ABOUT THIS WEEK: We took Monday off because Akychame had a tooth pulled.
Look at Lvov's self-portrait in the style of Frida Kahlo (above) - notice the self-portrait on her T-shirt mirroring her drawing - the flags of blond hair - and things you can't see, such as the Japanese Kokeshi doll that her childhood best friend gave her in Japan - the doll's kimono unrolls forever to reveal a hidden letter written by her friend.
MYTHOLOGY: We listened to the "When Gods Walked the Earth" CD while driving in the car. We learned about the myth of Persephone, who was unwittingly married to Hades, God of the Underworld, and how Persephone's (or Proserpine's) mother invoked the gods to help rescue her. They made a deal allowing Persephone to return to the earth for half of the year, as long as she promised to return to the Underworld for the second half. And this explains why everything dies and the earth becomes barren in the winter - Persephone's mother, who controls the harvest, goes into mourning and refuses to make the earth fruitful. When her daughter returns, he earth comes to life again.
We also read the Native American myth called "How Raven Stole Sunlight." It's interesting to learn how different cultures explain natural phenomena through myths. Why the seasons change (Persephone), why we have sunlight, etc. Humans have always needed explanations, have always been curious.
GERMAN: The girls completed lessons up to Unit 2, lesson 2, part 3, on Rosetta Stone online, scoring above 90% and speaking into a microphone to allow the software to gauge the accuracy of their speech.
MATH: Akychame completed Saxon Math 76 lessons 54 & 55, plus review worksheets. Lvov completed lessons 5 & 6 in the same book, as well as review worksheets.
I drilled the kids on Roman numerals.
PIANO: Akychame practiced for hours, and had her one-hour lesson, as usual.
EDUCATIONAL MOVIE: Lewis and Clark's Journey: It was interesting to learn more about their trip and their interactions with Indian tribes. It's strange to think that America stretched only to St. Louis (where we visited he Arch and Westward Expansion museum), and that everything farther west was unknown to us. Similar to exploring space - they had no idea what kind of topography, weather, animal life, etc. they would encounter. It was a very brave undertaking, and a grandiose ambition - to paint a portrait of an entire continent!
Look at Lvov's self-portrait in the style of Frida Kahlo (above) - notice the self-portrait on her T-shirt mirroring her drawing - the flags of blond hair - and things you can't see, such as the Japanese Kokeshi doll that her childhood best friend gave her in Japan - the doll's kimono unrolls forever to reveal a hidden letter written by her friend.
ART: We studied the artist Frida Kahlo, studying various paintings and learning a bit about her life. We also watched the movie "Frida." The main characteristics of her work, the kids observed, are that they are mostly self-portraits that tend to tell a story. Her image is usually surrounded by objects or animals in her life that are important to her. The girls created their own Kahlo-esque self-portraits surrounded by things in their lives that are important to them. These came out fantastic! The girls stayed true to the seriousness and introspection of Kahlo's works.
Akychame's self-portrait in the style of Frida Kahlo, seated at her keyboard, as she always is, holding a stack of falling envelopes - letters to her father in Korea and to her best friend in the United States. Also note her guinea pig "Sunshine" in her lap, her dog Kuma nearby, the book "Twilight" at her feet and her childhood teddy bear "Sarah" on her bed.
Lvov's drawing with cut paper collaging - she's really into this - our kitchen is populated by these wonderful characters!
Lvov's drawing with cut paper collaging - she's really into this - our kitchen is populated by these wonderful characters!CURRENT INDEPENDENT READING:
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - they're half-way finished, and absolutely loving it! I was worried that it might be too sophisticated for them, but they can't get enough of it. They love Holden's attitude and his way of talking.
LANGUAGE ARTS:
We discussed characterization and also the difference between first and third person,
bringing up examples of both from books we've read, and talking about the differences. For example, first person might feel more immediate and engaging, like the character is speaking intimately to us, or as though we are reading their diary. Third person has more breadth, though, as the narrator is able to be omniscient, relating both the thoughts and actions of many different characters.
The kids both wrote paragraphs in the style of Catcher in the Rye - one paragraph written in first person, the second in third person - but both paragraphs being about the same thing.
