Pre-K: a year in review

Knowing me, I HAD to write a Pre-K: year in a review post before writing about the start of Kindergarten. I also felt it was time to return to blogging after an abrupt & unplanned hiatus at the end of July. No real reason I halted writing other than the busyness of my bunch (which is always there) but, maybe working full time is requiring more energy than I expected & I have been in preparation mode to begin our school year at home. I guess those are decent reasons I have been a little short with computer time ; )

Backtrack with me to when Charlotte was a wee little three year old. I had a few close friends that were well into homeschooling their own children that encouraged me to at least consider the possibility to which I obliged. I spent time with that strong willed three year old & thought "there is NO way I could teach her at home." My friend Cathy said to give it a year & see how she matures knowing that three is challenging age. Sidenote:  We are in that difficult age again with Eloise & I am laughing a bit more (on the inside) when I think about adding her to the mix officially next year BUT after surviving age three with Charlotte, I know much changes in a short amount of time. I am trying not to think about having two three year olds hahaha! Anyway, after many a conversation with Robby, reading a bit about the classical method at home, seeking direction from the Lord in how to best educate our children we were confident in our decision to begin our journey in homeschooling & were excited to join a Classical Conversations Community in a nearby neighborhood.

I stole this next part from my post about the first day of Pre-K:

Many have never heard of this so, to quote the website:
Classical Conversations is a leader in the home-centered education movement. It is a mission: To know God and to make Him known. It is a model: Classical Conversations combines the classical method of learning with a biblical worldview. It is a method: Classical Conversations families meet in communities where parents train parents to implement home-centered education well.

Everything about it sounded appealing to us as we explored our options. A once a week commitment outside the home sounded just right for our family at this time, connecting with other families that are doing the same thing is a major plus but what really blew me away was the method & content.  

The classical method of learning begins with the grammar stage where students learn the terms & facts associated with a subject.  Each week a new set of memory work is introduced by the tutor. The memory work covers six subjects: timeline/history, geography, math, science, Latin, and English grammar.  Anyone that has a child around this age could say they have been surprised by their ability to retain information.  They remember all sorts of things...even things that have zero significance.  This memory work includes things I don't even know or don't remember, specifically the history sentence for each week. When I sat in on a class in January while considering enrolling Charlotte I thought "Why on earth would my preschool aged child need to learn to label a world map or memorize historical events & dates or the eight parts of speech?" 

To address this question, my favorite way it was explained to me was something like this: Imagine your child's mind is full of file folders. This method provides a framework for information intake. They memorize facts & file them away. They don't have to understand details about each subject but once the fact is committed to memory, it is there & ready to be explored in more detail as they mature. 

I mentioned the six subjects we focus on for memory work but while we are there we also get to do a hands on science project & study fine arts which includes drawing, music theory & exposure to classical composers. At home we add in reading, phonics & math which at this point I am still figuring out how that looks for us. One part I am really excited about is the History Timeline. It is 161 events in chronological order that integrate world history with bible & church history. Each event has it's own laminated card with a picture to cue the brain : ) We learn 7 or 8 new events each week with hand motions & it goes along with a Timeline song that may sound a little hokey but WOW, we (the whole fam or at least those who speak) already have it stuck in our heads all the time & can be found singing parts of it randomly.

Back to present typing...

Here is the lovely group of 4 & 5 year old kids we spent the year with.

Oh my goodness, I grew to love each one of these kids & their mamas as the weeks passed. One piece of this Classical Conversations Community is that our "teachers" are called tutors & as they present the memory work to our children along with exploring each subject a bit further they are actually tutoring the parents on how to implement what we are learning. It is a fabulous model & provides great classroom interaction with parents present to help their children stay engaged with the tutor.  It also really encourages community between the families.  It was so special to be there week after week & see Charlotte mature in that setting right before my eyes. The biggest change was watching her get more comfortable giving the weekly presentation.  She was close to terrified for the first twelve weeks & began to get more comfortable in the spring semester. The last week was a show & tell one & Charlotte decided to bring her rock collection. She could not stop talking : ) I'd say we came a LONG way from the first week where I basically gave her presentation.

The little guys stayed with me every week. Sometimes they were screaming, sometimes they were being strollered around the courtyard by our amazing director Ruthie & sometimes they were tired out enough to spend their time like this....

Hannah was Charlotte's best buddy all year long. These two could not be more different from each other. One touchy feely (Hannah) & one keep your hands on me (Charlotte). One extrovert in group settings (Hannah) & one introvert in group settings (Charlotte).  They learned to love each other though & Hannah is one little lady we are missing since moving back to the Lone Star State. Charlotte finally welcomed hugs partway through the year as I helped her understand that Hannah shows her affection for others with hugs & Annie (Hannah's mommy) helped her understand she needed to ask Charlotte if it was okay to hug her. Ha! What a cute pair!

Barely four at the start of the school year, Charlotte could not write her loooonnng name but after seeing other kids writing, she was determined & within a couple weeks it looked like this....

We all accumulated massive amounts of facts over the school year. Here is a summary of all we learned in Cycle 2:

• 161 events & people in the timeline
• 24 history sentences including Renaissance period, Reformation & World Wars
• 44 US Presidents (we actually didn't make it through that song)
• Over 100 locations & geographic features in Europe & Asia
• 24 science facts including planets. laws of motion & thermodynamics
• Latin verb endings 
• English grammar facts
• Multiplication tables up to 15x15, squares, cubes, basic geometry & unit conversions
• Basic drawing
• Music Theory
• Exposure to orchestra & classical composers
• 12 science experiments & 12 science projects
• 24 oral presentations

Our days at home were not as structured as I originally planned but when it came down to it, we were ultimately in survival mode with twin newborns plus a four & two year old.....and we SURVIVED! Success! We did not do any math or reading curriculum but did work on counting, adding, Identifying & writing letters & learning some letter sounds along with keeping the peace.  We made it to April, the end of our CC year & had two smiling girls headed to the last day of school. Make that three smiling girls.... mama was a bit relieved for it to end when it did since we were in packing mode in preparation to move! 

Following the last day of school we had a celebration evening where all the classes performed on stage.  It was extra special for us because we had Grammy & Papa in town! We had a babysitter for the boys & spent the evening with our "big kids" plus some proud grandparents.

Charlotte's tutor Mrs. Liz was such a gift to us. She was incredible helping Charlotte break out of her shell a bit & did such a wonderful job engaging the hearts & minds of the kids in our class. It was her first year to tutor & she did great! Char requested to have her picture taken with her before the celebration began. 

Our class sang all the Latin songs we learned throughout the year.  The littlest bunch is always so cute no matter what they do with their teeny tiny voices & lack of stage etiquette.

Speaking of the lack of stage etiquette, Charlotte leaped off the stage in excitement as soon as their song ended! I never had a conversation with her because I did not think it was necessary because I found it more appropriate to coach her on bravery instead. Who knew this would happen?

Photo evidence of some growth in comfort level! I was proud of her in a way knowing all that we had been through in the anxiety department the months leading up to her "big debut" but we did talk about proper stage etiquette following the big leap, haha!

All said & done, it was a year that will not soon be forgotten.  It was the perfect introduction for our family to homeschooling & to Classical Conversations & solidified our decision to stay on board for Kindergarten!