I recently discovered that I have MANY blog posts started that I never finish. I though I would try to finish some of them...
"Big changes are on the way" That's what my last fortune cookie said. Not that I put a lot of stock in that sort of thing, but in this case I really feel that I am on the edge of something new. The weird thing is that I am having trouble figuring out exactly what need changing and how...
I started that post abut a month ago. I guess some of the the changes have been revealed to me (some have thrust themselves upon me). The good news is that I know that every ending is just a new beginning. I know that it is ok to feel sad that something is over, but when I look in my heart I know it is for the best. I know I should be grateful for the lessons I have learned from these experiences. I know that I should be as excited about the future as I am sad about the past...
Part of me is just lazy because I know that applying these lessons will be a lot of work. No one said that getting what I wanted would be easy... Wish me luck!!!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Felted Wool and Fishnets
I had the privilege of attending two very different event within one weekend. Due to my own crazy scheduling I ended up at both a homeschooling conference and Q-Bert's first dance competition in the same small period of time. The culture shock as I moved between these events was enormous.
The most obvious difference was purely visual. My husband and I jokes that after a certain age homeschoolers must not be required to comb their hair. We saw some of the wildest messiest hair I have ever seen, and many were wearing pins they had made of felted wool at one of the booths. Of course at the dance competition the performers all had their hair done in perfect buns with entire cans of hair spray used on each kid and most were wearing fishnet tights. but even the spectators were gussied up. Whereas the parents at the homeschool conference were dressed very simply, the parents at the competition were dressed to impress. This isn't really surprising since they are representing a certain studio. Looking well kept is an unwritten rule at most studios including ours. If it was just about looking good I would say it was a function of dance being a visual art, but there are more differences lurking beneath the exterior.
I could go on at length about the way homeschoolers looked at each other with a friendly look in their eyes, and the dance fans seemed to look each other up and down as if sizing them up. I could talk about the way the homeschooled kids displayed a combination of enthusiasm and inner calmness that seemed almost unnatural for a child versus, the anxiety and false cockiness that the dancers walked around with. However, I think the best way to illustrate the differences is my comparing Q-bert’s experience at the homeschooling talent show, and her experience competing at the dance competition.
Q-bert’s good friends were performing in the homeschool talent show, and of course she wanted to join as well. I had strong apprehensions about it because she was already to busy with the dance competition. As luck would have it her dance schedule left her free during the talent show so of course she decided to do it. Originally she wanted to choreograph a new dance for the show, but I convinced her that there wasn’t time for that in addition to practicing for the competition. She decided to use one of her competition numbers and modify it slightly to use as a solo.
When Q-bert dances at competitions she never says she is nervous. She is always excited to go on stage, and afterwards she never seems to be worried about how they scored. Part of this is her personality. She is not a competitive person in general (although of course things are different when we talk about her relationship with her sister :-). For her, dancing is about entertaining the audience. She also likes to get feedback from the judges because she says that helps her be a better entertainer.
True to form, Q-bert showed no stress when we arrived at the dance competition even though the morning had been early, hectic, and covered by surprise snow. She was filled with excitement at we did her hair and make-up (a process which takes about 45 minutes). The chaos and territory wars in the dressing room didn’t bother her nearly as much as it did me. Finally, it was time for me to turn her over to her teacher and I went to sit in the audience. The atmosphere in the audience was electric. Even at the early hour, the place was nearly packed. Spectators were vying for position each eager to cheer on their dancers. Finally the competition started. As each dance was announced most of the audience politely clapped while the spectators from the dancers’ own studio went wild. The act of cheering was in itself a competition. Between dances I would hear an occasional comment about a dance, but overall people were there to root for their own, and after their dances, often times, the fans left. Kali’s dances went well, and their effort were rewarded with a high score. Kali was most excited that she got to get up to receive the trophy. So all in all it was a positive experience, and we rushed back to the homeschool conference.
