End of year brags/awards round up

[Dmmetler]

I don't know about ya'll, but my FB feed is full of people bragging about their DC's awards, and I know putting DD's out there wouldn't be well received, but I thought we might be able to do a review of the past year here safely.

 

DD10 (officially finishing 5th grade)

 

Attended her first two professional herpetology conferences and participated in the SSAR pre-baccalaureate program as the youngest ever student selected.

 

Silver medal in the NCEE and the NME

National award in the CML and the NSL exam

Award of merit in the Royal Society of Chemistry's Chemical Reaction Challenge (26th place overall, top 1%)

 

Started her Blog and educational campaign, My Little Python, and was recognized by the Herp Think Tank, Snake Buddies, Herper Props, USARK, Davidson MAPD, and another national volunteer award (local winner), which will be announced publicly next month.

 

Collected and donated almost $1000 for reptile-related charities in the past year.

 

Participated in over a dozen educational events in the area and coordinated two. Developed a local team of about 10 adults and 15 kids to focus on animal awareness issues.

 

Did her first public talk at Repticon on responsible herp keeping and herp laws at the state and national level

 

Is part of the group of girls helping PBS Kids develop their Sci Girls website (and is getting paid for it)

 

Is co-writing a book on snakes for kids that is getting close to being finished (just print on demand, but it's still been a major effort on her part, and she's learned a lot about writing for an audience and the editing process).

 

Was involved with three different research projects, and successfully saw her own projects through animal use committee and the permitting process for the state game and fish agencies in two neighboring states. Had a project that she came up with the original concept and helped design accepted as part of a graduate degree plan, with her as co-researcher.

 

Applied for the International Herpetological Symposium prebaccalaureate grant, didn't get it, but had to go through the process of getting recommendations, writing essays, without one of her regular mentors there to see her through it.

 

Made it through a tough cheer year with a new coach and a flaky team-which actually managed to pull off a win at the regional qualifier.

 

 

 

Oh, and somewhere along the way she managed to fit in at least a bit of other schoolwork 😉. She also participated in a few other competitions and talent search for social purposes.

 

Wow! No wonder I'm tired!!

[Angie in VA]

  :hurray:  :hurray:  :hurray:

 

That is quite impressive! 

[Dmmetler]

Feel free to weigh in with yours, too-I can't imagine I'm the only person who feels kind of left out :).

[Crimson Wife]

Congrats!

[mathmarm]

Feel free to weigh in with yours, too-I can't imagine I'm the only person who feels kind of left out :).

Well, the first post is a seriously tough act to follow.

I know that I'm not even a homeschooler but my son has began to read (small) books and can translate them between his two languages.

Also, he's potty trained.

 

Yeah,...not really the same thing at all.

 

[Dmmetler]

No feeling inferior allowed!! There's a big difference in even a few years (for my DD, things started coming together at age 8, and this last year was really a major leap forward-but I remember feeling like I couldn't talk to anyone even at ages 1 1/2-2)-and the paths are so individual.

[sportsmom]

dmmetler - That is fantastic!  Your DD is clearly exceptional and even more so that she is also able to know how to apply her interests and make a difference.  I hope you are able to sit back and enjoy it - even while constantly running her from one thing to the next.  She's going to do big things!  It's awesome that you allow her to soar.

 

mathmarm - Your child is translating books into his different languages!  That's totally the same thing, don't put yourself down.

 

As far as our end of year wrap up, nothing spectacular.   DD4 probably taught herself to read, although she pretends that she can't so I can't accurately measure.  But, on the flip side, her preschool teacher says she is the kindest in her class and befriends the kids who others have a hard time getting along with.   DS10 completed 2 different curriculums in each subject.  That in and of itself is something that gets me weird looks.  It can be lonely not having "average" kiddos.  People used to tell me that I was bragging when I mentioned that DS was using 2 words together at 9 months old.

