Our school has been going sooooooooooooooooo well. I mean, I can't even begin to explain how well it's going. Words couldn't even describe it. BabyGirl is so eager to learn. She makes it so easy on me. She is the best student a mommy could ever ask for. She has such enthusiasm for all she does. She attacks everything head on, and I love that about her. Now, it's my job to make sure she never loses this. And I'm taking that job very seriously. So, here is what we've been up to on the Joneschooling front....
BabyGirl has written her first story. She started with her first draft, revised it, had a writing conference, checked for errors, and will soon be publishing it. She loves this. (and so do I) We've also started dissecting sentences. Not the crap I did in school. Not the lines and all that bull. Nope. She can just tell me what they are, underline them correctly and we move on. Aahhh, the beauty of home school. :) Next, we move on to paragraphs.
She has also been thoroughly enjoying our new math game. It's called broken calculator. Here's how it works. I give her a number...let's say 17. She has to give me 6 ways of getting 17 with a calculator (adding & subtracting) but the key #7 is broken. She loves this like crazy! She will actually sit and play with this for an hour. I'm loving where this is going. We have to have more of this. I will be thinking of lots more ways to use this passion with math....
For science we are still working with Earth. Since our last post we have done experiments with the water cycle, volcanoes, our moving plates, and erosion. They were all fabulous hits. We've got one last week of Earth. We're starting on the atmosphere. Then, next month it's on to Extreme Weather!!!
For history/geography we've just wrapped up Ancient India. She aced her test last week with flying colors! She loves ancient cultures! Next, we move onto Ancient China.
The handwriting is coming along beautifully. Her penmanship has improved so much. She was totally meant for cursive writing. I could've saved such a headache just starting with it. But, who knew?? She's even progressed to adding little curly q swirls to the end of her name. So sassy. :)
Recently, we had a meeting with our home school group. (the best group ever!!) The kids made purses by recycling chip bags and using duct tape. They are really cute!! Then, we had a group project where we made a monarch butterfly with individual notes from each child attached to it. We sent it to a group in Mexico where they will take care of it over the winter. Then, it will migrate back to us in the spring!!!
Last week we also went on a field trip to a local Vet in Broken Arrow. www.nicholsondvm.com He did such a wonderful job with our kids. He is the most kind hearted and gentle vet you will ever find. He will spend all the time your kids deserve explaining each procedure as he does them. We highly recommend seeing him!!
The music school is amazing. It's bringing out so much joy in BabyGirl. She is in love with the piano. Her 40 minute practices fly by and she will actually want to keep playing and singing. I can see so much maturity in her this year. Maybe it's her age. Maybe it's the passion in the music. Maybe it's just coming into who she is. Whatever it is, I thank God every day for this ray of sunshine in my life. I strive every day to be more like her. We all have so much to learn from our children. We just have to stop. And listen.
Speaking of learning....this weekend we celebrated our Great Great Auntie's 100th Birthday. As I was looking and listening to her it occurred to me how childlike she really is. She is so sweet. She is so innocent. She is so beautiful. I could feel the love radiating from her, and it was so special. I miss my Grandma so much. I hope she can see us. BabyGirl commented the other day how Grandma didn't even know I was pregnant with Little Man when she left us. I think she knew. I think she knows. I feel her love with me, just like the love coming from Auntie.
We got a new addition to the family recently, too! Our Mimi and Papa got a new little baby named Bandit. He is fitting in perfectly. He is already just like one of the kids. He is so well behaved, and such a sweet little guy. Just take a look for yourself!!
Little Man is growing like crazy! He has his 2 top and 2 bottom teeth. He can say (and mean) Mama, Dada, Dis (this) and Get. He is such a sweetie. He loves to snuggle and laugh. He loves his big sissy like no other. He is a mamas boy. And, like his sissy, has a zest for life that we can all stand to catch. He is almost crawling now, although he's more interested in pulling up to try to cruise. He loves listening to the piano. He loves his jump up! He truly completes our little family.
Well, I think that's about all for now. My hope is for each of you reading this to enjoy the beautiful beginning of our fall weather. And, to slow down a little. Enjoy the ride. Learn from the children and elders in your lives. You will all be a little happier AND a little wiser.
