Beyond FIAR Co-op: The Saturdays 1

Well, my blogging is off to a slow start, but I am being productive at home.  We are on a good pace with our schooling.  I've been working on decluttering closets and bookshelves.  Still lots more work to do, but I'm happy to make progress.  Slow and steady.

We started a new book with the new year.  We are still in volume 3 of Beyond Five in a Row.  The book we are currently studying is The Saturdays!  What a delightfully fun story!  This book has just 8 chapters and so we spend each co-op covering topics in two of the chapters.

For our first meeting we covered a variety of topics including France and composers.  Just look at the neat display board!  (A closer view is coming up.)

We start our mornings with a devotion - something that ties in with one of the lessons or topics in the book.  The lesson this week was on doing our work as unto the Lord.  Always a good reminder to do our best at whatever we are doing because the One we are striving to please is God!

The kids really liked having these little maps when we did some geography.  (And my boys have enjoyed it at home too!)

Here are some of the composers that the children learned about.   Bach.  Tchaikovsky.  Debussy.  They also learned about some artists that were contemporaries of these composers.  We listened to the story "Goldberg Variations" which was the story of a composition that solved a riddle and was really quite fun!  Of course we listened to the music too.

We also listened to, and tried to identify, the animals from Carnival of the Animals.  The book pictured below is a fun illustration of the music.

Our next lessons moved us to France where we learned about various cheeses made in France and "toured a cheese shop" there too.  You have to love having access to so many things via the internet!

An inviting bowl of clay.  Another item mentioned the book that the children enjoy playing with.  Each child got 2 and could choose to make something here or take it home.  My boys decided to take it home and play outside at the end of co-op.  Most of the others did too.  

The book mentions the game of Parcheesi,  It had been a long time since I've played and I had quite forgotten some of the rules.  What a fun game!  I'm  hoping to play it again soon at home with my children.  

Snack time.  Really lunch time.  What a delicious spread of foods!  Of course there were french cheeses  (Brie, Boursin and one more I can't remember the name of) and bread to go along with the lessons.  French roast beef sandwiches with yummy spreads, pickles and crudités.  All of it so good.  Isn't this an amazing snack?!  

 We went home and continued the fun!  The boys played with the clay for hours!  What a delightful pastime for all of them.  Reminds me that I need to go purchase more clay!  This is what they thought the blocks of clay resembled.  LOL  Perfect!

So engrossed in their work!

 They divided up the colors and set to work.  Each creating different things.

 Joshua made vehicles (truck and airplane) and started on an army.

 Can you tell what Daniel made?  Our New York City trip made quite the impression on him!  Statue of Liberty, a helicopter and landing pad as well as the Eiffel Tower.

 Isaiah set up a concert.  Some of the army guys came over.

 Backstage.

I love when our learning spills over into other things that we are doing.  You know a lesson was fun when you see it continued during play time!

I'm excited about our fun time with this story and look forward to sharing more about it with you.

Blessings
Leslie