Some reads from Ambleside I want the girls to read

Heidi by Joanna Spyri. Heidi wasn't written in English, and there are various translations out there; some leave things out. Look for one that has all of the chapters and includes the hymns. Beautifully illustrated, unabridged "gift edition" online here, and one with Jessie Wilcox Smith illustrations is here (although this one may not be complete).
A Wonder Book by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Tanglewood Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne (similar to Kingsley's The Heroes, which is read in Year 3)
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney
Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales
Pied Piper of Hamlin by Robert Browning
Abraham Lincoln by Ingri D'Aulaire
Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers (some versions say "revised" because P.L. Travers revised chapter 6 herself in 1981 to get rid of some rather nasty racist things.)
Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry
Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater
Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle (sensitive readers - be aware that the child loses a hand in this story)
Chanticleer and the Fox - Barbara Cooney's is one version
Along Came A Dog by Meindert De Jong
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli

Books read from Summer Up til now

The girls have been reading a good bit this past summer. We instituted a 30 min a day quiet reading time. We do really well to do it about 4 times a week and sometimes even on the weekends.

There are SO MANY good books out there....I almost feel like there is not time to watch TV...although my girls may beg to differ!

Our recents books read:

Hannah:
Little Women Junior Classics- Currently reading
Anne of Green Gables-L.M. Montgomery
Betsy-TacyMaud Hart Lovelace
Charlotte's Web-E.B. White
Socks- Beverly Cleary

Mikayla:
Minnie and Moo-The Case of the Missing Jelly Donut
Father Bear Comes Home- else Holmelund Minarik
Nate the Great- Majorie Weinaman Sharmat
Mr. Putter and Tabby Make a Wish- Cynthia Rylant
The Outside Dog- Charlotte Pomerantz
Daniel's Duck
If you give a mouse a cookie-Numeroff
If you take a mouse to school- Numeroff
The Emperor's New Clothes
The Egg
The Magic Fish
A New Coat for Anna
One Fish, Two Fish
If you give a pig a pancake
Mr. Brown can Moo
Meatball- Patsy Clearmont

Chad's Been Reading to the girls:
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Encyclopedia Brown Boy Detective-Donald J. Sobol
Another Encyclopedia Brown book
The Black Stallion
Next- The Hobbit

Another week of summer homeschool

We've done much better this week about getting our work accomplished. Still working on the light side, we've been doing Lang Arts, Math, Geography and Quiet Reading one day and then alternating, Reading, Geography, and Quiet Reading on the other day. We do a little bit of copy work and a "postcard" every week with the geography curriculum that we are using.

This week we studied the water cycle and why and hows of the seasons.

This Friday for our co-op we did an activity mimicking the salt water in the ocean and the sun heating it up (evaporation), then condensation forming, followed by precipitation and collection of water in one of our bodies of water. It also showed why we can't drink the ocean water (because of the high salt concentration).

The girls watched short movies on Brainpop about the water cycle and the seasons and made a book about the water cycle and filled in a Fill in the Blank on the seasons. We add these activities to our Science notebooks every week.



Water Cycle Activity


Coloring our Water cycle books.

Hannah finished reading Socks this week. You can tell she really liked it because she has made reference to it many times this week. Mikayla has been reading various Dr. Suess books.

We are making slow but steady progress on our Bible Bee verses...but I am sure we won't be ready in time come Sept.

Autumn has been enjoying our new cat- Cupcake.

Cupcake has the sweetest disposition. She is a stray cat that has already been de-clawed. We are growing to love her!!!

Autumn and Cupcake

My kids are reading alone!!!

I know that may not excite you...but I am thrilled. I have implemented a 30 min silent reading time for my girls. They just kinda fell right into it knowing that was a new part of our school. I am THRILLED!

Hannah who has always been above grade level in reading....was a reluctant reader and has gradually started enjoying it. She is in the little tent....reading Gooney Bird Greene! This makes me a happy camper.

Mikayla loves to read, but has just started being able to read on her own. She is back there with a stack of Dr. Suess books.

I am so excited!!! No TV....just good books!