First of all, I can't believe I never posted a new school year pic of the kiddos. Evan is a 6th grader now, and Lauren is a 3rd grader. This was taken on our first day of returning to our beloved homeschool co-op. Evan is doing something new for school--it's called Maize Virtual Preparatory School. I really hate the name because it gives everybody a false impression that he sits at the computer all day doing his school work. That is so totally NOT true. We received all of his curriculum books so I am still the teacher. The only thing he does on the computer is look up his assignments, do check points when he has completed an assignment, there are enrichment activities and videos to watch, and once in a while we get to have talking discussions with his overseeing teacher through the computer, and he will soon be participating in a book club with his fellow students through the computer. Also, we don't even have to use their curriculum for every subject--we don't even have to enroll for every subject. If I wanted to just enroll him for science, I could. We still enjoy another math curriculum different than what mvps has, so we are doing that instead, and for composition, he is attending live classes with his overseeing teacher (who lives in Winfield, but travels up here to conduct the classes), instead of doing the composition curriculum mvps provides. Now, since this program is considered part of a public school district, he has to take the state assessments in the spring. This will be something new for him. However, I kind of don't care how he does on these tests. Homeschooling is such a unique way of schooling, that we don't "teach to the tests" like public schools have to, so I'm not putting any pressure on Evan for these tests at all. Also, since we are not doing the mvps math, I will be enrolling him from that subject, so he will not have to take the state assessment for that subject. So many of my fellow homeschooling friends have such an eskewed understanding of this program, and it is so different, and a little difficult to explain, that I really can't. All I know is that I knew about this program for over a year before I finally felt a godly nudge to look into it. When I did, I fell in love with it. Once we started it, I hated it. Trying to adapt to this new way of teaching was very difficult, but God told me I was not to give up. So, I didn't and now Evan and I absolutely love it! We all have different roads to take in our schooling, and God lead us down this one, and I was obedient and followed, and so far, so good. Lauren is not enrolled in mvps. She will continue to do the homeschool curriculum Evan used through 5th grade, and then when 6th grade comes, we will see if mvps will be right for her or not. Just because it's right for Evan, does not automatically mean it will be right for her. We will figure that out in a few years.
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair." Lauren loves this new staircase set up in our new home. She tied a long scarf to her ponytail and let it hang down to pretend she was Rapunzel up in her tower.
A couple of weeks ago we took the kids to see the Broadway musical The Lion King. Totally, awesome, and fantastic. The costumes were amazing! Thankfully we had bought the tickets several months ago because otherwise we would not have been able to afford them after buying the new house.
One of the best things we have bought since moving into the new house--walkie-talkies! Now the kids take one with them when they go down to the neighbors houses to play, or walk to the other side of the pond. Plus, I don't have to step outside and start hollering for them when it's time to come in, and they don't have to run all the way back home to ask something. It's worked out beautifully.
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