[ThoughtfulMama]

DS (6) just finished up his year of B&M kindergarten, and it could not have gone better.  He had the most amazing veteran teacher who really "got" him.  He completed every skill on his report card, and excelled at every behavior mark.  She was watching him carefully for boredom and keeping him occupied while also monitoring his emotional sensitivity.  All that and open communication with us.  It was amazing.

I take for granted some of the brag-worthy stuff, like that I tested him reading at a 10th grade level.  I know he comfortably chooses to read books at a 6th grade level (which is about as high as I can find age-appropriate content).  His teacher never sent home sight words, as the curriculum directed, but instead assigned him to do book reports with his weekly reading.  His school pulled him out for extra math testing - twice because he aced the first above-level test they gave.  He got end of year certificates of excellence in reading, math, music, Spanish, and science.  Pretty much the only thing he doesn't excel in is art, and he comes by that honestly.

But the stuff I'm really proud of are the things that I know were a bit of a struggle for him.  He was the first boy in his class to learn to tie his shoes (the girls were faster), and his handwriting is excellent if a bit slow.  It took years of fine motor play and even some OT to get a decent, firm pencil grip out of him.

[Jackie]

DD just turned five. No awards around here :)

 

But I'll take the opportunity to brag a bit in a safe place. We started RightStart C and I figured out we had kinda accidentally covered half of it already with various math games. And if I'm guessing correctly what D will cover when it is released in a few months, we'll likely have covered a chunk of it, too. Oops?

 

I used the DORA because I wanted a more objective idea of DD's reading comprehension and it placed her 5-6 grade levels above where I was guessing. Not much to do with that information except relax a bit!

 

And she transitioned from a balance bike to a "real" bike this past week and learned how to ride it within 2 hours. In the last few days, she's progressed to managing small hills as well! Not bad for a kid whose "weak point" is typically motor skills of any kind.

[lewelma]

I don't know about ya'll, but my FB feed is full of people bragging about their DC's awards, and I know putting DD's out there wouldn't be well received, but I thought we might be able to do a review of the past year here safely.

 

Always safe here.  I remember when you were desperately looking for a mentor.  Seems like just yesterday, but must have been a couple of years ago.  And just look how far she has come with the right guidance!  You are a totally awesome mom!

[Runningmom80]

DS learned to tie his shoes this year!!!!   :hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

 

 

We don't do anything that would produce an award at this point. He's progressing well through his academics, but not anything that would be impressive around here. 

 

 

[sportsmom]

He's progressing well through his academics, but not anything that would be impressive around here. 

 

His progress doesn't have to impress anyone.  Just things that most people would would isolate you if you posted them on social media for just anyone to see.  It shouldn't be a struggle, but unfortunately, it is.

 

I remember we went out to dinner with friends one day, and their son is the same age as my daughter, they were just turning 1, and she commented that some toy needed new batteries and they were astounded because their son didn't even know what a battery was, much less that they made things work.  I remember feeling so badly, and really I shouldn't have.  It was just a simple comment, but they made this huge thing of it (not in a bad way at all), but what to them was extraordinary, was my everyday life.

 

And I'm sure we all have hundreds of those examples.  That was just the one I thought of where people could not have been nicer, yet I still felt alone.

[SKL]

Nothing fancy here.  School awards day is next Thursday, but I think they will both be getting honor roll all year.  Miss E got the highest AR points by far.  Miss A may or may not get the Presidential fitness award - if not she should get the National.  (She has a hard time with the flexibility part.)  Miss A will probably bring home some ribbons from Field Day.  We hope to get our green belts in TKD in a couple weeks.  They got a bunch of scout badges.  Probably a few other things.

 

My kids are not "out there," but I agree, we can't post much of anything on FB either.  Even though one of my kids has had many academic struggles, the few times I've mentioned her academic accomplishments on fb, they get very few "likes" and no "comments."

 

People do "like" when I post that we've moved up to a new belt color.

[Dmmetler]

DS learned to tie his shoes this year!!!! :hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

 

 

We don't do anything that would produce an award at this point. He's progressing well through his academics, but not anything that would be impressive around here.

