January 2017

After the busyness of the December holiday season, we were grateful for a relatively quiet month in January!

We had our ongoing commitments, with our 4-H Electronics class, Ecology Class and our Cornell Lab Project Feederwatch.

We also had two fantastic field trips with our Homeschool Field Trip group; our first took us to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Center, for a program in how planes fly. This was a very hands on class, with the opportunity for Hawkeye to make his own paper airplane and test his theories!

Our second field trip was to visit the working dogs of Dulles Airport; HAwkeye was able to see both the CBP and TSA dogs in action, with their handlers. This was absolutely fascinating, a great glimpse into airport security, dog training and police work.

The cold January weather also  kept us inside and playing lots of board games this month, including plenty that would fall into the 'educational' bracket! We played lots of rounds of Fauna (great for both zoology and geography), Rat-a-Tat Cat (math skills), Sleeping Queens (math), Sushi Go (math again!) and Carcassone (strategy).

The weather also had us embracing Poetry Teatime, a la Julie Bogart's Brave Writer lifestyle. Hawkeye definitely has his favorites, including Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll.

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Reading
We continued daily reading practice (easy Readers, level 2)

Math
Hawkeye continues to work through Life of Fred, and averages two chapters each week. This month he completed Farming, and began Goldfish.

History
We completed reading White Stallion of Lipizza, by Marguerite Henry, learning about the Lipizzaner horses and the training techniques of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria.
We then began reading Justin Morgan Had a Horse, by Marguerite Henry about the Morgan horses of Vermont.

Waldorf Essentials
This month we revisited the concept of time, including time of day, days of the week, and months of the year.

Ongoing Reading

Among the Meadow People, by Clara Dillingham Pierson
     - The Lazy Snail
     - The Ant That Wore Wings
     - The Cheerful Harvestman
     - The Little Spider's First Week  

The Burgess Animal Book for Children, by Thornton Burgess
     - Whistler and Yap Yap
     - Two Queer Little Haymakers
     - Prickly Porky and Grubby Gopher

Tree in the Trail, by Holling C. Holling
     - chapter 12
     - chapter 13
     - chapter 14
     - chapter 15
     - chapter 16

The Story Book of Science, by Jean Henri Fabre
     - The Age of Trees
     - The Length of Animal Life

Understood Betsy, by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
     - What Grade is Betsy?
     - If You Don't Like Conversation in a Book, Skip This Chapter!

American Tall Tales, by Adrien Stoutenburg
     - Mike Fink
     - Davy Crockett

D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths
     - Dionysus
     - Prometheus
     - Pandora
     - Deucalion
     - Eos
     - Helios

The Adventures of Buster Bear, by Thornton W. Burgess
     - Buster Bear Goes Fishing

Chapter Books Read
The Princess and the Goblin, by George MacDonald
The White Stallion of Lipizza, by Marguerite Henry
These Happy Golden Years, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Matilda, by Roald Dahl
The Last Battle, by C. S. Lewis

Picture Books Read
Mama, Do You Love Me?, by Barbara M. Joosse
Katy and the Big Snow, by Virginia Lee Burton
Walden, by Henry David Thoreau and Steve Lowe
Night Noises, by Mem Fox
The Nightingale, by Jerry Pinkney
Stopping by woods on a Snowy Evening, by Robert Frost, illus. Susan Jeffers
The Big Snow, by Berta and Elmer Hader
Dandelions, by Eve Bunting
The Best Part of the Day, by Sarah Ban Breathnach
A House in the Woods, by Inga Moore
The Owl and the Pussycat, by Edward Lear, illus. Paul Galdone
King Jack and the Dragon, by Peter Bently
The Snow Globe Family, by Jane O'Connor
Waiting for Winter, by Sebastian Meschenmoser
Big Snow, by Jonathan Bean
Egg, by Kevin Henkes
Blizzard, by John Rocco
The Elves and the Shoemaker, by Paul Galdone
Swan Lake, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, illus. Lisbeth Zwerger
Town Mouse, Country Mouse, by Jan Brett
Dear Juno, by Soyung Pak
The Hat, by Jan Brett
 Winter on the Farm, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Honey ... Honey ... Lion!, by Jan Brett
Snow, by Cynthia Rylant

Non-Fiction Books
Puzzle School, by Susannah Leigh
For the Birds: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson, by Peggy Thomas
The Rainforest Grew All Around, by Susan K. Mitchell
The Great Kapok Tree, by Lynne Cherry
Zoo in the Sky, by Jacqueline Mitton
City, by David Macaulay
A Little Book of Sloth, by Lucy Cooke

Movies Watched
Domes: Building Big, with David Macaulay

February 2017

Our family started this month with a two day visit to Baltimore!

