End of the schoolyear report

Last night we had our traditional "end of the year ceremony". It was a very fun and special time. For those interested, this is the end of the year report that I read...
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This has been a very special year for our household. Being new to the area and settling into our new surroundings has made for some interesting beginnings of our homeschool experiences here. We enjoyed some great field trips this year. We began with a trip up to Washington D.C where we went up in the Washington Monument, went to the Air and Space Museum and wove our way around the city where our government seat is. Watching a DVD tour of D.C afterwards just cemented what we had just seen and gave us more info on what we had not been able to see. Later in the year, taking time to watch the inauguration and watching Mr Smith Goes to Washington taught the children some of the inner workings of our land. My children could probably filibuster now if they wanted to!

While in that area we all went to the Mannasses Battlefield in Virginia. It was there that Thomas Jackson received his nickname “Stonewall”. On our way home we visited Lexington where we toured the home and saw the burial place of this godly general that was such a pivotal part of our history.

We also enjoyed a field trip to the Walnut Grove Plantation where the children saw many demonstrations such as candlemaking, caning, coopering, etc. They also saw a re-enactment of one of the battles in the Revolutionary War.

Another stop on our field trip journey was to Haygood Mill where they also saw different pieces of the past. A huge working mill was the highlight of this special place.

We enjoyed our family history course this year called Mystery of History. Coloring pages of Nefertiti, drawing Stonehenge, looking up silkworms on the web, wrapping our stuffed animals and dolls like mummies, and having a china night all solidified what we were learning. Listening to stories of little children of the earliest settlers in these early lands was fascinating to the children. Hearing a portion of Homer’s Odyssey and learning of the Trojan horse and where that all stood in light of Biblical history was amazing.

We also read two novels aloud this year. Cabin of the North Woods taught us just how hard the westward expansion was and how difficult it was for those that tried to settle on the Oregon trail.

Carry on Mr. Bowditch taught us much about the life of this great mathematician and scientist. The lessons of perseverance and diligence were outstanding. We also learned different nautical terms as we followed his adventures at sea.

Another highlight of the year was the sewing classes that all four children enjoyed. They learned a lot and had so much fun experimenting. I think a whole new world was opened up to them as they learned they could create many things with this wonderful tool!

E:
Our dear little E began her first official year of schooling this year. While she enjoyed some coop classes last year, she really had not had any formal schooling until this past fall. She was very eager to begin her studies and applied herself with gusto. At the beginning of the year she did not yet even recognize all the letters of the alphabet. But she very quickly soared and became an efficient little reader, surprising us with her ability to catch on speedily. She began to love decoding the words and found her world opening up around her as she learned to read. It was not long until she moved from Phonics Pathways into several different readers. She sped through “It is Fun to Read”, “Pets and Pals” and “A Time at Home” in the Christian Liberty press series. Then she moved on to our favorite Pathway Publisher series reading “First Steps”, “Days Go By” and “More Days Go By”.

E also sped along in her writing abilities, doing scripture copywork as well as other writing assignments. Towards the end of the year she has even begun practicing cursive lettering.

In her math E has quickly picked up on basic addition and subtraction and faithfully has persevered each day on her fact sheets.

She has been an eager participant in our Mystery of History course. Often she is the one to pipe up during a quiz with the answer. I think one of her favorite times was when she wrapped her doll up as an Egyptian Mummy.

In science E enjoyed reading various science textbooks with her sister, listening to mommy’s read-aloud science times, and watching science programs. She is also an eager participant in all the outdoor excursions of the family, always spotting a beautiful rock or flower to be brought home or saved for later.

All in all, my dear E has been a joy to teach this year. She has advanced so quickly that I am pleased to skip a grade with her, placing her in the 2nd grade next year. Well done, E! We love you very much!


R is a pleasure to teach and a very cheerful student. This year she has also skyrocketed in her reading abilities. She went from an early reader to a much more accomplished reader. Here is a list of what she has read this year:
Days Go By
More Days Go By
Busy Times
More Busy Times
Laura’s Pa
Climbing Higher
Sheltie, Double Trouble
New Friends
Grandma’s Attic
Jigsaw Jones
B is for Betsy
Betsy’s Boys
Betsy’s Little Star
Betsy’s Playschool
Primrose Day

As you can see, R has had her little nose in a book quite a bit this past year. She will learn so much through this ability!

R also excelled in cursive writing this year and has enjoyed several different writing projects such as scripture copywork, letter writing, etc. She copied a large portion out of Genesis where Rebekah was brought to Isaac. This was very wonderful for R to learn about the this godly woman.
In her math, R also was very diligent in working on her math facts each day through different printouts. She learned multiple addition with carrying, subtraction, missing addends and went on to multiplication.

She did well reading science to her little sister, and enjoyed the science programs that we watched. She also eagerly participated in Mystery of History. She loves chanting the different key dates that we have learned over this past year.

Well done, R! We look forward to 4th grade next fall.


