The end of the school year

We've been crazy-busy lately with lots on and preparations for Christmas. "School" has petered out, giving way to other things, without any sense of completion. I'm going to try to fit a few finishing-off-the-year activities into this last week before Christmas:

• History We borrowed a stack of books on the Middle Ages from the library a fortnight ago after beginning the section on the Middle Ages in The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia, and haven't even opened them. Will try to spend some time reading those books with the children this week.


• Latin Maybe we'll just go over our vocab lists. We could do one more lesson.


• Language Nothing formal. We have some great books to read together and for reading alone over the summer. The kids and I are enjoying Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol though Geoff complains it sends him to sleep. (This is a worry as the complaint was made after I read aloud in the car on a recent trip to Palmerston North while Geoff was driving!) The kids have been busy writing Christmas cards (and Christmas wish lists!) as well as writing a contribution each for the family Christmas letter.


• Maths/Geometry I don't want to start anything new, so just times tables practice in the car.


• Science Josiah and I are nearly at the end of the last chapter we want to read (for now) in Colin Tudge's The Variety of Life. I'll try to finish that with Josiah. Tessa is at the end of a section in her science book; we won't start anything new. Summer being an ideal time for nature study, I'll have a discussion with the children on what we could engage in over the holiday period: bird watching and identification, insect watching and identification, plant drawing, nature journal, plant identification.


• A "course survey" for the children to fill out - asking how they found the year's work in each subject and if they have any suggestions for next year. I need to ask myself those questions too but that might be a longer process

The next month is shaping up to be just as full as the last; I don't expect to have time to post often. I hope to be back on board here by the end of January.

Wishing everyone a happy Christmas