The First Day/Week Back....whew!

So - today is our first day back in school after Spring Break.  We are all rejuvenated after our week 'vacation' and are ready to get back to work.

Asher working on the rough draft of his story.

Monday was extra special because Daddy was able to hop in during our Science period and teach a lesson about rocks!  We learned how weathering works, what causes it, what minerals encourage weatherization and what can inhibit it, and how it is all a cycle.

This week we have also acquired a new addition to our classroom/home.  Asher got a 'small' pet turtle that he named Max.  Max is currently residing in our classroom in his small tank and in our laundry room sink when he needs a larger space to play and exercise.  He is a Red Eared or Painted turtle and is fairly friendly.  Asher really likes Max!  He is careful to feed him every day and for once, doesn't seem to mind getting his hands dirty while handling him or cleaning his cage. Mommy and Daddy may not be Max's biggest fans, but he is a fairly calm little guy that the kids enjoy watching.

Sunday after Mass, Savannah had some really deep questions about Heaven and death.  She doesn't want to die for a VERY long time and is praying that nothing happens to her Great-Grandma Pachmayer or any of her Grandparents because she would miss them so much.  I usually let Daddy take the lead on these kinds of conversations since he manages to explain them better than I can on the fly.

Grammar and Writing this week is proving to be a process - the writing process! But seriously, each day is devoted to a different part of the process. Today Savannah blew it out of the water with her rough draft, but Asher is having some problems focusing, so he is working on his third attempt of his rough draft, this time with a 'list' of story needs: who, what, when, where, why, and how.  It seems to be working better for him knowing that he needs to address these parts of the story. Wednesday the kids will be working on their reviews and peer edits. I'm curious to see how well they do.  This is our first week back AND our fist week writing "un-directed" so I'm sure it will be a learning experience and give us some ideas on things we will need to work on/improve.

Our "Friendly Letter" pen pals are still going strong. The kids have probably written about 40 letters to various people.  They love getting mail and responding to their pen pals.

A close-up of Max, Asher's turtle.