REPORT CARDS: As part of our affiliation with Shoreline School District's Home Education program, I have to file monthly reports on CJ and Annabelle's academic progress. It sounds simple enough, but this month is the first time I've done it, and I probably overdid it, and it took me nearly FIVE hours this morning to do it. :/
The reason that it takes so long is because for each kid, I have to write assessments not just for each kid, but for seven classes for each kid. That's 14 lil' summaries. (Gee, can you imagine being a regular classroom teacher and having to do that for, say, 25 kids each quarter? Egad.)
It sure was handy to have this here blog to refer back to. It helped me be a lot more specific about curriculum we've covered and lessons learned this past month. For example, here's Annabelle's assessment for art:
Much of October's artwork centered on seasonal themes.
Annabelle's various pumpkin projects included crafting a 3D jack-o-lantern, creating a wax and tissue paper pumpkin, painting a pumpkin and carving a pumpkin. Annabelle also constructed an elaborate "haunted" gingerbread house.
Using Activity TV tutorials, Annabelle drew a witch and a vampire. She used construction paper to craft a witch.
Annabelle had a hand in designing and creating three custom cakes this month. She mixed custom colors and sculpted design elements in fondant.
This month's field trips included a visit to the Olympic Sculpture Park where Annabelle studied the sculptures and landscape, and the Burke Museum, which had a special exhibit on textile arts. There, she was able to do some weaving and learn about materials used in weaving.
Bee wrote, "I'm gonna like me when I hug my mom. I'm gonna like me when I hug my dad."
MEGAMINDS: This evening Rick and Kennedy took CJ and Annabelle to see Megamind, the new Will Ferrell movie. It got eight thumbs up from our reviewers.
Man, oh man, we were lucky when we went to "our" launch.
CJ SHARES: Last night from the darkness of his bedroom, CJ called out to Christian and me to tell us, "The first day when I get my kids I will bring them to their grandma and grandpa's house - which is you." I thought that was super sweet. I went in his room to talk to him about it and he informed me, "You will bake them chocolate chip cookies. And if we lived far away and it was the kids' bedtime, I'd make them beds in the back of my car. I'd make as many beds as I needed," depending on the number of kids, he said.
This morning, shortly after breakfast, CJ told me, "When I'm a dad I'll be a swimming instructor." I thought that an interesting choice given CJ isn't terribly fond of swimming, but I told him that sounds like a great idea and told him he'd probably be really good at that. He did mention he'd wear a life jacket while on the job. :)
Tonight as he walked into his bedroom for slumber CJ handed me a "secret message" he'd written. It said, "M is for Mario and Mega Man. Mario + Mega Man = Mega Mario." He said he wants to have a picture to go with it. I told him we'd do some Photoshopping tomorrow.