Her attitude at the talent show surprised me. She was a bundle of nerves. Part of it was that she was worried about being late, but it was more than that. I know that performing alone is a bit intimidating, but that wasn’t the problem either. It was also a bit scary performing so close to the audience, but that didn’t really bother her. I think her apprehension was that she cared what this audience thought of her performance. Of course after watching for a while it became obvious that this audience valued effort and bravery as much as actual talent. A couple of the performers were extremely scared, but you could feel the whole audience pulling for them. The air wasn’t electric like it was at the competition, but it was warm and supportive. As we sat watching the other kids perform some of her nervousness dissipated, but she was still a bit anxious when her turn came. When she got up for her turn she turned on her charm and gave a great performance. As with everyone else, the audience clapped and cheered enthusiastically, but the biggest reward came when her friends (and their parents) told her how great she did. I think she valued that more than the trophy she got at the competition. After her performance one of the teens with uncombed hair approached my husband and said in a very teenage boy voice, “Congratulations on the talented daughter.” That struck me as funny, but also a bit touching. No one outside of our studio would have bestowed a compliment on us at the competition, but here was a teenage boy showing such manners.
Now I know that it isn’t really fair to compare a competition with a show. By it’s very name a competition puts it’s participants at odds with each other, but we are talking about kids here. I am not a fan of taking the score keeping out of baseball, but I do think that the spectators should model good sportsmanship. That means applauding effort and appreciating the learning that accompanies every experience. I don’t feel that at the competitions. The fans are there for one thing... To see their dancers win. At the talent show, although we all wanted our kids to do their best, we were there to see our kids try.
For our family, we move fairly seamlessly between these two societies. I believe there are things to be learned from both situations. Still I love the relaxed feeling I had at the homeschool conference, and I have a bit of dread as we move towards the next dance competition. I guess not all learning has to be fun :-)
The most obvious difference was purely visual. My husband and I jokes that after a certain age homeschoolers must not be required to comb their hair. We saw some of the wildest messiest hair I have ever seen, and many were wearing pins they had made of felted wool at one of the booths. Of course at the dance competition the performers all had their hair done in perfect buns with entire cans of hair spray used on each kid and most were wearing fishnet tights. but even the spectators were gussied up. Whereas the parents at the homeschool conference were dressed very simply, the parents at the competition were dressed to impress. This isn't really surprising since they are representing a certain studio. Looking well kept is an unwritten rule at most studios including ours. If it was just about looking good I would say it was a function of dance being a visual art, but there are more differences lurking beneath the exterior.
I could go on at length about the way homeschoolers looked at each other with a friendly look in their eyes, and the dance fans seemed to look each other up and down as if sizing them up. I could talk about the way the homeschooled kids displayed a combination of enthusiasm and inner calmness that seemed almost unnatural for a child versus, the anxiety and false cockiness that the dancers walked around with. However, I think the best way to illustrate the differences is my comparing Q-bert’s experience at the homeschooling talent show, and her experience competing at the dance competition.
Q-bert’s good friends were performing in the homeschool talent show, and of course she wanted to join as well. I had strong apprehensions about it because she was already to busy with the dance competition. As luck would have it her dance schedule left her free during the talent show so of course she decided to do it. Originally she wanted to choreograph a new dance for the show, but I convinced her that there wasn’t time for that in addition to practicing for the competition. She decided to use one of her competition numbers and modify it slightly to use as a solo.
When Q-bert dances at competitions she never says she is nervous. She is always excited to go on stage, and afterwards she never seems to be worried about how they scored. Part of this is her personality. She is not a competitive person in general (although of course things are different when we talk about her relationship with her sister :-). For her, dancing is about entertaining the audience. She also likes to get feedback from the judges because she says that helps her be a better entertainer.
True to form, Q-bert showed no stress when we arrived at the dance competition even though the morning had been early, hectic, and covered by surprise snow. She was filled with excitement at we did her hair and make-up (a process which takes about 45 minutes). The chaos and territory wars in the dressing room didn’t bother her nearly as much as it did me. Finally, it was time for me to turn her over to her teacher and I went to sit in the audience. The atmosphere in the audience was electric. Even at the early hour, the place was nearly packed. Spectators were vying for position each eager to cheer on their dancers. Finally the competition started. As each dance was announced most of the audience politely clapped while the spectators from the dancers’ own studio went wild. The act of cheering was in itself a competition. Between dances I would hear an occasional comment about a dance, but overall people were there to root for their own, and after their dances, often times, the fans left. Kali’s dances went well, and their effort were rewarded with a high score. Kali was most excited that she got to get up to receive the trophy. So all in all it was a positive experience, and we rushed back to the homeschool conference.
