Sells baked goods to save up and buy more guitars.
His room is full of guitars.
He's a little guitar crazy :)
Ed has been Lu's guitar teacher for 3 years now.
Computer stuff:
And here is Lu doing something very complicated with his computer.
Installing or rebooting or hard-driving or something like that.
I would tell you more, but I understand no-thing about it.
So, besides the Portuguese explorers, and the linear inequalities, and the ionic bonds we've been studying, there's also all this cool stuff that sometimes isn't even on the schedule. It's the magical stuff that happens when there's time to explore and listen to what calls you.
Lu completed 50 hours of a cooking apprenticeship,
which is now over until the chef comes back
for the next high tourism season.
Until then, he's practicing his gourmet skills at home!
We've had incredible plates like Pad Thai
Mango Coconut Shrimp
and SUSHI!!!
We started the second chapter in our Algebra book.
Chapter 1 took us four months!
This is hard stuff, but we're doing it. And I'm proud of myself for not hiring a math tutor, because this does NOT come naturally to me. I failed math my last year of high school after years of barely passing, and now I'm successfully teaching it to my son. It's a great feeling. So if anybody out there is doubting homeschooling because you feel like you can't teach something, I'm proof that YOU CAN!
This weekend we're going to the city to participate in the on-going peaceful protests, with dozens of thousands of other people, to demand the resignation of our president and the rest of his corrupt government. Here's Lu making a poster for it:
So we'll be in the middle of this in a few days:
And lastly, here's Lu making up a new tune on his guitar:
Last weekend, Lu was in an Improv Theater dinner show with his improv crew. They worked hard to put a lovely show together which included a three-course meal served by the actors.
Lu did some hooping.
And the improv skits were funny.
Improv is a great way for kids to practice quick/clever response,
develop verbal agility, and build confidence in general.
Lu also debuted his song: "Face to Face"
It was a wonderful evening.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Our year starts in January,
and this was our second week back from break.
This year, we're not quite sure what grade we're in.
Last year we were in 5th grade, but we didn't quite get to everything. See, I spread myself a little too thin, taking on more work (dance classes), and leaving Lu to try to do the work on his own. I thought that the independence and responsibility would be good for him, but it was too much. Math skills and handwriting suffered the most. So we need some time to catch up in these areas - not catch up to some standard, but to where Lu would be if it hadn't been for my absence. Also, because I was so busy running around between assigning assignments to Lu (that I didn't even have time to check), and working, I was Stressy. All. The. Time.
And that is not how I want to be.
So, we're calling it 5th/6th for now, because we'll be doing 5th grade math and 6th grade language arts. But really, all the rest of it (history, science, geography...) is pretty... gradeless, as in who knows what grade this would be taught in at a regular school.
And I am not taking on any work until the afternoons, so that I can have all my focus on being a present and good-humored learning partner for Lu again.
On Fridays, we do math in English with Arithmetricks.
Lu LOVES this book. Yay!
He reads a chapter or two,
and then explains the tricks to me.
In this week's science experiment,
Lu made paprika dance!
In History, we're reading about feudalism, castles, lords, vassals, and knights, and Lu's interest in history is returning having been briefly lost during the collapse of Ancient Rome.
In Geography, Lu learned about
the Scandinavian Countries, the Lower Countries,
and the British Isles.
We have a collection of mythology books from around the world that I like to keep handy. They get used a lot. Whenever we start learning about new places, people, cultures... we pull out one of our books and read a myth or legend from that place or culture. This week Lu read several Norse myths.
Not only does Lu love them,
but they connect us to something essential and magical
about those places and cultures.
This week, Lu made Arroz con Chorizo,
from his Colombian cook book.
Accompanied by diced zucchini, garlic, and onion curry.
It was really delicious!
(not the best pic, sorry, but I had to show it cause it was so YUM)
Our homeschool year runs from Jan-Dec with two months off in 1-3 week breaks. We are usually "back-to-school" by now, but we're taking another week off instead. We really needed a vacation. And I can't stress the "really" enough.
Last year was a hard year. Math was hard. Our mom-son dynamic was hard. Our learning dynamic was hard. We got lost in the schedule and the routine. We formed bad habits, especially in the way we talk to each other.
So, we're taking this time to find Peace again.
Quiet. Simplicity. Patience.
And Getting Along.
Lu's become very passionate about really learning to play his guitar.
He plays "Wild Thing" and "Beat It",
and "Summer Lovin'" (from Grease).
It's fun to hear how his playing develops.
Over the holidays, we had lots of friends come to visit.
On Saturdays,
Lu's been taking guitar lessons with another homeschooler,
