Back to school!

Here's our crew on the first day of school. Well, it's the first day of public school. We've been homeschooling all summer.

Lined up in order of age (except for Sunshine who burst into tears as we tried to take the first photo and had to be bribed with peanut butter cups) are

Banana Boy, age 6, grade 1
Little Hey, age 7, grade 1
Pepper, age 8, grade 3
Layley Hey, age 9, grade 4
Daisy, age 10, grade 5
Sunshine, age 4, preschool
Jay Hey, age 13, grade 8
Rose Bud, age 13 (but almost 14, MOM!), grade 8

Rose Bud

Rose Bud's first quarter report card came in the mail. She had 3 A+, 3 A's and 2 A-.

My dad would have looked at it and said, "What's with these A-'s???"

I didn't.

Sunshine

Sweet sweet Sunshine. We have been working with the speech person at Banana Boy's school and we've determined that he will qualify for Early Childhood for speech, so Monday morning (unless his nose is still so gunky), off he goes to preschool!

He IS making progress with his language. Last weekend he told Papa, "Papa, pease, teeth, Sunshine," asking Papa to help him brush his teeth. But that was a LONG sentence for him.

His latest obsession is "This one." "Right here." "There!"

He still is not using any personal pronouns (me, you, him, her, etc.) He uses very few verbs and then only in isolation (like "Run, run, run" when he is running.

He understands EVERYTHING and can follow multi-step directions (go in the bathroom and bring mama the towel)

He also has become obsessed with one of our Signing Times dvds. He watches "Alex and Leah" every day at naptime, sometimes twice. He is picking up all the signs in this video and will do them along with the movie.

The other day I noticed Mr. GT had bought pears at the store. I pulled one out of the bag and showed it to him. "Sunshine, what's this?"

"App-app," he said.

"No," I said, and signed "pear" to him.

"Pay!" he shouted and did the sign back. Pretty smart little cookie, huh?

Here are some pics of his latest adventuresI had to make slings for Pepper and him for their babies. He's obsessed with his baby lately and is quite a good little daddy.He was reading Banana Boy's Bob Books to his baby. Here is how he reads, "Bob sit. Bob cat. Bob waah!" Correction: He is actually reading a Fun Tales book in this picture, but he thought it was a Bob book. So did I, apparently.
Making something out of blocks (up)
and Playing dress-up with Daisy. (down)

First Day of Kindergarten and Ambivalence

First of all, I can't believe I have FOUR kids who have passed the kindergarten milestone!  I don't feel that old!  My friend next door put her LAST child on the bus yesterday!  She's home all alone!

 

I don't have any desire to be home alone.  I'd be lonely and I'd waste time.  I'm glad to have Daisy, Pepper and Sunshine here with me.

 

I was surprised by how sad I was to send Banana Boy.  I know we're doing the right thing for this child, this year.  He ran off with hardly a backward glance and loved his first day.  He already has a crush on his teacher!

 

But it feels so strange to hear him come home sharing rules he's already internalized that I didn't teach him (why can't he internalize MY rules?) and beaming about the pattern he made (orange, yellow, blue, orange, yellow, blue, orange (stopping there because that's all the spaces there were)) and the picture he drew of he and his teacher living in a castle.

 

He drank milk at snack time.  He made four hoops at recess.  He met a new friend in his class and found a couple of old ones.  He surmised that it's probably illegal to go to the bathroom in the weeds on the playground (although they didn't specifically say not to!)  He unpacked all the things I told him to from his backpack and delivered them where they needed to go.

 

I'm so proud of him and happy for the independence and success he's experiencing.  For this child, an institutional, structured setting is perfect for him at this time.  I'm glad we have the opportunity to homeschool the ones who need it and send to public school the ones for whom that fits.

 

But I'm finding it feels very different to send a little person to kindergarten than it did to send him to preschool.

 

And I'm finding it feels very different to send my 12 year old responsible, can-handle-things-on-her-own off to middle school where I know she can rebut the ideas that don't gel with our family morals than it does to send my innocent, impressionable 5 yo away to kindergarten.  (He said the bus was scary because the other kids were saying mean words (!!).)

 

I'm excited for both of them and it feels fun to "play school."  But the heartbeat of time it took for my boy to step onto the bus and be whisked away was all too short for me yesterday.  I was expecting the moment to last longer, the transition between baby and big boy.  And it happened in a blink of an eye.

 

He and I will still be working on math and Bible and AWANA and reading at home in the afternoons.  He'll be doing lots of playing, too.  Our days will be smoother for spending a little less time together.

 

But this morning he didn't want to wake up.  He's not a morning person.  Of course, his fighting bedtime last night (a nightly ritual) didn't help.  He climbed into bed with me to snuggle under the warm covers this morning and I wanted to just hold him there and keep him home where he could sleep longer and take his usual sweet time beginning his day.  Instead, I had to finally get him up and fed and dressed and ready and walk him, shivering, down to the bus.

