Where’d December Go?

Here we are.  Two days till Christmas and I’m trying to figure out…. Where did December go? 

Once again, the time for submitting my quarterly paperwork to the school has caught me by surprise.  No doubt, I would not be doing it if it wasn’t required.  But it always has an upside for me as I’m forced to pause and consider what has been accomplished.

The study on Germany wasn’t the most comprehensive or the most fun one we’ve done.  But I think the girls walked away with valuable knowledge about important aspects of WWII.  Weeks later they’re still sharing with anyone who will listen what they learned about Anne Frank and Hitler in their individual studies.  It’s given them both a solid place from which we can continue to explore the history as the opportunity arises.  It’s wet their appetite to learn more. 

The girls read several plays and books about how to put on a play.  Just in time for Christmas, they’re preparing their own play to put on for the family.  They’ve learned about how plays are written, about the roles of actors, directors and producers.  They’ve worked on their creative writing and cooperation skills.  And they’ve had a ball doing it.

They’ve discovered a couple of new book series which they’ve been zooming through.  They love them and they’re talking about them every chance they get.  I’m mainly a non-fiction reader myself so it’s a relief to see them enjoy their fiction without it being forced on them.

Zee is reading quite a few sight words, trying to read books to us and constantly asking, “What does that say?”  He knows all the letters and sounds and can sound out simple words. He loves to ‘do math’ and has already memorized some basic addition and subtraction facts.  He can count to 100 and beyond with ease.  He’s slowly practicing his writing skills and is producing simple drawings for us to enjoy.  Best of all, he loves – LOVES learning. About everything.  He’s learned all this over the course of what we do day in and day out…. no formal instruction. At all.  It’s really quite amazing.

In math, the girls are so far ahead of where we need to be in the Math-U-See curriculum that we’ve got time.  Ah, sweet time.  We’re slowly going over all the topics we’ve covered in the past, improving accuracy and keeping those skill sharp.  Occasionally we toss in something new, most often brought in by some real life situation where we need to solve a math problem.

Ok, ok.  You’re all sick of me bragging on about my kids.  I just can’t help it.  I’m proud of the work they’ve done, the effort they put into it and the progress they’ve made. The longer this homeschooling thing goes on, the better it gets.