One of my DD's biggest accomplishments at age 8-9 was learning to tie her shoes :). I think it was because she was too embarrassed when the college students would notice and tie them for her. Sometimes it's the little things that make such a big difference.

[SeaConquest]

Sacha is only 6, and this is our first official year homeschooling, so our accomplishments this year are pretty mundane. His reading has really taken off, which makes me super happy. He loves science and anything computer-related. He's blasting ahead in math, and loves Beast Academy.

 

I think that I am also really coming to understand (in no small part thanks to this board) that his slower gross motor skill development is part of his asynchrony. He still wants me to push him on the swing, can't tie his own shoes, and is generally slower, shorter, and weaker than most of the kids his age. At least he is wiping on his own now. That's an accomplishment, in my book. :)   

[slackermom]

DD10 used to sweep up all of the school awards each year, which was starting to annoy some people. Now that she is homeschooling, she isn't being assessed in the same way. I am going to try to find a way for her to get involved in competition math next year, for grade 6.

 

DD immersed herself in coding this year, and participated in a bunch of events related to that, including demonstrating a project for the mayor, and ended up with her picture on the cover of 3 different local newspapers.

 

Her Irish dance team won their regional qualifier, and they are going to Nationals soon. She also won a couple of firsts in some local solo events, moving her up another level.

[mathnerd]

DS7 has made great progress in self-moderation this year. So far, he has been too intense and too driven that it was hard for me to manage all his requirements for multiple extracurricular activities and advanced academics. Since we have started participating in competitions in the past year, the demands of competition preparation has taught him to limit his focus on to the most important things. He has learned to evaluate all his options, choose what he needs to spend his time on and to put other things on the back burner. This came about in a very natural way to him and I am glad that he learned it without parental intervention. That is something that I never expected :)

[LTBernard]

DS6 placed 1st for state and 21st for national in grade 1/2 Kangaroo Math as a kindergartener.  Also he made it to state piano competion that will be held the first weekend in June.  He will be one of the youngest kiddos there. 

DD4 actually danced at her dance recital instead of just standing there as she did last year.  She has also started reading chapter books this year.

[Gratia271]

.

 

[quark]

:hurray: Such incredible achievements all around! So proud for you all and so grateful to be able to celebrate with you!

[Lawyer&Mom]

Dd 19 months can recite the alphabet and the numbers one to ten. Knows her colors. Knows the names of her friends. "Come here Ella!" Can stack 8 blocks. Uses adjectives. "Dirty socks!" Sings songs and nursery rhymes. "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" Can identify pictures. "Bumblebee! Whale! Kangaroo!"

 

None of this seems advanced until I look at the milestone charts. Oops.

[againstthegrain]

So wonderful to hear!! Congrats to you and your DD!!

 

Not sure it is brag-worthy but this past pear my DS (7yo) has officially exhausted all elementary age science curriculum available. We decided to move to child-led versus 7th grade level with him and he is excelling. He also found his niche in Singapore 3rd grade math after we tried numerous math curriculums this year - none moved at the pace he did as well.

 

My DD (5 yo) is reading sight words, blends, sounding out 4+ letter words and doing great in Gr. 1 math!

[arliemaria]

Robby competed at his first Science and Art Fair.  He did what I thought was too simple of a project.  In retrospect, not many kindergarteners can explain how electrons flow through a circuit, etc.  He built five different circuits (open, closed with insulating dough, closed, series, and parallel) to test the conductive and insulating properties of different doughs with a squishy circuits kit.  He won the Kindergarten division, was selected to have his project on display at Mastodon State Historic Site Museum gallery, won the Doug McKelvy award for outstanding engineering project (chosen by the McKelvy family), and won a sponsor choice award (one of two choosen out of over 800).  His art project was an oil painting of a satellite orbiting Mars.  He won a third place medal for K art.

