HOWEVER, that being said, we are still schooling around here, despite the holiday blitz. Let's see what I can drudge up from the last weeks!
James is reading "The Littles," which is a step up from the readers we usually attack. He has been capable of reading chapter books for some time, but I have been careful to not push him to exhaustion and thereby ruin the reading experience altogether. His stamina is growing, along with his ability to sight read and anticipate new vocabulary. It is encouraging to see that all of the reading aloud we have done early on (and continue to do) has paid off in dividends when it comes to reading new words. He thankfully has a great schema of words that spread the genre spectrum. I can remember my mom's eyebrows going up when James fluently read the following excerpt from The Beginners Bible, "Jesus chose some more people. Their names were Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, and another man names James. Thaddaeus, Simon, and Judas joined them, too." I can assure you that "Bartholomew" and "Thaddaeus" are not sight words on our wall, but they have been referenced in the many Bible stories he has heard throughout his short life, so they came alive on the page within the context of the story. To set the record straight, I was just as surprised as my mom. The moral of the story--no reading is wasted reading, especially before they are actually reading on their own.
James will be performing at a Christmas piano recital this Sunday. I will do my best to figure out how to post the video. Of course, this is assuming that my camera is actually charged and then operated correctly during the performance. Those are a lot of ifs for me these days, especially where technology is the variable. He will be playing, "Ding Dong Merrily on High." On another note, our piano teacher has started engaging Joshua in little five-minute piano sessions before James' lesson, and he is responding well. In the new year, we will likely start "half-sessions" for him, and then transition to full lessons next year (kindergarten!). So far, he makes his way up the keyboard, naming the notes in order (A-G)--singing, really; Joshua looooves to sing, although we are not entirely convinced he is often on key. This week he will be working on identifying the "doghouse note" (D), and then playing C-D-E in succession. I anticipate a little resistance, but I plan on keeping it brief. Let's be honest--Joshua is in love with Miss Alyssa, so a weekly lesson is not going to be a tough sell. He already walks her to her car and opens her door like a little gentleman. He will be my lover boy, there is no doubt.
The boys are becoming more proficient in the kitchen. They are darn speedy about setting the table these days. Sometimes too speedy. I lose about a plate a week, between my hormonal flux and their precarious handling skills. : ) Still, I enjoy their help. One of James' kitchen tasks last week was to bake a batch of brownies, reading the instructions himself from the back of the box. It is easy to take for granted the process of readying materials, reading the instructions, and following them in the correct order...not to mention the clean-up process throughout. I hope to make them comfortable with this sort of informational/ process-oriented reading, so that it can translate to most any recipe as their technical skills grow. Anything to keep them out of Del Taco when they grow up!
We will be taking a Field Trip to The Pastry Swan tomorrow, a local bakery that specializes in elegant cakes and confections. The boys will have the opportunity to learn about the tools of the trade and then decorate their own little cookies. Usually I avoid food-oriented field trips since they cannot indulge in the final product, but James has been tolerating wheat, and both boys have been tolerating dairy and soy, so I think I will give it a whirl. I will be sure to take some pictures to post next time. Let's just hope we can keep Samuel out of the mixing tub of icing. Who am I kidding? Let's hope they can keep ME out of the tub of icing!
Here is James' latest artwork from art class, prior to Thanksgiving. The media is colored pencils, melted down and then applied with a Q-tip. It is outlined with sharpie. I made little cards for Thanksgiving with his picture on the front and an excerpt from the Thanksgiving Proclamation inside.
We wrapped up fall soccer this weekend. It was really neat to see the growth James made from the first to the last game. He went from space cadet to soccer player over the source of the season. He did a lot more tooth wiggling than kicking in October, but seems to have gotten the hang of following the ball and jumping into the mix come late November. I am realizing how much about sports is not just intuitive, but developmental. He is on a team with soon-to-be eight year-olds, and he won't even be seven until June! We have no illusions of super-stardom. We only wanted him to have a positive experience and enjoy being on a team with other boys his age. By those standards, soccer season 2011 has been wildly successful. Next on the sports scene--YMCA basketball. He will be playing with some of his closest homeschool buddies, so I could not be happier. James took a ball to the nose during a halftime shoot-around at Xavier a couple weeks ago and declared emphatically that he would never, EVER play basketball again. So, we will see if he makes good on his threat. I have a feeling that once he sees his best buds on the court, the nose shot will become a distant memory.
Little Sammeroo is excelling in the art of imitation. Whether it be harassing Chai, putting together peg puzzles, or chasing a soccer ball, Samuel refuses to be last in anything. We stifle giggles on a regular basis because his often naughty antics are just plain cute. His latest infatuation is the Christmas tree in its ornamental splendor. I found him with near twenty stripped ornaments this morning, including shattered glass balls. Little turkey.
How about we leave it at that? Samuel makes for a cute bookend.
Love, from our homeschool to yours!
The Haven 5
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