Learning this week

Math
Platonic Solids- (prisms,dodecahedron, tetrahedron, anti-prisms)
probability
two problem-two variable algebra, and graphing

Language Arts
Online writing seminar through Davidson Young Scholars, informal, formal, first person, third person, second person, and writing great openings.
Wrote poem with two quatrains and a couplet for Neuroscience Poetry Contest
Five paragraph essay on DNA


Science
Researched and wrote a poem on the functions of the Right Brain
Sharks
The science of spending and saving
DNA

Piano
Study several different style pieces.
Castanents by Catherine Rollin (Spanish style)
Ragtime by Christopher Norton (jazz style)
Gavotte by Telemann(a dance)
Arabia by Alexandre Tansman(Arabian flavor)
Sailing by Moonlight by Joan Last

ART
Painted a pastel picture inspired by a piano piece. (inspired by her Sailing by Moonlight piano piece)


Matryoshka dolls



THEATRE
Acted out A Midsummer Night's Dream with her dolls
Watched live performance of Romeo and Juliet by Actors From The London Stage

READING
The Lightning Thief (again, with Pere)
Tanglewood Tales - Nathanial Hawthorne (with Mere)
Midsummer's Night Dream
Greek Myths (by D'Aulaire - again)
Starting City of Ember, Gregor the Overlander, and The Boggart.

Ballet and Tap dance class
Hebrew and Japanese lessons

MISC.
Baked banana bread with Pere
Played Quiddler, and Quelf with Mere
Watching Dr. Who
Chatting online and emailing with friends

Technology Rocks!

So I live in a small town and the gifted population is rather smaller than was I could avail myself to in Los Angeles.

I have been able to stay connected with my friends back in Los Angeles and new friends I have made through national gifted organizations via blogs, online bulletin boards and groups, Facebook, Instant Messenger, and Skype. I like those as well a as a phone call.

Zoe really enjoys participating with her friends in her online classes and forums, chatting online, emailing, and Skype playdates.

Now if only we could invent the teleportation machine...

outpouring

Zoe has been writing poetry all week. In her Lightening Lit class she is studying Shakespeare's Sonnets and she wrote a rather nice sonnet yesterday.

She is also taking an online class with Michael Clay Thompson this week. She is really enjoying it. He is really teaching them to think about poetry, to listen to the sound, think about the choices the poet makes.

She has written at least two poems a day in that class. She likes the assignments MCT is giving her.

Then, this afternoon is wrote a piano song and recorded it on Garage Band.

MLK Day

We didn't take a break today. We worked on some projects. Zoe started on a five paragraph essay about DNA. She attended an online seminar about poetry with Michael Clay Thompson. (She is a huge fan and MCT is a celebrity in her world.)

We watched two really good episodes of Dr. Who, including Blink. We played Quelf. And I worked on my book while she played some fairy game online.

We listened to some news and talked about MLK, though not as much as we did last year when we watched his speech and did a whole unit on it.

Week End

We had a good weekend.

Friday night we took Zoe and her friend out to dinner, then the girls came back and played and Pere and I watched a DVD.

Saturday Zoe and her friend had dance class. Then the friend came back over for a play date. In the evening we went to a neighbors house for a chili party.

Today Zoe had Sunday school and then in the afternoon Brian and I went to see Lovely Bones, which we both thought was good.

I am pretty happy with my progress this new year. I have been trying to keep under 1500 calories a day and work out 3 days a week. I'm doing a running program called Couch to 5K. So far so good to both of my goals.

My third goal is about my writing and I have been doing well on that too. I am really happy with my book. I wish I could spend more time writing than I get to. But, all in good time.

homeschool today

Math - Algebra word problems
Language Arts - New vocabulary words and a test
History - The Puritans, Anne Hutchinson, Mary Dyer and the Quakers
Science - Sudoku - she solved her first real sudoku and kakuro puzzles
Japanese - more Kanji, getting ready for a big kanjo test
Art - Painted clay model figures
Read Aloud - Poetry by Ralph Waldo Emerson - The Sphinx, A Letter, and Each and All - discussed rhyme scheme, metaphor, simile and meaning. Added vocabulary words Benison ad Cumber.
Lightning Lit
Piano - she really loves her Ragtime piece.

Actual lecture I just gave Z

Zoe, life isn't always going to come to you easily. Sometimes it is going to be frustrating and difficult.

Right now you are not just practicing piano. You are practicing how you are going to deal with things that are frustrating. You are practicing for real life. One day you are going to have a child and they are going to be frustrating and huffing and crying and getting yourself even more worked up is not going to help the situation.

Someday you will have a job and it might get frustrating and the frustration might not go away quickly. So you are going to have to learn how to deal with it. You are training right now for that day.

So, think about who you want to be. Think, who is Zoe and how does she handle things when they don't go well or when they are difficult. Think about the person you want to be. Feel it inside you.

Now, when you are ready, start the piece again. And if you can't get the piano piece right, you can feel still feel good because you are also practicing becoming the person you want to be.