our grand adventure: Lifestyle of Learning 2014 Edition: Volume Two

The remaining weeks of February have been an interesting mix of the active and inactive.

My back is healing and allowing for more mobility which, in turn, allows us to accept some offers of getting out on the town. Maceo viewed performances of Godspell and Keepers of the Tale: Stories from 1001 Arabian Nights. He continues with his Shrek rehearsals and with his acting troupe. His acting troupe had a community performance. (I wish I had footage of this performance as Maceo had a solo and sounded fantastic, alas the camera malfunctioned and no footage was taken).

A blurry pic, yet again, but my boy is there dancing!

Maceo also continues with his private vocal instruction. He has been taking lessons for about three months. His vocal range has already increased and his confidence in his upper register has also increased.

Bishop attended Boy Scouts and did some menu planning and grocery shopping for a troop campout.

Bishop hung out with some friends at open gymnastics and went ice skating (a first for him)!

And he hung out at the Discovery Center.

Laying on a bed of nails!

He also attended youth group and history group.

For history group we are utilizing The Story of the World: Ancient Times

We covered the chapter on the peoples of the Americas. After our map work, we ate tapioca as the Nazca of South America did and did sand painting similar to that which would be done by Native Americans of the southwest U.S. We also looked at Native American items such as kachina dolls, beaded moccasins, and Anasazi pottery shards.

We have also begun our studies of Ancient Rome with the legend of Romulus and Remus and by studying some basics of Ancient Roman culture; including gladiators which, of course, by boy found particularly interesting.

But the active moments were punctuated by less active moments as my back was in need of rest and rehabilitation. During these moments Maceo read Shakespeare's Othello, The Fault in Our Stars, and began to ride Life, The Universe, and Everything. He continues to voraciously consume anything to do with musical theatre. He downloads cast recordings, reads scripts, researches performers and writers whom he admires, and watches any productions he can gain access to. We made a list of shows that he has researched and whose music he is very familiar with and there are 97 shows that fit the parameters. (Voracious consumption, I say)! He also made progress in Biology.

Bishop watched Mythbusters, America Unearthed, and other educational programs. He made progress in reading Rangers Apprentice Book 12 and with Biology. He read books related to Martin Luther King Jr., including his "I Have a Dream" speech. He has also begun reading some books on George Washington Carver in preparation for a related field trip that we will be taking soon. He and I played a game that involved identifying famous Black Americans. He has also begun exploring etymology. We made a memory game using the information found in English from the Roots Up, Volume 1. He won, as seems to be the case more often then not.

He brainstormed possible topics for an academic fair he will be participating in and is helping me make plans for a nature study group that we will be beginning in March.

I also rearranged and freshened some spots in our home hoping to spark some interest and promote curiosity. I made a cozy little nest for reading, drawing and dreaming. In this nook we are surrounded by books...

...and art. We have drawing material within reach...

...and also felting supplies. And a stash of special books, in this case they are all related to Black history, that I will switch up periodically.

I freshened up our display table with a display mostly dedicated to trees.

Interestingly, it is the adults who enter our home who seem most interested in this display. I find them utilizing the magnifying lenses to explore the tree seeds. I love curiosity that never ceases.