[Space station]

Thank you for this thread. I have been seeing all of my friends' public school kids Facebook posts about all the awards they are getting, and I know I these are just nice, average kids, not exceptional. Seeing these responses about the unique achievements of your exceptional kiddos brings me so much more joy than those fancy sounding awards heaped on average achievements.

 

My kids accomplished a lot that I am proud of this year, but the biggest are that they are finding passions and paths that are their own. My dd11 has almost competed Algebra and has learned math persistence (before she just wanted it to be easy, which it usually was for her). She is creating and submitting videos to compete in Khan Academy's new talent search because she thinks she has something unique to offer. She is doing it all on her own - that attitude is new and warms my heart. Dd14 is working on designing her radio astronomy course for next year to do in addition to Chemistry. As part of it, she is going to help our local observatory add a second radio telescope to expand their capabilities. Thanks for the outlet to share!

[snowbeltmom]

My sophomore qualified for the Division I High School State Tennis Tournament.  He is one of only 16 players from the entire state to qualify.  He is leaving with the high school tennis coach in 2 hours and has his first match tomorrow morning.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Thank you for this thread. I have been seeing all of my friends' public school kids Facebook posts about all the awards they are getting, and I know I these are just nice, average kids, not exceptional. Seeing these responses about the unique achievements of your exceptional kiddos brings me so much more joy than those fancy sounding awards heaped on average achievements.

 

 

 

Sometimes average achievements are extraordinary feats... 

 

(And sometimes even average achievements are beyond reach...)

[shawthorne44]

DD aged 4 almost 5 did a genuine cartwheel at tumbling class yesterday.   Considering her genes, we are truly amazed.  

 

Some days I am glad she was delivered in the hospital room and stayed there instead going to the nursery.  Otherwise I would sometimes wonder if she was really mine.  

[Tsutsie]

Not that it matters much, but DS scored perfectly on his FSAs. All of it.

 

He got top 10% in the country on the Math Kangaroo.

 

Gold on an "advanced for his age" violin piece. He was at least 4 years younger than the other kids in that age category.

 

2nd in the IEW Writing Contest for his age group.

 

Easily qualified for provincial fencing competition to be held later in June.

 

So nice to be able to share this somewhere safe.

[Donna]

Sometimes average achievements are extraordinary feats... 

 

(And sometimes even average achievements are beyond reach...)

 

This is so true! I work with developmentally delayed little ones and, to me, it is just as exciting to see a child take their first steps at 2.5 yo or with a walker as it is with an advanced child. Every parent should have a place to share accomplishments and "brag."

 

Luckily, we have this place for parents of accelerated kids to share.

 

This year after much discussion on the pros and cons, my dd made the decision to not play in an orchestra in order to have more time to pursue her Irish music. She grew big enough for a full size violin and recorded her debut album with her brother on guitar. It is being played and has been receiving great reviews around the United States and the world which is really exciting for the kids. (I just purchased them a map so they can put pins in for all the places it's being played…might as well get some geography in. LOL)  We heard yesterday that fairly major publication wants to do a feature article on her.

 

She also recorded on two other projects, one an album of Irish music played on clarinet and another was an audiobook for her writing tutor. For the audiobook, dd and her tutor worked together with dd deciding on all the music and creative sound effects on violin for the audiobook and they have done some live performances of the "book" for school children and other groups.

 

She also had her first student this year, another homeschooler who she Skypes with (thanks to these boards), who sounds great on her Irish tunes! 

 

My ds(17) recorded, mixed, and mastered the audiobook and did the photography for the tutor. He has decided he'd like to go into sound engineering. 

[serendipitous journey]

:hurray: and :grouphug: and congratulations on so many, and so varied, achievements!

 

I couldn't go to bed without posting our biggie this year: A. who is 9, finally LOVES playing outside.  For hours.  With his little brother.  He sort of missed out on unstructured play during his intense preschool years; he's getting hours outside every day. 

