Dmmetler Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 School ended here Friday, and not surprisingly my FB feed is full of end of year awards-yet I really don't feel I can post DD11's list without being accused of "bragging". So, please jump in with your kids' accomplishments, so I feel good sharing DD11 Science Gave first research talk at a herpetology conference, won Youth Presentation Award Herpetological Quiz at SSAR15 conference- Non-Professional high score award NSL National 1st place (tie) World Science Games, Silver Medal Advocacy- Raised and donated about $1,000 for conservation and research Gave five talks at the Texas Rattlesnake festival Math CML National First place (tie) Other NCEE Gold Medal (competing in the 2+ years of Latin category) NME Gold Medal (including ALL subtests) Took the SAT and did well (although not as well as she'd hoped to do, she still qualified for the state lottery scholarship and to start college classes, as well as to take any CTY or TIPS ones she wants) Tried out for higher cheer team-something she's never been willing to try before. 34 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 :hurray: :hurray: :hurray: That is awesome. She is so well rounded in her interests! I'm particularly impressed with the advocacy! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Older Son Finished War and Peace! And now is going to write a critical analysis essay using the Fox and the Hedgehog and a review from the London Review of Books DS read and wrote philosophy papers on Borges, Hemingway, Dostoevsky, and Dickinson. DS got the top mark in the city in any instrument for any grade in the Royal School exams for violin. Grade 8! He is now focused on his post secondary diploma DS was willing to be a ref for Badminton and train the younger kids. He is now considering mentoring some kids into the Math Camp. Been a good year for Math too, but you guys know that. :001_smile: Younger Son DS just jumped 2 years of math last month and is handling it! We are filling in the holes as they come. This is 10th grade integrated math. DS has learned to use mind mapping software to great effect and has been writing some awesome essays! Has almost finished Count of Monte Christo, after many false starts. He has decided to get. it. done. His choice, his motivation DS has handled with grace and style getting tested and coming back with results of 2E. DS is walking 30 minutes, taking the train for 30 minutes, going to a technology class for 3.5 hours, and then taking the train and then a bus home. All by himself. Done this for 6 months. DS is cooking a healthy dinner by himself every Tuesday evening. DS is almost ready for the grade 5 Royal school violin exam. He is beginning to play beautifully. His trio defers to him as leader. I am so proud of my kids! And love them so much. :001_wub: 32 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 After a relatively tumultuous year in which DS was in a Waldorf charter for half the year, became convinced he was no good at anything, and then started homeschooling in Feb., here is what he has accomplished: While he was in school, his handwriting was exceptionally slow and kind of illegible. He also didn't spell well, capitalize correctly, bother much with punctuation or complete sentences, etc. There was no accomodation for the handwriting difficulty and they were restricting his reading level (he's a few grades ahead in reading) while "his body caught up to his brain." So when we started HSing again I just abandoned all of that. If I thought writing was necessary for something, I scribed for him and he copied. Otherwise I let him do his own thing with writing and reading (we do some Bravewriter but as you probably know it is not an intensive program) :) So yesterday he wrote a letter to his great-grandmother. I asked to look at it before he put it in the envelope. The handwriting is still atrocious, and it took forever. But: - all words were spelled correctly - every sentence was properly punctuated - there was not a single grammar error (and he even had compound and complex sentences in there!) - the writing was lyrical and interesting and had a logical flow I am just so proud of him. Turns out reading the Hardy Boys and not stressing about the physical aspect of writing for 3 months has made a massive difference. I wish I could photocopy the letter and send it to the Waldorf school! 28 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 DD, newly 6 - Set a goal for herself (taking an online class) and then followed through with prerequisites (learning to type and working on writing skills) - Learned to handwrite reasonably legibly - Surpassed my Spanish knowledge and is well on her way to the goal of conversational fluency - Made Silver in gymnastics, months before either she or I expected her to get promoted 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lawyer&Mom Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Dd 2.5 can now sing the alphabet backwards. We've been practicing, but it was her idea. And Dd 9 months is hitting all her developmental milestones, despite being born 5 weeks premature. I have no idea if she will be as precocious as her older sister, but I couldn't be more thrilled with her achievements. