Loving, Liking, Liking Not A Bit

Loving
Life of Fred- Fractions. Still.
Thames and Kosmos- Milestones of Science Kit. Very cool, good quality, varied and interesting. Would be better if it had ideas for further exploration, though....
Embroidery.
Autumn. Isn't it just the best season for starting new projects and getting reinvigorated? We love schoolwork in the fall.
School Baskets. The boys each have their own school basket, and each night I make sure their baskets have what they need for the next day's work. It's simple, keeps the clutter down, keeps them focused, and the baskets can move anywhere we need them- dining room table, downstairs, kitchen, even outside, I suppose.
A focused character study time.
A History of US by Joy Hakim. They're great. Really, really great. Much better than I was expecting. Totally worth the price.
Writing Strands 3. Funny, smart, short lessons each day, and Avery's favorite- breaks between lessons! The book is written directly to the child, not to the parent, and that little thing makes a big difference. Avery does the work on his own because he knows that the author expects him to. And you know, he does very well.
Liking
Simply Grammar. I think it would have been really nice two years ago. For us, for fourth grade, it's pretty simple. But the lessons only take a couple minutes and review is good. It's nice that it's oral work- I think if it were intended to be written it would feel too much like busy work.
Word Play. More at Avery's level, and it pushes him along. He insists lately he has no imagination, no creativity, so a little prodding in that direction is good.
Liking Not A Bit
Anatomy. Or rather, the fact we haven't studied this at all in weeks. For some reason this is too easy to push aside in exchange for other, ANY other activities. Hmm.
Guitar. Practice. Or at least the fuss about whether, in deed, Avery is supposed to practice today, whether or not he's really supposed to practice for 30 minutes or 3, whether the time spent setting up his music stand and getting his guitar out counts as practice, and so on and on and on. Nope. Not liking that one bit.