[Guest]

DS just finished his last piano event of the season (4 since March). He's gotten perfect scores on all of them. This last one was the biggest and had the most pressure since he only had about 5 weeks to learn and memorize 3 additional songs from scratch. As we were leaving, I asked him how he had done (I was in an adjacent room and could hear him somewhat so I had my own opinion but wanted to get his).

 

"I did really good - I know where all my mistakes were!"

 

So I get to brag about his accomplishments but I think for me the biggest thing is having a kid who thrives on being tested and pressure.....but doesn't really care about the outcome. :)

[lewelma]

Well, I've already had my brag about my older boy earlier this year.  So I'm writing about my younger (age 11).  He can write!  Oh man, can he write.  Beautiful, fully formed, interesting to read language.  And now he is beginning to play with rhetorical devices, tropes, and schemes.  It is awesome! :hurray:  I'm going to post some in a separate thread to get all your advice.  So keep an eye out. :001_smile:

 

And he just finished reading his first Kurt Vonnegut novel -- Cat's Cradle.  I am just so pleased for him.  That book is hard!

 

Ruth in NZ

[Wheres Toto]

DS just received his report card for his first ever class in the Gifted and Talented program at our local university. Also his first class experience since he was in EI when he was 3.  Despite his passing the test for entry, I was a little concerned about whether he really could keep up.  He was in a class for 4th and 5th graders, and he's actually a "young" 4th grader (late August birthday, lots of red-shirting around here).

 

The Student's work has merited the grade....A
The Student's overall classroom performance has been....Excellent
The Student has actively participated and contributed to classroom activities and discussion....Always (not a surprise to anyone who knows my son. Speaking up is definitely not his problem).
The Student demonstrates mastery in the important competencies of the course.....Excellent.

...

Comments: George did well with the content presented in class. He is bright and a hard worker. We worked on classroom environment behavior and he improved over the semester.

 

 

ETA: He's also FINALLY put his head under water at swimming lessons. He was wearing his nose plugs with them stuck up his nose instead of pinching despite having it pointed out multiple times.  He finally agreed to try them the right way (or we were going to take them away) and was shocked that it was much better. LOL

 

He is also is riding a bike without training wheels.  He can't quite turn yet but he is riding quite far without putting his feet down.

[The Governess]

Dd10 finished a year of AOPS pre-algebra classes and can now independently write out a long, step-by-step, typed-up solution to one of their challenging problems.

 

She completed the equivalent of a high school Chinese II course and is able to read and write about 600 characters.

 

But the accomplishment she was most happy about this year was ballet-related: getting her pointe shoes. ;)

[JennW in SoCal]

This thread brought a smile to my veteran/retired homeschooler heart today, not just because of the wonderful accomplishments but also the goofy asynchronous milestones. I can well remember telling myself that my kids would be able to tie their shoes before they went to college, that they'd have to figure it out once their feet outgrew velcro shoes. Sure enough they did, but oy! It seemingly took far too many years. And putting their heads in the water without goggles or nose plugs was a huge milestone, too.  

 

I already bragged about this on the college board, but for those of you just starting out, here's a WTM-kid success story.  My ds was elected into Phi Beta Kappa this year, one of only 10 juniors in his school (the other 40 were seniors).  He was also the only STEM major among the juniors. 

 

 

This year after much discussion on the pros and cons, my dd made the decision to not play in an orchestra in order to have more time to pursue her Irish music. She grew big enough for a full size violin and recorded her debut album with her brother on guitar. It is being played and has been receiving great reviews around the United States and the world which is really exciting for the kids. (I just purchased them a map so they can put pins in for all the places it's being played…might as well get some geography in. LOL)  We heard yesterday that fairly major publication wants to do a feature article on her.

 

She also recorded on two other projects, one an album of Irish music played on clarinet and another was an audiobook for her writing tutor. For the audiobook, dd and her tutor worked together with dd deciding on all the music and creative sound effects on violin for the audiobook and they have done some live performances of the "book" for school children and other groups.