We spent our first day at the Port Discovery Children's Museum (more fun than educational, I am sure! But Hawkeye certainly had FUN!)

We spent the second day of our visit at the National Aquarium in Baltimore; this was Hawkeye's first visit, and he was totally enamored. Particular favorites were the sharks, the jellyfish and the Australian exhibit.

This month also saw two separate rabbit holes: one with architecture and structural engineering, and the other with the state of Delaware.

For Hawkeye's Delaware studies we read books, baked regional food, learned about the Delaware Memorial Bridge, and learned about the state's history and geography.

For the other 'rabbit hole', we read lots of books, watched YouTube videos and DVDs, and did plenty of hand's on building projects with all manner of materials, from spaghetti bridges, to plastic cup fortresses.

Hawkeye had a fantastic Homeschool Field Trip to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, for a docent led program on using your senses to experience art.

 

Hawkeye also had the opportunity to participate in a local bird count, and was thrilled that he was able to correctly identify birds that veteran birders were unable to! This boy is a passionate birder!

Hawkeye also had the opportunity to accompany my 4-H Schole group to see a Live From the Met performance of Rusalka by Antonin Dvorak. He seemed to really enjoy the opera, and we had some great conversations about the story, the music, how it made us feel, and the use of sets design and costumes. It was really fantastic!

Finally, Hawkeye participated in his local 4-H Presentation Day, where he did a presentation on Pokemon before an audience of about 50 people. He chose his topic, did research, wrote his script and created his display, with minimal help from anyone else. At the event itself, he answered questions from the judges and audience members.

Reading
We continued daily reading practice (easy Readers, level 2)

Math
Hawkeye continues to work through Life of Fred: Farming, and averages two chapters each week.


History
We completed reading Justin Morgan Had a Horse, by Marguerite Henry and learning about how horses were used during the Revolutionary War. We then began reading Brighty of the Canyon, by the same author, and learning about the geography of the Colorado River and Arizona, and mules and burros.

Ongoing Reading

Among the Meadow People, by Clara Dillingham Pierson
     - The Beetle Who Did Not Like Caterpillars
     - The Young Robin Who Was Afraid to Fly
     - The Cricket's School
     - The Contented Earthworms

The Burgess Animal Book for Children, by Thornton Burgess
     - A Fellow with a Thousand Spears
     - A Lumberman and Engineer

Tree in the Trail, by Holling C. Holling
    - chapter 17
     - chapter 18
     - chapter 19

The Story Book of Science, by Jean Henri Fabre
     - The Kettle
     - The Metals
     - Metal Plating
    
Understood Betsy, by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
     - elizabeth Ann Fails an Examination
     - Betsy Starts a Sewing Society
     - The New Clothes Fail

American Tall Tales, by Adrien Stoutenburg
     - John Henry

D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths
     - Selene
     - Pan
     - Echo    

Chapter Books Read
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl
The Growly Books: Begin, by Philip and Erin Ulrich
Justin Morgan Had a Horse, by Marguerite Henry
Henry and Ribsy, by Beverly Cleary
Up and Down the River, by Rebecca Caudill

Picture Books Read
 Sugaring, by Jessie Haas
Papa and Me, by Arthur Dorros
Rosie Revere, Engineer, by Andrea Beaty
Edward in the Jungle, by David McPhail
Sugar Snow, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Brave Irene, by William Steig
Terrible Storm, by Carol Otis Hurst
Do Not Open, by Brinton Turkle
Night Shift Daddy, by Eileen Spinelli
Snowy Valentine, by david Petersen
The Valentine Bears, by Eve Bunting
Saint Valentine, by Ann Tompert
Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, by Eileen Spinelli
On This spot, by Susan E. Goodman
If I Built a Car, by Chris Van Dusen
What Do You Do With An Idea?, by Kobi Yamada
What To Do With a Box, by Jane Yolen
Corgiville Fair, by Tasha Tudor
A Chair For My Mother, by Vera B. Williams
Max Found Two Sticks, by Brian Pinkney
Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, by Chris Van Allsburg
The Most Magnificent Thing, by Ashley Spires

Non-Fiction Books Read
The Delaware Colony, by Kevin Cunningham
Looking Closely in the Rainforest, by Frank Serafini
Snowflake Bentley, by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

March 2017

We packed a lot into this month!


