Grace Week

We just completed six weeks of lessons and are taking a week off. We call it Grace Week (we discovered this idea several years ago, thanks to Lynn Bruce). Even though official lessons are on hold, the learning continues, but is less structured. I let the children make their own plans which they present to me at the beginning of the week for approval. Sometimes a child plans too much or not enough and is sent back to add a few more items or take some off of the list. The older children tell me what days they plan to do things so that they don't make the mistake of waiting until it is too late to finish something.


They look forward to the chance to work on unfinished projects, relax a little more and completely take charge of their education for a week. I take the opportunity to relax as well and work on cooking and cleaning projects, reading, research, blogging and whatever else needs catching up. We usually plan a fun outing, too. Here's a sampling of what my children chose to work on this week:

14ydd: I plan to...
-Make a craft with Little Brother.
-Finish reading The Innocence of Father Brown (from her free reading list)
-Prepare a post about it.
-Read Don Quixote (from her free reading list)
-Catch up in my personal journal
-Transfer my poems to my poetry journal
-Work on an essay about changing the life of someone in need (This particular child has a heart of mercy. She longs to care for every sad, abused village waif she finds.)
-Master Swan Lake on the piano.
-Watch the Star Wars movies and find the world view behind it.
-Post about it on my blog. (Her post is here.)
-Watch A Man for all Seasons (about the noble death of Sir Thomas More) with Mom and Dad. (She loved this; had already read the play and was looking forward to this)
-Help mom make apple butter and Turkish pickles.
-Catch up on correspondence.
-Run three days this week on our mile course.
-Work on the picking pattern I like with my guitar.
-Get out my winter clothes and write down what I need.


12ydd-My goals this week:
-add 5000 words to the book I'm writing (she's been working on this book for two years now and has written about 300 pages. It's a fantasy novel with spiritual truths and is her favorite hobby)
-Complete two books from my free reading list. (Madeleine L'Engle's books)
-Prepare a blog post about the author's world view. (Hasn't finished this yet.)
-Work on the piano composition I am writing.
-Help mom can pickles and apple butter. (We do this every autumn together.)
-Complete two more sketches to add to my portfolio.
-Catch up on correspondence.
-Add a recipe to my recipe journal. (She rarely does this but I am urging her to do so this wk.)
-Run a mile three days this week
-Work on new openings for the next chess tournament (she is part of a local chess club and has won several awards this year so she continues to work on her skills with her daddy)
-Get out my winter clothes and find out what I need. ("and write it down", replies mom)
-Work on identifying the butterflies and moths I caught this summer.
-File my schoolwork.


9ydd- I'm going to:
-Read Lassie Come Home and
-Finish reading The Railway Children
-Go through my drawers and get out my winter clothes (she squealed with delight every time she pulled out a pretty outfit from the storage box of old clothes passed down by her sisters. The funniest thing she said was, "I feel so sorry for the oldest child. She never gets to have hand-me-downs!")
-Make cookies for the neighbor (this child loves to cook)
-Make a get well card for my friend
-Teach Dear Little Brother how to ride my bike. (She did this on her own initiative and then gave her bike away to her brother as a reward. I'm very proud of her.)
-Write in my Journal (she doesn't like to do this, but I am urging her to do so)
-Add a recipe to my recipe journal.
-Help mom organize our toys.
-Practice my mandolin
-Master On the Banks of the Ohio
-and When the Saints go Marching In (on the piano)
-File my schoolwork.


5yds-I'm gonna, um... let's see: (These plans were dictated to Mom)
-Finish making my Dinosaur Book with mom and Big Sister (He is soooo happy with this book. All my kids made many books at this age from their interests. I love this simple activity for the early years.)
-Make a get well card for my sick friend. Use our NEW glitter! (He couldn't wait to use this messy stuff. I wasn't as thrilled.)
-Make a camp outside and play Rolf and the Viking Bow. (He's trying to grow his hair long so he looks like Rolf. So far I can't get his daddy to get it cut-he's beginning to look like a Maltese dog. He knows about Rolf because my 12yrdd tells him stories at night from this book she recently read.)
-Shoot my bow with Dad. goal: hit the bag (straw) (This is serious business to him. Gotta love 'em!)
-Learn to ride my bike. ( He accomplished this and earned an ice cream cone for his bruised and bloody knees- he looks a sight)
-Try on my winter clothes and clean my room with mom. (translated- "I get to destroy my room while I pull out clothing from my drawers and run around in my underwear until Mom makes me try on the next pair of pants…")
-Run with my sisters and try hard not to walk when I'm tired. (He runs too fast and wears out to soon!)
-Go to the park
-Make sure someone reads a book to me every day. (Begs us with puppy dog eyes. We reread the same books over and over again. I am so sick of dinosaur books!)


The week is not quite over but most plans on the lists are accomplished. Now for a few pics:



9yrDD making cookies

5yrDS Rolf and his Viking Bow



14 yr DD Guitar practice with a candle (electricity goes out frequently here)

12 yr DD Getting ready for the next chess tournament



Dinosaur Book and the author

Learning to ride the bike



(the author of this post... in all her beauty)
Oops! how did that picture get on here?


one step at a time...