We also discussed the vocabulary in "Romeo and Juliet," which we are reading, and discussed the various characters. For example, Romeo is such a whiny, dramatic, fickle character, while his cousin loves the sound of his own voice. His musings are so flowery and embellished. The men are very emotional.
HISTORY:
We read "Sacajawea" by Fradin, which ties into the DVD about Lewis and Clark, because she joined their expedition as an ambassador and translator and was indispensible to their mission. She was very young, and pregnant when she met them. How brave!
CRAFTS:
We took a mini field-trip to a village near Rodenbach, where we walked in the snowy forest with our dog. When we found an open stretch of path, we collected stones, pinecones, leaves, and sticks, and created nature tapestries that looked like large (three-dimensional) Turkish carpets. It was really fun!
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - they're half-way finished, and absolutely loving it! I was worried that it might be too sophisticated for them, but they can't get enough of it. They love Holden's attitude and his way of talking.
LANGUAGE ARTS:
We discussed characterization and also the difference between first and third person,
bringing up examples of both from books we've read, and talking about the differences. For example, first person might feel more immediate and engaging, like the character is speaking intimately to us, or as though we are reading their diary. Third person has more breadth, though, as the narrator is able to be omniscient, relating both the thoughts and actions of many different characters.
The kids both wrote paragraphs in the style of Catcher in the Rye - one paragraph written in first person, the second in third person - but both paragraphs being about the same thing.
We also discussed the vocabulary in "Romeo and Juliet," which we are reading, and discussed the various characters. For example, Romeo is such a whiny, dramatic, fickle character, while his cousin loves the sound of his own voice. His musings are so flowery and embellished. The men are very emotional.
HISTORY:
We read "Sacajawea" by Fradin, which ties into the DVD about Lewis and Clark, because she joined their expedition as an ambassador and translator and was indispensible to their mission. She was very young, and pregnant when she met them. How brave!
CRAFTS:
We took a mini field-trip to a village near Rodenbach, where we walked in the snowy forest with our dog. When we found an open stretch of path, we collected stones, pinecones, leaves, and sticks, and created nature tapestries that looked like large (three-dimensional) Turkish carpets. It was really fun!
Lvov wrote a play for 4 characters entitled "Guilty Robots." It was quite an undertaking, involving rehearsals with the neighborhood kids. She said that it was the single most involved project she has ever completed.
MYTHOLOGY: We listened to the "When Gods Walked the Earth" CD while driving in the car. We learned about the myth of Persephone, who was unwittingly married to Hades, God of the Underworld, and how Persephone's (or Proserpine's) mother invoked the gods to help rescue her. They made a deal allowing Persephone to return to the earth for half of the year, as long as she promised to return to the Underworld for the second half. And this explains why everything dies and the earth becomes barren in the winter - Persephone's mother, who controls the harvest, goes into mourning and refuses to make the earth fruitful. When her daughter returns, he earth comes to life again.
We also read the Native American myth called "How Raven Stole Sunlight." It's interesting to learn how different cultures explain natural phenomena through myths. Why the seasons change (Persephone), why we have sunlight, etc. Humans have always needed explanations, have always been curious.
GERMAN: The girls completed lessons up to Unit 2, lesson 2, part 3, on Rosetta Stone online, scoring above 90% and speaking into a microphone to allow the software to gauge the accuracy of their speech.
MATH: Akychame completed Saxon Math 76 lessons 54 & 55, plus review worksheets. Lvov completed lessons 5 & 6 in the same book, as well as review worksheets.
I drilled the kids on Roman numerals.
PIANO: Akychame practiced for hours, and had her one-hour lesson, as usual.
EDUCATIONAL MOVIE: Lewis and Clark's Journey: It was interesting to learn more about their trip and their interactions with Indian tribes. It's strange to think that America stretched only to St. Louis (where we visited he Arch and Westward Expansion museum), and that everything farther west was unknown to us. Similar to exploring space - they had no idea what kind of topography, weather, animal life, etc. they would encounter. It was a very brave undertaking, and a grandiose ambition - to paint a portrait of an entire continent!
