At the bookstore yesterday, J selected a biography on Martin Luther King. It was an easy read, and she finished it in 20 minutes. While I was in the shower I asked her what it was about and she gave me a great summary (oral narrative in "eduspeak", ha ha). She was eager to try out the big, new workbook and did the first page while I was getting dressed. It had a list of 10 'vocabulary' words she was supposed to look up in the dictionary and write a sentence for each. She knew the meanings of 8 of them so didn't feel like looking them up, but wrote good sentences. The words she didn't know were "gable" and "negotiated". After that we played a game of chess. She learned when she was 5, but hasn't played since and forgot the rules. She set the pieces up correctly - without looking at the box - which was interesting. I went over the rules once and she picked it up immediately, even capturing my rook within the first 5 minutes (hey, I didn't see it coming, lol). It's 9:15pm now and she and K are playing a game.

K tried out for the school play the other day and got a callback for one of the leads. Only about 15 out of the 100 who tried out got called back, so she's pretty excited. Callbacks are Tuesday, so hopefully she'll find out by the end of next week whether she got a good part.

While J was at dance this afternoon, I drove out to Flushing to pick up dance tights for the competition. She ran her solo 3 times today, for cleanup and last minute instructions. I can't wait til Saturday!

Link of the day:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48664

---------------------------------------------------------------
Hey, watch the news lately? http://wcbstv.com/health/health_story_039182743.html (I can't believe 1 1/2 years ago I was told J had ADD. I'm glad I didn't listen.)
http://wcbstv.com/health/local_story_039183634.html (I'm pretty sure the self-esteem issues and peer pressure have their roots at school)

Here are my local education headlines from December until now:
Struggling Students Have Longer School Day
Special Needs Girl Abandoned on School Bus
Alleged Voyeur Janitor Sent Off to Rikers (jail)
Teenagers Attacked on Way to School in Queens
Hazing Allegations End JV Season
Testing Problems on NY 7th Grade State Exam
Girl Arrested After Brawl at Duchess High School
13-Year-Old Collapses in Gym Class and Dies
School Battle as NYC Student Gets Left Behind
Roslyn School Embezzlement Scandal in Full Bloom
2 Students Shot at School in Jersey City
Secret Recordings Expose Cheating
Autistic Boy Comes Home From School Bruised
(You can watch all of these videos HERE)

Keep your kids healthy, happy, smart, safe, and whole - Homeschool.