Yesterday the girls had off from school. But, May had testing at 9 in the morning. When she and I left for school, it was snowing lightly. When we came out of the school, it was a BLIZZARD! Wow. I sure am glad to have 4wd at times like that. The streets were covered, and my anti-lock brakes and lower 4wd kicked into action several times on the short drive home.
I even got to see a real live crazy person! Someone in a Mommy Van did a 3-point turn (like a u-turn that fell short and you have to back up and then go forward again to get turned around. May asked me what a 3-point turn was. So, there you go.) on a BUSY street that runs north and south alongside the east edge of our subdivision. The speed limit is 55 on there. So, even on a CLEAR day, you would have to be a little crazy to do a u-turn or 3-point turn there. But, yesterday the visibility was very limited. But, people were still going pretty fast down that street. So, Mr/Ms Mommy Van stops in the LEFT lane and turns his/her 3-point turn. My heart stopped. I told May, "Oh my gosh! That person could get t-boned!" So, I then mad to explain what a t-bone was. (Getting hit broadside by an approaching vehicle.)
I held my breath as I watched the Mommy Van succeed! Phew!
Don't try that at home.
ANYWAY -- May did GREAT in her testing! Her reading level tests at the end of third grade now! She is finishing second grade at the end of May! AWESOME! The Librarian (I would rather call her by her name, but I don't have her permission on a public blog. She is HIP and FUN and SMART and far from anyone's sterotype of "Librarian.") did a paper on Non-Fiction Reading for her Masters degree and used the second graders for her test subjects. She told me that May got 7 out of 10 right in early March, but improved to 9 out of 10 right in early April! VERY COOL!
What the teacher and Librarian don't know is that May gets sooooooo nervous before testing. I believe this has to lower her scores just a little. I try to squelch any leanings toward perfectionism in my kids. Life is not perfect. We try our best. But, we also must learn to move through fears, mistakes, bad choices, learning curves, and just plain old "not our thing and we're not great at that particular item." :-)
May is a GREAT reader! We are going to concentrate more on non-fiction, as the Librarian told us that starting in third grade, that is what is tested and concentrated on. I read with the girls EVERY night. So, I will start adding in more non-fiction. We mostly read chapter books. We did read on on Helen Keller recently. I went through a time in my life where I ONLY read non-fiction. I love biographies and autobiographies. So, I plan to introduce these to my girls more often.
I baked 4 single layer round cakes for the Cake Walk at the school carnival. They asked me to cut each one into 4 pieces and package them that way. I sure was glad to have those left-over birthday supplies and Dora cake-sized plates at hand! Plus, that puts the useless and unreachable cabinet over the refrigerator to good use.
The girls played outside in the snow and made what may be the final Frosty the Snowman for this snow season. And inside with drawing, writing, and wearing silly hats. I'll post Irene in Chris' Rockies cap and Janie with her dalmaitian skirt on her head. Silly girls.
You must think that all I do is grow plants, play with my kids, and prepare for the school carnival. LOL!! hahahaha. I consider this a personal blog. And, so I am posting personal happenings. I am considering creating a professional blog, too. I am still leary about disclosing too much of who and where we are on here. I believe in the Good of the Universe. But, I am realistic, too.
For fellow fans of the movie "What About Bob?" I look at the series of Irene on the blue sled and think, "I'm sledding!!!"
More after the carnival.
Cosmos (the dog) was smiling so nicely in that one.
1 comment:
Holly, There's a recent kids fiction book on Helen Keller that I found very enjoyable. Here's a review: miss spitfire at the blog where I read about it originally( Jen Robinson's Book Page). A little old for May currently I believe but might be good if you read aloud to the girls (although I don't believe Marie would sit still for it so maybe still too advanced for Irene and Janie?). Anyway - thought of it as I read this post.
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