Sunday, May 20, 2012

Three years down, we ebb and we flow, just like the Colorado River along the Grand Canyon.
What I have learned: the first year is just de-schooling and undoing all the programming that goes into classroom training the child to be patiently spoon fed the answers. The second year is a compliant year or honeymoon, that went well enough. The third year is testing the boundaries. Was I serious? Would I fallow through. What if FAILURE was an OPTION?  Some of the questions that come to mind would be how much structure is enough? How many hours does it really take each day?

We spent way more time on STAAR prep this year than any year prior. We spent way less time on location for enrichment activities and that demoralized the troops and took away from our overall learning process. We did not travel as much this year and missed out on some real opportunities. We cut our budget drastically and so only took in 4 field trips.

Locally Washington on the Brazos was by far the best followed by the Renn Fest. One trip to Montana and Washington was a great family experience but not much educationally. That must be rectified.  I am competing for more time over Minecraft, it has taken over the little craniums. However, if you can not add more socialization from the neighborhood, well add more family will solve that problem. Magnus has imprinted on both Rose and Lily and that is a good thing.

We read this year, but not as much as last, so that has dwindled down since some authors are so slow at writing. Magnus can devour a Rick Riordan book in 48 hours.