 

I'm an ambivalent Kindergarten Mama.  I love it and I hate it.  I want him and I need him there.  I want him and I need him home.  I'm proud of him and I'm afraid for him.  I love to see the excitement in his eyes when he comes home to tell me about his day.  I miss seeing the excitement in his eyes when he is learning something new at home.  I feel proud for sending him.  I feel guilty for sending him.

 

I'm glad I only have to do this once!

 

 

One Small Sixth Grade Update

Rose Bud got her report card and she had A's, two A+s and an A- in gym--because she didn't know she was supposed to bring her tennis shoes the last day (they had already cleaned out their gym lockers).  So she was marked down for a dress violation.  Oh, well.

 

She's very happy about her homeroom and house assignment for next year and we are too.  I think her homeroom teacher will be a good fit for her.  And her best friend is in her homeroom, too.

 

For the summer, she's working through an Algebra book and she's doing Sonlights Language Arts 6--I had purchased it last summer for her before we knew she was going to public school.  She wanted something to keep busy with this summer and she chose those two things off the shelf.  She is also reading about WW I, WW II and the Vietnam War.

 

She's excited to be earning money this summer: $5/week for doing extra chores and $20/week for watching Sunshine two mornings (believe me, he's worth it!).  Of her $20, she gives away $2, saves half and keeps $8 to spend.  Aeropostale, here she comes!

 

 

A Word About Public School

Probably more than one word, if you know me at all.

 

Leslie asked how we decided Rose Bud and Banana Boy should go to public school while the others do not.

 

Rose Bud asked, at the end of 5th grade, if she could try public school.  After MUCH discussion between Mr. GT and me we decided to let her try it.  Some of the deciding factors were:

 

She is a very responsible, motivated and bright student.  We were fairly sure she'd flourish academically.

 

She is a really good kid, grounded in her values.  Remaining so was a condition of her staying in PS.

 

We have an excellent school system.

 

She was entering 6th grade and Middle School.  We figured this was a good transition point for her.  All the students would be new to the school and she wouldn't feel so "new."

 

It turned out to be a good decision.  She has thrived under the structure of public school.  She has been entirely responsible for her work, getting it done and in on time.  She manages her time beautifully.  She loves to learn.  The 6th grade team has been beyond excellent!  They are all very compassionate, sensitive teachers and we think they've done a great job balancing the hand-holding vs. building independence as these kids enter middle school.  She joined band in April and has worked really hard learning to play her instrument.  The 6th graders don't have many opportunities for extracurriculars (which I appreciate)--they keep them on a pretty tight rein, focusing on academics.  But next year she will have to chance to try out some sports and a few other things.

 

Why she's going again?  It was what she asked for for Christmas!  And we let her know we were very pleased with how well she was doing her "job" which was to learn, get the best grades she could, maintain a good attitude at home and be a good friend in school.  As long as those things stay "up" she's in.  At this point, she has agreed to come home for 8th grade (that was part of the deal for going to 7th grade and it also hinged on the plan that we would be moved to our land by that point.  The latter is not happening now, at least not that soon, so we'll see where we are by 8th grade.

 

As for Banana Boy, he has his little issues, mainly with anger at home.  They have NEVER seen this at either preschool or Sunday School.  Really, they love him to bits and he has been a bit of a favorite.  Since I get the brunt of if and since he does so well in a structured class, we thought that having the really positive experience of that continue would be good for him.

 

Academically, he is probably at K level now, so I'm not worried about whether he gains anything at all next year.  I still plan to do a little work with him in the afternoons.

 

My thought is that if he and I butt heads all day, this is not a good thing.  But if he can go to kindergarten and have a delightful time all morning, then come home all happy and have a delightful time with me, then we're having a delightful day!

 

He also has been growing out of the dreadful stage and gaining control of his emotions at an astonishing pace (progress literally month by month), so we're expecting that by 1st grade, he'll be at home full time.

 

Both Daisy and Pepper want to be home, love to be together, and are thriving in homeschool, so home they shall remain.

 

Sunshine will be in preschool (the same one BB just graduated from) two mornings a week.

 

Methinks it will be mighty quiet around here those mornings!!!

 

 

 

 

Really, We're Still Here!

It feels like we've been getting nothing done lately.  With the end of the school year, Banana Boy and Rose Bud have been having end-of-the-year goings-on. 

Rose Bud had the all-band concert (6th-12th grade) which was fabulous.  We have a really great music department here and the middle school band director is especially good.  I think I mentioned that RB only just started playing the clarinet in April and within a month was able to play in this concert.  She has been working so hard and sometimes will practice for almost an hour!

