OPQR:Of plumbing,quotes(and) review(book!)

Hmmm I sometimes think I am a tad obsessed with my post titles but for whatever reasons this above seemed a good fit. woke up this morning to an overly blocked toilet. Phoned our friend to cancel a play date for today. Toilet effluent then started covering the floor.Phoned plumber who was unable to visit before lunch but would arrive "sometime this afternoon".Finally finished this readaloud. A very funny sweet book which is not at all preachy so please don't let the quote I am sharing put you off reading it. The quote just fits the day...or was contemplation given to me unasked for, which I think the really good things to meditate on often are!

"Problems don't always get fixed.Lots of the time things are boring and dumb for no good reason. Or even terrible.And you can't do anything about it.That's life."
Penny thought about this for a minute. Then she sighed."I know," she said. She thought about it some more."Or maybe I don't," she said."But I'm startin to anyway, I guess." There might have been other good things to say about that, but just then a shooting star flew through the inky darkness, causing both girls to gasp....Lying like that, quiet and full and tired and home, Penny knew that everything was as it should be; everything was perfect. Just like she knew that someday soon everything wouldn't be again. But that was okay. The stars weren't going anywhere."(from Penny Dreadful by Laurel Snyder)

One thing we really enjoyed about this book was the reference to 15 other good children's books that are incorporated into the story. Great to see how many we've already read and that other people like our favourite books
An interesting thing to note:one of the chracters has two mums. This is not a plot point, just another set of characters in the story. Great to see a book that has diversity in characters when its not a major issue but rather just is:-)

Its a new term , its a new day

India country study

Yesterday was the first day back to school for T+L. The whole day seemed to go really well! I started the day myself with some solitary peace and quiet. I got up at 5.45 ,dressed and came down to the living room. I read some of  book about Thomas Merton written by an Anglican Franciscan friar.

pergoda project contd

I made porridge for the boys and woke them at 6.15. Then I decided to have some myself with a cup of earl grey tea. The boys were seated by 6.30 and we started reading Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls by Lynne Jonell and illustrated by Jonathan Bean. Last year we read Emmy and the Shrinking Rat. So far it seems  good readaloud, combining humor with a fairly fast paced plot. Its written in an engaging style.

T revised our nature table

Some of the sentences in the book make good examples for Lachlan's english work(gotta love those teachable moments!):
"The afternoon sun slanted through the dusty air of the attic room. The window was dirty, but the rays stamped the wooden floor with gold, and a long trapezoid of light stretched out to touch a small girl with her back to the wall"

Plus the book contains interesting vocabulary study:
" Just because you have no style," he muttered,"no sartorial instinct...."
 After breakfast violin practice started. I was grateful that even after  a month without practice(shhh don't tell the suzuki police!) L remembered his pieces mostly quite well. T will be doing 2 practices as he will have work to do for the youth orchestra,  as well as for his lessons. Both boys also have pieces to practice for boys club too, so quite a busy time musically speaking!

Our history is a continuation from last year but I want to move at a faster pace. I would like T to have some study of modern history before he finishes his homeschooling. Our first reading in Genevieve Foster's book: The World of Columbus and Sons began with Columbus'  discovery of the coast of South America.The boys wrote in their notebooks that Trinidad was named for the trinity by Columbus and Venezuela was named after Venice as it was reported "the natives had houses built on stilts over water".

We next read some poetry from the Harp and the Laurel Wreath. We read "The Falconer of God". Here is a quote from it on beauty:
          A strange white heron rising with silver on its wings
          Rising and crying
          Wordless,wondrous thing
          The secret of the stars, of the world's heart-strings
          The answer to their woe

sea glass and other beach found treasures!

As an introduction to our study of Culture and Society we discussed the basic needs of humans. This lead to a discussion about what it means to be human, what differentiates us from animals. T suggested that thinking and language was the key, so we thought a bit more about what context language existed in. Continuing they decided that language existed in culture which brought us back to "what is culture". I deliberately left these at the question stage and then threw them two other questions;"what is every person on earth entitled to and how can this be achieved?""When we study  a particular country what are we wanting to learn from our study?" I don't intend to give them answers! This is really meant  to set them on the road to thinking about these concepts.

sea treasures

The boys then worked on english and maths assignments. T is studying "The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner" and "Robinson Crusoe for literature this term.

more treasures from sea + shore

And then it was time for science. T will study Chemistry and Biology this year. These are his choices of topics. We will use a mix of literature and text books and online resources.
With L I outlined some science projects he can achieve this term towards his cub badges. He is trying very hard to get his grey wolf award before he moves up to scouts in April. As he has been at cubs for not quite a year this will mean quite an endeavor!