 

She also had her first student this year, another homeschooler who she Skypes with (thanks to these boards), who sounds great on her Irish tunes! 

 

My ds(17) recorded, mixed, and mastered the audiobook and did the photography for the tutor. He has decided he'd like to go into sound engineering. 

 

Donna -- wow.  I followed links to your kids' web page and listened to a piece there. I think your dd did the right thing in pursuing her love of Irish fiddle.  Just wow!  (I teach and play violin and have been learning in my middle age how to let go and "fiddle"!)

[quark]

 

I already bragged about this on the college board, but for those of you just starting out, here's a WTM-kid success story.  My ds was elected into Phi Beta Kappa this year, one of only 10 juniors in his school (the other 40 were seniors).  He was also the only STEM major among the juniors. 

 

 

Donna -- wow.  I followed links to your kids' web page and listened to a piece there. I think your dd did the right thing in pursuing her love of Irish fiddle.  Just wow!  (I teach and play violin and have been learning in my middle age how to let go and "fiddle"!)

 

Anyone else getting goosebumps? More so now that I listened to Donna's DD. Feel like I'm virtually rubbing shoulders with stars that I can both respect and be proud of! :hurray:

 

Jenn, I'm glad you shared your DS's story again!

 

And I still can't put my head under water you guys, too scared to do it. Your kids are so brave!

 

[EndOfOrdinary]

This year was a rather fast one as Ds' environmental work went into overdrive. Next year school schedule is shifting so that the entire afternoon is environmental stuff or my head is going to explode!

 

Non profit status was offically signed and filed. Ds is the proud owner of his own non profit start up. This was very exciting. He got a logo, motto, name, font and color scheme all trademarked. That took a bit short of forever, but it was exciting. Content has been being dumped into his website for MONTHS but it will be live very soon! This process was a very long one. Neither of us realized just how long. Starting a blog was very simple comparatively.

 

He helped start a Climate Action Club at the local high school and has over 40 kids attending regularly. It has been so popular that a middle school club is happening next year with a Big Brother/Big Sisters thing going on. They are currently working on a video to keep Nestle from beginning a bottling plant locally. They also did their first successful act of civil disobedience with a banner drop (this is technically illegal as a misdemenor, but merely amounts to police asking you to remove your banner if someone complains. They felt very devious and highly adult though. It was pretty cute.)

 

His first conference was held this last Earth Day with eighty in attendence. It was the largest community cleanup our Riverkeeper program had ever seen. The next event is a benefit concert with Dana Lyons. This one has been completely designed and handled by the kids. They are doing awesome!

 

The library agreed to sponsor sustainability movie nights once a month. They are going really well. Some people are even making major lifestyle changes.

 

Ds was asked to be a keynote speaker at the governor's dinner for a regional organization. Just short of 12,000 dollars was raised for them that night and he got to hang out with lots of muckity mucks. They are where he got his start with speaking, so it was really cool for him to return and tell his story. He was also a keynote at a regional leadership conference for the two major coalitions fighting fossil fuel export. He was paid for both (a first!) and they covered all our expenses. Yay for non profit status!

 

This year he began lobbying (which he thankfully hated) but now really understands how bills become law. It also means that most of our representatives and senators now know him, since he spoke during session on the floors. He sends them text messages on his phone and we have lunch with them a bunch when we go north. I am star struck and he talks with them about their favorite places to get doughnuts. It is wierd, but they are just cool adults to him - nothing fancy. I am a blathering idiot anytime we do anything like this. I'm sure the governor thinks I have some sort of disability.

 

In July he begins filming a movie and a sustainable schools curriculum which should nicely fund some work. The details are being hashed out, so he will let me know when everything firms up and I will sign stuff.

 

His favorite accomplishments include: purchasing shoes in the adult department (size 5.5 - as small as adult go, but still adult!). Learning to do a "rock to fakey" on his skateboard. Starting the piano. And last but not least, getting his own cell phone.

