We started the year late, after a move and new baby, and so, instead of our usual 4 day a week year, with the fifth day for fun, field trips, or activities,, we buckled down hard and did five days a week. We took practically no breaks this year, and I'm so proud of my crew and how diligently they worked.
We all really enjoyed our school flow for the most part. We kind of have a rhythm of what curriculum we use for each subject and how to set up our days for success. I know a lot of families are switching to the loop scheduling system for homeschooling, but that is just not my style. I write our lesson plans for the week and we move through each day. If we don't make it to something, we push it to the next day, but without our grace day of the 4 day scheduled week, we really tried not to miss things. My days were much easier this year, having Mike here so much more, so actually the stress was less in regards to getting time to read aloud and do science activities. I also didn't have JAM, Bible study groups, or any extra activities to divide my time, so I was wholly devoted to the children during the day (the perk of not knowing anyone in a new town).
Anyways....
Congratulations, Natalee, on your completion of 5th grade!!
You have grown and matured so much this year.
Natalee enjoys drawing, coloring, riding her bike, and writing stories in her free time, in addition to lots of reading and playing pretend. Her favorite game is Scrabble, and she likes playing Wheel of Fortune on her iPad. Natalee soared through 5th grade and made great gains in her math skills (not pictured - we do it on the computer) and her grammar/English/writing abilities.
We were in Sonlight Core E this year - the 2nd half of American history - and it was my favorite, and probably most thought provoking year of History yet. You can't learn about the Civil War, WW1, the Depression, WW2, the Civil Rights movement and more without getting a fire in your belly about the great injustices in the world. If you can, you need to read them again. These two kids and I have marched on battlefields this year, we've traveled with historians and world changers, and we've had many many thought and tear provoking conversations. I'm grateful for the growing we all did this year.
Congratulations, Xavier, on your completion of 4th grade!
Xavier had made HUGE gains in his reading comprehension and has fully fallen into the world of reading for enjoyment. His fluency is now top notch, and he is often found with a book while the rest of the kids are playing. Xavier began a cursive handwriting book this year, and we discovered that he has gorgeous cursive ability. He enjoys sketching, serving others, video games when allowed, shadowing his dad (running cables, etc), riding his bike, and playing a multitude of sports in his free time.
Congratulations, Ameliya, on your completion of Kindergarten!
Ameliya shocked me with her mental math abilities and whipped through the Masterbooks level 1 book without much difficulty. She can add, subtract, tell time to the hour, skip count, tally mark, and write to 100! Ameliya also enjoyed learning about nature and sitting in on the big kids' read alouds. She knows a great deal about much of the American history the big kids and I did, simply because she is a listener. Ameliya also learned to READ this year! She is a proficient beginning reader, and is very eager to continue her lessons after we take a little summer break. She is reading anything she can get her hands on and likes to write letters to other people by sounding out the words and getting help for some of the hard ones!
In her free time Ameliya plays pretend with the others, but is often found drawing, coloring, looking at books, or playing with her babies or her kitty. She learned to ride her bike without training wheels this year and puts a lot of miles on it riding out front of the house. Ameliya has grown so much physically this year, too. She is tall, slender, and her hair is growing again. She looks healthy and she feels good and we are so thankful.
Congratulations, Zayden Sam on your completion of preschool!
It feels like Zayden has been in preschool forever, because, while he is a crazy active little dude, he's also always been a quick and eager study and has known his letters forever. This year he worked on refining his writing, coloring in the lines, and his cutting and gluing abilities. He would often go several days without doing "school" and then would sit for hours with his books and want to do page after page. School at Zayden's age also included a lot of following directions, learning to obey, and following through, as well as cleaning up after himself. He worked on a lot of Lego projects this year, and his little fingers got stronger because of that. Zayden likes to ride bikes, scooters, and skateboards, jump on the trampoline, draw, do whatever his big brother is doing, and have an occasional tea party with his sister in his free time. We are giving Zayden a chance at kindergarten next school year, but we will take our time, and may schedule in two years of first grade for him. He is sure in a hurry to get to "real" school, but mom is dragging her feet - although I did order his school books!
Oh yes, and Zayden also wants everyone to know he learned how to make stars this year.
We did it, kids! And we even did it with a pencil nabbing, crayon eating, paper tearing little
B.L.I.S.S. Academy will be taking a couple weeks off before reconvening to do a fun, light study on backyard birds and then beginning the new school year sometime in July-August. Mom's still reviewing the calendar. This school year our children have welcomed a sister, moved, watched a space launch, schooled through a pandemic (which meant the loss of every extra activity we had chosen), and done it all with exemplary determination and grit.
Enjoy the summer break, sweets! You earned it!
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