Surprised by My Kids

Yesterday, each one of my kids did something that surprised me.  When we first started homeschooling, I had a picture of what schooling would be like  at my house.  As the days turned into months, it was so hard not to get get discouraged.  My kids were no where near what I had envisioned.  

Years have gone by, and somehow, little by little, my kids are turning into the  students I had pictured in my mind. And yesterday, each one of them  took a big step in that direction.

It all started when we attempted our first lapbook.  I  have always loved the concept of lapbooking, but didn't think it would work in our house.  A class they are taking online, included a lapbook, so I decided to try one.

Well, first off, they were arguing who was going to do the cover, so I found out that they each wanted to do their own.  

Then, Levi, the one who I thought would not want to do it the most, took great pride in how his looked.  He thoughtfully decorated it and them lamented that he did not have a picture of the scientist.  I tried to contain my joy as I told him that he could find a picture and he could add anything he wanted to add.  The next thing I knew, he had printed a picture  and was saying, "Mom, this guy discovered lots of elements.  He even discovered oxygen."  I was so excited, I almost cried.

Next, Mandi piped up, "Wow! He must be the most famous scientist ever!"  And later, she said," Mom, I know how to spell 'discovered' .  I memorized it."  She still wanted me to write hers for her, (I didn't) but she was learning so much by being a part of the process.

Grace struggled to get started.  It was a new thing for her, so it is normal for her to have a hard time, but by the end she was enjoying it.  She told me that she wanted to start writing history reports.  I swallowed hard and replied, " Yes, you can start doing that.  In fact, I already had that planned for next year." 

 Later, Grace surprised me again.  We were at a friends house, learning about bats.  Grace had  a piece of paper and was writing on it while the friend was reading aloud about bats.  I thought Grace was doodling, but when we were done, I saw that Grace had taken notes.  She had written down 5 or 6 facts about bats.  This is a child who still struggles with fine motor skills, so hand writing is exhausting for her.  And she still struggles with processing.  I did not know that she could listen and write at the same time, but she did!  I was so proud of her.

Lastly,  Olivia is illustrating the poem "The Creation", by Cecil Frances Alexander.  It is the one that starts "All things bright and Beautiful.."  It was my idea, but she is excited about it.  I just noticed that she has been drawing lots of pictures and making up stories to go along with them.  We are both having fun with this project.

Thanks, kids!  I needed a day like that!