W has had a productive year of learning. He has a bright mind and sharp eye for detail. His keen interest in the scientific world continues to deepen. I find him in his spare time absorbing a fascinating volume from our science resource shelf, or down in the shop putting to practice all the ingenius creativity he has read about.

He has done a marvelous job at persevering through Saxon 5/4. Daddy has been working with him a couple of evenings a week and he has continued with his assignments throughout the day. Mastering long division, two-digit multiplication, working with fractions and decimals, roman numerals and geometric solids is no small task, but W plowed ahead and has done commendably.

W has also done a lot of reading this year, becoming even more proficient in his ability. The list of books he has spent time in are:

The Wright Brothers
Trumpet of the Swan
Song of the Brook
The Secret of the Maple Tree
Sir Isaac Newton
Gentle Ben
Tut’s Mummy
Duncan’s War
Rebels Keep
Kings Arrow
The Boxcar children series
The Jigsaw Jones series
Derwood Inc.

W also kept up with current events from a biblical perspective reading through the News Current, a publication of God’s World News. This was very helpful in understanding from God’s view what is happening around our world today. It also kept us abreast of unusual happenings, for instance, Zac Sunderland the homeschool boy who is seeking to be the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe by sailboat. (He is nearly home, by the way and we had the exciting opportunity to watch live via webcam as he went through the panama canal. We actually saw the level of the water drop and saw close-ups of his boat with the American Flag).

W worked in Bob Jones English 4 this year and also worked on his cursive writing skills. He worked on letter writing, a personal narrative, an instructional narrative and a book report.

W also completed Investigating God’s World, reading about light, the earth, the sea, energy and engines, the sky, a variety of vertebrates, science and great Christians, and so on… but his favorite kind of science is, as always, the hands on! He also enjoyed various science video instructionals throughout the year.

W also learned so much during History this year. I think his favorite part was probably our Chinese night, when we sought to drive home what we learned about the Shang Dynasty and the silk worm. We dressed up in our silkiest fashions, played Chinese music in the backround, and ate Chinese food with chop sticks.

W, you have done well this year and we look forward to next year as you begin 5th grade.

The scripture speaks of Joseph as being a fruitful bough and our J has certainly had a fruitful year. He has completed Saxon 8/7 and is ready to go on to Algebra ½ next year. He has enjoyed his sessions with Dad in the evenings and diligently applied himself to his work during the day.

J continues to devour everything in print he can find. This year he tackled some real classics as well as historical fiction novels. The list is as follows;
Around the World in 80 Days
The Little Regiment
Huckleberry Finn
The Cat of Bubastes
The Young Carthaginian
Johnny Tremain
Letters to Young Men
The Jigsaw Jones Series
The Boxcar Children Series

J also enjoyed the News Current where he could keep up with what was happening all around the world and learn how to view it from a biblical standpoint. There was much instruction to be learned from Fidel Castro, President Obama’s inauguration, etc.

J also completed 7th grade Life Science this year. This was a challenge for him, as it advanced him quite rapidly, but he did very well. He worked through organism classification, cellular biology, genetics, creation vs. evolution, microbiology, botany, zoology, ecology and human anatomy. J was tempted to be discouraged by the depth of this course, but he persevered and learned amazing things about our Lord’s creation.

J also enjoyed our history classes and it is a blessing to know that he will be able to connect the chronology both of the biblical and the secular events and outworkings of God’s providence throughout early history.

J worked though English 6 of Bob Jones,
Even though it was not his favorite subject, he kept working though it. He also wrote a personal narrative, persuasive essay, and a historical fiction on Robert E Lee. J also has been learning to type this year and is looking forward to using that skill more and more as his speed increases. One of his favorite pastimes now is playing the typing games on Mavis Beacon.

Last but not least, J entered the world of Logic this year. Using the book The Fallacy Detective he learned how to recognize bad reasoning. Using such terms as Red Herring and Ad Hominem, Tu Quoque, circular reasoning, weak analogies, and propaganda were all discussed. This was a great course for J and he did it well.

Congratulations Son, for a job and year very well done! Since you have actually been doing many things above your grade level, we are pleased to advance you to 8th grade, rather than 7th this year!

D, you have been an eager participant in whatever you could be a part of this year. You are eager to join in the fun this next fall as a Kindergartener. You are learning so many things already and were delighted when I introduced you to some beginning phonics briefly. You loved it when I printed out shapes for you to match and your favorite thing to draw now are pictures of Daddy, complete with beard. Your bright smile is a gift to all of us!

H, you have kept us ALL busy this year! You eagerly learn all that you can absorb. You are a very, very busy little one and your favorite thing to do is help in the kitchen, especially if it involves water, cracking eggs, or something hands on. You already know how to recognize the letters of your family, and can write your own “H” signature. We love you dear, sweet girl!

In summary, this has been a fun, fruitful year full of many blessings. We have learned, laughed and loved together. May the Lord be praised for giving us another year of instructing our children at home.