Friday, June 6, 2014

Wrapping Up the School Year

We're sort of "winding down" versus "wrapping up" school for the year.  We got behind (more-than-usual behind) with Anne of Green Gables being the beast that it was.  So, we're not done yet, but we should finish this school year before we have to start the new one in the fall.  *wink*

We'll need to continue French and composition throughout the summer weeks (Emma & Jeffrey).  We've still got a few weeks of Geometry left, too.  Lydia & Sam each have some math to finish up as well.  Everything else is either done or will be done by next Friday.

Emma goes to MDA camp from the 15th to the 20th, so we won't do any school for that week.  Instead, we are going to PURGE a ton of stuff from this house.  And maybe do some painting (not canvas painting, but the wall kind).  I haven't decided yet if we'll have a rummage sale, or just dump donate all of the stuff at Goodwill.  One one hand, I could use the money to pay for next year's curriculum.  On the other hand, rummage sales are a lot of work.
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Last night was our homeschool group's high school graduation ceremony.  It was really nice!  There were four graduates, and each one had the opportunity to share some kind of talent (singing, recitation, etc.).  The parents were able to say a few words as they handed their graduate a diploma.  And then the grads each said a few words (favorite memories, future plans, thanking their parents).   All four of them were in the musical this past year, and they each shared fond memories about that.  It made me a little verklempt.

All of the homeschooled undergrads (any age) sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".  We use it as a final warm-up for musical rehearsal, so most of the kids already knew it.  It has a lovely descant that goes pretty high.  They just went up there cold and belted it out last night, though.  Not too shabby.  It's a little pitchy in spots, but I love the chord on the last note.  I love these kids.  My kids.

Lydia is in the 2nd row from the front--in a brown shirt.

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Lydia's dance recital is tomorrow, so we've got to get to an extra rehearsal right now.  I still need to write about the homeschool conference I attended, curriculum choices for next year, and more!



4 comments:

  1. What are you using for French? Baylee's going to start taking it next year.

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    1. Ah, j'aime bien le français! Good for her!

      We're using BJUP French 1, 2nd Edition. I really like the curriculum (it's a good blend of conversational speech and thorough grammar instruction), but it's written for a classroom teacher. If I hadn't taken four years French in high school, I'd be pretty lost. (I'm still sometimes a *little* lost.) However, they do have a distance learning course available--either DVD or online--and I've heard good things about that. I like this MUCH better than Rosetta Stone. I especially like that it actually teaches grammar, there's a Bible memory verse in French for each chapter, and the "Culture" sections of each chapter highlight what missionaries need to understand in order to be effective in sharing the gospel with the French people.

      Rosetta Stone didn't really teach much grammar (even though there are lessons entitled "Grammar"). I'm not a big fan of the immersion approach, mostly because it's not really immersion unless you're hearing it all of the time. I also believe that grammar is a tool for unlocking a language, so once a student has some grammar knowledge, why not use it? (This could be an entire blog post, so I'll stop here.)

      Once I get through French 1 and French 2 with Emma & Jeffrey, I might offer to teach it as a co-op in our homeschool group for a small fee--depending on what else is going on in my life at the time, of course. ; )

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  2. Mark of homeschooler forever: I can't wait to hear your curriculum thoughts.

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    1. LOL, Rebecca! Yep, it's ingrained in you completely. = )

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