The Final Stretch

We need to finish our 2nd grade studies, even if things aren't 100% orderly in our new home. The weight of guilt is killing me. Lol. So...here's what we have to do. I'm putting it all in 1 binder (divided by subject), which I can pull from to put in Camille's daily folders.

Math: Horizons 2, lessons 132-160
Explode the Code Book 6 and 7: Book 6 lessons 10-15, Book 7 lessons 1-15
PLL: Lessons 49-90, skipping and combining a few

History: TOG Year 2, Unit 3 and 4, fast-tracked reading these books only:
-Iroquois Indians
- The New Americans √
- Life in New France √
- Paddle-to-the-Sea √
- Life on a Southern Plantation √
- The Farewell Symphony
- Ben and Me
- Benjamin Franklin by d'Aulaire
- Sea Clocks
- Gulliver's Travels (independent read) √
- Hasty Pudding, Johnnycakes and other Good Stuff
- George Washington by d'Aulaire
- Liberty! How the Revolutionary War Began
- The Matchlock Gun
- The Boston Tea Party
-The 4th of July Story
- Paul Revere's Ride
- Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
- Aaron and the Green Mountain Boys
- A More Perfect Union
- Daniel Boone
- Hot Air, Balloon Ride
- The Flower Hunter
- Our Country's Presidents
- Paris 1789
- Dear Benjamin Banneker

I will follow TOG's scheduling of the books and I have projects waiting if we are able/want to do them. We had just finished The Courage of Sarah Noble before we took a break due to illness and the move. I am very grateful that this is just the first cycle and hope that as I gain more experience I'll be able learn how to keep our studies going even amidst life's situations. I've really felt very overwhelmed with this move, with dh not being able to help, moving into a smaller house, in the middle of our studies. I thought I understood al that I would have to do but when it actually came time to accomplish things, I had less energy and time than I thought I would.

We are moving forward with our invertebrate studies, although I haven't purchased the pocket microscope and slides I intended to or the rotting log kit and starfish for dissection. Right now I don't know WHERE I'd put the rotting log, lol.

For Camille's daily folders, I fill and empty them once a week with work to be done and work completed. The binder has tabs for each subject so if she gets behind in one subject it won't throw off everything else like it would if I mixed the subjects together in an attempt to create daily work in the binder.

Our learning room is pretty much put together, but I still have boxes to unpack and daunting questions about where everything should go or whether I really need the items to begin with. Sigh. It's smaller but the kids already love being in here playing at the table. It is my hope that the kids enjoy having this room and it's worth the trouble of them sharing a room. That sits on my heart a lot, especially since I have to purge the kids' clothes so that they all fit in their one closet. I also have to go through their toys and make some hard decisions. The truth of the matter is, the kids don't really play with toys.

Sure, Danny plays with his cars but other than that, I cannot think of one thing that is constantly played with. I've given both of the kids 3 wing-lid bins to fill with things they want to keep under their beds. Camille filled hers last week and hasn't touched the contents since.

It makes me wonder how indulgent I've been with the kids, what is appropriate and what is wasted money. For her upcoming birthday we got Camille her own watch, a poster of the world that contains animals, famous landmarks and various other information and an oscillating fan. She doesn't need clothes, shoes, and she doesn't want books, games, or any toys. She has asked for a fan and she NEEDS a watch. The kids are getting a new backyard playset courtesy of their grandpa but they don't know about that yet.

Anyways, I'm just rambling now. As soon as I get the rest of the boxes unpacked, there WILL be pictures. I have new bookcases that have been a real surprise, I can get more books on them than the ones we had before! Although our TOG books are in rubbermaid totes for storage, we have a lot of shelf space in our learning room that I have to figure the best way to utilize. I can't believe I'm saying that! All of our science books fit on 1 bookcase. One bookcase. Unbelievable! I told Camille that it will be my indication to purge science books, when they don't all fit on one bookcase. She says she gets her silliness from me. I believe her sometimes. ;)