The Calk Family: First Day of School

What? Already???? Yes!

You may ask why we are starting school on July 25th. Well, I will tell you! One of the main reasons is that we have another mountain trip planned next month and then a beach vacay planned in September. Then several weeks later the holidays start and it's all downhill from there! We talked to the kids and asked them if they prefer to start at the same time their friends start school, cram as much into each day as we can, do school 5 days a week, and have fewer breaks with a longer summer (which is not my preferred way, because of "summer brain"). OR they could start sooner, do 4 days a week and then have a week long break every 4-5 weeks of school. They opted for the latter. But as the day approached, they didn't seem to be as excited as I was. :(

Below are the stats for this school year and for the previous years that I have done. (Also, I am always looking for more ideas on the questions, so feel free to give me some others that I can ask!)

2015 http://cristinacalk.blogspot.com/2015/08/first-day-of-school-2015.html

2014 http://cristinacalk.blogspot.com/2014/08/first-day-of-school-2014.html

2013 http://cristinacalk.blogspot.com/2013/08/first-day-of-school-2013.html

2012 http://cristinacalk.blogspot.com/2012/08/first-day-of-school-2012.html

Barrett's 3rd Grade Stats:

Height: 4 feet 2.5 inches (65^th percentile) - up 2 inches from last year
Weight: 68 lbs (85^th percentile) - up 12.5 lbs from last year
Shoe Size: 5 – up two and a half sizes from last year
Shirt: Youth Medium
Short/Pants: solid size 8 (no more “slim” for this kid)
Baby Teeth: I’ve lost track…. Bad mom! He has braces on now and I know that 2 of them came out since the braces.
Favorite Food: Pizza and corndogs (and ketchup!)
Favorite Drink: Orange Fanta
Favorite Game: Monopoly
Favorite Things to Do: Play with Legos and play with George
Favorite Show/Movie: Legos Star Wars/ Star Wars
Favorite Color: Green (I don’t think this will ever change)
Favorite Song: Fishin’ in The Dark by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (He has good taste… what can I say?)
Best Friend: Emerson
Looking forward to this school year: Spending time with his mom (awe…). But really, he is looking forward to math! He is finishing up his 3^rd grade math and will be onto 4^th grade by Christmas. The rest of his curriculum this year is 4^th grade level.
When Barrett grows up: He wants to be a builder. We have added Spanish to our curriculum, so that he can be extra successful!
Personality traits: Barrett is still super sweet and sensitive. He can hardly sit still. He has so much energy! Barrett is very independent, but likes to have friends and family around. He is always (I mean ALWAYS) asking questions… his brain never stops!
If Barrett could choose, what would he do all day? Swim
Favorite vacation: Even though we haven’t gone yet, he is looking forward to going to the beach in September!
Favorite thing about this past summer: going to Splash Kingdom and going swimming!
Favorite thing about home schooling: Spending time with family and the fact that school doesn’t get cancelled even if there is bad weather.
LEAST favorite thing about home schooling: All of the reading. (That’s funny, because he loves to read, but he prefers to pick the books out himself. He will literally read a cereal box over me picking his book! Oh well.)

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Jayna's 5th Grade Stats:

Height: 4 feet 11 inches (91.5 percentile) - up 3.5 inches from last year
Weight: 113.5 lbs (96^th percentile) - up 22 lbs from last year
Shoe Size: 5 ½ – up a size and a half from last year
Dress/Shirt: youth XL/Adult Small – not a huge change from last year
Baby Teeth: I can’t remember, but I think she has lost 2 also. She got her braces off a few months ago and her teeth look great!
Favorite Food: Macaroni and Cheese (year after year)
Favorite Drink: Grape Fanta
Favorite Game: Uno
Favorite Things to Do: Play with her animals, go swimming, and read
Favorite Show/Movie: Veggie Tales in the house / Despicable Me 2
Favorite Color: Pink (again)
Favorite Song: Alone by Hollyn (Christian song) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kpk9PfOVFQk
Best Friends: Aubrey, Aubree, Mackenzie, Avery, and Hannah
Looking forward to this school year: Seeing family and friends (because of the planned breaks).
When Jayna grows up: She wants to be a Farmer and a Loan Officer!
Personality traits: Jayna has a very strong personality. She is kind-hearted and loves animals, but if you make her mad… look out! Haha! It’s just that age. It ends in about 10-15 years, right?
If Jayna could choose, what would he do all day? Watch T.V. all day long while eating sweets and drinking soda (then she said, “And maybe every once in a while… some water and macaroni). Oh, this girl. She speaks her mind; that’s for sure!
Favorite vacation: Great Grandma’s house
Favorite thing about this past summer: swimming
Favorite thing about home schooling: Being able to play with all of her animals while she is still doing school.
LEAST favorite thing about home schooling: Not seeing her friends on a more regular basis. But even when asked, she still prefers home school over going back to public school.

We started the morning with the traditional pancake breakfast!

Then we started taking our annual "First Day Pictures"

This beautiful girl - what am I going to do with her????

Silly brother!

Then, we got to work! The day started with Bible, History, Spelling, Dictation Passages, and Reading. After lunch, they finished their reading and Math.