WR: Listening Ears

I've been scheduling CD time into our school days and we are finally making deliberate use of our fine collection. This week included:

Lingua Angelica (the kids are actually learning to sing parts from frequent listening. It is just beautiful).
Classical Conversations Cycle I CD (includes history sentences, geography, Latin, English grammar, science, & math).
IEW's Language Aquisition Through Poetry Memorization Section II (still on The Duke of Plaza Toro). (We finished Section I last year). Feche-Boy is memorizing Charge of the Light Brigade by Tennyson. It is a rockin' poem.
IEW's Advanced Vocabulary and Spelling
Classical Kids: Mr. Bach Comes to Call
Story of the World: Medieval Times (though we're still on Ancients, Cub prefers this CD. We're gonna get all of Ancients in before the end of the month though).

FecheBoy did quite well on his Bio test, again, despite claims to being under prepared. It is wonderful to hear him explain concepts and show how much he is getting it. He buckled down to Latin this week and spent several hours working on the class (on-line through LCAA). IEW Ancients is coming along and he, along with all of the class, are continuing to improve their writing skills. Seems like Flower's reading has picked up momentum and she is reading more difficult things with ease along with writing little notes about everything. Cub, too has been writing more and he surprised me this week with how well he is spelling. Alleluia, I might actually have a kid who can spell! KB started a new science unit with the notsolittles on weather, which has been lovely lately.

Spent more time at the acreage with contractors talking about laundry rooms and attics, kitchens, placement of water heaters and laundry shoots and built ins. The soffits are in the kitchen and the cabinets are being made. We decided on birch instead of cherry for the kitchen and bath cabinetry, which has a lovely, clean look. The cleaning company spent more time washing down walls and the porch. It smells like a new constuction site instead of an old house that burned inside and out now. We have our work cut out for us though as we've decided to do a majority of the drywalling and painting ourselves. The front porch needs totally re-done and it's about gardening season. Looks like we'll be learning and expanding lots of "life skills" soon. The kids are glad to be "home," whenever we are there, and take the dogs on long walks along the river, up the hill and into the fields. They are ready to be home and roam.

Another TDA day: Younger kids art included papermaching their "Days of Creation" animals. The older kids did a more complex Tree of Life drawing describing the attributes of God. Drama is poetry and readers theater and games and lots of laughs and the kids becoming oh so comfortable speaking in public and performing without angst. IEW does what is says it does, as always, and the kids are all becoming writers par excellence.
The kids all voted for a spring Drama Camp and actually had great ideas regarding what and who it should include. It's great to have thier input and investment.
A lovely week, full of learning, reading and enjoying the weather.

I'd love to hear about any CD's you utilize in your school. Have a GREAT week-end.