Today was our last day of school for the 2013 – 2014 school year. This is actually the first year we have taken an official summer break. Don’t get me wrong; our kids get a ton of breaks throughout the year. However, in years past we just kept on going through summer.
We are taking 3 weeks off (I know… hardly a break!) I think if we take more then 3 weeks I will start to hear the “I’m bored” complaint and that makes for a grumpy mama! We won’t start back in full force until mid August but we will pick back up with reading, math and science in mid July.
This week I administered the annual CAT to Pooh and Belle. This was Pooh’s 3rd year testing but Belle’s first. To my surprise Belle really liked taking the test and they both wanted to make sure they could do the text again next year. Wow! I hated those tests every year! The great thing about homeschooling is we can take the tests in our pj’s, or go outside, or change the order to fit our fancy.
So, now we officially have a 6th grader, a 4th grader and a 1st grader. I am so blessed to have my kids at home with me where they are building strong relationships with each other instead of sending them off to be with who knows who for 6+ hours every day. I thank God for putting homeschooling on my heart the fall of 2008 and not letting me ignore Him!
Pooh our 6th grader!
Belle our 4th grader. The two of us rode our bikes to Good Times for some mommy/daughter time.
Alex our 1st grader.
JT is 3.5 and is working on letters and numbers. He loves doing school with sisters.
Katherine being loved up on by her big sister.
The Girls!
The Wilson Kids
mymommentary 
Love ALL our grandkids. This blog is really cool.
After homeschooling for many years on our own, we got involved with a charter school that “required” standardized testing; since they offered funding that covered many school supplies and classes, I was willing to jump through that hoop. However, I was not willing to ‘teach to the test’ and never did. When my youngest, who was a VERY late reader, was expected to participate in the state testing, I told her, “Honey, you don’t know how to read yet. All you have to do is color one circle on each line. It doesn’t matter which one. When you’re done, you can draw quietly while you wait for your brothers and sisters to finish.” I told my older kids to simply do their best, and explained that sometimes our studies did not match what the state was testing, and not to worry. I wasn’t worried, and I didn’t want them to be. I told them I didn’t really care how they did on this particular test, we were simply participating because it helped our charter school to keep going. I always stressed that they should do their very best, but not to stress if they hadn’t learned something yet. I am happy to report that testing was never traumatic. My kids got to see other homeschooled kids with whom they were friends, and it was generally a pleasant experience. However, there were other kids who were very stressed by the experience, to the point of tears.
P.S. When my late reader finally started reading, she want from “Far Below Basic” to “Proficient” within a year, and “Advanced” the following year. Reading didn’t become a point of contention for us, and she is a voracious reader! All of that is a longer story for another time . . .