January Learning Notes: Weeks 19 & 20

I always assume getting back into school after Christmas break will be a struggle, but after we did religion on Monday, 4 of the kids came down with the stomach flu. I kept working with Teresa Tuesday morning since she wasn't sick, but by Tuesday afternoon/evening, the other two kids, including Teresa, as well as James and myself had it. Wednesday we resembled more of a hospital recovery ward... soup, Netflix, and taking it easy. 

Despite the virus, by Saturday we were all caught up except for 1/2 of a reading lesson for Brigid. We read about Henry VIII in Story of the World and The World's Story. We read the first half our first zoology lesson on oceanography and began reading Elizabeth Ince's St. Thomas More of London. 

It was a really long, exhausting week, so we really just rested that weekend. On Monday though we did do our reading of the 16th chapter of Matthew and lesson 18 in Faith and Life. In History we read about Martin Luther and the Reformation in The World's Story and Story of the World. We also read through the DK Eyewitness book on Oceans. Felicity picked the Narwhal as her favorite sea creature and all the girls were fascinated by the blue spotted octopus, because of which they are happy not to live on the coast of Australia. 

We finished the first lesson in Oceanography and created ocean boxes, either with 5 or 3 zones, in which they will place their clay ocean creations as we learn about them. We finished reading St. Thomas More of London and watched A Man for All Seasons.