In February, Jackson, Hudson, Deacon and I traveled to our capital city to attend a homeschool conference. While mommy was looking forward to the quality time with these three and the encouragement that comes with getting together with other homeschool mammas; the boys have been looking forward to it (and talking about it frequently) for 2 years! This was Hudson's first conference to attend, so he was extra excited, especially to make new friends and have the stories to come home and share with his younger siblings, as Jackson did after his last conference.
The boys loved their small classes they attended each day with other TCKs (Third culture kids), made new friends (and enjoyed the time with old friends as well), and generally wore themselves completely out each day. We stayed at a hotel with resort like amenities one can only find in India. The usual tennis courts, playground, and grassy area...along with a petting zoo, bouncy house, mini train ride, life size chess board & real life camels/pony/goat cart rides!
The boys each had a project they worked on for a few weeks leading up to the conference, that fit in with the theme, "Made in America." Jackson chose to research bald eagles, and Hudson chose baseball. It was really fun for us to include these projects in our day to day homeschool work and teach them how to research and write about their topics. They were especially enthusiastic about the art work they made for their projects and their costumes. At the conference they displayed their project books, while in costume, and had verbal Q&A time as the teenagers and adults walked around to view everyone's projects.
In addition to working so hard on their projects, I was especially proud of how hard they worked on their talent show act. Jackson got a guitar for his birthday in October and decided to sing "Never Once" by Matt Redman, with Hudson accompanying him on the djembe. They both did so well and were so brave, performing for the first time ever, in front of nearly 100 people! Hudson also remained on stage to recite one of the several poems he has learned this year in school. He had to turn and face the wall with his back to the crowd, but he recited it with gusto.
Here it is:
"Work" by anonymous
Work while you work, play while you play
This is the way to be happy each day.
All that you do, do with your might.
Things done by halves, are never done right!
Here's a video of their talent show act.
The last night each child who participated in the talent show, fun run, art auction, and project displays received certificates. My boys did everything, so their name was called multiple times. Hudson was hilariously coming back each time with a new certificate with a confused look on his face like "why do I keep being called?" He was going up there so often, that when they called for moms to come up when the awards were over (to get a goody bag) he just immediately walked up there all by himself and stood next to the volunteers awaiting patiently for whatever they wanted to give him next. He is such a 5 year old boy...always in his own little world. Although I did have a flash back or two of myself at that age, walking strait off the stage to my mom at the end of my first tap-dance recital, totally oblivious to what the other kids on stage were doing.
It's such a rewarding feeling to see your kid's beam with enjoyment and pride over achieving their goals. Seeing them both thrive this year in homeschooling has been such affirmation to my frequently doubting heart, that this is the right "schooling" path for them at this time. They are both reading well (AND enjoying it!) for their ages, loving math, eager to explore and learn. Praise God! It is only by His grace that this school year has been so smooth and enjoyable. It has not always been this easy, nor will it be in the near future, as we add another student or two next year to our one room school...but I'll enjoy it while it lasts and use these memories to encourage me on hard days to come. The fruit is worth the labor!
The boys loved their small classes they attended each day with other TCKs (Third culture kids), made new friends (and enjoyed the time with old friends as well), and generally wore themselves completely out each day. We stayed at a hotel with resort like amenities one can only find in India. The usual tennis courts, playground, and grassy area...along with a petting zoo, bouncy house, mini train ride, life size chess board & real life camels/pony/goat cart rides!
The boys each had a project they worked on for a few weeks leading up to the conference, that fit in with the theme, "Made in America." Jackson chose to research bald eagles, and Hudson chose baseball. It was really fun for us to include these projects in our day to day homeschool work and teach them how to research and write about their topics. They were especially enthusiastic about the art work they made for their projects and their costumes. At the conference they displayed their project books, while in costume, and had verbal Q&A time as the teenagers and adults walked around to view everyone's projects.
In addition to working so hard on their projects, I was especially proud of how hard they worked on their talent show act. Jackson got a guitar for his birthday in October and decided to sing "Never Once" by Matt Redman, with Hudson accompanying him on the djembe. They both did so well and were so brave, performing for the first time ever, in front of nearly 100 people! Hudson also remained on stage to recite one of the several poems he has learned this year in school. He had to turn and face the wall with his back to the crowd, but he recited it with gusto.
Here it is:
"Work" by anonymous
Work while you work, play while you play
This is the way to be happy each day.
All that you do, do with your might.
Things done by halves, are never done right!
Here's a video of their talent show act.
The last night each child who participated in the talent show, fun run, art auction, and project displays received certificates. My boys did everything, so their name was called multiple times. Hudson was hilariously coming back each time with a new certificate with a confused look on his face like "why do I keep being called?" He was going up there so often, that when they called for moms to come up when the awards were over (to get a goody bag) he just immediately walked up there all by himself and stood next to the volunteers awaiting patiently for whatever they wanted to give him next. He is such a 5 year old boy...always in his own little world. Although I did have a flash back or two of myself at that age, walking strait off the stage to my mom at the end of my first tap-dance recital, totally oblivious to what the other kids on stage were doing.
It's such a rewarding feeling to see your kid's beam with enjoyment and pride over achieving their goals. Seeing them both thrive this year in homeschooling has been such affirmation to my frequently doubting heart, that this is the right "schooling" path for them at this time. They are both reading well (AND enjoying it!) for their ages, loving math, eager to explore and learn. Praise God! It is only by His grace that this school year has been so smooth and enjoyable. It has not always been this easy, nor will it be in the near future, as we add another student or two next year to our one room school...but I'll enjoy it while it lasts and use these memories to encourage me on hard days to come. The fruit is worth the labor!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Leave us a comment, we love to hear from you!