Friday, August 10, 2012

A Really Great School Day

Sometimes we have long, slow, stretchy days. 
Sometimes we have crisp, faster, more up-beat days. 

Here's an example of an extra speedy, ultra-productive day when we are feeling good and getting along, and everything flows perfectly.

We started our morning at 7:30am with Lila Down's version of La Bamba and some other songs from our repertoire. I love it when we start the day singing.


At 7:45 Lu read an Aesop's fable aloud in Spanish, and then worked on his handwriting by copying the moral of the story in cursive.













 At 8:00 we were starting our MEP worksheet,
and flew through it.



At 8:20, Lu read me two Shel Silverstein poems.




At 8:30, we got out our Glencoe Math
 and did 4 problems in our notebook.



At 8:45 Lu read silently about Orpheus and Eurydice.


 At 9:00 we took a little break.


We do these once in a while, when I run into a free one,
just to see where we're at (in the standardized world).

I'll skip the part about Lu having a panic attack that ended in sobbing when he couldn't do one of the problems, because he got over it and understood that tests are just to help us figure out where we need to strengthen our skill.

 At 10am I worked out the score while Lu ate an apple.
We're right on track - 4th grade, 2nd semester.


At 10:30 we played Snatch.
Lu gets tense with tests,
so a game was much needed.



At 11am, Lu read a couple more chapters from 



Last night, Lu offered to make today's lunch on his own,
(A BIG FIRST)
so at 11:30 he was done with schoolwork 
(an hour earlier than usual)
and started cooking.

 It was his first time making rice.


He set a lovely table with white rice, 
zucchini, and eggplant.


He was very proud of his spread.


 (and I was speechless and teary) 


As soon as we were finished eating, 
friends started showing up for afternoon group activities.


I wouldn't want every day to be so speedy. We like the long, slow days too, when we get side-tracked and too caught up in discussion to see what time it is, or worry about what we need to do next. But once in a while, days like today are great for plowing through and catching up.

6 comments:

  1. Now I'm feeling guilty - you guys got through so much!! Can Lu come round and make lunch here?

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    Replies
    1. I'm afraid YOU'LL have to come visit us here to try one of Lu's gourmet endeavors :)

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  2. This post helped motivate me to get my butt organized and ready to start up our school year. I love days where the flow just FLOWS naturally and each subject perfectly leads to the next.

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  3. Nice!!! I could use a few speedy days with JP! We are in a lull, and work that should take 1/2 a morning has taken THREE days so far! Ugh!

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  4. Nice! Love the days that we notice how awesome life is :)

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