Great First Day!

The kids came home today EACH talking a mile a minute at the same time! It was pretty clear that they LOVED their first day.

Harley - Starts out with Ryker in his class for 2nd grade Math and Language Arts. I was a bit worried about them being disruptive while sitting right next to each other, but the teacher emailed me today to let me know how much she enjoyed them, and how they fit right in to the class. Harley then moves to her 1st grade class for Art and History. Today, she came home talking all about Vincent Van Gogh. She told me that he painted Starry Night, and that they got to "Dab Paint" just like Van Gogh used to! I was simply amazed.

Ryker - He was a little more quiet than everyone else. (He is my napper still, so it was a long day for him) What he couldn't stop talking about were the "Smart Boards." I guess instead of chalk boards, they have these computerized boards that are touch screens. Apparently it was the coolest thing ever!! He was also excited about getting to paint today.

Sierra - She really likes her teacher...Mr. McFadden, but I guess everyone calls him Mr. McFaddy! She has dove right into a history paper that is due in January, and I LOVE the process that is being taught. She has a file folder with 6 small envelopes glued on the inside. (3 on each inside side) She is to then to come up with 6 subjects, which must include a Beginning life, and ending life, and then she can choose the other 4. Her paper is on Ronald Reagan, so she has a Movie Career and Presidency envelope. Then in each envelope she must put 4 index cards. Each card must have one thought or event. So, when she goes to write her paper, she will have 6 paragraphs with at least 4 sentences/thoughts in each paragraph. She is really enjoying that!

Aspen - She was super excited about one of her teachers today that made her laugh till it hurt. I guess this lady is super dooper funny!! Aspen has recently hit a bump in her academics, but I could see today some excitement for her upcoming lessons. I think she, and Sierra, are both enjoying working at their own pace, whether that be quicker or slower. I am really impressed with the Math curriculum. Aspen and Sierra are both in 5th grade math. They are having trouble on Unit 3 with this K12 curriculum. The class is currently on Unit 6. So, we will be doing lots of catch up over the break. They were both shocked to see the kids doing multiplication of fractions. Neither of the girls had really even started doing anything with fractions. So, I know that they will have a great math base as they catch up with the class!

To answer Gwen's questions from my previous post....The classrooms look like traditional classrooms. They are very decorated and colorful. Thomas said that the rooms are a bit narrowing than normal. There isn't a kitchen. The kids need to bring their lunches to the learning center, but if they qualify for free or reduced lunches, they can get a "boxed" lunch. The school is in like an office type building/park. Thomas said it looks like it was built to be a daycare. Everything in the school is brand spanking new. This is their first school year to be open. He said it was really clean and new. Harley told me that she had 25 kids in her class. I'll ask the girls how big their classes were.

In conclusion, I am positive that this will be an awesome experience for them. I just feel like this is a great thing. It is the perfect match for any child that LOVES to learn, and that pretty much sums up my kids!!