieldtrip to the Natural History museum and spent most of our time in the gardens. We had the pleasure of noticing a scientist (Jann) at work and she let us join her in searching for tiny snails. I was able to find half a dozen for her and she put them in specimen jars to identify in the lab she said next time we come she would show us around upstairs and we can take home some some snail shells. We also spent a little time in the nature Lab and Hall of Mammals and looked at the mystery items in the rotunda and collected some silk floss fibers.