School's Out

Our school year is officially over. The kids have completed their curriculum, and today was the co-op's final activity: the awards program. It's a neat opportunity for each parent to publicly recognize their child's achievement for the year. It's always a fun time for me, as the mom, to ponder what area each child has shown the most growth in. This year's awards went to:

Julianne: the Growing in Godliness award. She has certainly excelled academically this year, but we've seen the most growth in her spiritually. She's been making a great effort to be diligent, responsible, and teachable in matters of character. It has been a blessing to watch this progression take place in her.

Caleb: the Mr. Math award. Caleb has the amazing ability to "get it" when it comes to all things math. He doesn't just know formulas for solving problems--he really understands the why behind the formula. He often solves real-life math problems in his head as they pop up in daily life.

Elisa: the Lover of Learning award. Being the youngest means Mom doesn't have time to make sure you're learning everything ahead of the curve like she did with the older kids. But this hasn't stopped Elisa from enthusiastically learning as much as she can. Most days find her pulling out her "school" workbooks and doing the pages (or sometimes practicing scissor skills by cutting said pages into a zillion pieces). I am managing to find the time to give her reading lessons, and her laughter at sounding out a word is more than enough pay.

And so another year draws to a close and I begin to look forward to having three in school next year!