 

Mom's favorite accomplishments: a high school plan has been hashed out and everyone agrees on it (minor miracle) and I got an adult job! Where I leave the house during the week, adults talk to me, and I do not sound like a blathering idiot!

[Gil]

I remained sane and sober. 'Nuff said.

[Donna]

Donna -- wow.  I followed links to your kids' web page and listened to a piece there. I think your dd did the right thing in pursuing her love of Irish fiddle.  Just wow!  (I teach and play violin and have been learning in my middle age how to let go and "fiddle"!)

 

 

Anyone else getting goosebumps? More so now that I listened to Donna's DD. Feel like I'm virtually rubbing shoulders with stars that I can both respect and be proud of! :hurray:

 

Jenn, I'm glad you shared your DS's story again!

 

And I still can't put my head under water you guys, too scared to do it. Your kids are so brave!

 

 

Thank you!   :blushing:

 

I enjoy reading about all the kids' accomplishments. There are some amazing kids here with amazing parents who encourage and enable them!

[Bristayl]

My 14yo dd scored a 77 out of 80 on the CLEP Introductory Psychology exam, the day after winning the local Toastmasters/4-H public speaking competition. She had started the public speaking course as someone who was terrified of public speaking.

 

(Thanks for giving "permission" to brag!)

[arliemaria]

My 14yo dd scored a 77 out of 80 on the CLEP Introductory Psychology exam, the day after winning the local Toastmasters/4-H public speaking competition. She had started the public speaking course as someone who was terrified of public speaking.

 

(Thanks for giving "permission" to brag!)

 

What is the youngest age one can join Toastmasters?  I think this would be a great way for homeschoolers to have a "speech" class.

[EndOfOrdinary]

What is the youngest age one can join Toastmasters? I think this would be a great way for homeschoolers to have a "speech" class.

My son asked to join at 9. The head guy said he wanted to do a trial and requested that I be there when they met to "supervise." He also wanted to know if my son had any background in public speaking. From what I gathered, these were not normal questions. Ds did great and I was quickly informed I could leave. After a bit Ds just decided he didn't like it much, so he stopped going.

 

I think it is really very open, but up to the individual person convening the group.

[Bristayl]

Our group was also a 4-H group, so the kids didn't actually join a Toastmasters club. The youngest age for the 4-H group was 10.

[arliemaria]

My son did his first science project this year and he is hooked.  I think Toastmasters would be great way for him to practice his spiel for future projects.  Having grown up in 4-H (parents met at camp when my mom was 14) I never knew of a 4-H Toastmasters group.

[Bristayl]

Well, it's not really a group per se, I probably gave the wrong impression. It is more of a class that a Distinguished Toastmaster gives every semester (he has been doing this for 22 years), and 4-Hers from any club in the county can take the class. My dd took two semesters.

[Black-eyed Suzan]

I considered a Facebook post with a picture of my kids holding "Most Improved 8 Year Old at (homeschool)" and "Most Improved 5 Year Old at (homeschool)" certificates. I thought better of it, but the idea still makes me chuckle...

 

In all seriousness, I've enjoyed reading this thread! :)

 

My older son's Math Kangaroo score improved 10 points from last year, and my younger son orally composed a poem I found pretty amazing!

 

Hooray for the many accomplishments of our students! :)

 

Edited for privacy.

[Wheres Toto]

Our county 4-H does a yearly Presentations Day with judging and prizes.  They offer a presentations class and practice session beforehand and they also encourage all clubs to offer opportunities to present so they get practice on a smaller scale.  My son almost did it this year.  He presented at a herpetology club we were doing and did great since he LOVES an audience, but we ended up stopping due to frequent schedule changes and concern over the way animals were handled.  We're starting a new club in September so I'm sure he'll present next year.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

I haven't been on this board in ages... Really..

So child #1 got an 800 in the math portion of the SAT with absolutely no coaching whatsoever.

Also graduated high school this year, with 5 APs.

and we're still waiting for colleges to give any acceptance letter..

[elmerRex]

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