Weekly Report

The week got off to a great start. Monday was a nearly perfect day. It didn't stick. Eleanor had a rough week. Not a bad week but she had no focus. We took Wednesday off because we had so many other things going and worked Friday instead.

Monday:

• Eleanor read about Ashurbanipal of Assyria and how he created the first library in Nineveh. Her reading was the Jonah and whale story and "You Wouldn't Want to Be an Assyrian Soldier". This was the only day we got around to French. Henry read about ancient Africa in the Sahara and read "Anansi the Spider". We actually had nowhere we had to be this day.
  

Tuesday:

• Eleanor learned about things you find in the ocean. Henry learned about leopards. They both watched videos on Discovery Streaming. Eleanor read, "Forty Fortunes" and "The Legend of the Persian Carpet". Henry read an African folktale from, "Starry Tales". We went to a homeschool group park day, Eleanor had basketball practice and I my UCSC class.
  

Wednesday:

• We took today off and I intended to really get a lot done in the morning but then a friend stopped by with treats and another friend called and the morning was gone but well spent. Then off to the Brownie's Christmas party and piano and I had book club.
  

Thursday:

• Eleanor read about the Babylonians defeating the Assyrians and about the building of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. She read relevant portions of "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World" and all of "The Persian Cinderella". Henry continued the chapter on ancient Africa which was two more Anansi stories. He also read another African folktale. We went out to lunch and did some errands halfway through the day and made it back just in time for Eleanor's ballet class so we were finishing up lessons at 6:30
  

Friday:

• Eleanor learned about coral reefs. Henry learned about tigers. Both watch videos. They listened to me read the first 2 chapters of "1001 Arabian Nights". Eleanor loved it and Henry, not so much. The girls went to a birthday party and Henry went to OT and then Henry and Eleanor and I met friends at a ceramics studio and didn't get home until after 9:00 which is way past our curfew.
  

Saturday:

• Today Rick and I are taking Eleanor to an art history lecture on art of the Nativity. Its being given by the same professor that teaches the classes we're taking and he invited us to bring her. We're really looking forward to it.
  

Smooth sailing in our core subjects (except for attention issues). Eleanor and I continue to read and enjoy, "Little Women". I think we're on chapter 17. Her writing project for the week was a re-telling of, "The Top and the Ball" by Hans Christian Andersen.

At the end of our lessons on Friday I announced to them for the first time that they were officially on Christmas Break and would be for the next two weeks. Eleanor's face fell which was not the reaction I was expecting and she said, "I'm going to miss school!" I assured her that we would still do our reading and that there would be lots of projects and reminded her that Grandpa would be here on Monday and she seemed to recover quickly. I have to admit that I felt good that she was sad to miss our lessons. Henry, of course, barely reacted. I probably should have waited until "Charlie and Lola" was over to tell him.