Picture Book Advent :"The Stone" by By Dianne Hofmeyr, Jude Daly

"The Stone" by By Dianne Hofmeyr, Jude Daly : 

 A retelling of the story told to Marco Polo about the Magi of Saveh, three wise men from a town in Persia, who followed a strange star and find a special child. Marco Polo described the tombs of the Magi in his travel book, Il Milione:
"In Persia is the city of Saba, from which the Three Magi set out... and in this city they are buried, in three very large and beautiful monuments, side by side. And above them there is a square building, beautifully kept. The bodies are still entire, with hair and beard remaining."

Love this book! The story of the three kings but told in a less usual though in my opinion highly acceptable way! 

It fits in/ties up so neatly and profoundly our geography study of the middle east.Leaves us with thoughts to think on and actions to take! Highly recommend it!

Evocative images add to the Persian atmposphere. I love the ending. A great take on the impact of Christ’s light within us shing out to the world:

"then each person carried the flame away,back to all the faraway places of the earth,for all mankind to share.”

Copybook:

Balsar’s eyes shone:”The child accepted all three of our gifts. He must be all three things..”

“What three things?” demanded Jasper.

“The true king. The true healer and the true Holy One.”

Picture Book Advent :Little One We knew You’d Come

Wonderful book. Love the lyrical way it is written and the illustrations which beautifully match the theme. We shouldn't have been surprised as the author writes one of our favourite children's Bible

And do check out the web site of the illustrator. she has some beautiful images there. I love the hint of something medieval, almost make-believe in them.

Little One we knew you’d come.

We hoped. We dreamed. We watched for you.

We counted the days till you were due. We waited. How we longed for you,

 And the day that you were born.

Little on we know you’ll come.

We hope . We dream. We watch for you.

We count the days till you are due.

We wait. How we long for you.

And the day that you were born.

 ACTIVITIES:

Copybook or calligraphy the following:

And every year, we remember you, our miracle child, our dream come true.

Oh how we thank heaven for you.

And the day that you were born.

Little one we’re so glad you’ve come.

                  From Little One We knew You’d Come.    By Sally Lloyd-Jones illustrated by Jackie Morris.

MEMORY WORK:

 memorizing our scripture from Luke Chapter Two:

MUSIC:

Learn + play some hymns:

specifically we will learn these carols; "Joy to the World',"We Three Kings","God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" on violin

we will also listen to and revise the words of "People look East""O Come Emmanuel""Lo he Comes""O Jordan's Bank""On this Holy Mountain""Lo How a Rose"

CRAFT:

Make angels for gifts

Make advent box

Sew stars to hang on noticeboard + on tree. Use buttons + sequins: need lavender/purple/red/lime green felt,       need purple + green thread  + need needles + templates

Readalouds for Advent

We have three new books waiting to be read together for Advent. Just a few more days,we can hardly wait! Patricia MacLachlan is one of our favourite authors. Her style is lyrical and reads almost like poetry.We were thrilled to find a new book by her for Advent. Elizabeth Gouge writes beautifully for adults and children. She often intertwines make-believe with the real world, but in a way that amplifies both.Youngest son has been humming the carol the title takes its name from ever since he saw the book. The third and final selection is a new author and so exciting in its own way as we wonder if it too will become a remembered favourite!

The Coot Club

This is our third readaloud and one that falls into the "family reads' category.We are slowly reading our way through all the S+A books.The others we have mainly listened to read by Gabriel Woolf. I found Mr Woolf very willing to send cd's to Australia.(as I remember mine came in the post very promptly too)

Penrose the Maths loving cat

Another readaloud! This one we are reading just before individual maths time. Master 13 is really working well with mathsonline and a little bit of help from his sisters.He is working at the Yr9/10 level.

Master 9 is using MEP and really enjoying a different way of working with the same problems. Although he has completed Addison Wesley book 5 I am using the rest of the year as consolidation of concepts and fun stuff like Penrose!

We read about real numbers and then "from Auckland" we learned about Pythagoras(and his school of the Pythagoreans)who believed in the literal reality of numbers. They were so shocked when one of their number discovered irrational numbers that they kicked him out of their school.