Our Little Student

Keith and I are so proud of our two wonderful little girls, and we couldn't be happier with Mackenzie's interest in the world around her and her drive to constantly learn new things. At four years old, she's already reading at a first-grade level, and I'm constantly trying to find more materials to satiate her hunger for math, science, reading, and art. She's gone through a pile of "workbooks" that we got at Barnes & Noble and, when she earns her allowance for helping out around the house and doing her chores, she immediately wants to spend it on more books. When she and Giselle were packing up to go spend last weekend with their Grammie Phyllis, Kenzie begged me to let her bring along her "homework" (her newest collection of science and math workbooks). I tried to explain that Grammie had a lot of fun activities planned and that there probably wouldn't be much time for homework, but I eventually lost that battle. I made her promise not to finish the books while she was gone, though...if we let her, she'd fill out every page in a matter of a few days and, at $10+ for each book, this could become a spendy practice. I'm really looking forward to this September when we start her in kindergarten, and we have more materials--and a more structured plan--for our little student.

I may have already mentioned this (sorry...tired preggo mommy brain), but we're going the homeschooling route with the kids, and I've enrolled Kenzie in an online charter school called California Virtual Academies, or CAVA. Here's a short description I've borrowed from the CAVA website: "The California Virtual Academies are a tuition-free public school that uses the K¹² curriculum, which is accessed via an online school as well as through more traditional methods. Materials are delivered right to the family's doorstep—including books, CDs, and even bags of rocks and dirt. We also partner parents and students with a state-credentialed teacher to guide and track their progress through the curriculum. There are regular, face-to-face meetings as well. Student-to-student interaction is emphasized too, so CAVA students are always well educated and well socialized." I'm excited and nervous about this new adventure for our family...mostly nervous about the time management aspect of it, since we'll also have a 3-year-old and newborn here with us. But, I think having "school" inside our home will have a positive impact on the younger kids as well, as we've already seen a huge increase in Giselle's interest in reading as Mackenzie has become more immersed in learning (and Kenzie loves reading to her little sis!). Regardless of any anxiety I'm going through right now, I feel very lucky to have such hands-on involvement in our kids' education.

Here's a short video of Kenzie reading from one of her workbooks. It's a little hard to hear, but it was the best clip I could get of her (she's a little nervous about reading in front of the camera).