Her attitude at the talent show surprised me. She was a bundle of nerves. Part of it was that she was worried about being late, but it was more than that. I know that performing alone is a bit intimidating, but that wasn’t the problem either. It was also a bit scary performing so close to the audience, but that didn’t really bother her. I think her apprehension was that she cared what this audience thought of her performance. Of course after watching for a while it became obvious that this audience valued effort and bravery as much as actual talent. A couple of the performers were extremely scared, but you could feel the whole audience pulling for them. The air wasn’t electric like it was at the competition, but it was warm and supportive. As we sat watching the other kids perform some of her nervousness dissipated, but she was still a bit anxious when her turn came. When she got up for her turn she turned on her charm and gave a great performance. As with everyone else, the audience clapped and cheered enthusiastically, but the biggest reward came when her friends (and their parents) told her how great she did. I think she valued that more than the trophy she got at the competition. After her performance one of the teens with uncombed hair approached my husband and said in a very teenage boy voice, “Congratulations on the talented daughter.” That struck me as funny, but also a bit touching. No one outside of our studio would have bestowed a compliment on us at the competition, but here was a teenage boy showing such manners.
Now I know that it isn’t really fair to compare a competition with a show. By it’s very name a competition puts it’s participants at odds with each other, but we are talking about kids here. I am not a fan of taking the score keeping out of baseball, but I do think that the spectators should model good sportsmanship. That means applauding effort and appreciating the learning that accompanies every experience. I don’t feel that at the competitions. The fans are there for one thing... To see their dancers win. At the talent show, although we all wanted our kids to do their best, we were there to see our kids try.
For our family, we move fairly seamlessly between these two societies. I believe there are things to be learned from both situations. Still I love the relaxed feeling I had at the homeschool conference, and I have a bit of dread as we move towards the next dance competition. I guess not all learning has to be fun :-)
Friday, March 5, 2010
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Friday, February 12, 2010
Homeschooling Support
This post is going to seem a bit rambling, but I am hoping to work some things out in my mind here. It involves the homeschool group I am part of, and the commotion that has been brewing in recent weeks. This will take quite a bit of back story so bear with me...
When I first began to consider homeschooling I was lost. I didn't know any homeschoolers, and I had no idea how to find them. After some searching I did find a couple groups. None of them met my needs. Some were formed for older kids. Some had a forced statement of faith. Others were just full of crazies. Finally, I I met a few like minded people. All of our kids were relatively small, so our get togethers were more about the kids playing and the Moms socializing than about "school". This lasted for 2+ years. People came and people went. Sometimes, people decided to send their kids to school. Sometimes they moved away. Sometimes they just drifted off because our gatherings were so informal. Others would drift in to take their place. We had field trips and park days, and in general it went well.
Finally a year and a half ago one of our members said she had found a group of other homeschoolers that we should merge with. I'll be honest I was a bit nervous because I didn't want to end up like one of those previously mentioned crazy groups. Eventually we met, and most of them seemed "normal". My initial reaction to almost all of them was positive, and as we planned for the fall of '09 I felt pretty good. We had lots of good ideas, and a regular meeting space. Then the year started. For a number of reasons the meetings didn't go as I had hoped. I left every single meeting feeling awful. It was utter chaos. I was ready to drop the regular meetings altogether. Still there were a few high points. Many in our group were also members of Earth Scouts which seemed to run much more smoothly. Also, several of the more rowdy families moved on. I guess they sensed that the situation wasn't a good fit for them. We took a break for the summer vowing to have some park days, but somehow none of us took the initiative to plan them.
When summer ended we decided to get back to our regular meetings. We met again with lots of good ideas. Additionally we stated this year with a great group of people. I can honestly say that I like all of them. Fall went pretty well, and I was fairly happy with things in general. After a short winter break we met and discussed more ideas, and got back to our regular meetings. I thought things were going well. Then it started...
It's funny how little innocent things can start such drama. Someone made a suggestion, and then someone else have a flippant response. Suddenly it's on. People begin debating things that probably shouldn't be debated. People get annoyed; people feel misunderstood; people get mad. Eventually that issue gets dropped, but Pandora's box has been opened. The next misunderstanding gets to this point even quicker, and is slower to be dropped. Finally people stop speaking altogether.