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah0000 Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 DS, 4.5 years old, learned cursive well enough to write legible sentences, started playing piano music from the grand staff, and completed most of the level two unit at code.org. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinyhappypeople Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 OK, given which sub-forum I'm on, I'll talk about younger DD (the academic smarty-pants) first: (1) Completed a playwriting class this year (her favorite class ever) and at their showcase her scene had the audience in stitches. People who aren't even related to her thinks she's hilarious and thoroughly enjoyed her scene :) (2) She's a youtuber! About a month ago she made a channel for her gaming videos and livestreams. In just one month she already has more than 100 subscribers and is building an honest to goodness fan base! It's such a trip! It's cool to see other kids enjoy her goofy imagination :) (3) She's writing an original TV show (not fan fic) and the premise is actually quite good. I'd watch it :) She's filming it using her LPS figures and sharing her videos on one of her youtube channels. Sadly, production is on hiatus at the moment as one of the lead "actors" has gotten lost under her bed somewhere :( For older DD: (1) She's taken her art to a new level this year. She's found her niche (colored pencil) and has created some really nice pieces. :) I'm amazed at her steady growth. She's completely self-taught and quite gifted. She doesn't just draw pretty pictures, she has the mind of an artist. It's super cool :) (2) Auditioned for a new dance studio (if you followed the Mean Girl thread on the chat forum you'll know the yucky drama that led up to this). ANYWAY, she auditioned for the new place and the teachers were very impressed with her ability and are moving her up to the highest level class. Seriously, one of the teachers was totally blown away by her panche (DD is a human rubber band) and the director commented on her "excellent technique." Keep in mind that she's taken lyrical - not ballet - for the past two years and, though there's certainly crossover, most of her classical ballet technique she's taught herself from youtube videos and just plain hard work. *Standing O for DD!* By the way, the director of the new place is awesome, doesn't put up with nonsense, and the studio is a very body-positive, "dance is for everyone" place. Love it!! 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 DS6 finishes kinder in a couple weeks and easily/fluently reads upper elementary material. He's also comfortable with multiplication and division work in his Montessori class. DS3 sight reads a ton of words, most of which we didn't explicitly teach him. "Mom, that says 'gold class car wash.' " Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Our second year of homeschooling ended on a low note, but I learned that neither Sacha nor I should push through finishing a curriculum when we are burned out. We both worked hard this year, and he made substantial progress in many areas, but we should have called it quits a month ago. Lesson learned. On the plus side, Ronen is potty trained, and the kids will be in camp all summer long, giving us a much needed break to rest and regroup. DH and I are finally starting to see the light at the end of the little kid tunnel. 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mandy.jacob Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Congratulations to all mamas. So proud of the hard work you have put in. And the brilliant children you are creating to make this world a better place. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 I honestly love this section of the board because it makes my child look completely average. :D Comparison: Beginning of K:Could add to 5 with manipulatives, knew numbers and number symbols to 100. Had not written numbers. No independent writing. Copywork of 2-3 word sentences only. End of K: Finished MEP 2 Writes well with few misspellings - neat, punctuated, and capitalized well. Blew through Mystery Science 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Trinqueta earned her Red Cross Basic Sailing card and joined the GSA Mariner's group in our council. She overcame her anxiety and introversion to join in and sail. She took the SAT without freaking out and qualified for the Duke TIP summer camp at Rice which was her goal. She's looking forward to going to the high school level camp next summer. She's improved her tennis game a lot and is ready to try our town's summer youth tournament. She did well with a full load of high school classes. She learned a ton and kept up with the schedule. When I compare what T's accomplished with my 7th grade year, I'm so proud of her and glad that we homeschool. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThoughtfulMama Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 DS rocked first grade in his private school. Academically most of his achievements were the supplemental fun stuff he did at home, but we are SO proud of him socially. He is liked by everyone. He plays with boys and girls equally well with kids from K-4 with no issues. Everybody is his friend (though this has led to a little extraneous talking in class). He is celebrated for his sweetness (and hugs for teachers) and they even understand and cherish his deep emotional sensitivity. We could not be happier that his geekiness is celebrated there. Anybody with an EG kid (or perhaps PG - we haven't tested yet) knows how huge this is. