Is Week 29 Over Already? (Or, I Can NOT Believe We're Almost into the Last 6 Weeks!)

We are winding down this school year while preparing for next.  I attended the homeschool convention in Cincinnati on Friday while my husband took our son to a behind the scenes tour at the Frazier International History Museum in Louisville.  They were shown all the different positions that go into making such an organization run.  I was shocked to learn that at least this museum makes most of their money from weddings and receptions!  I had no idea they even housed a wedding/reception facility on their upper floors!  I'm currently pondering whether I think people just want something different from the norm for their wedding, or whether so many don't attend church any more that they don't feel a church venue is an option for them.... hmmmmm......

Cincinnati was busy.  I was happy to see that they offered some variety in their speakers.  I guess I was more geared toward looking at high school things this time and I'm pretty disappointed that I didn't see more in the way of non-textbook options for high school (I really don't like textbooks very much)....  I did pick up a few things to add to my programming for next year:

Poetry, Plato, and the Problem of Beauty, Michael Clay Thompson
http://www.rfwp.com/series36.htm#460

IEW's Windows to the World (both a lit and a writing curriculum)
http://www.curriculumconnection.net/windows.htm

Easy Grammar's Ultimate Series, 180 Daily Teaching Lessons, Grade 8


I also ordered BJU's Physical Science text and lab manual.  The same wonderful lady who is teaching the chemistry lab for my son now likes their lab manual for studying physics principles.  She has offered to allow him to do some physics lab work with her this summer.  She's also going to teach a physics and chem related class at co-op next year.  While the textbook approach is really not the way I want to do physics, I thought I'd get the book that goes along with the lab manual in case we need or want to explore the lab topics in more detail through the accompanying book.  Or perhaps I'll find someone doing a group class using that book.  Or perhaps I've just wasted my money - I don't know....  I just want to try to make certain I cover the physical sciences well with this more science and math oriented child....

http://www.bjupress.com/product/233171

On the home front, we followed our same routine for Bible, Math, Language Arts, and Languages study this week.  My son attended his last art class for the year.  (Note to self:  I've got to find classes with more directed instruction for next year.)  He completed a fact finder for his piano instructor on Franz Liszt and is currently playing some lovely pieces (I have those listed in the right margin).

 We're continuing to read about the opening of the American West, as well as other topics regarding the first half of the 19th century.  We are also completing our studies of Napoleon.  In addition to continuing our poetry study and reading from our typical "spines" for the week, here are some of the new books I read (or read from) this week:

We finished reading from an old book of his Dad's called Famous Indian Tribes, William Moyers; started Don't Know Much About the Pioneers, Kenneth C. Davis; read about Sacagawea from Heroines: Great Women Through the Ages, Rebecca Hazell; began reading from Primary Source Accounts of the War of 1812, Helen Bozonelis; read more on President Madison, his life and times from The American Heritage Book of the Presidents and Famous Americans (another old book); began reading These Lands are Ours, Tecumseh's Fight for the Old Northwest, Kate Connell; and I read the introductory chapters from both Streams to the River, River to the Sea, Scott O'Dell and from Sacajawea, Joseph Bruchac.  My son is going to decide which of these we will continue with, as they are both good!

While I had already read about Napoleon from the book entitled The Battle of Waterloo, David Pietrusza, I read the final chapters of that book regarding the actual battle and the end of Napoleon's life.

In addition to completing some books he'd already started earlier, my son read these books this week:

These included Sarah, Plain and Tall, Patricia MacLachlan; Lafitte the Pirate, Ariane Dewey; John Chapman, The Man who was Johnny Appleseed, Carol Greene; Incredible Wild West, Mary Ling, Ed. (Snap Shot); Dancing Drum, A Cherokee Legend, Terri Cohlene; Jim Bridger's Alarm Clock and Other Tall Tales, Sid Fleischman.

One book that he finished this week which I don't believe I've mentioned before was The Arrow Over the Door, James Watling, set during the Revolutionary War time period.  Good book!

We didn't manage to get science done at all this week!  He will, however, be back to his regularly scheduled chemistry lab work next week and I hear they're doing mad scientist stuff!

Regena