Somehow we ended up 6 weeks into our school year before I took pictures! We started early to accommodate more time off in the fall. This year we are trying out a 6 weeks on/1 week off schedule with a longer 2 week break in the fall and at Christmas. We plan to finish mid-May and then start back after the 4th of July. I can't believe that I am somehow finding myself in our 4th year of Homeschooling.
Landon, you just finished your Kindergarten curriculum last week. We didn't finish it at the end of our school year so we picked back up with it this year. You got bored and stopped wanting to participate. You are so hard to figure out right now. You get excited about a subject and then bored easily and once you are bored you no longer want to "prove" what you know. I start getting silly answers from you or we go completely off the plan and you start organically using our subject material (if I'm lucky) in a game of your choice. You seem to be showing signs of being a natural speller however we never really got into handwriting last year so you still need practice in that department. Your pencil grip has improved but you still need time and practice to develop those muscles enough to be able to write what you would like to. Given that this is technically supposed to be your Kindergarten year that's pretty good! You still love to build and will turn any assignment into a chance to build and any manipulatives get purloined for your purposes.You also are starting to like to draw and love making your own books. You surprised me last week by drawing a perspective drawing of a village! You've been noticing things about scale/perspective and asking questions that make me think you might be inclined towards art. Only time will tell though- you have many interests! Speaking of interests, you love to read and have been obsessed with Ancient Egypt and Rome. We have a stack of books on the subjects and you'll read them late into the night after you are supposed to be asleep. This school year will be interesting and I hope I can keep you engaged and interested in learning (I have a feeling I'm going to need to be very flexible). We start your first grade curriculum (and Kindergarten handwriting) next week.
Ethan, you finished your 2nd grade work early and moved into third grade so you are already a quarter of the way through. You can't wait for fourth grade and have decided that third grade wasn't as interesting as you thought it would be and that fourth grade is going to be paradise. In your eyes, the grass is always much greener a level ahead! You are especially hoping that fourth grade would teach you about genetic engineering and you were disappointed to find out that wasn't part of a standard 4th grade curriculum. You are full of big dreams and plans and bored easily by mundane subjects like spelling and handwriting. You have matured and are much better about finding a way to make them interesting and getting your work done. Its an emerging skill though- I find a lot of doodles and that your work takes twice as long as expected! You have recently discovered a love of drawing and have started carrying a sketchbook along with you. You are still into rocks, space, science, and love documentaries on animals.
We are staying so busy these days with trips to the library, playdates, homeschool park co-op days, and Taekwando. Also, this year Ethan starts 4H! Both of you boys are growing and changing so fast. I feel fortunate that you both love learning!
