Year 2, Week 11

  What a week!  We did so much, but what really stood out was our History project.  This will be a post in pictures.

     This week we read a lot about George Washington.  We had several books on hand but our favorite was George Washington's Breakfast:

     My kids liked it so much that we decided to go ahead and make George Washington's Breakfast of Hoecakes and tea:

There's cornmeal back there somewhere.  Washington grew corn
on his plantation so it was no wonder Hoecakes were a favorite.

Cracking eggs.

Adding a minuscule amount of sugar.

Mix!

Mix some more!

We fried them in a cast iron pan.  The closest we could get to how
they were originally made; on a hoe!

A spot of tea.

The finished cakes.  See that one front and center?  My son
said it was shaped like Africa.  This is what happens when
you homeschool and teach Geography.

They had it with raw honey and cultured butter.
Lucky kids!

He had four of them.

She just had one.

Washing it down.

Taking a sip.

     That is how our homeschool week ended.  With some hoecakes and tea on a Saturday morning.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed them.  On our CC meeting day my son presented the book, summarizing it.  My daughter presented the hoecakes; the ingredients and how to make them.  Since the recipe made plenty we were able to bring some and pass it out to the class.  I'm trying to do one project a week, preferably one they can do with The Principal so that he knows what we've been up to and the kids can share what they've learned with him.  Plus, hands-on learning is always fun.

     That's all folks.

Year 2, Week 10

     I'm just a few days late with this post.  Progress!  We've found our rhythm since beginning Classical Conversations.  We just completed our first month of CC and week 10 of our homeschool year.  Just to refresh your memory, we officially began our homeschool year in July, studying the California Missions.  Once Classical Conversations began, our curriculum shifted to line up with what was being covered during this CC Cycle (we're in Cycle 3).  This is our second full year being part of CC.  We got to join a community in the early 2013 and have enjoyed it ever since.

     Which brings us to what we studied this week.  We focused on the Declaration of Independence.  As a special project and a break from the norm, I had the kids translate it into their own words.  Yes, it was a big task for my (technically) first grader and for my oldest, but with The Principal's help they got it done!  Here they are hard at work, writing their translation next to a break down of the Declaration:

     When they were done I typed up their words to look like an official document.  On the other side is a printed copy of the Declaration of Independence:

     

     We also read The Fourth of July story by Alice Dalgliesh, which got them excited for next year's Independence Day celebration.  My daughter said she plans on yelling, "Hooray for Liberty!  Hooray for Freedom!" during our neighborhood's annual Fourth of July Parade.  I'm sure she will.

     That wraps up our week as we begin another!  Have a wonderful week.