Fifth Grade: US Geography

Well, my plan to finish Geography by December 1 did not work out. Too many other distractions. All good things, festivals, field trips, and the like. But, it did keep us from doing our main lesson work. We're now in our second week of December, and I project we have about 10 more school days left to finish Geography.

I really wanted to bring things alive for the Boy. Geography can be so dry. But I'm just not feeling creative. What I've opted to do is to have him read a book and take a few notes about a region. He then draws a map to put in his main lesson book (mlb). The notes get written into a paragraph or two about each state, which he copies into his mlb. He labels the map, colors each state — choosing his colors based on some aspect of the state flag, bird, flower, or sports team.  The final touch is a label for people we know who come from that state. Not very exciting, I know. 

To spice it up a little bit, I've looked for National Geographic type movies about the country (like "Lewis and Clark"), we're making a few recipes, and I've chosen a few pieces of literature that correspond with certain regions. (Johnny Tremain for New England, Uncle Remus for the south, etc.)

If I had my wish, we'd hop in the car and travel for a few weeks. That's how I really absorbed geography as a kid. Each summer we'd take a road trip to some region of the US or Canada. When I look at a map, I can picture the emerald green of Lake Superior, the gaping chasm that is the  Grand Canyon, the ethereal mist in the Smoky Mountains.  I can remember feeling like we were going to roll backwards while driving up Mt. Washington, and thinking it awfully odd for folks to have Christmas lights and snowmen decorations in the heat of a Florida December. 

My older boys benefited from similar trips, but we haven't taken any that the Boy can remember. (He was barely a toddler when we drove west to Yellowstone.) Our studies have made me determined to plan a trip for this summer, to show our last baby the beauty and wonder of our country...and maybe some of Canada, too.

Fifth Grade Handwork: Socks!

The socks are finished! The socks are finished! Last Tuesday the Boy and I spent the afternoon knitting the last bit on our socks: rounding the toe and casting off. Our teacher, Barb, had confidence — or pretended to :) —in our ability to finish at home. I was not quite as confident; I didn't even know what some of the pattern's terms meant. But, we did it; Barb was right.

Wednesday morning we spent our last handwork class of the fall session darning the socks and weaving in the ends. Both of our socks had a few holes where we got a bit sloppy so we tidied those up with a bit of yarn and wow! they looked so much better! As soon as we got in the car the Boy put his on and wore them for two days.

Pre-darned socks

Modeling his bright red socks

Homeschool Crunch Time: aka Apathy and Distraction

Tis the week of Thanksgiving, and I have much to be thankful for, such as: a loving husband, three healthy sons, a house to snuggle in on cold days, more food than I need, and the opportunity to be a stay-at-home mom. I look forward to spending Thanksgiving Day with extended family, sharing memories, laughing, playing a few board games, and watching the Ravens vs. the 49ers with my Raven's fan of a mother-in-law. (There will be much shouting at the tv.)

Meanwhile, we keep plugging along in our homeschooling. I say plugging, because I'm feeling like we're just not making any headway. We spend one day at home immersed in our main lesson, then two days in the car traipsing around town. The weather has been warm and mild, so we've taken advantage of all opportunities to get together with friends.  We've had a few art classes, two festival get togethers (Halloween and Martinmas) plus the preparation that go into those, home school group at the library, and a few social outings/field trips. As well as just plain ol' social time. Husband never questions our homeschool routine; he is confident that we are covering all we need to. But even he  was curious as to why we're out of the house so much lately. 

Besides all of the distractions, I admit that some apathy has started to seep in. After a gung-ho first block, my energy level has petered out a bit. I am not too interested in the subject matter (geography) so I am struggling to make it interesting for the boy. His analytical mind soaks up facts, and he enjoys reading books about each state (we're doing the New England states right now) and discovering things like the state song, bird, gem, capitol, etc. I would rather be baking blueberry pies, listening to folk tales and songs, and making clam chowder. I struggle with creating balance and presenting ideas in a way that will interest the boy, but will keep me on track, too.

I had hoped to make December a "light" month. Spend some time on math, work on Christmas gifts together, keep it light on academics and heavier on the arts. But it's looking like we'll be carrying geography on through Christmas. Sigh. 

I'm kind of looking forward to old man winter storming in. When it's cold and the world is blanketed with snow or frosted with ice, we tend to hunker down by the glowing wood stove and get into our work. I guess we should enjoy these nice days out of doors while we can for it will not be long til  I'll be writing about cabin fever!