Weeks have gone by since I’ve recorded any of our learning and I’m nearly tempted to neglect recording this past week too, yet it’s time to ‘get back in the saddle’.  Well what a whirlwind September/October has been, so much living has been happening and yet how to record it all?  In the nearly two months since I last jotted notes we’ve  had two weeks of school holidays and major life happenings. These of course all form part of learning but don’t fit under neat little headings, however some highlights since September and some extremely patchy learning notes from this week and last (girls were away this week).

September

  • Visited a local private museum, different era memorabilia

October

  • Sebastian made his First Holy Communion! Made it at the Carmelite Monastery at the Missa Cantata! After all of his stressing he declared it easier than he worried about!
  • We holidayed on the Gold Coast with David’s family, 55 family members descended on the Gold Coast!! Grandma, Siblings, Spouses, Cousins and Cousins babies, and Great Aunts & Uncles 🙂
  • Genevieve, Mariah, Malachi & Chiara are currently attending the Christus Rex Pilgrimage, walking a hundred kilometers in three days! This involves a 31 hour round car trip as well.
  • Mariah undertook her Driver Safety Course, by the time she returns from the Pilgrimage she will have all her hours completed and be ready for her test.

Faith

  • Sebastian listened to short stories on St Tarcisus, Bl Imelda and Pius X. We read the Weight of the Mass, and stories from Ten Eager Hearts. We role played and discussed how to receive Holy Communion. We prepared Spiritually.

Spelling

  • Revised spelling words covered in All About Spelling levels with Saxon and Ignatius. Saxon impressed me with what a strong speller he has become, Ignatius needs a renewed concentrated focus upon him.

Creative Writing

  • Boys spent a solid hour or more writing creative stories, the older two chose to write on the computer, Sebastian and Siena by hand. It’s interesting how their story writing choices always involve fantasy, even Siena’s as she is influenced by her brothers. Dragons, castles and knights abound. Saxon is up to Chapter 3 with his story and quite pleased with it’s direction. Ignatius’s story is a little shorter 😉 Sebastian amazes me with his vocabulary and how he isn’t afraid to include difficult words in his story, I write them on the board and he copies and continues on until the next request.

Handwriting

  • Sebastian as passionate as ever to continue with his handwriting lessons. He and Siena are paying attention to their pencil grip.

Reading Instruction

  • Siena is extremely keen to read. We’ve begun her All About Reading Level 1 instructions again and she amazes me with how capable she is to string the sounds together and recognise the word she is reading! She is going to be an earlier reader, turns 5 at Christmas!

History

  • Finished reading The Golden Bull – Marjorie Cowley as part of our Mesopotamian studies. We’ve been riveted by this book featuring city life in ancient Mesopotamia.

Nature Studies

  • Still reading our way through Wonderland of Nature, plan is to finish by year’s end. This week we read about shells, discussed what shells we’d seen on our beach holiday
  • Great Nature Adventure in the Bush, scouting out for new cubby to replace burnt treehouse, spent hours in the Bush. Children amazed at how the Bush has rejuvenated itself and the grass is so green!