Springtime School

  

We are headed into the third and final term of the school year and it's been a really happy school year.  Those girls are getting big so fast!  
Millie is in the middle of her first grade year and we've been reading some beautiful books together, including British history (as a natural precursor to American history), some interesting historical tales like Cincinnatus and William Tell, Paddle to the Sea (geography of the Midwest) and other interesting simple biographies, then poetry by A.A. Milne!  Tales from Shakespeare!  She likes to walk around the property with the bird guide trying to identify some of the new birds migrating back from the south. To get some extra practice, we're taking a little time to play more math games to solidify math addition and subtraction facts as well as reading "Life of Fred" at teatime (something they BEG for).  She is incredibly artistic and our drawing lessons are a source of joy and sometimes angst when it's not going exactly the way she is hoping.

Second grade with Lyddie is as interesting and fun as the first year. In many ways it is a continuation of last year's work, and I can see so many specific ways that foundation is being built upon. Even many of our books are the same into next year (third grade) with a several additional books to go along with them. We just finished reading The Wind in the Willows, Heidi, and are finishing up The Little Duke, the true story and adventures of young Duke Richard of Normandy.  The latter has been a really interesting experience together, in part because it was a real challenge to wade through the language at the beginning of the school year but is no longer what seems like an insurmountable mountain. Along with drawing, both girls have been knitting and weaving looms and practicing piano. 

Rosie participates in a lot of the "riches" (picture study, composer, poetry, drawing); she just memorized the poem "Daffadowndilly" by AA Milne the last few weeks and is so cute reciting it as she goes about the house working on her chores. She is learning to read, my little baby learning to read.  How is it all going so fast?