Olympic Lapbook

We really enjoyed the Winter Olympics this year. Our favorite events were on too late for the kids to stay up, but we watched a lot online. Punkin's favorite was the figure skating, and she also really cheered for Lindsay Vonn who is from Colorado.

She made a lapbook using this ebook from A Journey Through Learning.

The cover:

The inside:

Folder 1 is about the history of the Greeks and the Olympics:
Folder 2 is about the traditions & symbols of the Olympics.
(There is a map under the Torch Relay of tracing the route.)

Folder 3 is where we tracked all the events and who won the gold medals.I'm glad we did this project. Punkin learned a lot and we had fun!

Big changes ahead

I've been formally homeschooling for almost 5 years now. Preschool, K, Grades 1-3. I can't believe it. In some ways it feels like I've been doing it for all of my life, and in some ways it feels like just a few weeks.

I've read every homeschooling book at my library – and it's a good library so there are a lot of them! I've learned a lot. But there is one thing the books do not tell you how to do – stop homeschooling. How do you quit?

Punkin has been accepted at an amazing local charter school. She will start 4^th grade in the fall. We obviously chose to pursue this path; and we have some valid reasons for thinking this may be the best path for her and our family. However, I have to admit that I didn't really think she would get a spot. There was a less than 1 percent chance, and admittance is determined by a lottery system, so the new students are determined purely by chance.

I'm scared. I'm scared about the things she will learn the hard way. I'm scared the teachers won't like her. I'm scared the other kids won't like her. I'm scared she won't like the other kids. I'm scared that she will be asked to be someone other than the free-spirited, creative girl that she is. I'm scared that what I have taught her will not be enough.

My dad was teasing me a little about going through the kindergarten mom anxiety with a 4^th grader. And I definitely am. But, it is not just letting her go for the day. It's also letting go of complete responsibility of her education. Honestly, I'm having a hard time.

However, the chance was so slim and I prayed so much, I do believe that God opened this door for her. It is the right one for all of us. As scared as I am, I'm also super excited for her. I'm excited about the things she will learn. I'm excited that she has the opportunity to continue her education in a great place. I'm excited about the new friends she will make. I'm excited to see how she will grow.

And, maybe, I'll have more time to blog. *wink

Workboxes

Have you heard of Sue Patrick's workbox system?

One of the ladies on my Weaver email loop mentioned them, and I was intrigued. After reading Ms. Patrick's book - honestly, I was nervous about the extra time it might take, but I also thought it would work well for our family.

I used it with just Punkin for the last few weeks of last year, and have been using it for the first 3 weeks of school with both of them, and it works really well for us.

The basic idea is that you organize the work into boxes.

Because Weaver is multi-level, I have 3 colors of labels - one for her, one for him, and one for both of them.

And then, I arrange their schedule strips for each of them each day.

The pink one is for Punkin. The blue one is for Little Man.

I love the schedule strip. It helps my highly-visual Punkin stay focused, and to refocus her all I have to say is "What's next on your schedule strip?" She does really well seeing what comes next, and knowing how much she has left.

My favorite part is a very subtle shift of the responsibility for finishing her schoolwork - it's now hers. And she has taken ownership of that. I definitely still help her with most of the boxes, but I'm helping her complete her work instead of her doing what I need her to do. It is a subtle difference in how it looks, but I love it.

It is more work. No doubt about it. But it is worth it because I'm so much more focused on them and relaxed during our school time. Actually, it probably isn't more work - it's just that I do more of it ahead of time instead of on the fly during our day. And because Little Man is taking my attention when she is working independently now, there is not as much "prepare on the fly" time in our school day anyway.

'Course this is still Little Man's favorite thing to do:


Gotta love that boy and his cars!