Abaigeal can read too! She was sitting on the sofa the other day and I heard her talking to herself but since I was a room away, couldn’t quite make out the words. I walked in (she couldn’t see me at this point) and she was sitting there, happy as you please, reading a book we got for Christmas - that she had had read to her maybe once, right after we got it. Really reading it, not just remembering the words, which she’s been doing for years.

How exciting! Again, credit to Sean, who reads to them tirelessly, Starfall, and LeapFrog Talking Words Factory.

Unschooling at its best.

THE FIELD TRIP

On Wednesday, Jan. 25, Phoebe and I took Faith, Abby, Bede, and Gilbert on a field trip to the Bedré chocolate factory. The excursion had been planned by Phoebe’s Yahoo group, Oklahoma Natural Parenting Homeschoolers. Quite a few families participated, and all the children seemed to have a good time, so the event must be judged a success.

It was educational, too. At least, I learned a few lessons.

Frankly, none of us knew what to expect. All we knew was: this was a chocolate factory, and they offered public tours. Since chocolate is a topic in which our offspring have a demonstrated interest (sometimes bordering on devotion), we hoped it would be a good introduction to the world of industry, commerce, and free enterprise. It was all that.

And yet, I have to say it was a disappointment. I had hoped to be conducted on a tour of the facilities there. But the only two rooms open to the public are the gift shop, and an empty narrow hallway behind the gift shop.
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The lovely statuette pictured above is Faith’s Christmas gift to Annette. This marks the first time Faith has ever had the idea of giving a gift for Christmas. She said she wanted to give Bugga a present. She picked it out at the store, and she boxed it. On the Day, when it was time to open presents at Bugga’s house, Faith was more excited about Bugga opening her gift than she was about opening her own! It was an Epiphany of sorts.

The work of learning never stops, not even on Christmas. Among Faith and Abby’s presents were a dinosaur picture book, and a big box of a wide variety of toy dinosaurs. They’ll be absorbing paleontology as they play. Or, maybe they’ll just make the Mommy Dinosaur and the Baby Dinosaurs go shopping. It’s up to them, really.

For three months now, Faith and Abaigeal have been taking weekly ballet classes at Everything Goes Dance Studio, 1721 NW 16th Street. Tonight their hard work pays off, as they take the stage for the annual Christmas program. The show will start at 6:00 this evening, in the auditorium of Northeast High School, 3100 N. Kelley. Admission is free, so come on down if you’re not busy.

 

These photos are from the dress rehearsal, earlier today. I apologize for their poor quality, but they are the best I could get with my camera from where I was sitting. Shown above is my own personal favorite routine — aside from my daughters’, I mean — the Christmas belly dancers! There are also tap, flamenco, and hip-hop numbers in the program, performed by students of all ages, mostly women and girls, with a few dudes on stage from time to time.

  

Here is Faith, dancing in her jammies to “The Night Before Christmas.”

The girls are very excited to discover that tree.

  

And Abby dances gracefully to “White Christmas.”

May your days be merry and bright, etc.

Faith: Abby, polar bears don’t lay eggs!
Abby: Yes dey do.
Me: No, they don’t lay eggs. Faith is right.
Abby: Hmph. Well, I’m pretending dey do.

Here are Faith and Abaigeal in the Halloween costumes. They’re fairies. (Not entirely unlike angels, really.)

Today we went to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, more fondly known around these parts as the Cowboy Hall of Fame. We went with our friends R, S and Z and man did we have fun! I didn’t bring the camera because I knew I wouldn’t get any pictures (I was chasing Mr. Bede) so you’ll just have to imagine:

the girls and S building a near life-size ‘log’ cabin out of giant foam logs

Bede excitedly saying “Cow!” about 45789 times

Z being alternately scared and bold in the just-post-sundown frontier town of Prosperity Junction, hereafter known as “oooh! Mama! The darkness!”

the kids all decked out in cowboy clothes and boots cooking us old time cowboy food over the campfire by the chuck wagon

and various other good times.

Quite frankly, I’m exhausted. But man that was fun!

My mom found these books at a garage sale

and picked them up because they looked good. Faith and Abby are enjoying them, and they are a nice barometer of their knowledge vs. their institutionally schooled counterparts.

Besides, I would be remiss as a parent if they were not given the opportunity to wonder what exactly the odd clip-art on page 14 (or 42, or whatever) that contained the short /o/ sound (which they were supposed to color) was. A pancreas? A plum pudding? A flattened beach ball? Something more sinister? The world may never know…

We got our World History book and the girls are very taken with Egypt. The idea of polytheism and the notion of the body itself having immediate utility after death are new concepts for them, being Catholic, and have brought much discussion.

They are especially taken with the chimerical Ammut, seen below. Crocodile head, lion forelegs, hippopotamus hindquarters.

Wacky!

Faith and Abaigeal attended their very first ballet class tonight. In fact, it was their very first class of any sort outside of home.

Faith drew this picture of her class. The tall figure is the teacher, and the shorter ones are two students.