School at Home

 We discussed basic safety topics, including fire safety and the dangers of lighters, stoves and hot items.

   Zadok continues to love drawing, painting and all kinds of artistic endeavors. He particularly enjoys creating his own comic books and maps of imaginary countries. This year, we also enjoyed modeling clay and painting/ woodworking projects (courtesy of Home Depot.)  

                We continued the Story of the World History series (Book Three 1900-Present) and read several biographies of famous figures. Zadok has also branched out to reading quite a few history-related books for himself, including famous figures in U.S. history and Ancient China. He enjoys practicing writing Chinese characters and Egyptian hieroglyphics.   He got to attend a lecture describing the discovery of ancient Egyptian artifacts and was inspired to plan an expedition of his own.

  Materials Used: Planet Earth II (BBC Video Series) The Life of Birds (BBC Video Series)  The Plant Hunters by Anita Silvey My Magnificent Machine by William Coleman Multiple picture books about various related topics, including pollination, the human body, plants, animals, etc. Nature walks and outdoor observation, including growing a garden and various indoor plants. We  raised Black Swallowtail caterpillars (found in our parsley patch) and enjoyed watching them turn into butterflies. A Visit to the Scott Arboretum Nature Hikes in John Heinz Wildlife Preserve                   Topics covered: The life cycle of plants and seeds Endangered Animals and Habitat Destruction Kinds of Environments Toxic/Dangerous Animals and Plants Weather and Seasons

                    Topics Covered:      Personal Hygiene      Food Groups and Dietary Health       Physical Fitness/Exercise      The Human Body      Housecleaning      Baking/Cooking      Gardening/Care of Plants and Flowers         This April, Zadok participated in a 5k and raised $200 for a local charity. 

 Field Trips: We took family field trips to Longwood Gardens, the Chesapeake Bay, and Washington D.C., among other places. Zadok was especially excited to see the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Social Studies: Over the past year, we have read books on various topics, including picture books about Hanukah, Ramadan, and other holidays. A book we've especially enjoyed introduces nations and people groups in alphabetical order. We took a trip down memory lane and visited to an Afghan restaurant, and experimented with different kinds of Persian-style food at home. Zadok enjoys maps, and can name the capitals of at least 30 countries (including Afghanistan.) Other Topics Covered:      Cultural Differences      Kindness and Sharing      Personal Responsibility      Respect      Good Manners       Prayer Zadok attends Sunday School and a weekly Story Hour at the local library. He has also ...

                    Writing      Correct Use of Capital Letters      Correct Use of Basic Punctuation      Parts of Speech      Silent Letters and Letter Combinations     How to Write a Letter Zadok completes a daily writing assignment and a weekly spelling test. He also writes a short book report each week. Reading Zadok really took off in reading this year. He loves all kinds of books and now spends as much (or more) time reading as I spend reading to him.  After reading Pigs, Pizza and Poetry by Jack Prelutsky, he was inspired to write his own short poem.      Zadok's (Partial) Reading List:      Charlotte's Web by E.B. White      Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl      Oh, Sal! by Kevin Henkes      The Great Brain John D. Fitzgerald     In the Year of t...

 Topics Covered this Year:      Telling Time      Counting/Adding with Money     Simple Division      Multiple Digit Addition and Subtraction      Multiple Digit Addition with Carrying      Multiple Digit Subtraction with Borrowing      Single Digit Multiplication     Simple Fractions        Finding Area and Perimeter of Squares and Rectangles  We used 2nd and 3rd grade level math workbooks, both purchased and homemade, Base Ten number blocks, and multiplication facts flashcards. Zadok shows a real aptitude for math and seems to enjoy it.