2nd Grade Math: The Cube
Second grade math has been a bit hit-or-miss in terms of what curriculum to use. Because DD8 is on the autism spectrum, I find it easier to mix up the approach based on her mood that day. Sometimes she responds better to a craft project like this cube, other days she prefers ipad math games, and still other times she wants to work on a math worksheet.
This is where I have to be flexible to her needs rather than my own desires. I still keep a list of general skills I want us to hit this year, so I just cross off the skill as we go over it, regardless of the medium used.
Revolutionary War - Revisited!
As we were going through the MLB, we realized that we never completed the last page (from our Revolutionary War unit) that we had set aside in order to do a depiction of the Liberty Bell. We're currently in the middle of our Ancient Greece unit, though! Dilemma? Nah.
We took a little time on the weekend and watched a quick video about the Liberty Bell, and then did up this page for the MLB without too much fanfare. It didn't throw off our Greece vibes at all, especially since we did it on the weekend - a non-traditional day for us to do lesson work. In this way, mentally it didn't FEEL like a lesson day, but rather a quickie "fix it" day.
Greek God Hades
So now back to our regularly scheduled program. We read a story about Hades and learned about his connection to Persephone as well as his role in caring for souls that have passed. Humans since the beginning of time have had a love-hate relationship with the idea of Death. The Greeks were clearly no different, and as a result they created several myths about the dying process and the procession of the soul after it leaves the body. At this age (10 or so), students are in a mindspace where they are beginning to notice the different life cycles around them, which makes it a good time to start introducing myths and ideas humans have had about Death in this (somewhat) fun way.
Grade 2 Saints Block: St. Valentine
Like her brother before her, DD8 is learning about St. Valentine as a 2nd grader. We find the Saints block to be interesting, and each of my children have their favorites. Both of my children really (REALLY) loved learning about St. Francis (and both have expressed that what they love most about him is his connection to animals). DD8 also enjoyed Brigid, and I think they both also found St. Lucia to be an enchanting figure at Yule time.
Some people worry that having a Saints block means that it is religious education. I prefer to think of them as Wisdom Stories or mythology from which children can glean many different ideas as well as be exposed to cultural stories that are still very important to various different people around the world.
If we cannot understand how other people think and believe, I think it is too easy to consider them as "other", rather than as simply another part of the human race with their own unique beliefs, sharing this planet with everyone else.
I hope your February is going well, and that the love and open-mindedness that St. Valentine displayed (by marrying soldiers against the will of the local churches) helps you to expand your idea of how we can express love in the world today.
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