Adventures in MFW ~ week 14

Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina

Week 13 is reserved for the week of Thanksgiving, so we will come back to it next month.

This week was a little crazy, so even on the loop we didn't get everything done. BUT being on the loop helped me get more done that I would've.

In Adventures, we did the coloring pages for CT, MA, MD, and SC. We also read about the states' birds in Birds, Nests, and Eggs.

We listened to the "dances" from the Nutcracker Ballet. The kids really enjoyed drinking hot chocolate while listening to the Chocolate dance.

In Zoology, we are still working on chapter 9, insects. At least we're doing it... right? *C* came running in one day, "Mommy, mommy, I found an exoskeleton!!" At church on Sunday he told EVERYONE about his discovery. After we read each section they write at least 1 sentence in their composition books.

We also have a new pet. We haven't named him yet, but he (or she) is a Camel Cricket.

*B* is learning about the metric system in Math. She's having fun with it.

*C* finally took his first math test, and made me grade it. He got a 100%. Poor kid would've been devastated if he hadn't.

*T* did another lesson or so in his workbook, and also did some MUS Primer worksheets.

I had an issue with Song School Latin this week. They have the word house as casa. I don't agree with that, so I taught my kids domus instead. I did email CAP and ask about it. Here's part of the email I got back:

Some dictionaries define casa as "house" as well as "cabin", "cottage", or "hut" (e.g., Wheelock, and the Oxford Latin Course). Other define it as just "cabin", "cottage" or "hut" (Ecce Romani, Cassel's). So while there is some ambiguity among the dictionaries, I think that "house" is an acceptable definition of casa. Furthermore, most Romans (including the Roman middle class) lived in fairly modest dwellings that were more along the of a cabin. In other words, the average Roman lived in a "house" more akin to a casa; where as the average American lives in something more like an aedes. Domus is a more generic term that doesn't make clear what kind of house one lives in. In other words, a Roman living in a casa could still refer to his casa as a domus!

Did you catch that? "Domus is a more generic term that doesn't make clear what kind of house one lives in." That screams: USE DOMUS! USE DOMUS! SSL has nothing to do with Roman history or I might agree with using casa. I just decided that we would learn the "generic term" for house. Isn't that what the word house is? A generic term for one's dwelling?

One more thing, if someone can explain this to me I will be forever indebted to you... if casa basically means a cabin or hut, why would the word castle be derived from it?

We didn't get our Picture Study done this week, but we'll keep it on for next week. I picked Prima Ballerina by Degas to go along with the Nutcracker theme.

Oh, yeah, I hate to say it but Mama's not going to finish Sense and Sensibility. I just can't find the time for it. Ouch!