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Dc1 won a local poetry contest, did great on National Latin Exam (only missed a single question), and has discovered a love of Shakespeare. After some serious mean girl drama last year, where her best friend dropped her for a new friend, dd has built a wonderful new group of friends that she has much more in common with, and she is so much happier now. Dc2's baseball team is top-ranked and headed into playoffs. Dc3 was ranked superior at her piano adjudication, and she has finally fallen in love with reading. Dc4 went from reading Bob Books to reading chapter books, and he has made some huge leaps forward in math - so awesome watching him easily figure out Singapore CWP's in his head. Dc5 potty trained. I had a child in diapers for almost 13 years straight, but it's finally over. There are no diapers at our house, and it's glorious. 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyP Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 DD 12 (6th/7th grade - 6th by age, but we will probably end up calling it 7th) Completed AoPS Algebra through Ch. 11 - She is NOT the typical AoPS kid, but so far this program has been perfect for her. She has learned to tackle the problems with excitement, not tears. It is so cool to see. She is about to complete her first novel. She is on page 337 (handwritten) and says she feels like it will wrap up in the next 3-4 chapters. She has made huge leaps in piano this year. She went through Alfred's Level 4 faster than she went through Level 2 or 3. She took on a recital song that was a huge stretch (Doctor Who theme) and nailed it. She really isn't ahead in this area, but I'm so happy for her that I had to mention it. My other kids had a good year, too, but my dd had a year of huge growth - in so many aspects of her life - and it has been great fun to watch! 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlgaLA Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 My kids are not really accelerated, but I like being on this board, because reading about all your and your children's successes inspires me. We also had some successes this year. My DD13, 8th grader, took SAT and STB and qualified for her camp of choice with CTY. She also took her first online writing class and did well in it. She made great progress in her French and is well on her way to becoming trilingual. But in my eyes the greatest success was when a couple of days ago I was fretting about her classes in 9th grade and if they are going to be too hard or too much, and she told me, "Mom, I don't like writing, but I can do it. Just register me for that class." That is coming from a girl who cried over her assignments just a few months ago. Oh, and she finished second in her last fencing competition. Her best result so far. DS9 also qualified for the CTY program, finished BA3 and started BA4, although we only started homeschooling in late November. He lost most of his fencing competitions, but the last one really got to him. He really makes an effort in his classes now. I love seeing him all composed and determined during the bouts. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 DD finished the 8th grade required exams in december. Not extreme ahead but as we use mostly non Flemish material, she had to switch every x weeks before an exam to jump through the hoop (and travel to Brussels) When dd was done with the requirements she developed several skills like tidying her room (not that she always use that skil) She stopped 'fighting' becoming older (as you all know 15yo is Really old, not to speak about 23) she enjoys being 13 and is comfortable with her self. I love this stage.... She attended 2 BW highschool classes and did a great job. Living in an non English speaking area, in a non English speaking family it is a job well done. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 (edited) I so enjoy these threads. Kudos to all of you. I know that these milestones don't come easy. With every achievement there are also those nail-biting moments and, sometimes, hair-pulling/ ice cream bingeing/ just-kill-me-now moments too. I have deleted the rest due to this ever persisting worry about sharing publicly so please forgive me! Edited June 1, 2016 by quark 23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 LOL-for my clubs end of year party, I encouraged the kids to post what they were most proud of this year. Here's some of what they posted ;) DD 11-Gave public talks without throwing up Set up my new computer 9 yr old-Survived public school for a year 1st place in a sack race 10 and 12 yr old-Created own magazine 12 yr old-Has learned to write in dwarvish runes and elvish 7, 10 and 10-set up a frog pond and actually kept tadpoles alive this time 11-Head started a baby snapping turtle (and no, this isn't DD-it's her BFF) 17-Passed lifesaving and got my first job 9-4th place in spelling bee 5-got my first trophy EVER!!! 10-learned to bake bread and cake from scratch 7-got to be a penguin (for a theater production) 6-went to the dentist without crying 7-Learned to ride a bike without training wheels 11-didn't come in last in swimming every single time! 10-FINALLY FINISHED BARTON READING!!! I just love these kiddos :) Oh-this group also had three gold medals on the NME, four medalists at different levels of the CML, and helped DD raise over $1000 for her advocacy work. What I noticed, though, was that for the most part, the kids didn't list academic accomplishments or being on sports teams, or, really, anything that you get a certificate or medal for. They listed other stuff that was important to them. I thought it was really cool. 