A Fly On My Homeschool Wall

 It's hard to believe my "babies" are 10.   When did 10 change from a big kid to a baby? This baby of mine, though, is no baby any more.  He's an opinionated, stubborn, bright, and capable boy who alternately makes us laugh with delight and scream with frustration. Math Baymax completed  Teaching Textbooks Math 5 .  He does not love math, and he's frequently angry at his lessons, but he masters the material. Morning Meeting Baymax was an active participant in all of our Morning Meetings.  He read, sang, answered questions, memorized scriptures, and contributed spiritual insights to our daily lessons.  He also challenged our music conducting activities to the max!  He hates leading music, and he barely cooperates under duress with following my instructions.   At this time, he has not actually learned any music conducting skills, but at least he's been exposed to them! What Baymax does do well is family and church history.  He is...

  Lola is a power unto herself! There's just something about this tiny girl (10 1/2 years old, 64 lbs, 4'3") that defies expression. But she expresses herself as she sees fit, when she sees fit. There was that day she couldn't find matching shoes, so she wore one snow boot and one sandal to dance practice. There's the fact that she wears pajama pants under her church dresses so that she's warmer at church and faster to get changed after church. There's the fact that she frequently runs around on hands and feet--so quickly that she's just a blur going past.   There's the fact that her favorite outfit is a silver sequined skirt and . . . whatever t-shirt is closest to hand, whether it be clean or not. She's her very own self. And I have to admit (when I'm not stumped for how to get her to cooperate) that I rather admire my youngest daughter. Math Lola finished Teaching Textbooks Math 3 for the second time this past school year.  Repeating it ...

 Beowulf was a 5th/6th grader this past year.  His meds are now balanced, but the year behind us was tough because they weren't balanced then.   He wasn't too much of a danger to himself or others, but he struggled with keeping his temper and managing big feelings in safe ways.  He left home several times (never for more than a few hours, but the wondering and looking took their toll on us), broke through the drywall of several rooms in the house, and resorted a great deal of the time to throwing things--rocks, bricks, tools, lawn chairs, tires, anything heavy enough to be satisfying to heft and throw--to relieve the emotions raging through him.  This affected his ability to complete school work, so while I am proud of the progress he made, it was limited by the instability of his brain chemicals. How grateful I am for a vigilant and compassionate psychiatrist who has helped our boy calm down and feel good in his skin!! It was a struggle for him to be a pha...

Brother had a great year.  With his med regimen working, he's free to be his best self, and he really is one of the best human beings on the planet! He's kind, generous, hard-working, and forgiving.   He loves learning.   Math He completed  Teaching Textbooks Math 7 and started Pre-Algebra .  He hates asking for help, and now that math is getting more abstract, he's frustrated pretty regularly, but he's learning to close the computer and take a break before coming back to try again.   I'm proud of him for using positive coping skills. That said, anything less than a perfect score leaves him unsettled, so we're still working on learning that a good job isn't always a perfect job. Morning Meeting Mister Man was an active participant in all of our Morning Meetings.  He read, sang, answered questions, learned to lead music in 3/4, 4/4, and 2/4 time, memorized scriptures, and contributed spiritual insights to our daily lessons. Brother is a singe...

  Mister Man is my long, gangly boy-man right now.  He reads and draws.  He loves to be "my favorite kid" when I call, "Who wants to be my favorite kid?" as I'm asking for a favor.   He's gentle and smart. Mister Man grew academically and socially this past school year. Math He completed Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra with a 96% average.  When he asked for help, it was specific, and he understood the answer with minimal coaching.  He's a good student. Morning Meeting Mister Man was an active participant in all of our Morning Meetings.  He read, sang, answered questions, learned to lead music in 3/4, 4/4, and 2/4 time, memorized scriptures, and contributed spiritual insights to our daily lessons. It looks to me like leading music might actually be one of his gifts.  He picks up on the nuances of conducting simply by watching, and sometimes he even instinctively gets movements right.  He is graceful, and as his voice deepens, he's develop...

 The kids were so excited for Monday evening because Dad was coming home from work to take them to the park for an evening of playing baseball.  They even got to pick up their favorite friends along the way.  We don't have any pictures because Sir Walter Scott forgot his phone, but that just means he was able to participate fully without stopping to frame a photo. Everyone came home sweaty, tired, hungry, and happy.   I had our usual Monday night huge pot of pasta ready and waiting for them as they walked in the door. Earlier in the day, our case manager made his weekly visit, but this time he had a nurse with him because she did some digging into files and found that we'd not had a nurse visit at any time in our history with this service, so she started fixing that lack with Brother.  He got weighed and measured in various ways, and we spent a good part of the afternoon answering questions about health habits and history.   I am delighted to repo...