Warning:  This is a long one with lots of photos!  🙂

When we came home from Thailand, we were almost five weeks behind in homeschool.  The Denuge Fever had changed our whole trip, and it was looking like Pascaline would be doing homeschool through the whole summer to finish 3rd grade.  But there was another option.  Since we do a 4 day homeschool week, she could choose to do homeschool on Fridays and the weekend.  If she was committed to this much work, she may just make up the time and finish when schools do.  Well, not only did this little girl make up the time, she finished before the private and public schools!  And seriously, I have to honor her today on the blog!  When she puts her mind to something, Pascaline doesn’t let any thing stop her!

Monday was her last day, and I thought to myself “this is the perfect Defining Details Photo Exercise!”  What better way to remember this year than capture all the details that made up 3rd grade and Kindergarten.

All the books we’ve gone through this year!

Blaze had his own cubby hole for all his Kindergarten work, from multi-colored squares, to marbles, to crayons and pens, to play dough, flashcards and bean bags filled with lavender (don’t you love Kindergarten work!).

We spent time celebrating the growth in their handwriting.

Pascaline learned cursive this year, and we were both shocked at how much her cursive writing transformed her printing.  The left side is her printing from the beginning of the year.  The right side was her last Spelling test this week.

Blaze started the year with the top line, but look where his handwriting is now!

I also LOVE to see what and how children express through themselves through their art.  So I took out all their art pieces and started going through them chronologically.  As I looked through drawing after drawing, I couldn’t help but be inspired.

The kids took risks with their drawings.  They got out of the box of working in coloring books and played with color and experimented with shapes.  They also didn’t quit.  Blaze really, really wanted to learn how to draw superheroes.  So he started.  Those three words are huge.  So he started.

His beginning Batmans looked something like this.

And then it progressed to this.

And this is my favorite!

Blaze also went through a phase where he did boxes with circles inside.  He was fixated with the whole concept of shapes and combined colors.  He did them again

and again

and again…is it just me, or do you find these fascinating too?  What is he thinking?  What has him so interested?  What is he working out in his head?  The colors changes but there are also all these constants.

Pascaline LOVES drawing and is AMAZING.  She loves to draw Fashion Models and then try to design and sew their dresses with bits of fabric.

She’s better at drawing people than I’ve ever been!  I personally thought this Family Drawing was progress because she’s nine years old, and it’s the first time she’s included Blaze in the “family” picture.  🙂

My favorite!  Mama and Pasc

My knowledge of how to draw is so limited.  So we enrolled Pascaline in a special drawing class this year, and her work is blowing my mind these days!  She takes on these awesome challenges and works at  one drawing for weeks.

I’ve watched the kids face their own insecurities all year.  Blaze draws a superhero that in his mind isn’t as good as sissy’s.  He starts to shut down and doesn’t want to draw anymore.  But then, after a few minutes, he starts again.

Pascaline loves animals, and she is turning a new chapter in her understanding of lines, shadows and shapes.  Her mind is so open to trying new things, taking on a new challenge.  Does she cry sometimes half way through?  Yes.  Don’t we all.  But when she’s done, the finished piece is worth every tear.

How can I not be inspired by their art.  How can I not be inspired to try again.

Now it’s time to go celebrate the end of the year with roller skates!  Pray for me.  I haven’t been on roller skates since 4th grade!  😉

xoxo,

m