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 11-didn't come in last in swimming every single time! This would have been my DS too. Loved the update. Thanks for sharing. I think as parents, we tend to share the academic stuff more. If you ask my son he will blink and tell you he doesn't remember what he did this year. Except maybe for making the perfect grilled cheese sandwiches (because he practices at least 3x a week). 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlgaLA Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 (edited) I just asked the kids. DS said it is finishing BA3. DD said that if I asked her tomorrow, she would have said finishing 9000-piece puzzle (she still has several pieces to put in). As of today, it is getting silver in fencing. Edited May 31, 2016 by OlgaLA 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Official awards day is Thursday, but here's what I think we have so far. Miss E: Honor roll and I think 4.0 average for the year. National fitness award - her 1st. 375 AR points for the year. (Stretch goal for "wall of fame" is 125.) Won a spot in the talent show (piano). Played well despite losing her dang notes! Did great in her first year of band (clarinet). Scouts: lots of badges & level award. TKD brown belt. Undefeated soccer season (spring). Lots of growing up! Miss A: Honor/Merit roll (2nd trimester was a blip). Presidential fitness award! "Wall of Fame" with 125 AR points. Won a spot on the performance team at gymnastics. Did great in her first year of band (trumpet). Scouts: lots of badges & level award. TKD brown belt. Undefeated soccer season (spring). Lots of growing up! 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebunny Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Emotional maturity was the theme for DD this year. She learned how to communicate effectively with her peers/classmates without alienating them; when to talk and when not to; how to pick and choose battles at school and how to combat boredom without frustration. She also progressed from black-white/right-wrong moral code to a more nuanced understanding of morality and choices people make. 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Older ds became a social butterfly this year, hanging with a great group of like-minded boys and making this group a daily priority. Older dd soloed with an orchestra, after winning a national competition, and she totally loved it. Younger ds learned to swim this year, after years of being right on the cusp. Younger dd learned to read and started playing the violin for real this year. Can't wait to see what next year brings! 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanDiegoMom Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Ds 10 made it through a year of swim starting out in a group that was too advanced for him (bad placement and then unwillingness to move down!) and worked through his insecurities of being the absolutely slowest in his group. And he's thinking about doing swim again in the fall:-) DD 10 has made a lot of friends at ballet this year and has gone from worrying about giving up school last year to loving homeschool this year. DD 16 just got affirmation on her writing - a teacher pulled her out of class to tell her that her writing is the best he's ever seen from a student and that she should publish her short story. And that he wants to see her novel that she working on. This is huge as she has been afraid to show anyone her writing for fear of rejection. So she's been on cloud nine since then. 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanDiegoMom Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Oh! I forgot. DD 16 got an 800 on her Verbal section of the SAT! Which was much less important to her than the teacher's comments on her writing:-) 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 My brag is pretty small, but it is big for me at the moment. DD is 5 and she is using her "big arms" in swim classes (freestyle swimming). She also reading and nearing the end of first grade math. Although math grade levels seem a bit fuzzy to me. But, it is the swimming I am excited about. She's been doing some sort of swimming since baby swim. She progressed amazingly until about 2.5 years old, when she started to hit arbitrary age limits in the group classes. Then the last two summers when she was old enough for the child classes, they'd insist on putting her in too low of level class, then at the end of the summer they'd say "You were right, we should have put her in the level you'd said". This summer I bought private lessons. She's only had two lessons and she's making progress again, which makes me soooo happy. Since we are homeschooling, she hasn't hit any external limits on her academic learning. