The Always-Leffel Home School Update

Fall Semester 2001

The American Revolution & The Constitution
*King George
*George Washington
*Benjamin Franklin
*Paul Revere
*Samuel Adams
*Patrick Henry
**and many other more obscure but important children and young people who had a part in the making of our country...

We learned about the beginnings of the slave trade in America, and read from diaries of children who were slaves... we will be learning about the underground railroad and the Civil War soon.

We also learned a bit about the Native Americans and their lives, where they lived and how they made use of their natural resources.  We are in the middle of this subject, and taking a break for Christmas, but will learn more in the New Year!

Sprite and Jaedin are using Hooked on Math to learn multiplication (finally) and addition and subtraction.  Kainan started on second grade math in the middle of this semester.  He is learning multiplication, subtraction with regrouping, multiple digit addition, fractions, etc.  Paris is learning to recognize all of her numbers and counting to 20.

Sprite has done a lot of reading this year.  Besides her Bible, she has read Mary Poppins, Picasso, several Dear America books, Helen Keller, Biographies of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, The Martha books (about Laura Ingalls Wilder’s grandma), and some fables and folklore from our Legends and Folk Tales book.   She is just starting on the Caroline books (L.I.W.’s mother as a child).

Kainan has been learning to read step by step, and can now read easy reader books to me.  Paris is recognizing all of her letters and writing notes all the time:)

The kids all do copywork every school day.  The boys copy one or two words until they do it *perfectly* two time (it generally only takes two times) and Sprite copies a poem & a memory verse each day.  She’s done a lot of Longfellow poems this year, as well as some Robert Louis Stevenson and Emily Dickinson.  Her favorite is “All In One” by Emily Dickinson.

The artist we focused on was Picasso.  The kids did a lot of drawings, collages and other projects.  I think this was their favorite artist next to Van Gogh.  Jaedin is still always doing drawings in blue like Picasso’s “blue period.”

Well, although I’m sure there’s more to be said (because I could elaborate and go on forever!)m, that’s pretty much it for the moment because I’m running out of room!

**Oh!  And we joined Home School Scouts this year! We’ve learned all sorts of things about nature and had a lot of fun with our new friends.  In the new year we’ll be earning badges for our vests!!