no really, how many more days!? that lounge chair out by the pool is calling my name. both kids are doing multiple lessons a day to finish fast. we can hear public school kids playing at the neighborhood pool and the pressure is on.
even though we seem to be finishing late, our year of homeschooling has been a good one. that's just one thing i love about homeschooling- the flexibility to start when we want and finish when we can.
Bubba (5.5y) rocked first grade (Saxon, Explode the Code, and co-op classes), and i learned a lot about him and his best work environment in the process. he is most focused in the morning after a good breakfast (the studies are right!), he shifts from sitting to standing a lot while he's working, he counts in his head silently (so adorable), is a textile learner, and takes frequent drink/snack/potty breaks. he is motivated by my encouragement and words of affirmation, and when i give him something to look forward to after school, like free play!
Big Girl (9y) is nearly finished with fourth grade. she managed a pretty heavy workload including Singapore Math, Story of the World, Pages in My Head, bible, and handwriting in addition to her co-op classes. she can do her work practically any time and any where. right now she's doing math on the back patio with the dog at her feet. she likes peace and quiet when she's working. she loves it when i work example problems in her books or on the chalkboard. she likes deadlines and time limits. she works best if she keeps a cup of water, a box of kleenex, and a snack nearby. Big Girl is motivated by my encouragement and when i give her something to look forward to after school, like a playdate!
the highlight of the HCPA school year was definitely watching Bubba learn to read and Big Girl master her multiplication and division. when i see Bubba sitting on the couch reading a book...my heart leaps with joy. when i hear Big Girl quickly figure out a math problem in her head, i'm amazed. i'm crazy proud of them.
i always tell people, because they ask if we will homeschool our kids all the way through high school, that we take it year by year and decide if it's working for us or not. well, it's working for us. soon, we will begin our 5th year of homeschooling, and HCPA will have a 2nd grader and 5th grader! wow.
around here lately, we are counting pages and counting days. summer is coming soon.