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 I think as parents, we tend to share the academic stuff more. If you ask my son he will blink and tell you he doesn't remember what he did this year. Except maybe for making the perfect grilled cheese sandwiches (because he practices at least 3x a week). I tried asking both my kids "what are you proud of", "what are you happy about", and "what was the coolest thing you did" for this school year. I only got "I don't knows" and "nothings". Sigh. I think my brag is going to be that we're all still alive after our first year homeschooling (though, we still have 3 more weeks to go before summer break, which I personally don't care that much about except I'll have to send in the test scores and my oldest will continue to have OT/PT/Speech until the end of the school year - and he'll graduate from PT, so that's a win). :) 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 This would have been my DS too. Loved the update. Thanks for sharing. I think as parents, we tend to share the academic stuff more. If you ask my son he will blink and tell you he doesn't remember what he did this year. Except maybe for making the perfect grilled cheese sandwiches (because he practices at least 3x a week). I still remember when I had completely perfected scrambled eggs. They are easy to get pretty good, but really excellent takes more work. I was probably 10. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 DS has had many setbacks this year compared to usual. We seem to be on the long, hard slog to reach most goals! Most of the setbacks were because he is spread too thin and the lack of focus shows when the content matter increases in complexity. So, he has learned to prioritize, drop the things that can wait and focus on the things that he wants the best results from. He is realizing that being enthusiastic and wanting to attempt a lot of things is OK if you are a beginner at those things, but, when he progresses to a higher level, the time he needs to put into his activities also needs goes up. I sometimes joke that his days are scheduled like a computer's CPU, time slicing using a round robin algorithm :) Despite this, he had a few achievements towards the end of the year, so it was not a wash out year. - Black belt in Mixed Martial Arts (he has put in many years of effort to get there). - Started classes in a new martial arts style. They tested him and placed him in an intermediate level in it because he already had knowledge of all basic techniques. - Gold medal in local Sparring tournament - Passed Intermediate level state piano adjudication with honors (scored 100% in music theory and ear training) - performed solo in 4 public recitals - National 2nd place in Math Kangaroo (he is unhappy that he did not get a perfect score) - Gold medal in Trimathlon - Silver medal in CML - Gold in local Math Bee tournament - Started violin lessons 7 months ago. Performed with orchestra twice to groups of 500 people. Got promoted from beginner to intermediate orchestra and then got moved from second violin to the first violin section. - overcame fear of "large books" and read a 600 page book for the first time - developed enough fine motor skills this year to attempt origami without meltdowns and tears - phenomenal improvement in impulse control and body control - he can sit still for hours without moving a muscle if he wants to - but, loud noises still irritate him. - learned 2 recipes and made them for the family dinner (one of them is a salad, but, it still counts!) PS: I just asked him and he says that he scored a 3 pointer shooting half court in basketball while playing the kid who is the best on their court and that was the biggest achievement of the year! 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 We haven't finished our schoolyear btw ;) We are now on holiday and have a full month before the first summercamp. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeanM Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 My biggest brag for the year is that my dc managed to work together (sometimes a challenge) on a National History Day project, and they took first place in their category in the state. They're going to nationals later in June. Older ds has had some major firsts too - first (part-time) job, first college class, got his driver's license, etc. Younger ds went from being homeschooled full-time to being a part-time high school freshman. He had some challenges at the beginning of the year with adapting to school especially with a complicated schedule. He took his first AP test, which hopefully went well. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 (edited) Oh what a long school year it was for 7th grade. My ds13 with major issues - it was a crawl from start to finish with many late nights. I switched him to a new school in January and it was a good move. We are looking forward to some medical treatments over the summer that may help his issues. Other ds13 is in a holding pattern until high school, I think; on the upside, I never, ever remind him to do homework. Dd15 is soaring, getting great grades at the private high school. She got an award from her math club, for what I'm not sure, though I don't think anyone else got it. The little ones are trucking along perfectly happy for now, thank goodness. Edited June 13, 2016 by wapiti 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocolate-chip chooky Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 I love this thread. I love that there's a safe place to celebrate successes without any stigma. Our academics are clicking along nicely, but our biggest achievements this year so far have been on the personal side. My daughter (10) is handling her perfectionism a bit better and is actively working on her anxiety/OCD stuff with a strong, positive attitude. I'm really proud of her attitude. