you know what was great about kindergarten last year? that we sat down, did some cutting, some pasting, lots of chatting, coloring, and reciting of poems, songs, and bible verses.

you know what is great about "first grade" this year? that we sit down, and their brains are working in more tangible ways for me to see.

you know what was great about kindergarten last year? the boys BEGGED for school.

you know what is difficult about "first grade" this year? the boys are actually complaining about doing it!

it's okay...there was a season of kindergarten crafts, and now we're entering the season of more intense learning - even if it is on a "first grade" level. and their complaining is pushing me to make it more creative and fun for them. so far, some phonics games, fun word exercises, and math games have been working to keep them going. but i'm more busy this year staying on my toes to keep the creative juices flowing.

and i put it into perspective for the boys as well. our school day lasts from 1 1/2 to 3 hours a day. once they start to complain, i remind them that they could go to school for 6 hours a day instead of just 2. they stop their complaints really quickly (until the next day, of course!).

we're six weeks into our school year, and we're getting into the rhythm. even adam (3) is adapting nicely. there are days when he sits with us and does his own thing at the table, or days when he's playing nicely by himself in the play room while we drill away our spelling and math (he's usually doing latin, art and yoga with us). the classical model of educating is so rich. when kenny and i studied and researched and read about it back when we were deciding and praying about homeschooling for our family, we were both so amazed by how close it follows the way God created our minds to work and grow. and it's unfolding before our eyes right now!

the grammar stage (the first stage of the trivium, grades 1-6, generally) is a time of memorization...facts, lists, rules, etc.  In our Spell to Write and Read work, we are memorizing the sounds of all the letters in the alphabet, all the sounds that multi-letter phonics make, and rules in english grammar. it's easier for me to tell the boys to sound out a word in a book, or on a sign knowing that they know the sounds that single letters and multi-letters make. they're beginning to understand WHY "boy" says /boy/ and not b-oo-why.  when kenny's working on math "problems" with them, they're laughing, yelling out the answers, feeling like it's a game, using their abacus and loving math (more than anything!). and these things are sticking with them. the repetition and memorization is already working their brains. it's so fun for me to see all the hard, complaint-worthy WORK coming to life - only 6 weeks into school!

about once a week, somebody different warns me that i need to make sure that our kids are socializing with other kids' their age since they're not  "going to school." i've been polite in the past and will probably be polite in the future...but really, what is the point of school: learning or socializing? we provide plenty of out-of-home-with-other-families opportunities for our kids. they're getting their "socialization." and more importantly, they're learning!