Math:
In Math, Peter has started in Saxon 8/7. He is doing very well and has gotten to lesson 15, including 1 investigation and speed tests with every lesson. Here is his latest lesson:
Here are a few of his Saxon Practice Tests:
Here are the actual tests he's completed:
Peter is very Math minded, and spends a lot of his free time doing other mathematically minded activities, like solving his Rubik's Cubes (he has a large collection and knows how to solve them all). Peter loves algorithms, and problem solving. Here is one of his favourite problems he's solved lately:
He also enjoys cooking, and can follow several simple recipes. He especially likes to make desserts, of course. This month, off the top of my head, he has made lunch for his siblings a few times, and has also made some Peanut Butter Protein Squares, some Protein Balls, and a Chocolate Crisp dessert.
Peter has been dabbling in a program called Tinker Cad, 3D modelling his own designs, and then printing them on our 3D printers. The 2 designs he's created lately are a model of a Mayan Temple, which he has printed, and a model of the Parthenon, which he has yet to print. Here are some screenshots of his design blueprints from Tinker Cad:
Peter is working in The Good & The Beautiful Level 6 for Language Arts. He consistently does great work, and has good penmanship. This program is very thorough and quite broad, covering a wide range of subjects, including world geography flashcards daily, beautiful artwork throughout, as well as art projects in chalk pastels etc, and many historical stories about different regions that would tie in well with his History studies. The Language Arts portion works on a variety of components of writing and grammar, including sentence diagramming, a daily reader, and individualized spelling words. Peter has completed Lessons 1 through 12:
Peter also recently wrote a short essay on Rubik's Cubes:
Peter is an avid reader and is currently reading the Harry Potter series for the third time. I often find him reading fact based books, such as National Geographic, Guiness Book of World Records or Smithsonian books. We have recently read The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Runaway Ralph & Charlotte's Web together as a family, and are just starting Bridge to Terabithia.
We also read scriptures together as a family every morning, and are doing a 12 week program to memorize The Living Christ document before Christmas. So far Peter has memorized the first 2 paragraphs, with a goal to memorize all 12 paragraphs before Christmas:
Peter is also doing French lessons twice a week with his sibling, taught by his grandparents, to brush up on his French skills (he is already bilingual, but has been out of the French school system for a couple of years now).
Science:
For Science, Peter has been using curriculum from Edquest online. He has been working on the Interactions and Ecosystems Unit. He loves doing research projects, and happily made a powerpoint
as he studied, of his own volition. Here is his powerpoint on Symbiotic Relationships:
Science is another one of Peter's passions, so he has enriched his Science experience in his free time as well. He has read a book called Canadian Inventors, as well as the Archimedes and the Door of Science book mentioned above. He spends a good deal of time reading a set of Smithsonian Books he got for Christmas last year, and also has a subscription to National Geographics Kids, which he enjoys.
In addition, Peter has done a few Science experiments this month on his own, as well as one we did as a family. Together, we made Rock Candy, and by himself, he made Oobleck and a Lava Lamp. Here is a video of him and his Oobleck in action, as well as some rock candy pictures:
We have also visited Writing on Stone Provincial Park, Dinosaur Provincial Park, and gone on several small field trips around town in search of different Rocks and Minerals. Here is Peter's Report from our Field Trip to Writing on Stone:
Social Studies:
Peter has just started his Alberta Aligned Social Studies. He's been learning about the Mi' kmaq people:
He has also been doing World Geography Flash Cards that came with his Language Arts Curriculum. He is doing quite well with with them, and has mastered several already. Peter is a whiz with his geography, as it has long since been a passion of his. He has a world map hanging on his bedroom wall, and when I gave my kids the choice to buy a novel from the Learning House Curriculum Fair, Peter chose a Canadian Atlas instead. He has far surpassed his mother's geography skills! We are also listening to The Story of the World Vol. 1 on CD together, and awaiting our hard copy to arrive in the mail.
Our Field Trip to Writing on Stone was another great experience for Social Studies, specifically our visit to the Visitor's Centre, where we learned much about the history of the area.