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 It has been an interesting year in our house... Dd 17 Got her drivers license Got through the dreaded group project in her engineering class Got through the beginning of the second semester without puking because of stress Took a drawing class and learned a ton, she is far more confident of her drawing skills now. Ds15 Took a computer class at the community college and did so well he was offered a job in the tutoring center tutoring that class Took college algebra and got the highest grade in the class. Played 'First Time in Forever' at his recorder recital and did it well Is working on gaining weight and isn't fighting about his Ensure Plus Ds12 Is most of the way through VideoText Algebra Has been at the pool for swim team four days a week almost every week this year Still wants to be in the water more, so has swimming lessons on Saturday Won the speech contest at Japanese school for a dialogue with me about spaceships and fairy tales and going to bed. Is down to single dose of his meds to help constipation from triple dose four months ago! It was a good year. My big kids are continuing at the community college next year. My little one is continuing with me as teacher. We have finally found something that works. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerforest Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 I asked DD what she is most proud of, and I'm not at all surprised by her response. "I made a lot of people smile." She's an avid aerialist and stilter, and she had a lot of gigs and performances this year! 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 (edited) Ds20 Finally decided what he wants to be when he grows up and earned a 4.0 this year in college. Ds18 Graduated high school. Began performing with a trio of young adults (in addition to all his performances with his sis) and is loving life at the moment. Earned enough money to purchase the new custom-made guitar of his dreams (it should arrive early next week after months of waiting). Dd13 Had a great year academically. Had an awesome year musically-lots of performances including her first two week "tour" which ended with a 5-show run in Boston where she performed and put forth her own ideas on arrangements with musicians over twice her age. It was so cool to watch her work. She also rediscovered her love for classical music (don't think it will ever top her folk music but she was wanted to quit classical completely about 10 months ago so it's nice to see her putting in hours on her own and loving it). The thing I am most proud of is a project she was inspired to think about over two years but in the past few weeks, finally started moving forward on…it's a fundraising project and I can't give details yet but I am really proud of her vision and how fearless she is when putting her ideas out there to others. Edited June 2, 2016 by Donna 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 I have deleted the rest due to this ever persisting worry about sharing publicly so please forgive me! I'm glad I read this before it was gone. Quark, what an awesome year your ds has had. I read most of your posts to my older ds because he feels a connection to him from that one class they shared together all those years ago. He has grown so much this year. Kudos to you, mama, for your incredibly supportive role. :hurray: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 I love this thread. I love that there's a safe place to celebrate successes without any stigma. Isn't that the truth. No brag to big or small! Thanks dmmetler for starting it! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Our second year of homeschooling ended on a low note, but I learned that neither Sacha nor I should push through finishing a curriculum when we are burned out. We both worked hard this year, and he made substantial progress in many areas, but we should have called it quits a month ago. Lesson learned. So many lesson learned every. single. year. In fact, every. single. day. Keep learning and it will go smoother each year you homeschool. :grouphug: 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 My kids are not really accelerated, but I like being on this board, because reading about all your and your children's successes inspires me. I agree. I'm inspired by these posts. If only I had know about this board all those years ago, I might have had the courage to step out more. Please know that this board is so supportive, no one really cares how accelerated anyone is. If you are willing to post, I'm willing to read. :thumbup1: 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Ok, now that I have had my own private late-night monologue, I'll stop posting.... :D 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 Ok, one more post.... One more brag.... DS just got back that he was the only person to solve one of the team problems. None of the other team members solved it and neither did the Harvard mathematics graduate who is training the team. woohoo!! 