Sunday, November 30, 2014

Week 17 ~ Thanksgiving

This five week unit is so packed with life that it is hard to get done all of the learning I have planned. I knew this would be the case, but the teacher in me over plans every year. This week found us feasting, learning and ringing in our favorite season.

The Parade ~ We love our little city's parade. It is intimate and fun. Most everyone can get a front row seat. We have at least six marching bands from local high schools and a few balloons. The kids look forward to it every year. It always take place on the same day as the rehearsals for Nutcracker performance that the kids are in, but the studio is just a block from where the parade goes through town. This year the kids' rehearsals were before and after the parade, so we were able to see most of it.


Thanksgiving ~ We had the most peaceful and smooth Thanksgiving that we have had in years. It was everything I could have hoped for and then some. It was just peaceful. It was just us and my Mom this year. We made everything from scratch (except one organic sweet potato pie and organic ice cream). My husband made the winning food item this year, which was a Pioneer Woman recipe for no knead dinner rolls. They were so good! Now what to do with all of those turkey leftovers? We spent the day cooking, laughing, and playing board games. My husband and I finished the day by making turkey stock. We got several quarts of it this year.




A New Light Show ~ My husband received a gift card to Macy's, but the closest store is in a neighboring state, South Carolina. We do not shop at all on Black Friday. I honestly don't think the deals are all that amazing and I can't stand the way people behave. I have a very limited budget and would prefer to put my dollars into small local shops. However, I thought it would be okay to go shopping on Saturday, so we drove to South Carolina. The mall was huge ~ double the size of our mall and crowded but not overwhelming. The patrons were behaving themselves. After getting his shopping done, we went to the Roper Mountain Light Show. We like to do a drive-through light show each year if we can find one that is laid back and not too commercialized. This one was really lovely and kept to the spirit of Christmas, for the most part. There was a trinket stand in the walk-through area, but it was easily avoided. We stood in the very short line for the balloon man who was giving all of his earnings to charities. We really enjoyed the walking and driving tour. It was fun to be able to do both.





Our School Week ~ So what did we do for school this week? I am glad I recorded everything because we got more done than I remembered.
  • Language arts workbooks 4 days
  • Teaching Textbooks 4 days
  • Journal 4 days
  • Literature ~ God Bless Us Everyone movie and DVD
  • Literature ~ Doll Bones ~ audio book that we are half way through
  • One physics lesson ~ Gravitational Potential Energy converted into Kinetic Energy
  • Geography ~ Seabird by Holling ~ first 6 chapters and map work
  • CNN Student News
  • Board games ~ Life, Scrabble, and Apples to Apples
  • Dance/Nutcracker Rehearsals ~ 9 hours
  • Physical therapy for Tom Sawyer
  • Arts for Life table ~ Little Red Riding Hood
Blessings, Dawn

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