Week 4 - Arizona Vacation

After much deliberation, we headed west to Flagstaff last week. We set up a base camp at the Tuthill County Fairgrounds Campground. It was not fancy, but it was quiet most of the week and well located for our day trips.

Day Trip #1: Sedona
The last time Mark and I visited Sedona we got engaged. Here we are almost 14 years and 6 children later. We visited the Chapel of the Holy Cross and took in many of the rock formations in the area.Day Trip #2: Walnut Canyon National Monument
The kids had a blast exploring the ruins of the Hopi tribe's cliff dwellings. We all tried to imagine what life was like for these people. Water collection was certainly a challenge. Day Trip #3: Grand Canyon National Park
We spent Monday in the Grand Canyon. I think our children are a little young to comprehend the wonder of this park. Catherine and Chloe both expressed feeling small and a little scared by the canyon. The boys enjoyed hiking but didn't seem impressed by their surroundings. Nonetheless, the five older children completed the Junior Ranger Program for the Grand Canyon. We attended a great ranger-led program about wildlife tracks.
Day Trip #4: Slide Rock State Park
We spent two days at Slide Rock State Park. One day was spent with our Arizona cousins and the second, just us. What a fun place! The girls and Mark had a blast sliding down the rock water slides. I stayed with the boys and enjoyed splashing and swimming in the shallower pools.

Weeks 2 & 3 - Summer School

The highlight of the last two weeks has been swim lessons. The pool's heater was broken, so the kids had to endure some frigid temperatures and a great deal of shivering. They had fun, at least during the party time today. Madelyn really improved with her swim stroke techniques. Catherine gained some confidence and now knows how to got about swimming. Chloe worked on her freestyle technique. Seth and Sam had fun playing games and getting to know another teacher. Harrison was a warrior-waiter. We are proud of them all!

• Math - We've continued with Math Sprints. The girls have great accuracy, now it's a test of speed.

• Reading logs - The girls turned in their reading logs to the library. They've been reading more Andi books and Madelyn reads Nancy Drew books to Catherine at night. We've been enjoying the library's summer programs on Tuesday nights. We've seen an African music and dance group and a ventriloquist.
  

• Writing

1. Madelyn - Completed through Lesson 76 in Primary Language Lessons. Also daily cursive practice.
2. Catherine & Chloe - Completed through Week 16 in Daily Language Review: Grade 1. Also manuscript practice daily.

• 10 minutes of daily piano practice
  

Week 1 - Summer School

The girls are continuing with school through the summer. They are required to do about an hour of work each day plus reading. They also are continuing their weekly piano and Mandarin lessons.

• Reading log - This will serve as a record of books read.
  

1. Madelyn - Long Ride Home by Susan Marlow
2. Catherine - Andi's Pony Trouble by Susan Marlow
3. Chloe - Andi's Indian Summer by Susan Marlow

• Math - Daily Math Sprints from Singapore Math.com. We are trying to build speed and accuaracy.

• Writing
  

1. Madelyn - Daily cursive practice in Handwriting Skills Simplified: Mastering Cursive Writing. Also completed Lessons 56 through 59 in Primary Language Lessons by Emma Serl.
2. Catherine & Chloe - Completed Weeks 4-7 in Daily Language Review: Grade 1. Also daily handwriting practice in Handwriting Skills Simplified: Improving Manuscript Writing.
   

• 15 minutes of piano practice daily