Catching fireflies
Another day of camp. It was hot and humid. I was pitty, but I still wouldn’t set foot in the stagnant, algae-infested pond. Must be showing my age..
Tonight, the kids swam and relaxed. That was followed by catching fireflies. I gave each child a jar with holes poked in the top. They caught a few, and we watched them light up in a dark room and then in the light. We learned they eat dew and pollen, and the kids released them before they went to bed.
I’m exhausted. I didn’t even work out tonight. It’s all I can do to get us prepped and ready for another day of camp. The group I’m helping to lead has to perform a skit the end of the week, so I’m downloading some music for them and printing out their skit checklists.
I did meet another homeschooler today while I was in line at the Trading Post. This mom said they school year-round, so her children were working on their workbooks in the car to and from camp. Made me a little nervous that I hadn’t had “school” in a few days, but I’m still in shut-down mode:) Guess it didn’t make me too nervous.
Learning more about college admissions
Today we were back in the full swing of academics. It felt good to be home in our familiar surroundings while studying new topics. We ended our classroom time around 3:00 only to turn on CNN to witness the unfolding Boston tragedy. I let my kids watch just a couple of minutes of the story but soon turned it off as I learned more about what happened. Most of them are still too young to hear that the world can be that ugly.
Got my workout in as I continued to listen to the police chief explain what they knew. Hubby was around this evening to help with sports and other activities.
The rest of the evening was interesting. I attended an informational meeting on the topic of college admissions given by a private educational consultant at one of the local high schools. It was not presented for a homeschool audience, but that didn’t seem to matter. The speaker gave a nice overview including some of the latest trends. Her discussion was geared towards students in grades 7-10 and their parents. My kids are not that old yet, but I went anyway to see what might help me in our current stage. Here’s what I pulled out specifically for our season:
Lots of reading and writing is crucial towards doing well academically and the earlier the better.
Having good study skills is another important factor.
They must be able to argue for themselves.
I was reminded that I need to do a better job in these areas. Feel like I’m especially falling short in teaching good study skills, so I’m starting to read a new book called Study is Hard Work by William Armstrong. I’ve had this book for a few months now, but hopefully, I’ll gain a new perspective after I read it.
1:00, time for bed.
The home stretch
I’ve talked before about seasons and how changes can be bitter sweet. In two weeks our time at Excelsior (our local homeschool cooperative) will come to an end. I’ve decided to take a break from outside responsibilities for next year so that I can give myself the opportunity to regroup and refresh what we will be doing at home. I’m excited to see where that path may lead us. Maybe we’ll have more time to travel or experience some of the community classes offered that we normally couldn’t attend. Maybe the schedule or lack-thereof will take a bit of stress off of me and give me the needed time to work on my own interests such as the “Dr. Joy” medical series. It is fun to think about, but I know I will miss so many aspects of Excelsior, the community, the academic rigor, the friends, the sense of belonging to a special group. I’ll be spending quite a bit of time over the next two weeks prepping for our upcoming Friends and Family night. I love this night because the event provides the environment for the students to showcase some of the things that they’ve learned over the past school year. I really get giddy about the whole thing. I love a good party, but you know what I really love is the party food! Good times..
Ivy League Homeschooling 