This school year we’ve started having monthly performance nights. We had our first performance night on August 28, 2020 – it was Poetry Night. Each grade level prepared a poem to recite. The first graders (Anna & Clara) recited The Caterpillar by Christina Rosetti. They made caterpillar sock puppets, paper toads, birds, and butterflies to enhance their performance. The girls each performed by themselves and then gave a class performance.

Isaiah recited The Land of Nod by Robert Louis Stevenson. He turned his poem into a play and had lots of props to act out the different lines. Becca recited all three parts of Northway Passage by Robert Louis Stevenson. We were very impressed with her recitation. The kids loved her use of a candle. Even the parents recited. I recited The Cat May Look at the King by Laura Richards. And Josh recited The Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Our last performance was some piano pieces performed by Becca. We were celebrating her completion of Alfred Level 1 Piano Method Book. We ended the night with chocolate covered ice cream bites.

And now for the video!

One day a week we have history day, when we spend the morning going through a chapter of our history book, doing coloring and map work, and doing activities that go along with the chapter. Last month we had a Chinese Day as we studied Genghis Khan and his grandson Kublai. The kids made Chinese lanterns.

We made Chinese chicken with peanut sauce. The first graders cut up all the cucumbers. Isaiah made the peanut sauce. Becca stir fried the chicken. We ate under our lanterns with chopsticks and drank raspberry leaf tea. Isaiah’s comment on the meal: “I thought it would just be fun to make, but it was fun to make and good to eat!”

Anna and Clara are enjoying 1st grade. They are memorizing Christina G Rosetti’s poem – The Caterpillar – so we did some face painting.

On July 27, 2020 we started the 2020-21 school year! I spent hours preparing goals, lesson plans, and curriculum for the new year. This year Becca is in 5th Grade, Isaiah is in 3rd Grade, and Anna & Clara are in 1st Grade! Ezra turned 2 on August 13th. Exciting time!

In July we enjoyed an afternoon and dinner with some C&MA missionaries talking an orientation trip of Cambodia. It was good to spend some time getting to know the families.