Homeschool Happenings

It is the last week of school and I am having such a hard time staying focused, which of course rubs off on my kids. I don't know why but this year I am spending a lot of time and energy already planning for next year when I feel I should be closing out this year better! I know there are some things I want to change so I am trying to feel inspired before I zone out for the summer, I guess! I know that toward the end of this year I went away from some of my plans and was really feeling down that school wasn't fun and I was lazy in handing workbooks out and not following up on techniques (like narration) that I feel so passionate about. However I received a "gift" yesterday. While taking a break from reading through books and researching on the internet I looked around at how my kids spent their afternoon and the free time they enjoy so much.

1) Connor worked on a "book" he is writing about the geography of Africa.
We studied Africa for about two weeks and he loved it...he knows where every country is including the surrounding islands!




2) They were acting out Robin Hood!
We are studying this time period and reading a fascinating book about his story. What fun to see them fantasizing about this great story.









3) They devoted even more time, paper and scissors to creating knight uniforms for their Webkinz.
Now, this might sound a little sad to you...and my first thought was..."for goodness sakes mom, go buy those children some action figures!" Then I was reminded of something I read a long time ago...Every time you buy a child a toy you take away their ability to create it! They are perfectly happy with what they are doing and they are darn cute. The whole room is spread out like a knight army with foot soldiers, and horseback riders and they are armed with lances, swords and their fully decorated coat of arms! They also created a 3-d castle complete with a keep and a throne for the King! Of course I flinch at the forest they are destroying daily and I have to contain myself on that one...










4) They asked to make another watercolor butterfly.






This from an art lesson that we did at FIGS a few weeks ago!














5) I allowed 20 minutes of Wii Fit since it is still raining here and there haven't been many chances for bike riding, tree climbing, and hole digging!
Ok, this has nothing to do with school, but it is what they did!


So, with the exception of the last one, I realize that everything they chose to do in their free time revolved around school subjects! How cool is that? Obviously our strengths at this point revolve around History and Geography... but what a blessing it was to know they are digging more into the ideas and the subjects. It reinforced one of my goals..for them to love learning and enjoy it! It was a gift to know that it is time well spent. It was a reminder that I can reduce the pressure on myself and trust what God puts in my heart. Yes, there are things I want to change for next year and ways I want to re focus...but God just clearly wanted me to spend some time on the positive things and I am grateful for that. All in all, it HAS been a great year!