Homeschool Discoveries

Whoo-hoo! It’s Friday, our standardized testing is done for the year, and we’re calling it a wrap on this school year.

Here are a few highlights from our week:

1.  Miss M had our required-by-state-regulations standardized testing this week.  We opted to do the Iowa Test of Basic Skills with our homeschool co-op.  It gives Miss M a quiet environment away from siblings, (and with no worries that I might not be a fair test administrator to my own child).   On Monday and Tuesday I read a test to a younger student from another co-op family (and the boys played with other siblings too young to need to test).  Then on Wednesday while 3rd graders and up continued testing, I took the boys to play at a park.

2.  I told Miss M I would treat everyone to lunch after she was done with the last day of the test.  She picked Little Ceasar’s Pizza.  I asked her if that was what she really wanted, because I didn’t mind going to the “nicer” pizza place…but no, she really wanted the cheap pizza as her post-test reward.  🙂

3. Miss M is thrilled to now have more time for outdoor pursuits…like trying to climb the tree in the front yard.

4.-5. Miss M and best friend Miss J from across the street had the brilliant idea of a “free art” stand.  They get to have fun chatting with neighbors and others who stroll by, and I get the side benefit of less paper accumulating in the house.  I told them they can definitely do this one again!

6.  We had one surprisingly hot day in the middle of the week, surrounded by warm or even cool days.  The temperature was over 90 degrees on Tuesday, but unfortunately our outside faucets were not on yet and I couldn’t manage to get them on myself.  So, the kids enjoyed water guns and buckets of water.  Mr. J can’t quite figure out the water guns yet, but he could definitely use part of one of the guns to cool off the “old fashioned way”  (aka just dumping the water on his head!).

7.  Today was our “official” (as I determined it) last day of school for this school year.  I had originally planned this for next week…but the way our schedule was shaping up, we’ll not have a single “ordinary” day.  And we always call a summer break by Memorial Day. So today (among a couple other errands), we bought a few new books for summer reading at Half Price Books, and went to Panera for a treat and to discuss our favorites, least favorites, etc from this year (that will deserve it’s own post, perhaps, another day).   This afternoon I’d like to do some clean out of school supplies, books and papers…but I am not sure that is going to happen.   I guess that’s what “break” is for!

Between our Monday-Wednesday testing and our “last day” today, we went to one of our favorite museums, The Works, on Thursday to see a new exhibit and do the new activities in the “design lab”:

It feels good to be on break…like maybe I can catch up or begin on a few projects and goals of my own.   I promised the kids I wouldn’t bug them about any summer schoolwork/review for at least two weeks (though I am still going to try and keep Mr. E practicing reading…I’m afraid even two weeks would be too long of a break for him with his budding reading skills!).

Then once June rolls around, we’ll add in math review/games, learning to type (at least for Miss M, and maybe Mr. E), and a summer study on our state’s history (coupled with plenty of field trips, of course).  At some undermined point (July?), we’ll add back in a few new lessons in some subjects…leading up to two weeks of vacation in the end of August, then a full start to the new school year on September 3rd.  Good times!  But for now, bring on the Summer Bucket List!

I’m linking up with Collage Friday, The Weekly Wrap-Up, and Homeschool Review!