{SQT} Annual Standardized Testing Week

1. Royalty

Mary enjoyed playing at an invitation-only piano competition last Saturday where she placed runner up: click here!

2. School Routine

This week, we got back to a more normal school routine, about which I'm pleased, after a couple of weeks of everything being helter skelter.

The two youngest girls got their stories submitted to the PBS Kids Writers' Contest (John having aged out of its guidelines).

The next two weeks will see us giving extra focus to memorizing our CCE memory facts (24 facts in 7 subjects--NOT that we're memorizing them all!) before the final testing day.

Reciting CCE facts while coloring

Kindergarten fractions

3. Annual Standardized Testing

Here in North Carolina, homeschoolers are required to take (but not submit to the government) one annual standardized test. This was our fourth year in a row using the Woodcock-Johnson test (which requires a professional administrator)--and Margaret's first year taking the test.

I anticipated and enjoyed Testing Day because the children got wonderful scores again, and it is the one day per year that I have objective feedback that I'm doing an okay job at this homeschooling life for which I gave up a career and am devoting all my time, research, and energy.

Eating dinner at a restaurant to celebrate Testing Day--note Thomas' ever-present board book

4. Scotland the Brave

Mary is learning some Scottish music on her violin with the long view of being able to play music for Scottish dance events. This week at class, she played Scotland the Brave to her classmates for the first time.

6. Random Cute Moments

I went outside to tell the children that Daddy was about to arrive home in the driveway only to discover that they had emptied the garage of much of its contents in order to thoroughly sweep it out! This was both wonderfully generous and poor timing, so we rushed to get the garage ready for Daddy to pull in.

One day I heard a lawn mower buzzing so I peeked out my window to see who was mowing--because we're a peek-out-your-windows kind of neighborhood--and imagine my surprise that it was my own 10-year-old in another family's yard! It turns out that he wanted to mow the neighbors' lawn while they are out of town (and he had obtained Daddy's permission). Later, the girls ran over with rake and broom to help. Melt mama's heart.

7. Thomas

I have thought Thomas is 21 months for at least weeks, but today I had to run the math and discovered that he is 20 months. This is not as bad as when I spent almost an entire year thinking I was a different age than reality.

Thomas--20 months!--had a yucky bug this week but, on the bright side, he learned how to eat Pedialyte popsicles.

Sick boy eats Pedialyte pop

Thomas carries his board books with him many places. One dark morning, as only he and I were awake, I watched him 'reading' in between taking bites of his cereal. 

Ah, reading at table, it's a bad habit! I wonder where he gets it . . . as I look down at myself . . .

Thomas loves to run fast toward the tree swing and leap upon it with his tummy, then fly around like an airplane above the mud pit while crowing like a rooster. Doodle-doodle-doo! Reminds me of Peter Pan.

For more 7 Quick Takes Friday, check out This Ain't the Lyceum.