October

October has been busy! Nothing particularly exciting, just a busy daily grind. My daughter did, finally, have an Occupational Therapy evaluation for the pain she experiences when writing. She likes some of the games & exercises, but not others. It seems her fingers are "locking", so she was shown a massage that can help relax her finger joints, and I have found that helps if she periodically stops her writing to do this exercise. She giggles like crazy getting the monkeys into the barrel with a special instrument (she has to use her fingers properly to do so.) We learned a new tic tac toe version- we each get a word (not an x or o) and the word has to be written correctly. I found it interesting the OT noted the same thing my daughter's vocal coach keeps correcting- scrunched up shoulders. I have been taking advantage of the weather and my daughter has spent a lot of time outdoors. She plays football with some neighborhood boys- they don't seem to be soft on her at all because she's a girl, and I think she is thrilled with that. She did end up with a nasty bruised cheek/eye after a tackle earlier this month. I told her that was it for injuries this month, but she didn't listen. She got a friction "rip" on her palm while playing on the playground equipment (it's basically a large, sloughed blister.) After getting ver the initial stinging pain, she had a temporary joy thinking this would get her out of schoolwork- it was her right hand- but, no, she can still read, type, and give me oral answers!

Field Trip: Hot Rods for Heroes

We are still recovering from a long and wonderful day with our pals from Hot Rods for Heroes.  Being a military family, we had an incredible chance to go behind the scenes at the NHRA qualifications this past weekend. While we were based at the Permatex/Follow A Dream team's pit, we also met Alexis DeJoria and Clay Millican and the Parts Plus team. My daughter was inspired by her experience watching the awsom Jay Blake (Follow A Dream) at work. She loved the slower cars, but the top fuel cars scared her a bit, so we sat at the pit after a few of those races. She said it wasn't so much the noise, but how much everything- from the ground to her teeth, shook when they go by. She saw science in action- from machinery, to chemistry, to physics, and the math involved in speed and racing. When the Permatex car brushed along the wall, she got to see the damage- the solid metal pipes were melted and fused. Talk about heat!

The damage:

Marathon Kids

This year, my daughter has been entered into the Marathon Kids program. We recently celebrated at their Kick Off event, where we both did the first quarter mile. There were kids, teachers, and parents from all over the area- both traditional schools and homeschools. She had fun racing one of her homeschool friends during the lap, and ended up way ahead of me! When we looked at her tracking sheet, her only dissapointment was the box to check off she ate squash or zucchini- she dislikes both.

Marathon Kids is a national program that encourages physical activity and good nutrition. It is open to any elementary school child. Visit their website!

A really distracted day...

I know how important routine and predictablity are to my daughter, and today demonstrated what a mess things can become when our household routine, homeschool routine, and my general activity level tanks. I work at the nearby public school part time and it seems I catch every respiratory virus that comes around. Most of the time, I'm just a little sniffly- this month I caught a full-blown cold to sinus to asthma mess that has left me drained- still moving and getting through the days, but absolutely drained. I have tried to keep up with the homeschool lessons, and for the most part things have gone well. Not today- my daughter spent the day unable to focus on anything (I mean anything) for longer than a few minutes, kept needing my attention, and I was too tired to keep redirecting and trying to talk and stay focused on what I was supposed to be teaching. So, we gave up. Part of the work done, the rest will be added to tomorrow and we'll plug along as we can. Honestly, I pretty much knew the day was over when doing sentence contruction, I asked her "where do shooting stars shine?" and she said in a village... and she was serious. So, tonight I will continue to treat myself, boost my immune system, and hopefully get enough sleep to be ready to focus and keep her interest in the morning.

End of the first month of Fourth Grade...

We have had a very busy August, so I have had barely any time to do everything I have needed to do. Overall, Fourth Grade has started well, with only one major snag- there was an initial (expected) tantrum-prone rebellion in the beginning of the month. She did NOT want to do school. She did NOT like math or grammar. She wanted TV and to go out to the playground or the pool and to go see her friends and to go shopping... She protested completing her work and discovered she was going nowhere. She could be on the couch, at the table, in her room, or anywhere else in the house. But she was not allowed to go to the playground, the pool, etc. Oh, there was also no TV or XBox. Or shopping. The day her rebellion turned to creative sentences in her grammar book, I knew she was getting the idea. So far, she has actually been getting her stuff done, and with a much happier attitude.

This is the grammar rebellion:

First Week of Fourth Grade

The first week of Fourth Grade is over, the year has begun!

My daughter had a light schedule, which turned out to be a very good idea. She was exhausted from her vacation with grandma, and once fell asleep while doing math. The focus for the first week was Reading Comprehension (Mary Poppins), and Math (numbers, including huge numbers). She even got a chance to do some real-life math helping out at a fundraiser booth! There were a few other lessons- like an impromptu history/science lesson on locusts. We discovered a nearby playground that has an extensive trail leading from it- and I can't wait to go back! We love hiking. She also had an important Choir performance, and the kids did such a terrific job!

For the rest of this month, she will have a gradual increase in classwork (starting Grammar and her Science curriculum, for example.) By mid-September, all her coursework should be in full-swing.

A very busy July!

We have had a very busy summer! Our area was hit hard by the derecho that passed through Maryland right before our Independance holiday. We still managed to head out for vacation, but were slightly delayed. I learned how useful having a CB-owning husband is on a road trip where over half the gas stations along the highway were inoperable due to power outages- he just kept up conversation with the truckers. We visited family down South and had a blast- after the power outages and storms, we also experienced a midnight swim, my daughter sang for the family Church, we moved some cinderblocks and got stung by bees, more swimming, trampoline-ing, a massive fireworks display, Legos, and, a lot of time with family.

My tire somehow got a hole in it while it sat at home for our vacation. That was a fiasco. We have had friends and Church events, which have all been incredibly fun, but last week, my daughter told me she felt a little burned out from all the activity, so, other than VBS and some family time, we have had an at-home week this week. VBS was super-fun, and I loved volunteering. The theme was bugs, and, lo and behold, my daughter caught a rather large praying mantis- which we then brought in for VBS. He- my daughter named him Manley Mantis- was a hit and fit in nicely with the theme. He has been released back into the wild, but so far has refused to leave our porch. Maybe he liked us?

I have planned out August, and part of September for homeschool. I am eager to start, but we still have a bit of vacation left. My daughter is headed for a visitation vacation, but once she comes back home, we will be slowly getting back into the school-days routine.

Pictures will be coming soon!