A new school year for Cornflower

Hmm. How to get the school year off to an exciting start?

How about:

1) Read over the summer about places to visit on a trip abroad?

Cornflower's 5th grade year has begun adventurously. She is currently on a week-long visit to the Northern Rhine-Westphalia area of Germany with her dad who is there for a work related conference. They will visit the towns of Dusseldorf, Cologne, Essen, and Aachen. They are having to learn a bit of German along the way as in the smaller towns unless you are in a tourist location, a great many of the locals speak little or no English. They are getting the hang the subways and intercity trains. Enjoying the awe-inspiring cathedrals in each town and sampling German food along the way.

2) Start over the summer with a new LEGO Robotics FLL team?
Cornflower started back in June with a group of friends in forming a FLL LEGO Robotics Team. They spent the summer researching about aspects of weather and historical events regarding climate. In addition to their research, the team spent time working together to build various LEGO creations and hook them up to a Mindstorms NXT. Cornflower and her compatriots have begun to learn NXT programming on the computer and a lot about teamwork.

3) Start Homeschool Enrichment in the Arts classes which include: Art, Journalism, Theatre, and Team Sports?

Still harboring a passion for theatre and a love of writing and art, Cornflower was very pleased with her first week of classes and looking forward to the new semester.

4) Books, books, books!?

Cornflower is nearly beside herself with excitement at the books that are on her reading list for her book club (now in its 6th!! year) and the fiction and non-fiction books on her list for History/Geography with its focus on Ancient Civilizations.

Book Club books for this year include:

and our 3rd year with a intensive Poetry Unit:

5) New texts and approaches?

In my reflection on the last school year, I had posted that I needed to:

• address Language Arts more systematically this year,


• try a new, consistent, and reinforcing approach to our Math studies,


• dabble in German, continue with Latin, and increase attention to Spanish.

To accomplish this Cornflower is working in a new LA workbook that she really likes, trying out Saxon 6/5 with the D.I.V.E CD which is refreshing in its newness and rewind/reexplain feature, and Cornflower's Dad has promised to attend to Spanish lessons using a widely utilized software program.

6) Continue on with what inspires Cornflower to train hard physically and mentally?

Cornflower tested and was awarded her 1st Dan Black Belt in May and is still motivated and interested to continue with her Taekwondo lessons. So she gives over 3-4 hours for classes each week as well are practicing at home.

Finally, I am looking forward to approaching our Faith Formation using some old and some new resources and launching a new year of Virtues and Character development which will include numerous service projects, manners and etiquette, field trips and a pilgrimage.

By the grace of God, may our homeschool journey this year be abundant in its fruits, managable in its trials and bring our family ever closer to each other and to God.