Weekly wrap up -- January 23

We started the week with a much enjoyed day off! Our weekend had more than enough activities packed into it, so I really needed the extra day to get prepped for the school week.


I always take an hour or two on the weekend to prepare for the upcoming school week(s). This includes:
- grade any papers that didn't get taken care of during the week,
- look ahead a few weeks to see what books I need to put on hold at the library,
- Double check that we have everything on hand for the upcoming week,
- Write out the assignment sheets for the week ahead taking into consideration any out of the ordinary activities,
- Complete and file the sheets from the week before. I like to include on these any books that the kids read silently, we read together, or we listened to on audio; activities and field trips they participated in; special moments from the week; anything else that I think should be recorded,
- straightening and organizing anything that is getting out of order in the school room,
- planning some of the extras for the week (art, PE, etc.)


I have enjoyed more ideas from a fun craft site with lots of simple ideas, and they will even email a week's worth of inspiration each week. Kids Craft Weekly has filled lots of my craft times already.


Tuesday we stopped to enjoy the inauguration, and enjoyed lots of conversation about our country, its processes, and our new president. This occasion peppered our conversation the rest of the week as well.



We amazingly accomplished an entire five day's worth of work this week, even with the inauguration and we took off Friday morning to enjoy the Disney ice show. The kids worked really hard and deserved this fun morning treat!


Special moments:
- Brooke is learning to read! As she just turned five, she is the youngest or my kids, so far, to really start making connections in reading. She is so excited to read and wants to practice every day. I love her enthusiasm.

Challenges:

- Staying consistent. I could write a whole post on this. I can have all the best curriculums, schedules, physical areas, etc. at my disposal, but I need to consistently use them and hold my kids accountable to a high standard of work and attitude in order for them to work effectively.


Favorite passages in books:
- In The Hiding Place we are heading into war, and the kids hate that we only have a few minutes to read from it each day. The story is so gripping, especially coming from the quaint days of watchmaking and shopkeeping.

- We have quickly moved into and almost through On the Banks of Plum Creek. With the extra bit of driving we have done this week we are almost through it, and we just started Monday! Faith asked if Laura was poor, and I wasn't sure how to answer that. In a way, I suppose they were, but they had what they needed. People just used to live so differently, not accumulating debt, living with just the essentials, and keeping life simple. We had a great talk about that question as well.