October school things

We had fun in school this month! Not that we don't usually. I'm at my very best July-September with the fun projects and high energy. October is when we settle a bit more into the normal, paced version of school (until we hit Thanksgiving-December holidays).

Hispanic Heritage Month spans from mid-September to mid-October. We spent a few weeks studying about Hispanic countries, holidays, and histories. Our friend, Mrs. Romine, sent matching "Hola!" shirts for us to celebrate with!

Keeping Hallie and Brynnie occupied takes up a considerable amount of my brain power prior to our lessons actually beginning. I try to have activities ready for them both, and sometimes, it works out brilliantly. Other times...it's a total dud, and I spend my morning hustling anyway.

This was one of those days where nothing was working and my only chance of finishing math with Lily was to hold Brynn in my lap and draw pictures with (for) her.

Read aloud practice with the sisters.

We read through the Chronicles of Narnia this year, which was an absolute delight for everyone. They could not get enough of the stories, and we had the best time. I tried to snag a picture as we read each book, and I'm really glad I did!

And yes, we read them in order of publication, not in chronological order. I feel very strongly about this.

While reading Prince Caspian, the girls were inspired to design their own shields with coats of arms. 

Our Friday Community Days got even more into a groove, as well, as I became more adept at leading my class of littles. Brad continued keeping Hallie at home, which suited them both pretty well.

My room mom (who is also my friend from church) pointing out different kinds of leaves to some of our class on a nature walk. I didn't take pictures of the children (other than Lily), so I only have random shots like this to share.

I got a few more action shots of Lily giving her presentations on Friday, and I just love these pictures of her. Her presentations were always so fun to watch (and even though we practiced them beforehand, I literally never knew what would actually come out of her mouth), and I was able to watch her improve her skills over the course of the year, which is such an encouragement.

This particular week's topic was "book report," and she chose The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. She was so animated and excited about it, which thrilled me.

It is so fun to track their progress as we move through our days, weeks, and month of homeschooling. The day-to-day can often feel like we're spinning our wheels, but the bird's eye view is very encouraging, to be sure.