Week 4 ~ Loving Learning

On My Mind ~ This week has been filled with a huge blessing. The pediatrician who cared for my three youngest in infancy and toddlerhood has returned to our area and started a new practice. In 23 years of being a mother, he is by FAR the best pediatrician we have ever had. So now, I am now in the process of transferring all of the children over to his care. One of the things we love about him is that he is a fountain of knowledge and has superior diagnostic skills. He also plans to keep his practice small so he can maintain the personal touch. For instance, he is the person who calls the parent back after hours instead of a triage nurse (who, in my experience, more often than not tells you to go to the ER for everything). He has been an in house hospital (hospitalist) doctor for the last 7+ years, so he really understands some of the more complicated issues that come up with kids. PLUS, he's advertising that he is happy to work with special needs kids! He saved our Tom Sawyer's life years ago, and I am so happy to be back with a trusted doctor. In our first visit (a relaxed hour exam) he explained to me the findings from other doctors about Goldilocks's dizzy spells and told us how to reduce the spells. He also is concerned that she has many characteristics of Marfan Syndrome and wants her checked out by a cardiologist and geneticist. Now, we have worried about Marfan Syndrome among ourselves after researching some of her physical anomalies, but never expected that he would suggest it himself and in the first few minutes of seeing her. I really don't want her to have any syndrome (of course), but it is a relief to have someone knowledgeable look at her and be willing to check it out. It can be a life-threatening condition if it is not followed. Other doctors have commented on one or two of her anomalies, but scoffed at my suggestions of Marfan -- and made no referrals to have her further checked. We are so blessed!

Goldilocks ~ Goldilocks had a busy week. I am really seeing an improvement in her quality of work now that she has a quiet place to work. Here is what she did:

• Listened to The Horse and His Boy.
• Completed 35 pages in math, spelling and reading from Flash Kids Complete Curriculum 3rd Grade
• Read the chapter book, Orv and Will
• Did two book reports
• Kept up with her math from tutoring
• Worked at xtramath.org
• Did art projects at the Arts for Life table at the hospital
• Went to gymnastics class
• Attended our field trip on architecture
• Watched 1900 House every day with her siblings
• Visited the library
• Watched The Red Balloon and wrote a short report about the balloon's feelings
• Worked in her copy work book

Tom Sawyer and Little Red Riding Hood ~ These two are doing so well with learning this year. Here is a list of their activities:

• Played a 3 hour Monopoly game
• Started the unit study on Thomas Edison Young Inventor from Beyond Five in a Row 5 chapters
• Watched CNN Student News
• Started watching the videos of the periodic table from Nottingham University
• Did Lesson 2 of Squilt
• Baked a cake from scratch
• Attended gymnastics class
• Worked at Teaching Textbooks 3 times
• Worked at xtramath.org 3 times
• Read Life of Fred Farming 2 chapters
• Played a homemade memory game of the branches of science
• Went to the library
• Did writing prompts 3 times
• Studied two buildings in our architecture lessons
• Filled in our coloring book for the two buildings
• Ate hot dogs (circa 1916) at a real Woolworth soda fountain
• Did two lessons of All About Spelling level 2
• Packed eggs and dropped them from 15+ feet to see if they would break
• Did lots and lots of Mad Libs
• Made crab apple butter and crab apple sauce

The eggs did not break! They were packed extremely well!

These crab apples are tiny!

Making applesauce the old fashioned way.

Our Favorite Thing this Week

We really had a fun field trip this week. We took our city coloring books and went downtown to look at an Art Deco building and a Spanish Baroque building. We studied the buildings and then colored in the corresponding pictures. The kids also enjoyed the cool, calm Catholic Basilica. They lit candles and spent a few minutes praying. Our town is filled with street performers during the summer and weekends year round, so we watched them for awhile. We also had lunch at our local Woolworth Soda Fountain that is preserved to the way it would have looked in the 1940's.  Everyone (except Tom Sawyer) had hot dogs (circa 1916).  Tom Sawyer had the cheddar broccoli soup which was the only safe thing for him on the menu. I love hands-on learning and so do two of my kiddos.

One of the best examples of Art Deco in North Carolina

Blessings, Dawn