Our First Year

Week 22

We had the completion of our quest tournament on Monday. It has been a lot of fun during Chess Quest learning and playing along with the Eagles!   We had a great launch on the Definition of Excellence and how it is a moving target, also how it surpasses the common or ordinary.   In Civilizations we learned about the ancient people of the Americas. We looked at photos of the Nazca drawings and the Eagles were excited about the mystery of what they could possibly mean. We also read about the statue heads of the Olmecs. We discussed if we had lived in that time and were poor, would you have farmed food for the rich people in order to stay in society or would you have moved away to live by yourself and have freedom but need to rely on yourself for survival? We also discussed if the ancient people came to see the world as it is today, would they have liked what we have done with the land and with civilization or not?   In Music we practiced our piano pieces for the Exhibition concert and we also played our ukuleles and worked on reading music.   On Wednesday we spent time getting ready for the exhibition. This exhibition was tough to plan because so much of our work involved being present in the studio and it was hard to show off everything we did.    Thursday we finished our exhibition prep after we did our usual Thursday activities. PE was very fun as always with fun Valentine's Day-themed games, relay races, tag, and balancing on big yoga balls. Art was focused on finishing up our final drafts of our self-portraits.    Friday was clean up after the exhibition and the last push for core skills. We also spent time reflecting on how the Exhibition went and what could've been done better/ in a different way.   We had a very special Valentine's Day Lunch Party - Mr TJ made everyone banana pancakes!   Our morning launch today was a debate about whether or not you can learn things outside of school. The Eagle were very insistent that they can (and do) learn a lot outside of school - which is exactly what we were hoping for! During vacation week the Eagles have been challenged to learn 1 new thing.   Here is a link to a TEDX talk given by the owner of an Acton Academy in Idaho: http://bit.ly/39AS5kV

Making bread for Exhibition!

Valentine's Day Pancake Lunch!

Cutting books out for Exhibition!

Trying out human chess! They made a BIG board on the floor!

Week 21

This week for adventure we went on our pitch-a-field trip adventure to Fun Spot. In order to earn this field trip the Eagles had to write a persuasive essay that included how the trip would be educational. We will have this Essay to check out at our Exhibition at the end of the session! I must say our Eagles showed us what they are made of. I am proud to say all of the Eagles behaved like true Acton Eagles being kind, respectful, and helpful throughout the entire trip.   We had a great morning launch on Monday about good and bad apologies. We discussed how one little word can make sure a huge difference: "I am sorry but" vs. "I am sorry and". Using the word "but" almost negates the entire apology. We also discussed how much your tone matters when apologizing.   For quest we learned more about strategy and setting up checkmates using fancy piece combinations. At music we practiced our instruments (harmonica and piano this time) like always. I am proud of the progress we are seeing in the Eagles' musical abilities.   In Civilizations we learned more about Alexander the Great and we discussed "Would the Empire have been better if Alexander had been older when he became King instead of only being 20? Or does age not matter?" It was a very good conversation!   Here is a link to Laura's most recent blog post - warning, it is a heavy one! https://www.actonacademyparents.com/from-hell-to-hero/

Harmonicas!

Doing the obstacle course!