We started the month attending a meeting with our local Wildlife Conservancy on Bluebird Monitoring, learning how to monitor and maintain bluebird boxes around the county.

Hawkeye also participated in an Amphibian Action Night with the same Wildlife Conservancy group, learning about local amphibians, where they live and what they need for a healthy eco-environment.

Hawkeye also participated in our 4-H Share the Fun event, with his Cloverbud group. This involved performing a skit before an audience of about 100 people - the group had so much fun, and Hawkeye led the group confidently, as the eldest in the bunch.

Our Homeschool Field Trip this month took us to the Building Museum in Washington DC, where he learned about city planning, and zoning. This was a very hand's on event, and the participants were were split in to groups, with each group responsible for a different zone type. It was fantastic!

Hawkeye also accompanied me to my 4-H Schole event this month, this time joining my group to the newly remodeled West Building of the National Gallery of Art. This encouraged some fantastic conversations about what makes modern art art, how different colors make us feel, and whether creating art needs bravery. Hawkeye's favorite piece was Jackson Pollock's Lavender Mist, which he was fortunate to learn about from a docent!

But he highlight of his month was a three day trip to the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Jamestown. In preparation for the trip, we brushed up on the early American History that we learned last year. During our trip we spent an entire day at each site; Hawkeye's favorite part of the trip was most certainly the visit to the Yorktown museum. It happened to having it's grand opening on the day we visited, and Hawkeye was invited to be part of the opening ceremonies! He marched in to the outdoor opening event, with the Governors of Delaware and Virginia, and local dignitaries. It was a fantastic trip, and really helped solidify what we have been reading and learning about.

 

This month also saw his continuing involvement in 4-H electronics, Ecology classes and his Project Feederwatch citizen science project  through Cornell Lab. This month also saw the start of his 4-H embryology class. Here he learned about eggs and developing chicks, how to care for unhatched eggs, and how they develop.



Reading
We continued daily reading practice (easy Readers, level 2)

Math
Hawkeye continues to work through Life of Fred: Goldfish, and averages two chapters each week.


History
We continued reading Brighty of the Canyon, by Marguerite Henry, learning about the Colorado River, the geography of Arizona, and the mining of metals.


Ongoing Reading

Among the Meadow People, by Clara Dillingham Pierson
    - The Measuring Worm's Joke
     - The Puzzled Cicada
     - The Tree Frog's Story

The Burgess Animal Book for Children, by Thornton Burgess
     - A Worker and a Robber
     - A Trader and a Handsome Fellow
     - Two Unlike Little Cousins
Tree in the Trail, by Holling C. Holling
     - chapter 21

The Story Book of Science, by Jean Henri Fabre
     - Gold and Iron
     - The Fleece

Understood Betsy, by Dorothy Canfield Fisher (completed)
     - Betsy Has a Birthday
     - Understood Aunt Frances

American Tall Tales, by Adrien Stoutenburg (completed)
     - Joe Magarac

D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths
     - Centaurs
     - Asclepius
     - The Nine Muses
     - Orpheus

Chapter Books Read
Understood Betsy, by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Ember Falls, by S. D. Smith
Mary Poppins, by P. L. Travers
American Tall Tales, by Adrien Stoutenburg

Picture Books Read
The Boss Baby, by Marla Frazee
Through Moon and Stars and Night Skies, by Ann Turner
The Scallywags, by David Melling
Have You Seen My New Blue Socks, by Eve Bunting
Ada Twist, Scientist, by Andrea Beaty
That's What Leprechauns Do, by Eve Bunting
Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka, by Tomie dePaola
St. Patricks Day in the Morning, by eve Bunting
Another Monster at the End of This Book, by Jon Stone
Bedtime in the Forest, by Kazuo Iwamura
Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing, by Judi Barrett
Fiona's Lace, by Patricia Polacco
Dragon Was Terrible, by Kelly DiPucchio
Miss Moon: Wise Words From a Dog Governess, by Janet Hill
The Littlest Family's Big Day, by Emily Winfield Martin
The Highest Mountain of Books in the World, by Rocio Bonilla
One Bird Hill, by Jane Yolen
1 is One, by Tasha Tudor
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Non-Fiction Books Read
When Washington Crossed the Delaware, by Lynne Cheney
D is for Drums, by Kay Chorao (A Colonial Williamsburg ABC)
Life in Jamestown Colony, by Janey Levy

April 2017

This was a rather abbreviated home education month for us; I traveled overseas for two weeks, and we took a break from homeschool during that time.

