Imaginative Fun

My children are so excited for Easter this year that they've been talking about it daily. I figure I had better be on the ball and make it count. So, I got them the coolest little gift; it's a felt cookie set, and all of the toppings are interchangeable so they can redecorate as they choose. It even comes with a cookie sheet and spatula! They're always pretending to cook and bake, so I know they'll love it.

I also picked up some books for their baskets. Reezle has been really into history and biographies, so I found a few books which encompass both interests and I know she's going to love them. Little G loves cats and biology/anatomy, so I bought him a cat anatomy book and some fun cartoon cat books. He'll be over the moon, I just know it.

Yes, my children get jelly beans and chocolate bunnies, too. I'm not a no-candy mom. That would make me a huge hypocrite, ha!

I'll Take a Pony

A few days ago, after Reezle had helped me with a bunch of things (over several days), I said to her, "You know, you're a great helper. I'd like to do something special for you to say thank you."

She said, "You don't have to do anything for me." I told her I knew that, but that I felt she deserved some recognition for being so awesome. She said, "Mommy, I help because I want to help, not because I think I'm going to get something."

Wow. I won't lie, I would have been the kid saying, "COOL! I'll take a PONY!"

So Blessed

I am so blessed. So incredibly, wildly, awe-inspiringly blessed. And I have to put my thoughts down.

My daughter is quite possibly the most compassionate soul on the planet, with the possible exception of the Dalai Lama. Her love, patience, and understanding surpass her years immeasurably; and when I say she inspires me to be a better person, I absolutely mean it with every fiber of my being. Her smile is like sunshine, and she brightens my world.

Sure, she has her moments. I was going to say "bad days", but I've actually never known her to have a bad day. Only moments. I hope I don't end up paying tenfold for this when she is a teenager, but for now she is just the sweetest.

I am blessed. I am so thankful. My children bring such joy to my life, and I just wanted to say so. Because right now they are tucked into bed for the night, fast asleep, and I can't say it to them until morning.

Loving The Rich History Curriculum

Today, Little G studied the Ancestral Pueblo in his history class. We read about how these people covered hunted animals in blankets of turkey feathers and thanked the spirit of the animal for the sacrifice of life that was given so that they could eat. I find this practice to be beautiful and mindful. While I am mostly a vegetarian (I do sometimes eat fish), and strive to eat vegan, I don't condemn the consumption of animals products. I do, however, wish people would be more like the Ancestral Pueblo and many Native Americans and truly appreciate the sacrifice of life that occurs so we may be fortunate enough to eat. Sadly, gluttony, excess, and entitlement seem to have replaced the humble, much more aware nature of our forefathers.

I continue to be thoroughly impressed with K12's history curriculum. It is so rich and the coverage is so in-depth that I feel my children are learning things much earlier and much more clearly than I ever did. History seems to take a backseat position to everything else in many public schools, which is incredibly sad given how critical it is for all of us to know our history and the history of our world. I know I probably sound like an infomercial for K12 in some of my posts, but I did a lot of research before choosing this option and I feel extremely confident that it was absolutely the right choice for my family. With every lesson I present to my children, these feelings are reinforced.

Oral Fluency and Speech

I finally located the online oral fluency assessment I used previously with the kids, and it was extremely close to the school's assessment results. Since Little G is technically in Kindergarten, he does not do an oral fluency assessment through K12 yet. At the beginning of the year, he was reading about 40 words per minute, hampered somewhat by his speech disorder. His comprehension was perfect, though. He is now reading at 62 words per minute, also with perfect comprehension. This is a late 1st grade to early 2nd grade reading level, and if his speech disorder wasn't holding him back I believe he would have done even better.

Because his speech is not "bad enough" to hold him back beyond his actual grade level, he does not qualify for services any longer. People assess him and tell me that he's actually doing more than most children his age. But I believe in helping him achieve his true, fullest potential, not just "passable" on some one-size-fits-all assessment. So, I am working at finding as much information as I can to help him compensate for his disorder and bring his speech capabilities more in line with his intellectual ability. I take a video of him every 8 weeks to determine what is progressing and what isn't, and what we need to focus on most. His progress from last year at this time until now is nothing short of amazing! Words are extremely important to my son, and he has an incredible desire to communicate. I believe that is his greatest asset in terms of stomping his challenges.

Aimsweb is the benchmark assessment used to evaluate K12 students. I think in general it is probably a decent evaluation tool. However, in evaluating children with special needs (like my son's speech), or gifted children, it probably falls short. It's frustrating. Teacher friends of mine have said the same. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who feels this way, yet I don't have any better ideas so perhaps I ought to just keep my Aimsweb opinions to myself.

Meanwhile, I am very proud of how well both of my little students are doing. Even at this age, homeschool requires some self-discipline to do as well as they are doing. They are hard workers who really want to achieve their best, and I am blessed to be a part of the process.

Schooled

So, I just got owned by an 8 year-old. My husband said, "Differentials. Don't you love them?"

Reezle chimes in and says, "I like differential equations."

I said, "Dude, you don't even know what a differential equation is."

She said, "Yes, I do. It's like subtraction. It's about finding the difference."

Um. Duly noted.

Round 2 of K Assessments

My math-loving little buddy had his assessment today, and is doing great. I will get the actual reports soon and post them when I do. The highlight of his assessment was that he has the green light to go into 2nd grade math if he achieves (I think it was) 95% course completion by the end of March. Since it is the beginning of February, he started 5 weeks late, he finished the workbook, and he can complete a full unit in two days time if I let him move at his own pace, I feel like I can pretty much say that's the plan. He is absolutely beside himself with excitement! I've never known a child to love math like he does.

Have I mentioned he does not get this from me? Heh. I love numbers and have an exceptional memory for them, but I've never been so awesome at manipulating the numbers. So I find my son's ability fascinating and really cool. And I believe it will serve him very well in life.

He is a great reader, too. Kindergarten assessments don't include fluency (words per minute), but there is a site where you can calculate a child's fluency on your own. For Reezle, it was spot-on, and Little G really wants to try it. I'm sure he will rock it.

In other news, I think I might actually, finally get to talk to someone from the special services department at K12. I was kind of disgusted after my experiences locally and decided to focus on other things. It's time now, though.

And I'll say it again: I love homeschooling my children!

Second Round of Assessments

When I decided to take on the responsibility of teaching my children and removed them from public school, I was both excited and nervous. I looked forward to being a part of their learning experience, to taking field trips together, and to feeling like a whole family again. During the two years that Reezle was in public school, I felt as if I lived for weekends and strangers were spending more time with my sweet girl than I was. But I was also really nervous. Education is not something I take lightly, and I was (if I'm to be honest here) a bit unsure of myself. There is an overwhelming message in our society that parents are incapable as teachers and barely equipped to assist with homework, and there was a part of me that believed it.

Today, Reezle did her second assessment of the school year. The first was done when she started homeschool to get a baseline. At the time, she scored off the charts, 'well above average', as did Little G. Today, she did it again. According to the teacher who assessed her fluency, Reezle is reading at 158 words per minute (2nd grade average is 89 wpm, 5th grade average is 139 wpm, 6th grade average is 160 wpm, according to this. Wowza.). She started the year already reading 142 words per minute, so I didn't really expect much in the way of gains between September and February. I guess I should have known better, considering how much she loves to read and how many books she's devoured in the past five months. I am so proud of her! I always had exceptional comprehension and vocabulary, but I was and still am a very slow reader.

She also scored perfect on the math assessment, quickly answering all 50 points worth of questions correctly. I wish her confidence in her math skills matched her ability, but it doesn't. I suppose having a 6 year-old human calculator for a brother probably doesn't help. She doesn't seem to realize she's still way ahead for her grade level. She has a very competitive spirit when it comes to academics.

Thus far, I've been keeping her at grade level work because of her extremely low frustration tolerance and the fact that I wanted to transition her into homeschooling comfortably. However, she is working below her ability and I've decided it is time to start challenging her a bit more. While I stand by my decision to keep her in grade 2 math and language arts, we are working through it at a faster pace now. I echo the teacher's sentiments; we don't want her getting bored...it's difficult to get them back after that. Indeed. I was bored at her age, so I stopped paying attention. I didn't need to pay attention. But by the time I realized I did need to listen, I was out of practice and overwhelmed with frustration. It can be a delicate balance for kids.

In some really fun news, the teacher introduced us to a cool educational website this afternoon called Reading Eggs (it's so much more than it sounds like!) that the kids can hardly wait to start using! There are even books they can read on all kinds of topics, and Reezle is anxious to dig into the history ones.

We're now more than halfway through the school year, and I love this more all the time. The kids love it, too, and there is no doubt whatsoever that we will continue with the K12 curriculum for the coming school year. If anyone reading is considering homeschooling, or looking at different curriculum options, I encourage you to look into K12. It is absolutely wonderful!