This Week's Preview

Last week we were studying the Great Lake states. We read another great Holling C. Holling book Paddle to the Sea, which took us on a tour of the Great Lakes from Lake Superior all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Holling's books are terrific. If you haven't read them, please do!

Another aspect we looked at when studying the Great Lakes was the dairy industry. We read a few books on dairy cows, drew a few pictures of cows and Saturday evening had a fabulous fondue dinner. Becky made a terrific parmesan cheese fondue and we dipped baked chicken morsels, steamed broccoli and cauliflower and toasted bread cubes into the fondue. We added a salad and then topped it all off with ice cream cones and homemade chocolate ice cream!! We are going to be so fat after studying this unit!!

This week we are studying the midwest states and will be covering many fun topics: the Pony Express, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Oregon Trail, Sitting Bull and George Custer, Mt. Rushmore, buffaloes, and farming. That is a tremendous amount of info to cover in one week, but we have some great resources to help us tackle that feat. My kids already know a lot about the Oregon Trail through playing the Oregon Trail game on the computer. Weather permitting, we are planning a trip to our local farming implement store to ask questions about and get close up to some John Deere equipment. Then we are thinking of re-enacting the Lewis and Clark expedition and/or Oregon Trail on the nature trail at the Natchez Trace Visitor's Center.

Someone else has discovered my favorite cookbook series for this unit at the library, so we may not be cooking much for this week. A few years ago when studying Lewis and Clark we had a large group over and cooked venison over an open fire and had several other dishes that they would have had on that expedition. Need to pull out the frontier shirts that the older boys made years ago...Jackson can use them now and make powder horns, possible bags and sketchbooks. My creative juices are flowing--now if we can just find the time to make it all happen.

We also begin our enrichment classes this week. Jordan will be taking drama, a Dave Ramsey money class and a intro to physics lab. Aaron will also be in the Dave Ramsey class, music theory and health/nutrition/volleyball. Kaelan will be taking drama, arts and crafts and a science lab. This is our first time doing something like this, so I am praying it will be a rewarding time for the children. Kaelan and Aaron also have violin, piano and chorale, so we are staying on our toes keeping up with everything this semester. Oh, and while they are at enrichment classes, I plan on hitting the clearance racks or the library with the little boys tagging along.

Jordan is continuing his history studies this semester with the Renaissance and Reformation period and is taking a biology course. He is also doing lots of writing, a Shakespeare study and finishing up algebra. Lots going on a the Chamblee house!

What will you be learning/studying this week? You don't have to be a homeschool mom to continue learning. Education is for life!