2010

Unbelievably, 2010 has arrived. Suaemoc has been in session almost 100 school days. Little Miss has the proven ability to begin a high school course, and the Little Boy is developing into quite a Big Boy, ready to tackle the fourth grade.
American School is looking to be the way to go for Little Miss's high school curriculum, although The American Academy offers a Horse Management elective. Horse Management is divided into units, each with several assignments and a quiz. There is also a midterm test, and a final. The units cover: Unit 1 - Introduction to the World of Horses Unit 2 - Safety, Equipment and Trailering Unit 3 - Overview of Equine Body Systems Unit 4 - Nutrition and Feeding Unit 5 - Routine Health Care Unit 6 - Conformation and Lameness Unit 7 - Health Problems and First Aid Unit 8 - Life Cycle, Breeding, and Genetics Unit 9 - Breeds of Horses. Knowing that she has such a passion for the equine, I feel this would be a fantastic elective to add to her high school curriculum. Whether she goes through American School for her diploma, or The American Academy, taking the Horse Management course would be beneficial for her. It is possible for her to just take that course through The American Academy while taking her other high school classes through American School. I suppose there's still time to make a decision on which course will be the most beneficial and appealing to her.
I am looking forward to being able to give the Little Boy more individualized attention for fourth grade. Since Little Miss will be responsible for doing the majority of her high schooling online, Suaemoc will be focused on the Little Boy. He has some definite interests that we'll be surrounding ourselves with. He loves weather, for example, and doing science experiments and projects. He is always asking to learn about different animals and has a genuine interest in doing so. He is inquisitive and enjoys doing things hands-on. It'll be good to shift the attention to things the Little Boy can work out his own way and become fully involved in. The jury is still out on whether we will continue with Spectrum for his curriculum. It would actually be nice to get away from a traditional textbook form of school with him and take a more "unschooling" approach. The Little Boy needs to have his creativity coaxed out of him more. When he tells stories, he's very imaginitive. That imagination needs to be captured and put into more clear thought-patterns, however, and we need to strengthen his ability to put it all down in writing.
Suaemoc looks forward to venturing onward in 2010. We're planning to have some fun for our 100th day, which we'll be sure to share. :) There will also be a Suaemoc 8th Grade Graduation for Little Miss, so stay tuned for those details. It's a big deal to become a high-schooler and she has worked very diligently in her elementary and middle school years. Graduating to high school will be an excellent opportunity to show her we recognize her academic accomplishments and we support her as the learning adventure continues. <3