community

 We started a Unit Study on Community this week.  I have to admit until I started writing for a community newspaper I hadn't thought much about the value in studying communities.  Now I see things very differently.

 We started our studies with reading some basic material on communities.  From there we began discussing community variations, major components, and issues of our own community in West Salt Lake City.  

 Perfectly timed, our city released via Open City Hall the final draft of the West Salt Lake Community Master Plan.  We took a good hour going through it.  Some of it was over Boo's head but it was good to see her putting the pieces together. 

This week is a crazy week for us.  Boo spent extra hours at gym last night helping with a coaches' training clinic, she has an early practice today before her regular practice, mom/teacher/me picked up 2 great stories for the paper the drafts due in 7 days(!), and the two of us leave for her first out of state meet Friday morning.  So much to do and very little of it is getting done.

What we did manage to do was go on a field trip to the Community Food Co-op Market.  Boo is trying her hand at photo journalism :)  She has plans to visit 5 key community spots and take photos.  Here are her's from the market.  Including her *exclusive* access to the giant fridge.  "I feel like Mr. Rogers." The nice Co-op guy told me smiling as he guided her around. 

 Alphabetical filing of produce in the giant walk in refrigerator.

 Boxing materials

 "Mr Rogers" at check out.

Now we are off to the next thing on our list, hmmmm let's see, yep, GYM.

Highhill Homeschool

current resources (grade level 4-5)

Geography and Civics:

Science:

Creative Writing:

Mathematics:

General Education and Resources:

Reading List Line-Up:

The Black Stallion 

Farley (currently reading)

The Secret of the Old Clock 

Keene

Ginger Pye, 

Estes

King of the Wind 

Henry

Lily's Crossing 

Giff

the school day pile up

 Talk about settling down to work. 

1) BrainQuest Questions Grade 3, fun for a warm-up and review of last years school work.  I wasn't super happy about the Terrorist question, sad kids would need to know that.  But I always love to hear Boo's funny home schooled answers to things like (Q) Which animal doesn't belong in a zoo? Zebra, chicken, elephant.  (A) a chicken belongs on a farm.  Boo's answer: an Elephant, they are too smart to be kept in zoo's.  And her answer to the leak in the kitchen sink question: you call Dad!

 2) Math.  Sometimes knowing how to look up the answer is better than simply knowing the answer.

 3) Design a lab sheet to record data for the response times experiment. Boo is going to ask Big coach D if she can use her teammates to gather some stats real fast since she doesn't have classmates.   

 4) Writing using writing prompts.

5) Mission Antarctica game. Good trivia questions a bit complex to learn but once we played a round we got the hang of it.  We have the space version of this game too.  We picked them both up secondhand, new in original wrappings for pennies on the dollar.   

Now time for 6, 7, & 8!

 6) Reading Doctor Dolittle & a slow hot lunch.

7) Back out to play in the falling snow.

And last but not least, 8) GYM.

a camping we go!

Skull Valley

White Rock Recreational Area 

Pony Express Trail 'Dugway', Utah

Simpsons Range