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Friday, January 21, 2011

Weekly Wrap-Up

I think, after this week, we might finally be able to get back into the swing of things. Somehow we still haven't been able to shake vacation-mode, plus we took MLK Jr. day off. I've been sick this week, so I have been a lazy teacher.

Nonetheless, we still had a fairly productive week. We are two-thirds of the way through The Silver Chair, which was always one of my favorite Narnia books. I need to put that cheesy BBC version on my Netflix queue. Actually, I'm not ever sure that I've seen that production of The Silver Chair; I just wasn't crazy about The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe from BBC. Maybe this one will be fabulous.

We watched a lot of America: The History of Us this week. I got this free several months ago when The History Channel had a special deal, but we hadn't taken the time to watch it until now. Being sick is a perfect time to watch educational DVDs! It really is excellent, and we are all looking forward to watching the rest of it (9 hours altogether).

We also have The Long Way Down to watch. This is a documentary down by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, as they travel from Scotland to Cape Town, South Africa, journeying through Europe and Africa. I read on someone's blog that this was fantastic, so this will be our geography for the next week or so.

Duncan's favorite new "school" addition is the Snap Circuit set that he got for Christmas. Again, I read about this on someone's Weekly Wrap-Up and knew he would love it. (So thanks, whoever you are!) I had to crack up to read my friend Kris's blog a couple of weeks ago. Her son, Will, also got Snap Circuits for Christmas. Kris and I live hundreds of miles apart, but we somehow end up buying the same perfume, swim suits, books, and gifts for our boys, who adore each other. I love her. Anyway, Snap Circuits is absolutely fantastic, and I highly recommend it. This particular one comes with directions for 300 projects that will occupy 10-year-old boys for hours and hours.

Our co-op classes start back on Monday, and I think I'm mentally ready. I'm teaching creative writing for 6th-8th graders and co-teaching literature circle (persevering in spite of obstacles), and Readers' Theatre. My kids are taking a bunch of other classes, too, but I can't really remember what they are. Guess I'll find out on Monday!

Linked up at the Weekly Wrap-Up
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11 comments:

  1. KathleenJanuary 21, 2011 at 6:03 PM

    Ugh! I'm like you...still been in vacation mode. Time to get down to business next week!! For real! So funny about you and Kris!

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  2. UnknownJanuary 21, 2011 at 6:24 PM

    LOL We did some Snap Circuits this week too. The kids got the basic 100 project kids several years ago. The older kids have already worked through every project, some multiple times, but the youngest is getting into it now! And we LOVE the History of US Discovery videos too! (I got the free copies too.) We've watched about half of them.

    Jessy
    http://oursideofthemtn.blogspot.com

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  3. berrypatchJanuary 21, 2011 at 6:45 PM

    We also have the History of US DVD. The only thing I really did not like was the way actors were treated as if they were history experts. Very annoying. I just went and added the Ewan McGregor DVD's to our Netflix queue. They look great - thanks for sharing. ;-)

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  4. wdworkmanJanuary 21, 2011 at 7:12 PM

    I still have History of US sitting on my shelf. I'll have to make time to watch it. On my way to check out snap circuits too.

    Janet W
    http://homeschoolblogger.com/wdworkman/

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  5. Trina@JoyAndContentmentJanuary 22, 2011 at 7:47 AM

    My husband and I love Long Way Down (and Long Way Around ... soon to come Long Way To Go). But as we were watching for ourselves a few years ago, we commented about a bit of language. Just be aware of that if you're watching with your kiddos. I don't remember the details, I just remember thinking "Oh, too bad they had to say that."

    But it's REALLY, REALLY good. I loved it so much, my husband got me the book for Christmas that year.

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  6. schmobesJanuary 22, 2011 at 4:15 PM

    We got Snap Circuits here for Christmas, too. Now I am ordering a bunch of extra pieces so he can do "MORE!" Gotta love gifts like that!

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  7. MelissaJanuary 22, 2011 at 4:39 PM

    I am really wanting a back to normal schedule!

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  8. Leah CourtneyJanuary 22, 2011 at 7:02 PM

    My son has the smaller snap circuits set and loves it- lots to keep a boy busy! :-)

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  9. SarahJanuary 22, 2011 at 8:01 PM

    Glad to hear the good review of Snap Circuits. I've been looking at getting some for my 10 year old son.

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  10. txmom2jamiJanuary 24, 2011 at 2:25 AM

    We're getting back in the groove, too, after being at loose ends since Christmas. My mom had surgery and I had to go stay with her for a few days, so that contributed to our late return after the holidays.

    We have that "Story of Us" dvd and I am looking forward to utilizing it in our American History studies. I just received the Notgrass "Exploring America" curriculum, and I also snagged a copy of the "John Adams" miniseries (featuring Paul Giamatti as Adams) over the holidays for a snazzy $24 (I would have expected it to be much more expensive).

    Hope you are feeling top-notch soon! :)

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  11. StratozJanuary 25, 2011 at 7:48 PM

    snap circuits are way cool!

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