However, Hawkeye was still involved in his ongoing projects: 4-H Electronics, Ecology Class, and 4-H Embryology.

Hawkeye also began a new 4-H project, learning about monarch butterflies. During this month's meetings he learned about the monarch's migration pattern, their feeding needs and how many generations of butterflies live in a single season. He helped plant milkweed at a local Butterfly Waystation.

He helped maintain local bluebird boxes, learned about their nesting habits, and their eggs and chicks. He helped take notes on the findings, and helped identify other birds (and possible aggressors) in the area.

This month we picked up chicks to keep at out home for a few weeks, so Hawkeye had daily care of chicks, and learning about them, their needs and development from chicks to full grown hens.

His Homeschool Fieldtrip this month was to a local Animal Shelter, where he learned about how the shelter runs and cares for all the different animals. He quickly picked out his favorite animal there - a Caucasian Shepherd Dog, which outweighed him by some 100 lbs!

He also went on a family camping trip where he was able to put into use some of the survival skills he has been practicing, such as lighting a fire with a steel and flint, whittling with a knife, and rope tying.

Lastly, Hawkeye accompanied my 4-H Schole group to a concert by our local Symphony Orchestra, to hear a performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto, No. 23, and the overture to his opera Cosi Fan Tutti, and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E Minor.


Reading
We continued daily reading practice (easy Readers, level 2)

Math
Hawkeye continues to work through Life of Fred: Goldfish, and averages two chapters each week.

History
We continued reading Brighty of the Canyon, by Marguerite Henry, learning about the Colorado River, the geography of Arizona, and the mining of metals.


Ongoing Reading


Tree in the Trail, by Holling C. Holling
     - chapter 22
     - chapter 23

The Adventures of Buster Bear, by Thornton W. Burgess
     - Buster Bear Becomes a Hero
     - Blacky the Crow Tells His Plan
     - Farmer Brown's Boy and Buster Bear Grow Curious
     - Farmer Brown's Boy and Buster Bear Meet

D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths
     - Europa and Cadmus
     - Tantalus and Pelops

Chapter Books Read
The BFG, by Roald Dahl
Love From Paddington, by Michael Bond
Henry and the Paper Route, by Beverly Cleary
The Mowgli Stories, by Rudyard Kipling

Picture Books Read
Fix This Mess, by Tedd Arnold
The Honest-to-Goodness Truth, by Patricia C. McKissack
Mr. Gumpy's Motor Car, by John Burmingham
Come to the Fairies' Ball, by Jane Yolen
Toot and Puddle, by Holly Hobbie
Olivia, by Ian Falconer
And Then It's Spring, by Julie Fogliano
A Tale for Easter, by Tasha Tudor
When Spring COmes, by Kevin Henkes
The Easter Egg, by jan Brett
The Watermelon Seed, by Greg Pizzoli
Mr. Gumpy's Outing, by John Burningham
Pickles to Pittsburgh, by Judi Barrett
What Do You Do With a Problem, by Kobi Yamada
Frederick, by Leo Lionni
No Jumping on the Bed!, by Tedd Arnold
Bunny's First Spring, by Sally Lloyd-Jones
The Huey's in What's the Opposite, by Oliver Jeffers
Little White Rabbit, by Kevin Henkes

May 2017

This was our month to reboot, read and spend time outside! Bliss!

Hawkeye started this month by volunteering at our local foodbank, and packing for Backpack Buddies, a program that supplies local school children with food and snacks for the weekends.

A few days later, he participated in an Honor Flight, welcoming veterans from Bushy Creek Iowa to our local airport, who would be spending the day visiting war memorials in DC. He shook each veteran by the hand and thanked them for their service. It was a powerful morning.

 

Our local library hosted a homeschool STEAM enrichment class, which he attended. This class was on constellations and the stars that make up the constellations. They learned about some of the major constellations and stars, how to locate them, and then tried their hand at creating their own constellations. So much fun!

A second library class Hawkeye attended, discussed the art work and technique of one of his favorite artists, Jackson Pollock. After learning about him and his life, Hawkeye was then able to collaborate with some other children in creating a Pollock-esque piece of art. Messy, but so much fun!

 

We went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore for their Member Evening, and Hawkeye was able to talk at length to several of the handlers, in particular to the jellyfish and skate handlers. He was able to touch them, and have so many of his questions answered.

