Week 3 of the great experiment

 So I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I decided at the beginning that I was going to take Fridays off from homeschooling. Now, I am incredibly grateful I made that decision.

You cover a lot of material in a home school day. Honestly, I know it. For example, math. Dottie is on lesson 30 of math. This is because I knew she knew a lot of the beginning of the book, so I had her do the worksheets in her book until she came to a concept she didn't understand. We came to that point yesterday, so I'm finally teaching her. Yes, there is still a lot of review, but that's okay. I know I've saved her at least a month of wasted reviewing.

Anyway. Back to Fridays. It's really hard to get things done during the school week. I have two kids to teach, and one to keep entertained while the others are learning. It is so hard to keep my house clean or to go to the store without completely disrupting our learning groove. Maybe I will get better at this, but as of right now, I have to do all of these things on Friday or the weekend. So, I'm glad I made the decision to keep Fridays free. They are still learning a-plenty, and I know I have one day where I can feel in control of the messes that happen from having 3 children at home, always.

Monday, I let the kids make their own pizzas. Dottie and Elliot made heart-shaped ones. Ruby ate a bunch of dough, so I had to take over for her.

Showing their pizzas. Yes, we are in various stages of dress (or undress). This is what happens when you're home all the time. Don't ask me where Elliot found Dottie's old night gown. And good thing Ruby's got the troll belly goin' on.

Tada!

I've turned over the piano instructing to Joe. He's a musician, right? He can do this part of homeschooling. This is Elliot's first lesson, where he's learning his finger numbers.

We're getting creative with what to do with these two while Dottie does focused study, like history. The monkeys are painting.

Another science experiment: the volume of sugar goes down when mixed with water because the sugar molecules fit in more densely with the water molecules.

So, I've been to two different libraries this week, mostly for Ruby's sake. On the way back from the one yesterday, I caved and bought McDonald's. This bribe is how I got Ruby to stop pulling books and DVDs off the shelves.

Another great perk of homeschooling? Free child labor! Just kidding. But I do like being able to have the time to teach the kids new skills, like how to peel carrots.

I haven't been very systematic with Elliot's math. I teach him something every day, but without a real plan. Today I taught him how to count by fives using this abacus.