Assessment 2017--Nature Angel

She's really an angel.  I have 12 kids, and I've met thousands of other kids, but I've never known a sweeter, gentler, more Christ-like soul.

She has a cousin who runs a close second. :)

She's an artist at heart.  She draws, paints, sculpts, sews, crafts, designs, builds, dances, sings, and writes.  She carries a sketch book with her wherever she goes in which she both captures and shares beauty.

2016-17 was a good academic year for her.

Math
This was Nature Angel's first year of formal mathematics.  She worked her way through Saxon Math 5/4.  It was a challenge for her, but not too much of one. 

When she broke her arm in the early spring/late winter, she couldn't write for several weeks, so working math problems became difficult.  We put Saxon away and she studied Mathematicians Are People, Too.  She discovered that she could hunt and peck at the computer, and she wrote daily narrations that way. 

Once her arm healed, and she went back to daily Saxon drills, she realized she'd not finish her book for a long time, and even though I told her she didn't have to finish it she said, "I don't know why, but finishing just feels good."

So she doubled and tripled her work and finished the book at the end of May.

She still needs work on times tables to be truly confident, but she's improving constantly, and I'm not worried about her math skills at all.

Language Arts
Nature Angel worked her way through about half of The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts Level 4.  All of the assignments were a good challenge for her, and she was faithful about completing her work to the best of her ability.

When she broke her arm, we also put this work away, and instead she read and narrated (again on the computer) from a variety of science, history, and math books, and she loved this so much that we never picked The Good and the Beautiful back up again. 

She participated in our family read alouds every day, so she was exposed to really solid classic literature.

She's not an avid reader in her free time--often starting and not finishing books--but she does have a few favorite pieces of literature.  Right now, she's quite liking the American Girl series, stating that Kaya and Josephina are her favorites.  

This program included art history and geography along with the various language arts skills, and Nature Angel really threw herself into these studies.

Science
Nature Angel keeps a nature journal in which she is forever sketching some item of outdoor beauty.  We never really did much formal science, but she did read Archimedes and the Door of Science along with The Everything Kids Nature Book and Nature Anatomy.  In addition she owns a goodly number of local field guides that she pores over in her free time.  She is enthusiastic about nature scavenger hunts, nature walks, hiking, and observing.

Social Studies
This girl has a head for history.  She loved, loved, loved The Mystery of History, and during every test, quiz, review, or game we had during the year, she beat the pants off all of her sisters.  They goggled when she called out answers from memory for which they were frantically searching their notes.  It was hilarious to witness. :)

She also took copious notes and wrote beautiful narrations about each lesson.

The Good and the Beautiful includes studying geography, and Nature Angel memorized the countries of Europe, drew maps, and did some map studies with that program. 

In addition, she studied the countries of Africa and Asia with the rest of the family during our Symposium studies.  She loved filling in the maps and improving her score each day.

We did a number of Geography through Art studies for Africa as well, and Nature Angel completed all of those projects with joy.

The Arts
Nature Angel loves art, and she threw herself into our art history/appreciation studies.  In addition she helped me review 3 online art programs, losing herself joyfully in the process of creating.  

She sewed a quilt of her own design--including doing quite a bit of machine embroidery.  She designed and sewed doll clothes, and did the same for a purse.  She hand embroidered and sewed a pillow for Mister Man's 5th birthday.

Honestly, the list could keep going, but long lists are dull and unnecessary. 

She's teaching herself how to play the piano using various primers we have, and she has worked off and on with the violin; Pixie has been her teacher. 

She danced and sang with our homeschool dance troupe, and she's such a good clogger that she keeps up with the older girls without a problem, but she still dances sweetly with her peer group without complaining; she sets a good example for them and acts as a peer mentor often.  She has a captivating stage presence.

I deeply want to take her on a mother-daughter date to the city art museum.  She's gone a number of times with us in the past, but never has she had the chance to go at her own pace and soak up the atmosphere and art.

Other Awesome Stuff
Every year the teens head off for nearly a week of church camp.  And for 2 years now, Nature Angel has created and run camp at home for the littles.  She spent close to 6 months creating a curriculum and schedule that included science, crafts, snacks, stories, games, songs, outings, prizes, and good values.  The kids just ate up everything she offered and clamored for more.  I wish I'd had the ability to capture it (but I was sewing pioneer costumes for the teens!) because it was amazing!  She has a sense of timing, variety, and understanding of small people that defies teaching--it is simply a gift from God. 

Toddler Camp.  It was 5-10 minutes long each day, and perfect for our toddlers!  They felt so special.

Then the boys had "Boys Will Be Boys" camp.  She encouraged Little Princess to run a special "Girl Time" camp for herself and Ladybug.

Is is miraculous to behold.

Nature Angel is readily learning both Spanish and ASL through the videos and family lessons we've used.

She is faithful in her personal scripture study.  She has a testimony of Christ that lights my heart.

She is diligent, sincere, organized, caring, and funny.  When she laughs everyone laughs with her!

I could write for hours to come about all of her wonderful qualities, but eventually enough is enough.

She's just wonderful.