We had kept a moth cocoon in our butterfly keeper over the winter, and were thrilled to find that some six months later, a beautiful Prometheus Moth had emerged! Hawkeye really enjoyed watching it dry out it's wings, before we released it.

 Our Homeschool Field Trip this month was to Accokeek Colonial Farm Park, for a program on Colonial Eco-Explorers, identifying more eco-friendly historical options to everyday items used today.

In addition to these events, Hawkeye also continued to attend his Ecology Class, 4-H Electronics, 4-H Monarch Butterflies, and Bluebird Box Monitoring for our local county.

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Reading
We continued daily reading practice (easy Readers, level 2)

Math
Hawkeye completed Life of Fred: Goldfish, and began Life of Fred: Honey. He averages two chapters each week.
He has also began working on memorizing his multiplication tables, and writing out the tables into a handmade booklet.

History
We continued reading Brighty of the Canyon, by Marguerite Henry, learning about the Colorado River, the geography of Arizona, and the mining of metals.


Ongoing Reading

The Burgess Animal Book for Children, by Thornton W. Burgess
     - Danny's Northern Cousins, and Nimbleheels
     - Three Little Redcoats and some Others
     - Mice With Pockets and Others
     - Teeny Weeny and His Cousin

Tree in the Trail, by Holling C. Holling (completed)
     - chapter 24
     - chapter 25
     - chapter 26
     - chapter 27

The Adventures of Buster Bear, by Thornton W. Burgess
     - Buster Bear Has a Fine Time
     - Buster Bear is a Fallen Hero
     - Chatterer the Red Squirrel Jumps For His Life
     - Buster Bear Goes Berrying
     - Somebody Else Goes Berrying

D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths
     -Danaus, Perseus and the Gorgon
     - Clever and Vainglorious Kings
     - Bellerophon
     - Melampus

Among the Meadow People, by Clara Dillingham Pierson
     - When the Grass Was Cut
     - The Grasshopper and the Measuring Worm
     - Mr. Green Frog
     - The Dignified Walking-Sticks

The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights, by Sir James Knowles
     - reading approximately 5 pages each week

The Boy Who Drew Cats, by Lefcadio Hearn
     - Chin-Chin Kobakama
     - The Goblin-Spider

America First, by Lawton B. Evans
     - Leif the Lucky
     - The Lost Colony of Roanoke
     - Persecutiona of the Pilgrims
     - Building a Canoe
     - The Flight of Roger Williams

Elementary Geography, by Charlotte Mason
     - Our World, part 1 and part 2

Wonders of the Jungle, Book One, by Sarath Kumar Ghosh
     - The Midnight Pool
     - The Law of the Jungle

Wildlife in Woods and Fields, by Arabella B. Buckley
     - Spiders on the Common
     - The woodpecker's Nest
     - Spring Flowers
     - A Family of Squirrels
     - The Skylark and Her Enemy
     - Nuts and Nut-eaters

Chapter Books Read
Ozma of Oz, by L. Frank Baum
Henry and the Clubhouse, by Beverly Cleary
Thimbleberry Stories, by Cynthia Rylant
Ribsy, by Beverly Cleary
Tree in the Trail, by Holling C. Holling

Picture Books Read
Chickens Aren't the Only Ones, by Ruth Heller
Have a Look Says Book, by Richard Jackson and Kevin Henkes
Parts, by Tedd Arnold
Fish is Fish, by Leo Lionni
we're All wonders, by R. J. Palacio
All Ears, All Eyes, by Richard Jackson
Again!, by Emily Gravett
Dragons Love Tacos, by Adam Rubin
My Princess Boy, by Cheryl Kilodavis
Up in the Garden and Down in the dirt, by Kate Messner
Do Princesses make Happy Campers, by Carmela LaVigna Coyle
Mama, Is It Summer Yet?, by Nikki McClure
Have You Seen My Dragon?, by Steve Light
George and Martha, by James Marshall
Jack's Garden, by Henry Cole
Too Big, by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire
The Two Cars, by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire
Flower Garden, by Eve Bunting
Swimmy, by Leo Lionni
The Country Bunny and thre Little Golden Shoes, by Du Bose Heyward
Prudence Wants a Pet, by Cathleen Daly
The Travels of Babar, by Jean de Brunhoff
Inch by Inch, by Leo Lionni
Not All Princesses Dress in Pink, by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple