Learning at School and Home: Year 5

First day of school (7th, 4th, and 9th grades)

 We took an unexpected trip to the Grand Canyon

The boy studied hard, taking dual credit courses as a freshman

He also learned to cook.

 Sharpened some existing skills

 (the sisters couldn't be outdone)

 And changed a few light bulbs in awkward places

 Our county Fire Department opened a new station in October, so we gave it a visit

And the girls went on a school-sponsored fishing trip

Ember caught the biggest fish and won a hoodie

We took walks with dogs

We had bunnies in the yard

Ember's self portrait was featured in a local gallery

 Willow played all of the sports

And tried a few new things (things that need a little more work)

 Marching Band is Ryvre's sport

Of course, Willow does that too!

Ember's softball season has just begun

Learning at school may be finished for another year, but there's plenty to do over the summer.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Ryvre made his dramatic debut as King Arthur.  Nana, Papa, Granny, and Aunt Nancy all came to see him.  We're very proud!

Glasses

Figured out Ember's headaches: she needed glasses!  Her vision is 20/30 in one eye and 20/70-80 in the other.  Doh!

Here she is at the bus stop

First Day of School!

Dale and i stayed out of the house and ran errands most of the day. It was too weird being home without the kids.

The kids' day went without major incident. Ryvre just failed to hear me when i told him to ride the bus home, so i had to go get him. *sigh*

Does the Tooth Fairy Take Returns?

Ember lost her first tooth on Monday (7/4). She put it under her pillow despite her siblings rolling their eyes and reminding her that she already knew the tooth fairy wasn't real.

The next morning, she woke up to find a quarter in its place. She was very excited about it, showing it off to everyone. But near the end of the day, she grew somber. She missed her tooth and worried about what bizarre purposes that weird little fairy might have collected it for. She wanted it back. I told her that she could try putting the quarter under her pillow, but a refund wasn't guaranteed.

She woke up very disappointed to see that the quarter was still there and the tooth was not. I suggested that perhaps the Tooth Fairy didn't understand her request. It should be submitted in writing. She took this very seriously, going as far as asking her dad to help her spell out each and every letter of every word she wanted the letter to say. Major points to my husband for demonstrating epic patience.

Last night the letter was folded around the quarter like an envelope and placed under the pillow with a great deal of hope.

This morning, her tooth was returned. The quarter was left too. We are speculating that change is too heavy for a fairy to fly around with, and that is why they leave them under the pillows of children—teeth are of course lighter than coins, and fairies love gifts, so mystery solved.

Ryvre

Oh goodness, my son is becoming a young man.  Not literally, this very second, but the signs are clear.  And the times i spend with him, away from the girls, make it even more obvious.

He's always had his own interests and opinions, but everything he does and says is so very him these days.  His number one aspiration is to become a conservationist.  He's so intelligent that even the most oblivious adults rarely talk down to him anymore.  He's so tall that the top of his head reaches my shoulder when we stand side-by-side.  He'll still hold my hand like a little boy, but he hardly looks like a child beside me.  He is my constant helper; when he's not keeping the peace between his sisters, he is carrying groceries or choosing the best gift for a relative (something he's very intuitive about), or reminding me of everyone's favorite snacks.  The girls will help with these things too, but Ryvre simply knows what needs to be done, and does it without comment. 

He will be 9 in 22 days.  Nine. 

When he was born, many people told me he would grow up fast.  They weren't kidding.

 Pulling up in his crib at 8 months (he walked about a week later), with a diaper on his head.

Age 4, at the pumpkin patch

Last week, at Roaring River

Willow's 7th Birthday

Willow finally had her party!

Here is the cake she decorated all by herself!

Balloon war!

And the completely unrelated after-party broken arm

My 4-year-old that can write the whole alphabet!

1337 h4x0r

Ryvre causally mentioned today that he broke the parental code on the PS2 the first time he used it...months ago.

Ember spontaneously wrote her name today!

Update

Goodness, it really has been awhile since i've posted!  Family members keep telling me so, but I hadn't fully realized. Homeschooling is going well; as always, i lack in organization, but the kids keep learning anyway.  That's the biggest lesson for me in the whole thing: Kids will get what they need if you only pay attention.  No amount of planning or forcing will get things accomplished better than that.  Ryvre is reading very well, i think.  He's still sounding out some words, but he's tackling books like Harry Potter because he wants to.  He's also a wiz with a gameboy, but i suppose most traditionalists wouldn't see that as a good thing. I really don't mind; the games he plays are helping with his math, reading, and critical thinking. Willow is writing more, and teaching herself to spell a few simple words, like people's names and "love" so she can write short letters.  She constantly hovers over Ember, correcting and trying to help her write letters as well, but Ember doesn't seem to mind the attention. A couple of nights ago, all three took part in their first role-playing game session.  It was a simple game, but they were amazing!  They each created a character with unique abilities, and worked together to defeat a group of monsters and save a damsel in distress.  They seemed to understand the rules and did their own math to determine outcomes in combat and skill usage.  And of course they were imaginative and had fun! I do still have some readers here, so i will try to be better about updates.  I use facebook a lot more lately, so if you would like to add me, please send a message with your info--my profile there is friends-only, but for the sake of convenience, this blog is not, so you will have to ask for my name and location privately.

Updates

Ryvre is reading to his sisters.  He still has to sound out a lot of words, but he's confident and rarely gets frustrated anymore. Of course once one kid realizes you're taking a pic, they have to look at you weird. Willow is taking on more responsibilities; she retrieves items from the dryer, keeps her little sister's cup full if water, and helps her in the bathroom.  She also helps prepare and serve lunch.  Willow has a very nurturing personality, but it often comes across as...um...bossy.  So i'm trying to play up the positive by giving her things to do that are helpful. Ember is about halfway potty-trained.  There are good and bad days. Random learning moment: Prisms!  Brought to you by pirated WoW CDs on the endtable. And one more random thing: kids at a local grape stomping festival. The police department did fingerprinting, which was probably the coolest thing there

The Beginning of a New UnSchool Year

First Week of School! I had planned to make a post for the first day, but...well, I just plain didn't get around to it. The challenge this year is on my end.  DOCUMENTING everything the kids learn, and how much time they spend doing it.  That is what the state requires, should They ever happen to ask, and I must have these things in order now that Ryvre is (almost) "compulsory age." Day 1 (Monday) was uneventful, and even a little tearful.  I explained to the kids that we really must make an effort to do some "schoolwork" every day.  Even if it's just a little.  They did not want to do it, so we had a nice long talk.  Ryvre and Willow both agree that they would rather stay home and do the work here than miss each other all day while stuck in "regular school" classes, even though they would be with other kids.  It's sweet that that's their main concern: missing their family for most of the day.  Day 2 was spent running errands.  It may not be everyone's definition of classic education, but we did have enlightening conversations about taxidermy (thanks to the decor of Lonestar Steakhouse), finances ("Daddy, can we have..." anyone?) and the water cycle ("Ember's cup is DRIPPING on me!") Day 3 (today) started out rough, but after 10 minutes of instruction, Ryvre has mastered the concept of Place Value, and is adding numbers well into the hundreds!  More importantly, after moping and resisting all morning, he is officially excited about math again!  And he also lost a tooth, as a sidenote. Willow is doing very well with addition; i have to ask her not to yell out the answers when Ryvre is doing his work aloud.

Math Genius

Huge News!

Willow can Add!

She just showed me.  I had no idea!  I suppose she's seen and heard Ryvre do it, but i've never actually sat down with her and explained the hows and whys.  I never "made" her do it.

Willow's 5th Birthday

Willow is 5 Today!

 

July 1, 2003

3 months

1 year

 

2 years

3 years

4 years



A couple of weeks ago...

Her party will be on July 13, so as to fit everyone's schedule better than another holiday event.

First Book

Ryvre is reading his first book by himself!  Green Eggs and Ham, naturally, and he's doing it all alone!  I'm very very very proud!  *uncoordinated happy dance!*

Upcoming Challenges

	Ryvre will be very hard to challenge this year. He just learned to tell time.  i admit, i should have gotten to it sooner, but it took him all of five minutes to master.  i dare say that is unusual. i'm pretty certain Willow is ready for Kindergarten.  She is barely four, but just behind her brother in writing and math.  i'm going with it...

Willow is 4!

Happy Birthday Willow Sage!!!

 

July 1, 2003

 

Age 2

Age 3

(just a month ago..."real" birthday pics to come...)

...and now she's 4!!!  Happy Birthday Princess!!!

More Milestones

Ryvre can add!

i showed Ryvre how to add by ones yesterday; he got it on the first try!!!
He needs a little more practice writing his numbers (threes are sometimes backwards, and 5's look like S's), but besides that he doesn't need any help.  He's doing it in "number sentence" form too, so he's not just counting pictures. 

*proud mama*

Willow is learning to write numbers; she's just tracing them now, but she has been counting to twenty for quite awhile.

Ember is saying some important words like "cup" and "poop" (she says it like "poo-ep") but she still says "mmm" when she's hungry. 

At least SHE tells me when she's poopy, unlike her older sister.

Still Learning

We are still learning, i just haven't been posting.

Ryvre spelled his first word the day before his fifth birthday; it was "bunny."  We have been spelling words aloud alot.  On Sunday, Dale discovered that Ryvre remembers the spellings of words better if they're sung...i feel very foolish spelling random words to a tune, but it does help!  He remembers the names of family members best, but he is getting the hang of a few four and five-letter words too; he doesn't remember them at first, but if we help him once or twice he remembers them for the next hour or so.  I also made a big kindergarten-style word list, and he is able to tell me most of the words on sight, most of the time, based on some of the letter sounds and memory.

Right now the kids are painting holiday ornaments (precut wooden doves and celtic crosses from the craft store).