Christmas Books...

Here are some of the Christmas books we read:

Christmas Unit: Latin America...

Here are the books we read about Latin American Christmas traditions:

Miss A's Book Report...

After the major writing meltdown yesterday, I took my life into my hands by having her write a book report.  I thought she did quite well.

Journaling...

I've been trying to include more writing in our homeschool, especially since Miss A throws MONSTER fits about anything to do with it.  She's in forth grade!  I feel like she should be writing all the time.  So each morning we start with a little journal time.  Today I had the prompt "Would you rather go the the North Pole or the South Pole?"

Here is my entry:
I would rather, right now, visit the South Pole than the North.  Mostly this is because it is summer there, and therefore light.  So I could actually see what is there.  Besides, I like penguins.  Polar bears are very appealing and absolutely adorable, but the thought of being close to them in pitch blackness is fairly terrifying.  They are the biggest land predator, right?  The girls of course are probably writing that they would rather visit the North, so they could see Santa.  And of course in his large hidden under-ice kingdom there would be plenty of light.

Here is Miss M's:
If I had to choose Between the North Pole or the South Pole I would choose the North Pole to visit Santa and the elv's and Miss Claus.  But I would like to visit the Pengwens too.  You could go sking in the DARK!  I would sleep in an Igloo.  I would have a pet poler bear.  We could pet the Reandeer.  My favorate Reandeer is Roudalph.

Here is Miss A's (after one of the aforementioned huge fits, and me sending her to bed for an hour):
I wouldrathervisit the North PolethanthesouthpolebecauseIcould visit Santa.  And slide withpoler bares.swimwith walrases.And seethe elfs.See flying raindear.Make Christmas peresents.eatcandy and cookies.Make gingerbread houses.Go sleding.And skeaing.

(My general rule is that they need to write as many sentences as their years, thus Miss A's interesting period placement.)
(Any advice on improving writing for ten-year-olds?)

Christmas Unit: The Nutcracker...

Our Grandma got us tickets to the ballet of the Nutcracker for Christmas!  It was so wonderful.  We talked a bit about it the few days prior for homeschool.

This blog has a lot of links to useful resources.

I used this study guide to get some background info on the ballet and on Tchaikovsky.  Did you know that he was so passionate about music that he would tap beats with his fingers on windows and once broke the glass and was seriously injured?  It also has a great etiquette guide that I quizzed the girls on.

We read some books:


This one tells the story in short, easy to get language.


This one we had already, and it's got a good use-your-imagination message.

We watched the ballet on dvd, the version I watched when I was a kid.

I must say that I like the story of the ballet we watched in person so much more than this one!  It makes so much more sense.  I wish the Richmond Ballet would put out a dvd!

We colored some nutcracker coloring pages, and went to the show!

Of course the girls got in their very fluffiest, sparkliest, most accesorized outfits.  And the theater was chock full of similarly bedecked little girls.  It was very cute.  (On a side note, Daddy and Grandpa didn't come; Daddy was sleeping because he is working nights, and Grandpa said he'd rather suck start a revolver.)  I even let Miss A wear my highest heels, the ones I'm afraid to wear because I'd break my ankle.  She walks much better in them than I do.

We had good seats, and time to look over the program.  Which is when I learned that all the dancers in the story from other lands are really drinks, which really makes so much more sense than just the random people in the Baryshnikov version...  We also went up to the front to look down into the orchestra pit.  Very cool.  

Here is Miss R, looking angelic.  She lasted pretty good through the first act.  But she was ready to go at intermission.  If they had just gone straight through I think she would have been fine the whole time.  Here is a later photo...

It was no small task to keep her still and quiet through the second act...

Miss M loved it.  And has been practicing her ballet moves since.  It's very charming to see her leaping and twirling and pirouetting, but sadly, it is genetically impossible for her to be graceful at ballet.  If she chose speed skating, swimming, archery, javelin, possibly wrestling I'm sure her grace would more easily surface.

Miss A was also enthralled.  She loved the bear that danced with the Russians, which did the dab twice evidently.  I'm still not in the know enough to know what that is exactly, but it was cool.