 

Rose Bud also did a slide presentation yesterday on her trip to India for her Social Studies class.  They've been studying different countries around the world all year and are just now getting to India.  Mr. GT suggested she ask to share her pictures since she's been there and her SS teacher was all over that.  So we put together a powerpoint of her photos, she organized them and colored the slides, we put captions on and she prepared to do it for 6th hour. 

 

Yesterday morning, when she arrived, Mr. G actually asked her if she would do it for all four classes intead of just hers.  I was so glad he did.  What a great opportunity to practice public speaking and I'm so proud of her for being proud of India and her brothers!

 

I sat in on the 6th hour presentation (and brought an Indian snack!) and she did a great job.  The kids asked terrific questions and her teacher was very pleased.  He also mentioned to me before the class, how impressed he was with the orphanage.  He said it didn't look anything like what he expected and that it looked more like a school.  He also noted that he could see how well fed and taken care of the children were.  I of course, put in a plug for Holt.

 

Banana Boy had his last day of preschool this week, complete with a recapping slide show of photos from the year.  Very cute!  The kids all had a great time running around in the gym afterwards and BB was so cute with his two best friends.  Hopefully, he'll end up with at least one of them in his kindergarten class next year.

 

At home, we've finished The Witch of Blackbird Pond (I ended up getting it on disc and letting the girls finish listening to it on their CD player).  We also read a book called American Diaries: Sarah Anne Hartford--Massachusetts, 1651.  It is not a very well-written story.  I read it a few years ago with Rose Bud.  But it is an easier read than Witch of Blackbird Pond for the younger ones and it does give a good overview of Puritan life.  So we slogged through it.  (if you want more details about the not well-written part, it is very ponderously written and is almost hard to follow because they take so much time to get through the first half.  The ending is also too contrived and too happy for how I think it really would have happened.  They don't stay true to character.  But, as I said, it does give a good glimpse into the times and the younger girls enjoyed the story.)

 

Daisy is almost finished with her sampler.  Pepper has abandoned hers.

 

I've gotten some more math games in the mail and will review those shortly.

 

We're about half-way through our state study (we're up to North and South Dakota!  Woo hoo!)  Daisy is still gamely plodding along.  Pepper fusses every time.  I did buy Pepper a School Zone 50 states workbook which she is enjoying.  She is also using Yo, Sacramento and enjoys the puns they use to help you memorize the capitals.  (wow!  just went to Amazon to get the link to the picture and that book is selling for over $30!!  Get it from your library.  I wouldn't pay $30 for it.  Glad I ordered it from Scholastic back when it was in print!)

 

Currently we are reading Ben & Me about Benjamin Franklin.  RoseBud never wanted to read this story so this is my first time through it and it's very good.  I think it used to be a Sonlight 3 book but that they've since replaced it with something else.

 

I've been promising the girls we'd make the quill pens from the Hearts and Hands kits when we studied Ben Franklin, so that will be on the slate this week.

 

 

A little brag on Rose Bud

Since I am sharing the things the girls and little boys do all the time, I thought I ought to share Rose Bud's report card.  It's a brag, but it's also a little shout-out to how proud of her I am.  She works VERY hard at public school and puts a lot of time into her projects.  She maintains a great attitude toward her teachers and about her schoolwork.  Her teachers report that she is ever helpful and kind to her peers.  And of course, my dear firstborn follows all the rules (just like her mama did).

 

So anyway, here is her semester report card.  The two grades are Quarter 1 and Quarter 2.

Math A A  2nd quarter has focused on challenging decimal computation and applications.  Keep up the Outstanding work!

Science B+ A  Nice progress this quarter

Social Studies A A Northwest Europe point projects were outstanding! (editorial mom comment:  She put a lot of work and time into these and really had fun.  My non-hands-on girl!)

Language Arts A A Editorial essay was very well done!

Reading A A Another super quarter; great comprehension supported with quality written work!

FACE (Home Ec) A Nice student to have in class.

Music A

Foreign Language A+

Typing A+ Rose Bud is typing 28 words per minute.  She was a real joy to have in class.

PE A A

I guess it is always a relief, although I feel it shouldn't be, to know that our homeschooling has been successful.  I feel like she's a bit of a poster child.  I always hear ps teachers tell how this or that homeschooled kid came into public school and completely flopped.  I'm glad she's showing how well homeschooling can work.  I knew she was doing just fine in homeschool.  Now everyone knows, I guess.

 

Anyway, great job, Rose Bud!  Dad and I are so proud of you!

A Useful Invention

Here is Rose Bud's invention for the Invention Fair on Feb. 28.  She and her friend MoJo have built a crib with play trays (think exersaucer)  They are using our toy pack N play.  One end is open so the parent can get the baby out.