I will be honest. The whole situation has me feeling sick to my stomach. I do not like conflict (although I do enjoy philosophical debates). The dismissive, territorial tones of some people make it almost impossible for other people not to respond in defensive tones. Then the cycle continues. I am afraid of where it will lead. As I said I like these people. Do I think they are perfect? No! Am I perfect? No! Still I do like these people. I feel a connection to them, and I really do hope to make this group my perfect support system. I also would love to be part of the support system for them. It doesn't seem possible at this time. The group seems to be developing into some us vs. them mentality. I HATE that.
So now we are on the edge. I'm just very nervous about what comes next.
When I first began to consider homeschooling I was lost. I didn't know any homeschoolers, and I had no idea how to find them. After some searching I did find a couple groups. None of them met my needs. Some were formed for older kids. Some had a forced statement of faith. Others were just full of crazies. Finally, I I met a few like minded people. All of our kids were relatively small, so our get togethers were more about the kids playing and the Moms socializing than about "school". This lasted for 2+ years. People came and people went. Sometimes, people decided to send their kids to school. Sometimes they moved away. Sometimes they just drifted off because our gatherings were so informal. Others would drift in to take their place. We had field trips and park days, and in general it went well.
Finally a year and a half ago one of our members said she had found a group of other homeschoolers that we should merge with. I'll be honest I was a bit nervous because I didn't want to end up like one of those previously mentioned crazy groups. Eventually we met, and most of them seemed "normal". My initial reaction to almost all of them was positive, and as we planned for the fall of '09 I felt pretty good. We had lots of good ideas, and a regular meeting space. Then the year started. For a number of reasons the meetings didn't go as I had hoped. I left every single meeting feeling awful. It was utter chaos. I was ready to drop the regular meetings altogether. Still there were a few high points. Many in our group were also members of Earth Scouts which seemed to run much more smoothly. Also, several of the more rowdy families moved on. I guess they sensed that the situation wasn't a good fit for them. We took a break for the summer vowing to have some park days, but somehow none of us took the initiative to plan them.
When summer ended we decided to get back to our regular meetings. We met again with lots of good ideas. Additionally we stated this year with a great group of people. I can honestly say that I like all of them. Fall went pretty well, and I was fairly happy with things in general. After a short winter break we met and discussed more ideas, and got back to our regular meetings. I thought things were going well. Then it started...
It's funny how little innocent things can start such drama. Someone made a suggestion, and then someone else have a flippant response. Suddenly it's on. People begin debating things that probably shouldn't be debated. People get annoyed; people feel misunderstood; people get mad. Eventually that issue gets dropped, but Pandora's box has been opened. The next misunderstanding gets to this point even quicker, and is slower to be dropped. Finally people stop speaking altogether.
I will be honest. The whole situation has me feeling sick to my stomach. I do not like conflict (although I do enjoy philosophical debates). The dismissive, territorial tones of some people make it almost impossible for other people not to respond in defensive tones. Then the cycle continues. I am afraid of where it will lead. As I said I like these people. Do I think they are perfect? No! Am I perfect? No! Still I do like these people. I feel a connection to them, and I really do hope to make this group my perfect support system. I also would love to be part of the support system for them. It doesn't seem possible at this time. The group seems to be developing into some us vs. them mentality. I HATE that.
So now we are on the edge. I'm just very nervous about what comes next.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray
I've figured out the main reason I don't blog often. It's not that I don't have lots of ideas for entries. I do. It's not that I couldn't find time to write. I could. The real reason is that I want to have an idea fully fleshed out before I write about it. I am sure that is silly. In fact, I know that most bloggers use the actual writing as a way to develop an idea. My problem is that I want to know where an entry is going before I even start it.
I guess that could be a problem in other aspects of my life as well. I am a planner. If I don't have a plan I feel scared. It makes me nervous, and if forced to operate without a pan for too long I actually get sick. The rational me knows that sometimes it is a good idea to "fly by the seat of your pants", but I really have a hard time sticking to that. I can't tell you how many times I have decided that I should be more spontaneous. Yes, I see the absurdity of planning to be more spontaneous.
