Notes from Week 10

    I knew last weekend that we wouldn't have enough time in our week to do something... I just wasn't sure what that something would be. Turns out my daily updates are the thing that has been pushed aside. So it is now Thursday and I am finally getting a chance to think about what we have accomplished this week.       

   We have spent a large chunk of time this week reviewing Latin and translating English sentences to Latin. Mara impressed herself with this continually building skill. I made her a 'cheat sheet' that she can use for these types of translation exercises. I think it was very useful and we will continue to use this as a guide as her skills grow. I am expecting that soon it will not be needed. Mara's newest assignment is to begin thinking about a way to use her vocabulary to build an original story of about 10 - 12 sentences. 

   History has been our weakest link so far this week, only managing to get as far as our readings. Although I imagine we can finish up the time line picture along with Q&A tomorrow. She has had a hard time understanding Jesus as a man, as up to now she has linked him so closely as the son of God. I think her difficulties are in understanding him so earth bound as we have read about other great figures in History.


    Mathematics have also been a source of great enjoyment for Mara this week. We began our tens Unit with a popcorn kernel gluing activity to help with remembering how to count by tens, and it worked like magic! I thought it might take all week, now this is not an entirely new concept, we had worked some on this last Spring, however I thought we might be starting close to scratch. Turns out she's a pro. So this week in math she's counting by tens and comfortable with addition of 2 digit tens addition problems with a 1 digit one(s). Excellent job. We have not gotten to the hundred chart but that is coming, most likely tomorrow.

    In Science, Mara is excited to be working with a Kingdom that is more easily seen. It's hard working with concepts that have to be imagined. She is equally thrilled to get to Planta and finally Animalia. She's working on a Fungi Journal page to accompany this Chapter. We will also have to work on our lapbook, however, we are just about OUT of supplies. This close to the end of trip I really don't want to purchase anything new, so I am considering doing what we can and to plan on finishing the lap book upon our return.

    In Reading we have finished Heidi and began Mistress Masham's Repose. Mara has also been independently reading and memorizing some pretty obscure Nursery Rhymes. I can't tell you how many she knows and it's such a joy to listen to her rattle them all off. Her favorite game lately is to ask others to pick a topic/theme, then she recites a nursery rhymes that is best suited to picked topic or theme. (For some of them she has even created a little tune so they are even more sing-song.)

   Outside of regular school work, we went to the Geniculum and Trastevere on Monday, Tuesday Elinor was out of commission with a fever, a Papal Audience on Wednesday and have been walking, pigeon feeding, and general sight-seeing. Yem flies in tomorrow, so we'll have to work hard in the early part of the day to make sure to finish everything up before she gets here, otherwise I think we'll be too distracted for much else.

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