Big Day

This was the week of our wedding anniversary. Happy 8th Anniversary to me and Erik! And Happy Anniversary to Jeremy and Leslie, of course!

me reading my vows to Erik

the conclusion of our double ceremony - the Star Wars theme was playing as we walked back down the aisle

Xander and I and his dad have been talking about homeschool options and expectations. Yesterday, Xander took a trial taekwondo class and liked it very much. At the end of a trial week, we will decide whether he will continue that class.

Yesterday, Xander also said that taekwondo class was "way too easy" and "I already know everything." I can tell you that neither one of those statements is true. We did have really good discussions about learning after each of them - in my opinion.

Today, we:

• Looked at Interior With a Bowl With Red Fish by Henri Matisse, talked about cool colors and warm colors, and identified different shades of blue in the painting. We also talked about cool colors and warm colors that can be found in nature. I told him that Henri Matisse was from France and that he spoke French. Xander added bonus material by asking if he knew English. I tried looking it up and my best guess is no. The point was made that anyone can look at his paintings whether they speak French or English or any other language.
• We made tissue paper flowers and displayed them. They were made in cool colors.
• We sampled a free Lego club online class and Xander said he would like to participate in it once a month. There was a young boy who shared a Lego star fighter he had made and then the teacher taught a lesson about gears using Lego gears as an example.
• I showed him a trailer for the upcoming movie The Hobbit, which he wants to see (and so do I! very badly!), and introduced the book that the movie is based on. I'll be reading it to him at breakfast time, whether he likes it or not. So far, he does not like the idea. Oh well.
• We looked at a large world map and talked about world facts (like the world being called Earth, we live on the world, the world is a giant ball shape, the world is mostly covered with water, part of the world is land...) Of course, Xander already knew most of it and did not hesitate to tell me so. He began to color a small world map - water blue, land green - but said his hand was very tired. We also talked about continents - he knew what they were but not that there are 7. We went over some facts about continents. I was going to have him color the continents different colors and patterns as well, on another map, but he said, "Remember? My hand is too tired." I counted each of those as half an activity and said we would have to finish them tomorrow.
• I wrote this week's spelling words on a chalk board while Xander said, "Awww, I hate spelling!" He read the spelling words and we discussed them. I showed him how to write the words using Do-A-Dot markers and he was hooked. He wrote each of the spelling words by using dots. I counted these as two separate activities.
• He got to pick a treasure out of our new treasure box! Because I knew it would take some doing to get him to finish four activities in a row each day when he has been on a summer fun schedule, I told him I would start out by letting him choose a treasure whenever he finished four lessons in a row in the morning. My friend Charity has been saving up Happy Meal toys to send to us. Yesterday we received the box. Instead of telling the kids they had gotten a cool package in the mail, I hid it. Voila! A brand-new treasure box.

Erik, Xander, and I all had some concerns about homeschooling over the weekend. Xander stopped liking the idea and started being upset that he would miss first grade, and he loved his school, and he didn't want to miss out on first grade. We discussed at length. Erik and I had a talk in private. We eventually decided to lay out the facts to Xander and let him make the decision. He chose homeschooling. I've been nervous to officially withdraw him from school because I was afraid he would change his six-year-old mind. He has not said a word about changing his mind.

Today, when I was showing him the Lego club online class, I told him it was a class for homeschoolers. He said, "I'm a homeschooler!" I finished the paperwork to withdraw him from school.

This week is an easing-in week, so I may not have us do everything we would normally do. This afternoon, we will go to the community pool so Xander can practice his newfound swimming skills with the confidence that a life jacket and that particular pool give him. Tomorrow, we will meet a neighborhood moms group for an outing to the children's museum. The next afternoon, we will meet another group at the playground.

one of our first homeschool activities