Regarding Mary Tudor...

Today Gemma said, “Why does she have to be ‘Bloody Mary’? Why not just ‘Mary-Who-Had-a-Bunch-of-People-Executed’? That sounds so much better.”

One month away from 3rd grade...

• History: Pete just finished reading Gemma Little Duke. (He LOVED it.)
• Tales: This year, I had Gemma read half of Pilgrim’s Progress and half of Tales of Troy & Greece, two books on Charlotte Mason’s original programmes. She’ll read the second half of each book in 3rd grade. We have less than 90 pages of Robin Hood. 
• Last song learned on piano: Arkansas Traveler; She’s two songs from completing Alfred Prep E so I’ll need to order Book F soon. One of the things that I like about the Alfred Prep series is that it’s filled with folk songs, so I don’t feel the need to add additional folk songs to her schedule.
• A couple of the (many) books Gemma read this month: Green Ember & Matilda
• Bedtime: We finished Cleopatra Confesses (with a couple of minor edits), and started The Tarantula in my Purse by Jean Craighead George (which is wonderful!!!).
• Math: We’re on Lesson 16 in LOF Algebra.
• Currently reading Trees and Shrubs. (Gemma said she misses natural history books with dialogue, so I’m looking at some dialogue-filled natural history options for 3rd grade.)
• Foreign Language: Currently reading El Raton Pablito and Brandon Brown Veut Un Chien. 
• Shakespeare: Gemma chose Merchant of Venice for Shakespeare, but is scared of the “pound of flesh.”
• Bible: We’re finishing Genesis & Luke. Looking ahead to 3rd grade, we’ll be doing Exodus and Matthew. 
• Poetry: Eugene Field
• Artist: Mary Cassatt
• Composer: Haydn
• P.E.: Dance, swim, jiujitsu 
• Handicrafts: Slowly cross-stitching a large cat picture
• Geography: Currently reading The World by the Fireside. Recent passages have been set in Asia (examples: the Mongolian steppe, Tibet).

Gemma (age 7) playing Daddy’s song

You might be a homeschooler if...

...your 7 year old opens a cardboard box “general store” and calls out, “Grapes a shilling! Bananas a farthing!”

P.E.

For the past two years, Gemma’s weekly P.E. schedule has included Brazilian jiujitsu, tap, ballet, and swim.