Thursday, May 19, 2016

Homeschool Days

We are wrapping up our school year and I am so proud of these boys. This was Hampton's first formal year of school and Everett's second grade program was rigorous and challenging. But they both did wonderful. Even in the midst of selling our home and moving! And today we completed our curriculum. We gave ourselves a pat on the back by getting a fun lunch and a little treat at the store (Minecraft of course for the boys, a Paw Patrol car for the tot, and a little bakery set for Elle). These boys have worked hard and have come so far this year. Hampton is now fluently reading and can do simple computation. He also has memorized an entire book of poems and Scripture. Everett has excelled in Latin, made great gains in reading comprehension and composition, can do math computation like nobody's business and spells like a spelling bee champ! It should also be noted that Everett has made great gains in being able to do independent work. A scholar indeed. 
Yesterday I took some photos of a typical day. 
Learning about the food pyramid. After we read our science book discussing healthy habits, the boys had to take turns grabbing a toy food and finding where it would fit in the food pyramid. They also drew their own food pyramids. 


 Toddler shenanigans always abound! I have gotten better about finding ways to keep this active boy engaged and busy. 
 Eleanor working on a puzzle. A princess puzzle of course. 
 Diligently working on math. This year covered 3-digit computation, fractions, telling time, counting money, story problems and some measurement. He did not get the good math gene from his parents, that is for sure!
 6 year old shenanigans during phonics! I am blown away at how well he reads now!
 Fuzzy friends sometimes join us. 
 He requested to play in his crib. Who am I to deny? He does love his Duplo blocks. 
 Eleanor and Thatcher working on their alphabet. Thatcher knows all his letters and sounds. I am working on it with our girl. 
 Some outside time playing with our sensory seed bucket while Everett worked on cursive and Latin. 
 Oh the "pink phone." This is my old iPhone which we downloaded a few educational games. He has learned so much from them and this is definitely a good way to occupy him for a bit. 
And then worth mentioning, after rest time yesterday we headed to the library. They have a program where you can make an appointment to read to a therapy dog. The boys brought their own books and read to a German Shepherd named Solange. Solange laid their nicely while they pet her and read their books. It was actually a very relaxing experience! We signed up again for next week. 

Monday, May 16, 2016

Bread Baking







Everett Turns 8

We sure know how to drag out birthdays in this family! We have celebrated Everett turning 8 this entire past week. First a visit from Noni. We went to Discovery Place in Charlotte, which is a children's museum. We also had a little birthday party, complete with presents and colorful cupcakes. A good time was had by all! Then Gigi came for a visit. We went to the Nature Center on Sunday and then ate dinner at Everett's favorite restaurant, Iannucci's Pizza last night. We also grilled hotdogs and ate al fresco on the evening of his actual birthday. Many of Everett's gifts this year revolved around his love of Minecraft. He was one happy boy. From Eric and I, he received a stuff polar bear (it is what he asked for) and a ukulele. Eric also got one for himself so that he would be able to instruct Everett and provide lessons. He has had a joyful week!