7 Quick Takes ~ February 7, 2014

1) It's been a restful week here. We ran errands like crazy on Monday to prepared to be "snowed in" the rest of the week. We could have easily gotten out by Wednesday afternoon, but we stayed home until today. I also decided to go ahead and take our winter break. With snow on the ground it seemed like the perfect time. I also have never taken a school break BEFORE the point that a break must be taken to stay sane. This is a different experience and I like it!

2) Today was a Valentine Party with a local homeschool group and ice skating afterwards.

3) The boys have been enjoying learning coding through coding.org. They have been self motivated and I'm enjoying that! 

4)My first day of winter break was spent planning out the remaining school year. Just 12 more weeks!

5)I've been doing a lot of research for the next school year and I'm happy with my progress. I have the majority of our book list made out. Since I'm on a roll and plan to have first draft done over the weekend! I'll let that settle a while and revisit it in spring before buying. I did make one purchase already to help me with planning. Brief preview of planned topics and a new program: history from around 1850-current; physical science for Caleb, introduction to physics and chemistry for Tyler, Fix-it for grammar. 

6)I got a new book this week! The Living Page: Keeping Notebooks with Charlotte Mason arrived a today and I will be following along with the discussion going on over at Wildflowers and Marbles.

7) We will be adding in some books on the Pope for our religion study. I ordered Be Saints! and Our Father, the Pope: The Papacy from Saint Peter to Present. I've been waiting to do a pope study since last Easter and we are finally getting around to it. Jessica @ Shower of Roses has lots of resources to make a lapbook. I don't think we will do a lapbook but I find her post very resourceful. The boys will be reading about (soon to be Saint) Blessed John Paul II in the fall. Caleb read Habemus Papam! last Lent and Tyler will read it during our pope study, if he can. It is written as a graphic novel in manga style . . . . which means it reads right to left and from the back to the front. This was a funny challenge when Caleb read it!

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