Weekly Report: October

We started this week with Grant's birthday. We ended today with an unexpected nature lesson involving a red-tailed hawk in our backyard. In between all that this week, Grant managed an A on his first Latin test. Way to go buddy! Allison pulled out an A on her biology test. Great going girl! And, Abby achieved an A on a math test. Awesome baby! Last, but not least, Chloe read a Bob book today without frustration. Whoopee!! Not all of our weeks are filled with great achievements, so we need to celebrate the ones that are.

We finally have fall weather here in ABQ. It was a long time in coming this year, but this Texas gal is not complaining. I enjoyed not having to bundle up quite so early this year. The weather got us in the mood for a little fun fall art project that I found here.

I let the kids use watercolors in a tube for this one--something they had never used before.

Allison and Abby got me excited to read The Hobbit, so I started reading it this week. I am having a fun time discussing the book with them as we go. They are ahead of me now--already reading The Fellowship of the Ring, but I will just have to try harder to catch up! We've been casually discussing literature with some of the questions in the Well-Trained Mind. "Who is the main character?, What does he want?, and What keeps him from getting it?" This week we ventured into questions concerning the villain. One thing I have learned about this process this week is that you don't have to have some great knowledge to read and discuss a book with your kids. It has been almost better that I don't have all the answers. I can ask the girls what they think, and they aren't afraid that they will answer incorrectly. I don't want my children to think that books are a puzzle with an elusive answer. I've worked hard at nurturing a love for reading in my children, and I want them to love books for the rest of their lives. So far, we seem to be doing pretty well. If you haven't listened to Susan Wise Bauer's Literary Analysis audio, consider getting it. You won't be disappointed!