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[momof2]

We are finishing up week 19. The kids are having fun readu=ing the book about the SFO earthquake. Personally, I think it's not such a great book. The wiring is poor. I was also a bit dissapointed in the book about Amelia Earhart. But my kids seem to like it, especially my ds, who can read these books by himself.

Karine

[alisarussell]

Hi Karine,

We're exactly a week behind you. That's a shame about the SF Earthquake book. Actually, we have another one I might read instead. (If you Lived at the time of the San Francisco Earthquake) What was wrong with the Amelia Earhart book if you don't mind my asking?

Thanks,

[jenn&charles]

We are finishing up week 19. The kids are having fun readu=ing the book about the SFO earthquake. Personally, I think it's not such a great book. The wiring is poor. I was also a bit dissapointed in the book about Amelia Earhart. But my kids seem to like it, especially my ds, who can read these books by himself.

I don't like the San Fransisco book either. I agree about the writing. I thought that Ds was liking it, but today he let me know he doesn't really care for it either (a first from our book package). Today I just jumped to the very end and read the end notes and he didn't even seem to notice that I skipped a bit to get there. ;)
I actually like the Amelia Earhart book. I like that it's an "easy" book and written in such a way that ds will retain it. Ds took one look at it when I started to read it out loud and asked if he can read it himself. He's reading Ereth's Birthday from AW right now (pulled it off the shelf ahead of schedule) though so I'm going to let him wait until next week to start it.
I like it so much in fact (well at least that ds likes it so much) that I've looked up the rest of the series at Amazon. I'm thinking about ordering some of them for him to read during "free reading time". He's really enthusiastic about the idea.
We have part of the Middler's pack and I saw that Shutting out the Sky was scheduled. I got it from the library and ds really likes it a lot. If you don't have the middler's pack, it might be worth it for you to check it out.
There are a couple small parts I've skimmed over because they are over ds's head, but he loves it and asked me to read an extra chapter today.

Yesterday we made the tenement apt. from a shoebox. I'll take a pic and post it soon. Ds really loved that project and even his older brother got into it and helped make some of the furniture. I thought it was a great project.
I also really enjoyed the website - looking at the tenements online. Ds thought it was great for the first 2 and then got bored. ;) He had to wait though until *I* was finished! :rolleyes: :D

[momof2]

The reason I didn't like the book about Amelia Earhart is because it's so easy. I have to find a different one for my dd, cause it's boring for her. But my 7 yo ds loves it.
We are going to work on the tenement box this afternoon. My kids are looking forward to this project.

Karine

[Amy Po]

We're on week 17. Sometimes I feel like we're 'behind', but then I like hearing what you all have done so then I don't mind. Dd finished reading Jason's Gold. For some reason, I gave it to her out-of-order according to the readers schedule, but it really fit with the Alaska Gold Rush section. She loved it and finished ahead of time because she just 'couldn't stop reading.' Music to a mother's ears.

[Dani in MN]

We're still in the middle of the Westward Movement section. It's feeling a bit choppy here; not feeling like my kids are getting anything out of our studies right now.

We're coming up on the gold panning kit, which ds keeps telling me we've forgotten to do (he thinks it was for the CA gold rush). He'll be excited when we finally get to do it soon. Got the Gold Rush Fever book from the library recently, and I look forward to reading "Jason's Gold" and "Down the Yukon". I think we'll try to read these aloud as a family since you all have raved about them!

We are reading "Little Britches" right now. I used this book to replace "On the Banks of Plum Creek" which we read last year. Besides, I'm much more sensitive about having a balance of girl vs. boy characters in the books we read aloud (and in the kids' readers, too). "Little Britches" is an awesome book, by the way!!!

Dd is really enjoying "The Great Fire." I am having to improvise with ds's history readers, because of what I mentioned above: the LA2 readers have a lot of books with girl lead characters (Pioneer Cat; Next Spring, An Oriole, Gold Rush Winter). A bit frustrating, but we can work around that.

The kids made "Wanted" posters last week, and had fun with that. We also spread (olive) oil on brown paper bags to simulate pioneer families' windows. They thought that was cool. Wanted to make Fort Laramie out of popsicle sticks this weekend, but never got around to it.

We enjoyed the website where you read about the markings on a buffalo hide. We looked at other activities on that history site (who am I? in the Civil War), and enjoyed that. Didn't like the site about the lawmen and outlaws; too wordy....my kids zone out of the websites get too wordy.

Have a grand week, Everyone!