This school year started off crazy. It was when we were in the midst of figuring out whether we'd be having twins or not, and things were kind of all over the place. So I'm glad this wasn't my first year homeschooling because the kids already knew the drill and their schedules and were able to get to work easily.
We've kept up the same schedule as last year, but this year our social studies is a bit more fun and intense. Each week Lily and Skyler take turns choosing a country to study and we learn all about their culture, the way their country is run, their food, language, climate -- all of what a 7 and 8 year-old could understand. Each time we choose a new country the kids are always eager to learn more about their food in particular. We've studied some pretty gross cuisines (care for marine mammal meat in Greenland, anyone?). But there have been a couple of times when we actually wanted to really cook up a recipe or two from specific countries. When Lily picked France, I basically thought of a whole list of food to make, but ultimately we only made madeleines and one humongous creme brulee.
This year I've also been teaching a homeschooling art class every Thursday. I have 11 students including Lily and Skyler. I have loved this so much. Each week we study a classic artist and his/her genre. I am a firm believer that you can't teach art without also teaching social studies with it. But the kids have surprisingly been fascinated by it. I thought they would all get bored with the lessons I give before they actually start their artwork, but instead they seem to soak it all up and share their thoughts. Their ages range from 5-10, and I am seriously impressed by some of their work. There is one bubbly girl in my class who, no matter the genre, draws my portrait every week in whatever medium we're using. It's awesome and I love it. Ha!
This past week -- just in time for Halloween -- we studied the Maori culture and the significance in their tattoos. For the first time ever, we didn't use paper for our art projects, we used our bodies. The kids all got to tattoo themselves with eyeliner and it was a lot of fun for everyone.
Here are some of my kids:
1 comment:
Looks like a lot of fun. It's great when children love school. You look pretty as a Maori, Heather. :)
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