Homeschooling Highlights for March 2021

Ian’s First Week

1. As part of geometry lesson, Ian made solids using patterns we printed. We assembled a cone, a cube, and a pyramid. He then learned about the concept of angles, parallel and perpendicular lines relative to these solids.
2. For English, Ian learned how to use “will” and “shall”.
3. Ian learned about civic organizations/NGOs who help the government help the community from his books. We also used Wikahon for his history lessons where he learned about our fellow Filipino muslim’s traditions, masjid, and way of greeting another person with peace. Ian also learned about people who serve the community such as doctors, street sweepers, security guards, the police, and leaders.
4. For Filipino, aside from Wikahon stories, Ian learned about “Aspeto ng Pandiwa” (english equivalent is verb tenses). He learned about the fable about “Minokawa” through Wikahon for this subject as well.
5. Ian had learned about weather and climate in Grade 1 so we did a review class about it by watching videos on how meteorologist predicts the weather and parameters they use in doing so. Ian monitored and recorded weather pattern for a wee by writing down the temperature, humidity, percentage probability of rain, etc. He then draws the sky and shadows cast to indicate if the day is sunny, cloudy, windy, and overcast. The activity was simple albeit enjoyable for him. He has been a fan of “Mang Tani” the resident meteorologist of GMA News since last year.
6. Ian also learned the basics of Microsoft Excel via SkillShare. If you haven’t tried SkillShare, you should check it out. It’s one of the sites/app we go to for lessons on entrepreneurship (for Nereus’ HELE), basic data science (for me), Excel, Word, and other practical skills such as sketching, painting, and soapmaking.
7. For Art Day Friday, Ian, along with his brother, painted perfume bottle using watercolor and the tutorial about the subject by Let’s Make Art.
8. We also made a mini Zen rock garden for our cactus bubs. Their dad helped with this project as he is our resident gardener and green thumb. Below is the video link to our mini rock garden. What’s awesome about this garden is that we can balance pebbles and gemstones on it as we please. 🙂
9. For MAPEH, Ian and Nereus are preparing for their upcoming piano recital so they have been practicing their pieces. They keep fit by playing soccer with their friends in the community basketball court and doing indoor exercise using our favorite YouTube channels for fitness.

Nereus’ First Week

1. Nereus’ math lesson is just a continuation of what he studied in the last quarter which is about conversion of numbers with units using Metric System. He used Khan Academy and his Math Mammoth book for this topic. He then started his lessons on Divisibility.
2. As mentioned in our previous posts about homeschooling highlights in January and February, we are now focused about creative writing for his English lesson. On this week, Nereus attended a SkillShare class about fast fiction writing. He then wrote a short fictional story entitled “The Piano at Midnight”. I then taught Nereus how to edit his work using the Hemingway App – the same app I use for when I am editing my articles.
3. For Filipino, we are still waiting for lessons from our homeschool provider. In the meantime, Nereus has been using Wikahon for his lessons. The stories he’s read from Wikahon this week is “Ibalon – Ang Epiko ni Baltog at Handiong”. Nereus also learned about Frederico Caballero, a famous local Epic Chanter and national treasure from Bukidnon who was awarded by GAMABA for his contribution to preserving Filipino culture, through Wikahon story.
4. For History, Nereus continued reading about the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. But the main highlight of our week for this subject is the kids’ creation of a puppet theater by upcyling a box, straw, sticks, and old shirt. We then printed paper dolls of Lapu-lapu and Juana, as well as paper boat from Quincentennial Philippines and used these for the impromptu storytelling (video below).
5. For Nereus’ HELE lesson, he took an Entrepreneurship class via SkillShare. The class was a bit advanced for his level but we took just some of the important points for his lesson.

Ian’s Second Week

1. Ian learned adjectives in English subject and “pang-uri”, the Filipino equivalent. He prepared a collage of photos and wrote descriptive words underneath each photo.
2. In Math, Ian used his Math Mammoth book for worksheets on number line and what the symbols >, <, and = stand for. Since this was easy for him, he quickly moved on to lessons on rounding off numbers to nearest tens and hundreds.
3. Aside from “pang-uri”, Ian also learned about “aspekto ng pandiwa” (verb tenses).
4. From his Sibika book and videos about the subject, he learned about his basic rights as a child and a Filipino.
5. We used Wikahon to read about a local story on the origin of moon and stars, “Ang Alamat ng Buwan at Bituin”.
6. Ian watched with his older brother an online SkillShare class on Excel basics.
7. Since his second digital recital is happening on March 28, Ian allots about 15 minutes of practice per day. He will play the pieces, Dinosaur Stomp, Draidel Song, and The Bubble for the said recital.
8. Ian along with his brother painted “Dreamy Night Sky” in watercolor using the tutorial by Nianiani.
9. In Science, Ian learned simple machines with his brother as well as simple hacks on saving electrical energy at home.

