This week we continued to learn more about the early pioneers to America, specifically the Pilgrims. We studied about their difficult first year in Massachusetts and the Native Americans who helped them learn how to survive in the New World. We did a neat activity making “oil windows” to understand how the Pilgrims used paper for windows instead of glass. We planted corn. And we made yummy pilgrim hats to eat:) Ethan enjoyed reading a book titled, “If you lived in colonial times” where he learned about the life of children at that time. He found it interesting to learn about some of the discipline methods that were used in the schools-including the dunce hat. We also watched the Peanuts movie on the Mayflower. Love the Peanuts!

In Science we’ve been studying the stars. We made some fun constellations out of marshmallows and toothpicks. (Little Dipper, Draco and Virgo) And we ate a few in the process:) We got to use one of our favorite books,The Heavens Proclaim His Glory: A Spectacular View of Creation Through the Lens of the NASA Hubble Telescope.

Ethan learned a new poem in language arts this week. We also discovered that one of the poems he learned is also in the McGuffey readers from the late 1800′s. He enjoyed flipping through the readers to see what kids his age learned over a hundred years ago.

He also started an art class this week. It’s actually a drawing class. He loved it and is excited about going back next week. The teacher teaches the class out of her home and it happens to be in the neighborhood next to ours.

My three, almost four year old, doesn’t like to participate in school for too long. Sometimes he colors and other times he plays in his room quietly. He does have about twenty minutes of his own work he is required to complete. He uses A Reason for Handwriting: Level A: Manuscript Student Workbook for practicing his handwriting. I also have a math workbook that he enjoys doing. He’s doing simple addition problems right now and doing very well with it. He also reads to me from the Bob Books Set 2-Advancing Beginners. I’m hoping as time goes on that he will become more and more interested in what we are doing.

A few pictures from our week:

Nature study: a spider on our back porch