The problems with over-planning involve a couple things. Of course, there is the problem of missing out on new things because I have already planned something else. I think that I have done an ok job over the past few years combating that one. I am much more flexible than I was a few years ago. I credit that to being a Mom. My girls, so often, find amazing opportunities. They are so amazing that I know we can't pass them up (even if it means adjusting my precious plan.) This flexibility has created a new problem that I can't seem to shake. Even though I am happy to add new things to my plan as they are presented, I can't let go of the planned activities. The result is that I end up feeling stressed as I try in vain to "stick to the plan". Eventually I end up feeling like a failure.
This tends to be especially true with the girls' school. I have what I think are very realistic goals for them. The plan is for them to do math and language arts (writing for Kali, reading for Claire) five days a week. I do have "curriculums" for other subjects, but they are used to supplement the life learning. The problem ends up being that as I try to be flexible to allow lots of opportunities for life learning we often have less that five days to devote to math and language arts. As much as I believe that real life learning is absorbed better than artificial desk learning I still can't let go of the plan when it comes to skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic. This results in school sometimes being less than the euphoric experience I imagined when I decided to homeschool the girls.
So once I again I am planning to be more spontaneous. To help me in this endeavour I looked up a few quotes about chilling out.
"Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans." John Lennon
"Expect the best, plan for the worst, and be prepared to be surprised." Denis Waitley
"In preparing for battle I have found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." Dwight Eisenhower
"Those who plan do better than those who do not plan even though they rarely stick to their plan." Winston Churchill
"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." Darwin
I guess that could be a problem in other aspects of my life as well. I am a planner. If I don't have a plan I feel scared. It makes me nervous, and if forced to operate without a pan for too long I actually get sick. The rational me knows that sometimes it is a good idea to "fly by the seat of your pants", but I really have a hard time sticking to that. I can't tell you how many times I have decided that I should be more spontaneous. Yes, I see the absurdity of planning to be more spontaneous.
The problems with over-planning involve a couple things. Of course, there is the problem of missing out on new things because I have already planned something else. I think that I have done an ok job over the past few years combating that one. I am much more flexible than I was a few years ago. I credit that to being a Mom. My girls, so often, find amazing opportunities. They are so amazing that I know we can't pass them up (even if it means adjusting my precious plan.) This flexibility has created a new problem that I can't seem to shake. Even though I am happy to add new things to my plan as they are presented, I can't let go of the planned activities. The result is that I end up feeling stressed as I try in vain to "stick to the plan". Eventually I end up feeling like a failure.
This tends to be especially true with the girls' school. I have what I think are very realistic goals for them. The plan is for them to do math and language arts (writing for Kali, reading for Claire) five days a week. I do have "curriculums" for other subjects, but they are used to supplement the life learning. The problem ends up being that as I try to be flexible to allow lots of opportunities for life learning we often have less that five days to devote to math and language arts. As much as I believe that real life learning is absorbed better than artificial desk learning I still can't let go of the plan when it comes to skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic. This results in school sometimes being less than the euphoric experience I imagined when I decided to homeschool the girls.
So once I again I am planning to be more spontaneous. To help me in this endeavour I looked up a few quotes about chilling out.
"Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans." John Lennon
"Expect the best, plan for the worst, and be prepared to be surprised." Denis Waitley
"In preparing for battle I have found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." Dwight Eisenhower
"Those who plan do better than those who do not plan even though they rarely stick to their plan." Winston Churchill
"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." Darwin
Sunday, January 10, 2010
New Year...