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 I agree. I'm inspired by these posts. If only I had know about this board all those years ago, I might have had the courage to step out more. Please know that this board is so supportive, no one really cares how accelerated anyone is. If you are willing to post, I'm willing to read. :thumbup1: Agreed; my kids are also barely accelerated (partially because they and I are not hugely motivated to push academics at this age) but this board is great for advice for them (and inspiration for me!) The only problem is that you get so used to these people, you become sort of expectant that the rest of the world understands and values bright kids at all levels, which is (surprise) not always true. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReadingMama1214 Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 (edited) DD(4.5) finished her first year of school. She attended a local half day PreK3 class that a friend teaches. She'll attend the same class for prek4 and do half days as well. It's been great for her socially and she has learned a lot about her environment and community. At home, we've just hit the 1/3 mark in Ordinary Parents Guide. I'm really impressed with how well she has done. Her drawing has reached new heights and I am excited to see this talent develop over the years. I am not gifted artistically, but several family members are and I am hoping she pursues it. Another brag is that she has really come out of her shell. She is still shy and overwhelmed in large unfamiliar crowds, but she had her first ballet recital and did excellent. She also did fantastic at the end of the year performances at school. I did not expect her to ever be the star of the show, but she definitely was for a lot of it! Edited June 2, 2016 by ReadingMama1214 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arliemaria Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 (edited) DS7 Academics: Competed in the Mastodon Science and Art Fair for the second year. He won first place in his category and Eva Kirkpatrick Memorial Incentive Science Award for an exceptional science project (Beakman Motor: The Power of Magnetic Fields). His art project (an oil pastel of a peacock) won third place in 1/2 grade category and he had his first gallery reception showing. It is currently on display at the local community college. He finished his first year of Greek School with all As. Physically: He has come a long way this year. At the beginning of the year he had very little stamina from what I'd expect a little boy to have (this comes from me having a very out-of-doors West Virginia country childhood). He would not alternate his feet when going up or down stairs, which he does without thinking now. He could not do a jumping jack and he can do them now albeit slower and more meticulous than the children around him. He could not complete a full class of Tae Kwon Do without becoming very tired and now completes the full two hours joyfully even if he has become tired. He has learned to ride his bike without training wheels. Emotionally: He will still tell you he wants to be an astrophysicist, if you ask him what he wants to do when he grows up. He is planning to launch a rocket at an upcoming rocketry club meeting. He is very sensitive. After a family hike we were in an ice cream shop and his dad and he were playing chess. He asked his dad why the kings had crosses on their pieces. Dad explained they were Christian monarchs. Robby then quipped, "If they are both Christians why are they fighting?" He then declared chess a silly game. Edited June 2, 2016 by arliemaria 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 (edited) . Edited June 3, 2016 by quark 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbatoo Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 DS 12 finally got past his refusal to write. He's actually started writing down math problem steps (instead of stubbornly trying to balance them in his head) and he wrote a decent short essay! DD 9 conquered the self imposed hump of starting chapter books. Now she reads for hours...go figure. She's also gotten pretty good at following a recipe :) DD 6 is learning to manage her emotions. Huge! 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I'll just post about a few of my kids: College student ds was offered 3 REU positions. He is one his was right now to an IVy to do some sort of helium and particle physics research. (Absolutely no idea what I'm talking about!) 11th grade Dd won best over all non-heritage speaker at a Russian Olympiad and first place at her level in an international Olympiad. Her French teacher toLd her that her French composition is on par with native French speaking high school students. Ker Dd, who never did a day's worth of preschool, finished the yr 1/2 way through her 1st grade math curriculum and solidly reading at a 2nd grade level. We had a great yr all around. 18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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