Food Chains and Microscope Views

I shared our Monday notes in my last post, so let's pick up with Tuesday. The day started out a bit different because after dropping Joseph off for seminary at 5:55am I headed to the hospital for lab work. Eight vials of blood later I headed home and we got our morning started with breakfast, chores, getting dressed, and then school work.

Caleb reached the point in his Handwriting Without Tears book where cursive is introduced. He is so excited. We pulled out the chalkboard and got to work. He liked the flow of one letter into another.

Various kids completed reading, language arts, math, and so on. Daniel wrote a poem today while Joseph and Emma wrote about a book they recently finished reading. Elementary group science today was on food chains and webs. The boys lined up and started choosing a role in the chain. In one chain we had the sun, grass, a grasshopper, a snake, and a hawk. Then we started creating several chains that all linked together, such as orange tree-caterpillar-bird, orange tree-caterpillar-frog-bird, orange tree-squirrel-cat, orange tree-deer-bear. The boys had a blast being different predators and prey, deciding what kind of consumers each animal was, etc.

I baked chocolate chip pumpkin muffins and blueberry muffins. Over an early lunch we listened to more of Little Men, followed by our usual afternoon medical care. At 1:00pm we sat down to watch the live stream of a devotional with President Russel M. Nelson, then it was on to piano lessons and enjoying the rest of our day.

Wednesday I had one very grumpy child for the entire school day. It made for a rough morning but I practiced being impervious: "Unable to be affected by something". We made it through. I wonder if they are getting sick, because they went to their room and napped, something they haven't done in years.

Wednesday afternoon I got most of my bloodwork results from my endocrinologist. My thyroid numbers are good so no change to my medication dose. I am anemic (low iron), which I suspected, and my vitamin D levels are low, among other things. That means I've got some new supplements to take and have to split things up over 3 different times of day so they don't affect the absorption of each other. For the anemia I'm starting by taking vitamin C and dessicated liver pills. I don't like the side effects of iron pills, so we'll try this for a couple months to see if it helps enough. I've done this in the past and it has worked well. Liver pills are pretty smelly and taste about like you would expect liver to taste - yuck! For the vitamin D I'm supplementing and trying to increase my time outside in the sun. I will repeat bloodwork in a few months to see what is improving and what needs a new approach.

In the evening five kids headed off to the church for youth and scout activities. I loaded up the younger four to pick them up when it was over and we did a little stargazing when we got home, then bedtime.

Thursday the older two had some microscopic specimens to look at under the microscope. They are doing Apologia's Biology course together this year and the current module is about microscopic life forms.

I tried to get a few pictures of what they could see using my phone.

It was a lot harder than I thought it would be!

Some kids started research on places to visit on the Isle of the Skye in Scotland. My elementary science kids drew food chains. There were books read. Snacks eaten. Math work completed. It was a solid, normal day. In the evening Joseph, Emma, and Daniel headed to the temple with grandparents.

Friday we had to postpone book club for a week because of illness in one of the families. We had a typical school morning, then settled in to listen to Little Men over lunch, as usual. We are enjoying the book.

In mom learning this week I started reading The Smartest Kids in the World - and how they got that way by Amanda Ripley. It's been on my to read list for a while and I finally got a copy through the library. It is interesting so far - a reporter follows U.S. exchange students as they spend a year in top ranking countries, interviews researchers in education and testing internationally, and uses narrative to explore the state of education around the world. 

I am also almost halfway through The Book of Mormon, and two-thirds of the way through the New Testament in the Bible.

I'm reading some 'just for fun' books as well.

I've learned that I like to have reading going in several categories. Then I can pick up the book that fits my mood at the moment. I also try to make sure at least one is an ebook, so it is on my phone and easy to work on waiting in line, in doctor's offices, etc.