Well,I am a little late on posting a new year update. In fact, the new year didn't really begin in the way I was hoping. My Gramps dies on January 2nd after having broken his hip a week earlier. I know that he had an amazingly long (and eventful) life. In fact,you could almost say that he had several lifetimes. He was a child in Brush Creek Tennessee. His family were sharecroppers, and he began working the land at a very young age. He also got married when he was quite young, but we don't really know what happened to that marriage. As a young adult he joined the Army, and fought in WWII. He was on the communications team. His job was to sneak in and run communication lines before the combat teams arrived. He helped lay the lines at Normandy! It was very dangerous work, and in fact he lost his hearing in one ear (and a good friend) when his fox hole blew up. The war wasn't all bad for Gramps though. I am sure we could fill a whole book with the escapades of (the alias he gave all the European women he wooed). After the war he came home and married Margaret. They moved to Illinois where they could find work. Then when they couldn't have children, they adopted my Mom. The real story is that my Gramps brought my Mom home as a present for his wife. Unfortunately, Margaret struggled with mental illness, and because of this she always wondered if my Mom was actually Gramps illegitimate child (which she was not). It was a rough patch of time for my Gramps, as he tried to protect my Mom from Margaret, but it formed a close bond between my Mom and Gramps. Eventually, Margaret succumbed to her illness and committed suicide. Shortly after that my Mom became an adult, and Gramps decided to move back to Tennessee. Once again he took to wooing the woman, and it seems he had quite a good time partying for a few years. Eventually, he met another woman to settle down with. She was a widow with a 10 year old son, and 2 grown daughters. Gramps married RosieLee and tried to raise the son. He and RosieLee stayed married for 27 years. Toward the end RosieLee was dealing with Alzheimer's disease. Gramps took care of her faithfully even when she became combative. Eventually she too died, and Gramps was once again a widower. By this point he was in his mid 80's, and my mom was able to convince him to come live with her. He was suffering from severe artery blockages, and it took some time for my Mom to nurse him back to health. The past 6+ years have been spent living with my parents. He got joy from spoiling their dog, doing circle the word puzzles, watching Wheel of Fortune (and beating everyone), and playing with my kids. I would venture to say that getting to be with the kids is a big reason he survived so long. So as you can see, he had quite a ride. Even so, the abruptness of his death is hard. We should be thankful that he didn't have a long painful death (and we are), but we didn't really have time to prepare ourselves for it. At any rate, I personally am thankful that my children got to really know their Great Grandfather, and her really was a GREAT Grandfather.
Well, this turned into a tribute to Gramps. I have more to say about the new year, but I think I will save that for another post.
Happy New Year Gramps!!! We miss you...
Well, this turned into a tribute to Gramps. I have more to say about the new year, but I think I will save that for another post.
Happy New Year Gramps!!! We miss you...
Saturday, July 25, 2009
I meant to write .... Really!
Life seems to have a way of getting away from me. I am fully aware that it has been 6 months since I wrote a post, but that's just the way it is lately.
Anyway, we are about to get back to schooling regularly. My plan is to do four or five weeks of school then take a week or two off. This way I won't feel better scheduling breaks. I also want to make more time for field trips. The girls are both at such great ages that I think trips will be easier and more beneficial than ever before. This will be the first time I homeschool both girls full time. I am feeling a bit nervous, but I have planned a bunch and that always calms me. Here is the plan:
Morning Message:
This will be an interactive activity that both girls can participate in. It may be from history, science, art or music.
Seatwork:
Kali
This will be done together and will encompass all other subjects. My plan is to have a loose theme each week. We may not do every subject every week. One week we may do history and art. Another we may find time for science and music. Also, there will be a box of books and a box of resources (like worksheets and games) that support the theme. These will be available all the time.
Here is a list of the curricula I am using:
Wish us luck!!!
Anyway, we are about to get back to schooling regularly. My plan is to do four or five weeks of school then take a week or two off. This way I won't feel better scheduling breaks. I also want to make more time for field trips. The girls are both at such great ages that I think trips will be easier and more beneficial than ever before. This will be the first time I homeschool both girls full time. I am feeling a bit nervous, but I have planned a bunch and that always calms me. Here is the plan:
Morning Message:
This will be an interactive activity that both girls can participate in. It may be from history, science, art or music.
Seatwork:
Kali
- Math
- Grammar
- Cursive writing
- Math
- Language arts
This will be done together and will encompass all other subjects. My plan is to have a loose theme each week. We may not do every subject every week. One week we may do history and art. Another we may find time for science and music. Also, there will be a box of books and a box of resources (like worksheets and games) that support the theme. These will be available all the time.
Here is a list of the curricula I am using:
- Mc Ruffy Press math grades 1 and 3
- Mc Ruffy Press language arts grade 1
- Spectrum language arts grade 3
- Hacourt Family Learning cursive writing practice book
- Carson Delrosa Integrating Reading, Writing, and Words Lessons
- Scholastic Month-by-Month Trait-Based Writing Instruction
- Themes to Remember by Marjorie Kiel Persons
- Discovering Great Artists by MaryAnn F. Kohl & Kim Solga
- Story of the World book 3
Wish us luck!!!
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