affirmation and art

Last night we were playing our 'School Review Game' we have a few different versions but they are all based on 'trivia' or 'quiz' cards that I write up as we go through our material.

Both of the girls told me how they wished 'real' schools taught and learned this way. It is affirmation - the girls seem to delight in what we are doing.

It doesn't change the fact that C will act every bit as cranky and difficult as I did at the same age and it doesn't eliminate K's tantrums or the days when everything she has ever learned seems to have departed from her head. However, it does mean we are doing something right.

The girls have been playing piano for six weeks and are making good progress. Their teacher Mrs Mary is pleased and says that their time put into practicing really shows.

I really, really love how we are doing grammar, spelling, and science (We are using Shurley English and Apologia Science - I use Spelling Power for C and Sequential Spelling for K). I am rethinking history and we might make a shift in the program. I will let you know if it happens - especially if I think the shift works how I hope it might.

This was an art project we did yesterday. I found the instructions for it at Dick Blick - they have a treasure trove of art projects with pdf instructions.

This is my effort. I wasn't going to make one but C was struggling so much that I decided to make one just to encourage her.

This is K's project. She loved this project and wants to do more of it. She put a hanger on her's so that she can hang it up somewhere.

C made three or four attempts at this project. This was her last effort and she is not at all happy with it. She struggles with abstract - she likes her world very concrete.