End of Year 1, Term 2

Ambleside Online is set up for three terms per school year.  Each term consists of 12 weeks, for a total of 36 weeks per school year, not including breaks.  The schedule showing booklists and schedules by year is here;  the weekly breakdown for Year 1 is here.  Below I've listed some extra details or changes by week below.

In addition to the readings listed, we included artist (Albert Bierstadt), composer (Felix Mendelssohn) and nature study weekly, as well as folk song (Carrigfergus); daily scripture memorization, phonics/reading, copywork and math;  Spanish (4-5x a week), and piano/music theory (2-3x a week).  For PE, he made the best of the unseasonably warm weather and jumped on the trampoline almost daily.

Week 13 (3 day week for us, due to public school schedule)
The Bible: David, shepherd boy; David and Goliath; Psalm 150
Read The Velveteen Rabbit and watched the  movie

Week 14
The Bible: Bartimaeus, Naaman the Leper, and Psalm 150
Poem a day from A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
Handbook of Nature Study (HONS) - Game birds and Turkey

Week 15 (2 day week due to Thanksgiving)
The Bible: Psalm 150 and a DVD Bible Story/song

Week 16
The Bible: Daniel chapters 5 and 6; Psalm 23

Week 17
Poem a day, from When We Were Very Young

Week 18
Nine Tales: How Two Went Into Partnership
Blue Fairy Book: "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp"

Christmas Vacation!! (2 foster children return to family and we had a great break)

Week 19
The Bible: Prodigal son, Good shepherd, Ascension

Week 20 (we got 4 new foster sons this week, all unrelated!)

Week 21
The Bible - character study
HONS - canary, goldfinch and robin

Week 22
HONS - bluebird and nuthatch (and our bluebirds did show up to our birdhouse!)

Week 23 (2 of the 4 foster boys return to family; stomach bug strikes)
Shakespeare: "The Winter's Tale" (finished)
George Washington by Ingri D'Aulaire (finished)

Week 24 (stomach bug strikes back, but still did the readings)

As far as pleasure reading goes, we have continue with the Little House on the Prairie series, and are only a few chapters away from finishing Farmer Boy (book 3).  We were only supposed to read the first book and then go on to other authors, but he loves them so!  We have also read Pocahantas by d'Aulaire (finished today).

I feel like the term went pretty well, but absolutely flew by!!

The bad - It was busy with foster children coming and going, and with the holidays interrupting...I would like to have the holidays fall in-between terms, and may work on that for later this year.  I continue to feel like we are spinning wheels in math, even though he is learning some new concepts and continuing to practice the old.  He's just very reluctant.  I'm considering trying Life of Fred to make it more fun.  Also, I haven't been consistent with the nature notebook and study.

The good - He finished the first phonics program and is cruising along the Ginn Basic Readers, albeit reluctantly.  He is much more willing to read them if he can do so silently.  I am becoming more comfortable with that after just a few days, and am starting to see signs that he may one day happily read on his own.  His narration is improving, but he still lacks confidence and is easily frustrated.  I'm working on my part in that as well.  Also, because of beautiful winter weather, we were able to get outside much more than I expected!

So there is my recap of term 2!  Hope it helps someone else on their journey :)