Nereus’ Second Week

1. For this week Nereus spent some time learning about Divisibility using his Math Mammoth book.
2. He used his Filipino lessons from our homeschool provider to revisit “Antas ng Wika” and “Ayos ng Pangungusap”. He also read a Wikahon story, “Ang Alamat ng Banahaw”. From the story, he learned the value of “pagmamano” on our elderies.
3. In History, he has been reading and watching documentaries about post-war Philippines. He also read a short anecdote about our national hero, Andres Bonifacio, using our Wikahon-B book, entitled “Gaano mo kakilala si Andres Bonifacio?”.
4. In Science, Nereus studied about simple machines and their types and examples using videos, reference materials from Epic app, and his My Pals book.
5. For his English subject, Nereus used his Phonics book to enhance his vocabulary – part of honing his writing skills and learning as many new words and their uses as he can in one week.
6. Like Ian, Nereus also spent about 15 minutes per day practicing his pieces for their upcoming recital. Nereus will be playing “The Entertainer”, “Minuet in G” and “Spanish Caballero”.
7. He has started his deep dive into MS Excel lesson using my training materials from my previous trainings (Basic to Advanced Excel) as well as some hacks we see on YouTube and SkillShare.
8. For HELE, I taught Ian and Nereus how to grow sweet basil and coriander from seeds via Kratky hydroponics. Here’s a video we made using our class:

Ian’s Third Week

1. Since we have pretty much finished our reference book for English, Ian played interactive games via Games to Learn English website. With the games he play on the website, he is able to construct simple sentences, spell words, play Hangman trivia games, and more.
2. For Math, we took a break from doing book exercises as I could tell that he was already getting bored from being stuck at home. So Ian spent his math time playing games at Math Games website that are still aligned with the lessons.
3. Ian and Nereus built two STEM, Motion Sensor and Shock Absorber. They then watched videos that we found on YouTube that explained the science behind both toys.
4. Ian has also finished his Science book so for this week, we watched documentaries about our immune system, so timely in this pandemic.
5. He read about the story on the origin of ylang ylang plant, “Ang Alamat ng Ilang-ilang” using Wikahon.
6. For Sibika, Ian did a book exercise on community helpers, giving emphasis on the ones we have in our own community for quick association of the concepts in books to reality. Ian also read about China Town in a Wikahon story, “Dalawang Bagong Taon”. To supplement this story, we watched a tour of China Town in Binondo in YouTube. We’ve gone there in the past but Ian was too young then to remember the details. When this pandemic is over, I promised him that we will go back there to eat our favorite Chinese food. 🙂
7. Ian and Nereus painted “Galaxy Hair” in watercolor using the tutorial by Let’s Make Art.
8. After two weeks of practice and lessons, we have finally recorded Ian’s recital pieces for their second online piano recital for this school year. Teaser video on Facebook’s page of our teacher here: https://www.facebook.com/themusicclassroomonline/posts/279568560444671

Nereus’s Third Week

1. Nereus finished his lessons on Divisibility and started ones on Prime Numbers and Factorization. Like his little brother, he also played games about fraction, decimals, divisibility and prime numbers on Math Games website.
2. As part of writing exercise, I asked Nereus to use 10 popular idiomatic expressions in sentence.
3. For history, Nereus watched a documentary about Luis Taruc, the supremo of HUKBALAHAP. He also read about the rehabilitation efforts done in Philippines post-war.
4. Nereus read about a story about the origin of Cagayan De Oro City using Wikahon B. He also studied lessons from our homeschool provider on “antas ng wika” and “ayos ng pangungusap”.
5. As previously mentioned, Nereus and Ian built motion sensor and shock absorber toys. As an added task, I asked Nereus to demonstrate how these two STEM toys work (recorded for portfolio).
6. Nereus finally finished his first Excel worksheet showing data and chart.
7. For HELE, Nereus planted and monitored his basil and coriander we planted hydroponically.

Ian’s Fourth Week

1. Since Ian has finished his book in English, I allowed him to play various games on the website, Games to Learn English. I also asked him to create a PowerPoint presentation about his favorite subject, Outer Space and Planets, to create story in that format. I’ve also encouraged him to draw comics and tell me stories about what he’s drawn.
2. This week he read the story, “Si Pagong at Matsing”, a local fable about a turtle and his friend monkey. It teaches how selfishness can ruin a friendship. Ian liked the story so we looked for video on YouTube that shares the story in animated format. We found this one:

3. I also allowed Ian to play Math games on the website, Math Games like the previous week. We also used Funbrain for solving problems that requires logical reasoning.

4. Last March 26, I taught kids who are also homeschoolers under Peniel, how to paint cherry blossoms. Ian joined as student while Nereus was my co-host. It was my first time to do a live tutorial. We are planning to paint rocks next time!

5. Last March 28, their digital piano recital went live and we were able to watch it along with our friends and love ones on Facebook. Below are their recordings of the recitals:

Nereus’ Fourth Week

1. Nereus assembled solar car, robot vacuum, and water wheel as part of his lessons on energy and simple machines in Science.
2. Nereus, like Ian, had his piano recital. 🙂
3. He also observed how the seeds we put in our Kratky Hydroponics set-up have grown into tiny plants. We hope to harvest lettuce, pechay, basil, and coriander in 5-6 weeks.
4. Nereus also resumed his lessons where he left off in Filipino, English, and History – the lessons were mostly provided by Peniel.
5. For computer lesson, Nereus resumed learning about Excel using my training material.
6. Nereus helped me co-host my first watercolor tutorial. He was vital in monitoring questions that came up during the Facebook Live session. He also helped in looking at Ian’s work while I was busy teaching. We were a team! 🙂

Finally, I’m just so proud that he did great in his piano recital. Nereus worked hard to perfect his Minuet in G, his most difficult piece yet. If you would like to watch my boys and their fellow students play their piano pieces, do visit the link to the Facebook Live posted above. 🙂

It has been a busy month. I’m thankful homeschool is over soon. With the lockdown imposed again in our country due to the steep rise in the number of COVID cases, I am seeking your prayers for me and my family and our countrymen. The pandemic has been hard on all of us.

Keep safe and healthy, everyone!

xoxo,

Grass