Our Final Week - Plus an Announcement/Collage Friday
Friday, May 2, 2014 at 5:00AM 
We are in the final stretch!
Grant officially finished Classical Conversations for the year, and Anna's last class is next week. This week has been a week of studying for the Challenge A final (for Anna) and a week of unstructured schooling (for Grant).
We also made it through a very strange week of weather - so many bad storms all around us left us without power Tuesday morning and lots of damage we've spotted driving around this week.
I'm also very excited about a new adventure for Homegrown Learners (more on that later in the post).
Challenge A Updates
Tuesday will be the final exam in Challenge A. Anna has been working very hard to review.
I must say, I feel like the exam is just a formality. The volume and depth of what they have learned all year is the true measure of learning - not the final exam. I am encouraging her to study and do her best, but in the back of my mind I'm just so proud of all she has accomplished and (truthfully) ready for a break.
While I LOVE Challenge A, it has been a lot of work.
Part of the final exam is drawing and labeling the major body systems from memory. Anna loves to display this information on her white board. This was done from memory.
I know she will look back on this year with a tremendous amount of pride and wonder how she ever crammed all of this information into her head. It's good stuff.
Her final apologetics paper is "Why Secular Humanism is a Flawed Worldview". I'm telling you - this is deep stuff for a 12 year old, and I hope she will allow me permission to post her paper. The searching she has had to do for this topic is TOUGH, but she is learning so much. These papers will be presented on the last day of class for parents.
Latin Day
The kids had a Latin Day - complete with a huge feast and presentations from all of the Challenge students.
Anna's presentation was about music in ancient Rome.
I'm so glad we just decided to sink our teeth into Latin - it's been so worth it.
I wrote earlier this week about How To Learn Latin - this has probably been our biggest accomplishment this year.
Sometimes You Just Have to "Let it Go"
I didn't even attempt to do formal school with Grant this week.
Between everything going on with Challenge and me trying to purge and pack up the entire main floor of our house (new floors will be installed next Wednesday), I just decided to let him have an "interest led" week. We did continue math lessons as normal, but that's it.
There are seasons in homeschool when this type of learning just WORKS.
Grant spent the week doing a lot of LEGO building (look at his room -- a mess, but he was happy!), working on Typing Web, doing a lot of biking and running for his triathlon, and helping me with a little vlogging!
He also took a practice Stanford 10 standardized test online because he will be taking the real thing next Monday and Tuesday (online through Classical Conversations).
We started reading aloud The Indian in the Cupboard - and, as I suspected, he is loving it. There is nothing better than a read aloud where your child is curled up next you, giggling most of the time. I have purchased the movie and after standardized testing next week we will have a movie night to celebrate!
Fun Announcement
I have been a faithful reader of the Classical Conversations Blog Carnival at Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood. In fact, this is one of the things that drew me to CC in the first place. I would read about what everyone was doing in their CC homeschool and it just excited me.
A few weeks ago, Brandy asked me if I would consider taking over the carnival! I happily accepted this endeavor, knowing that it WILL be a lot of work, but knowing that it will also help me forge new relationships and better serve my readers who are affiliated with CC.
Please stay tuned for more details - and if you are interested in knowing more, visit Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood, where Brandy is making the formal announcement today. I'm new at hosting a blog carnival, so you may have to be patient with me as I learn.
Homeschool Deals
This special deal from Notebooking Pages is only good until Monday -- $50 off a LIFETIME membership, and lots of other goodies. I am so thankful for our membership to this site - I use it daily in our homeschool. (Click the image to take advantage of the savings.)
Also, Amazon has a very good sale on Kindles. $49 for a regular Kindle, and $99 for a PaperWhite. Hello, Mother's Day?
How was your week?
Please join me by linking your photo collages!
If you'd like to link, you can do so in a couple of ways:
- Enter your link below. Be sure to link to your post with photo collages and link back to this post (or include the Collage Friday button on your blog).
- Share your photo collage(s) on Instagram, FB, G+, or Twitter - use the hashtag #collagefriday so I can find you!
Reader Comments (9)
Lots to celebrate this week - wrapping up so much great learning, hosting the CC carnival and getting through this week's storms :) And I know you will love the new floors! You are such a great hostess to us all for Collage Friday each week - thank you.
What she is memorized is just amazing. We have lots of LD's here and memorizing things is one of our weaknesses. We work on it because even the things one is weak at, one can improve, but that kind of memorization is just beyond our reach. She is blessed to be able to do that.
I hope your taking over the CC Carnival won't mean you will be giving up Collage Friday.
Looks like you had another great week !! Praying God's Blessings on all your new endeavors . Have a beautiful weekend ~ Amy
Wow! What Anna has accomplished is incredible! You have made me seriously consider getting a little tougher on Jeremiah next year! Grant looks very happy and productive too! Congrats on taking over the carnival!
The Latin Day looks like soooo much fun! Your post has really made me look forward to Challenge A. It is a long way off for us, but I really haven't had much insight into that segment and what you've written, I love! That is an amazing amount of info she has learned.
Congrats on hosting the Blog Carnival. Her blog is one of my first stops each week. She is amazing.
Thanks!
Suzi
Great Latin Day pictures. It doesn't hardly seem like you all could be at the end of the year for CC. It seems like you all just started, but then there is the impressive picture of Anna with her body systems drawn from memory. I'm glad it has been such a great year for you, In just slightly different circumstances we would have loved to join CC, but it clearly is not for us right now. Have a great weekend!
Your kids have worked so hard this year. I know you are so proud of them! Good job=)
Blessings, Dawn
I do hope that Anna lets you post her paper. It sounds very interesting. We are doing CC in the 2015-2016 school year after we move. My girls will then by in 7th and 2nd grades.
Okay, so I am thoroughly impressed with those anatomy diagrams! I didn't start learning that stuff until I was in college. Well...maybe there was something in high school health but it definitely didn't stick until college. High five to you and your kiddos! I can't wait for next year when cycle three dives into anatomy! Thanks for hosting. :)