Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Grade 6 - Roman History - Week 3

All the ressources I am using for this block are listed here, under Roman History. It will be a five week block lesson. Week one is here.

This week we talked about life in the time of the Romans (the roman home, the roman architecture and aqueducs), as well as slavery and we started talking about Julius Caesar.

Day 1 - I read chapter 11 and 16 (NOT 11 to 16) in Kovacs' book and from the book City by David Macaulay. Here's what the girls put in their MLB:

 

Day 2 - I read chapter 17 to 21 in Kovacs' book and kept reading from the book City by David Macaulay. Here's what the girls put in their MLB:

























Day 3 - I read Chap. 22 to 27 in Kovacs' book and from the book City by David Macaulay. Here's what the girls put in their MLB:





























Day 4 - I read Chap. 28 and 29 in Kovacs' book and from the book City by David Macaulay. Here's what the girls put in their MLB:


























Day 5 - I read Chap. 30 to 35 in Kovacs' book. Here's what the girls put in their MLB:



Saturday, October 10, 2015

Attention seeking behavior

In most families, there is at least one child that demands more than the others. And it can be pretty hard when one is homeschooling different grades. 

I get it. It’s easy to get so caught up with work, chores, activities, and responsibilities that we don’t spend enough time specifically interacting with our children. The important thing is to see it and not blame our children for "misbehaving" when in fact, all they need is our time and attention. And when I say attention, I mean, full-on, completely focused on them attention. Not just distractedly listening to their explanation about their Lego construction or complex drawing while thinking about a meeting or eyeing our phone. Kids are smart. They know we are not fully present. And they feel like we do not care.


Still, some children get LOTS of parent's attention and still behave as if they needed more. What I notice most times with these children is that they have somehow misunderstood what they need to do to engage others. And it's our job as parents to teach them these skills (why will some of our children "get it" without us specifically guiding them through this, I have no idea, but that's often the case that 2 out of 3 children will do great with a regular dose of attention and one will require A LOT more).

When I asked for support on an online group about Mathilde a few years ago, here's what someone wrote to me, as if she was talking from the child's point of view:

Because I wanted your attention. Because I want you to see me. Because I want to know I’m important to you. Because I want to feel like I belong to you. Because you are my mom and my dad and that makes you the two most important people in my world, and I want to feel like I matter as much to you as you matter to me. And I will do anything—anything—to find a way into the center of your world.

I can't tell you how many time I reread that (and still do at times). It really speaks to me. I hope it does resonate with some of you.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Grade 6 - Roman History - Week 2 (The Kings of Rome)

All the ressources I am using for this block are listed here, under Roman History. It will be a five week block lesson. Week one is here.

Day 1 - We recited O Roma again (and did every day this week a the beginning of our lesson). The girls know it by heart now. I read chap. 5 and 6 from Charles Kovacs' Ancient Rome book, the story of Numa Pompilius (here)  and the story of The Horatii and the Curiatii (here). They girls draw and wrote this in their MLB: 


Day 2 - I read the story of the Tarquins (here). They girls draw Lucius Tarquinius and wrote about the Seven Kings of Rome in their MLB: 


Day 3 - I read chap. 8, 9 and 10 from Charles Kovacs' Ancient Rome book. They girls draw Horatius on the bridge and wrote about the beggining of the Republic in their MLB: 



Day 4 - I read the beginning of the story of Hannibal that is in the Christopherus' Roman History bundle.They girls draw Hannibal and wrote about him in their MLB:


Day 5 - I finished reading the story of Hannibal that is in the Christopherus' Roman History bundleThey girls draw Hannibal crossing the Alps and wrote about him and Scipio Africanus in their MLB (The top drawing is Mara and the bottom one, Aisha's):




Math : we finished Key to Decimals 2.