Notes from Weeks 13 & 14

Lots of Play Planning Meetings! Some highlights of this busy time were:

Monday, Dec 5

SSR

Morning Meeting (including Land Acknowledgment, Announcements, Goal Setting, Breathing Exercises)

Circle Time for Pterodactyls

Opening Verse

Once There Was a Frog

I'm a Tall Tall Tree

Bear Has a Snout
from The Breathing Circle, p.93

We Push the Saw, We Pull the Saw
from The Breathing Circle, p.76

We Wrap, Wrap, Wrap Our Little Bundle
from The Breathing Circle, p.78

Lady Fog
from The Breathing Circle, p.80



Morning Math for Plastic Utensils
(grade 6, 1st 6 weeks, week 3)

Basic Skills Daily Practice Warm-ups
these review 5th grade math

KLL continue with Pythagorean Theorem & Square Root Algorithm



Nature Study with All Creation Waits: The Advent Mystery of New Beginnings by Gayle Boss - read "Muskrat" at snack and "Black Bear" at lunch, set up Winter scene on Nature table and add Muskrat and Black Bear (I didn't have a muskrat ornament but I had a beaver one that I adapted by changing out the tail and trimming the ears)



"All Creation Waits" Animal List blog post

Calendar Project - continue to write numbers

Handwork - Knitting

Outdoor Play Time

Play Planning Meeting #2:

• look over the puppets and materials I collected over the weekend (I made a box for each fable we would like to do)
• how many children would be reasonable for a team? (1-3)
• how many teams could a child successfully be part of? (1-5)
• decide who wants to be on the team for each fable (including considering who would like a speaking part and who prefers a non-speaking part) and begin meeting in small groups
• at the end of the day have teams submit supply lists of materials they need

Tuesday, Dec 6

SSR

Farm Day Z&K

Morning Math

KLL - completely master the Square Root Algorithm! (8th grade level)

Nature Study - Chickadee & Whitetail Deer chapters

continue to add animal ornaments to the tree on our Nature table (notes are here)

Calendar Project - AR continue to write numbers

Outdoor Play Time

Play Planning:

• second half of the Team Meetings
• trace and cut out patterns for frog and goat from Suzanne Down's Around the World with Finger Puppet Animals, choose felt colors (pure wool felt), choose threads (cotton or silk)



Art History - Jackson Pollock (notes are here)

Wednesday, Dec 7

SSR

Circle Time for Pterodactyls / Morning Math for Plastic Utensils

Nature Study - Honey Bee & Chipmunk chapters

Handwork - Knitting

Board Games - Race to the Treasure, Adsumudi



Outdoor Play Time

Play Planning:

• first half of the Director's Meetings (my meeting one-on-one with each team, hearing the results of their team meetings, brainstorming collaboratively, and making final decisions about puppets, props, and casting for each fable)
• get painted backdrops from previous class plays out of storage
• continue to work on making puppets
• paint paper plates for crabs

Science Club - see detailed notes at Air Pressure: How and Why

Thursday, Dec 8

SSR

Circle Time for Pterodactyls / Morning Math for Plastic Utensils

Nature Study - Cottontail & Common Loon chapters

Calendar Project - finish writing numbers for the remaining months (Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec), do marble painting, create Feb & Jun artwork



Handwork - Knitting

Board Games - Guess Who?



Outdoor Play Time

Play Planning:

• second half of the Director's Meetings
• continue to work on making puppets
• paint ox hoof on cardboard tube

Monday, Dec 12

SSR

Circle Time for Pterodactyls / Morning Math for Plastic Utensils
(BS 1st 6 wks week 4)

KLL continue with Pythagorean Theorem & Square Root Algorithm



Nature Study - Wood Frog & Raccoon chapters



Board Games - Socken Zocken, Fiery Dragons, Race to the Treasure



Outdoor Play Time

Play Planning:

• Director's Meeting for "The Wolf and His Shadow"
• finish sewing grapes, goats
• finish cutting out crabs, pots

• finish moving furniture and setting up the living room to be the stage (the playstands are the main piece of scenery... we are also using the buffet, coffee table, end table, and a chair)
• hold play planning meetings to make narrator and dialogue decisions, practice arranging furniture and playsilks to create the stage for each fable, do walk-throughs on stage and decide exactly where each puppeteer will be located during each fable, choose a logical presentation order for the fables

Tue Dec 13

SSR

Art - read Action Jackson by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan



Morning Math for Plastic Utensils (and Toothpick Puzzles for early finishers... Jamie York's book Making Math Meaningful: Fun with Puzzles, Games, and More! Grades 4-12 has been a huge hit)



Calendar Project - create Jan artwork "2023" inspired by Jackson Pollock's process for "Mural"; do artwork for Mar, Apr, May, and Jul

Nature Study - Little Brown Bat & Opossum chapters

Outdoor Play Time

Play Planning:

• assemble crabs
• assemble grape cluster
• finish sewing frogs
• practice special effects for "The Frogs and the Ox"
• mix paint colors for "The Two Pots," paint brass & clay pots, add handles and faces

Wed Dec 14

SSR

Circle Time for Pterodactyls / Morning Math for Plastic Utensils

Nature Study - Wild Turkey & Common Garter Snake chapters

Calendar Project - December artwork

Play Planning:

• make wooden spoon mice mice for "Belling the Cat"
• set up rows of chairs for audience
• rehearsal (one fable at a time) with audience feedback
• review and edit final draft of play program

Thu Dec 15

SSR

Nature Study - Woodchuck & Striped Skunk chapters

Play Planning:

• Rehearsal
• Final Rehearsal
• make food for reception
• Play Performance 2 pm
• Reception / Holiday Party 2:30 pm

List of Fables

The Wolf & His Shadow

The Young Crab & His Mother

The Dog & His Reflection

The Frogs & the Ox

The Two Goats

The Town Mouse & the Country Mouse

The Astrologer

The Two Pots

The Milkmaid & Her Pail

The Fox & the Grapes

Belling the Cat

Reception Menu

The Fox & the Grapes - fresh grapes

Belling the Cat - crackers with bells of salami & cheddar cheese

The Dog & His Reflection - Crockpot Meatballs with Grape Jelly Sauce

The Country Mouse - Instant Pot Lentil Soup

The Town Mouse - cream puffs

The Milkmaid & Her Pail - eggnog

Thank you to the students for all of their hard work. You were all amazing!!!!

This post contains affiliate links to materials I truly use for homeschooling. Qualifying purchases provide me with revenue. Thank you for your support!