What I’m Reading: Tending the Heart of Virtue by Vigen Guroian
This is another one of those books that’s been crossing my radar for awhile that I’m finally getting around to reading. I must confess that the main reason why I finally gave into buying this book was the fact that I didn’t enjoy reading Pinocchio with my son. Even thought I’ve kept it on my daughter’s free read list for next year (my son loved the book), I have been dreading listening to it again. Guroian’s book didn’t convince of the merits for me, but this book and heeding the advice of a few others who’ve said the repetitive nature of the book doesn’t even phase kids but helps solidify the heart of the story.
Tending the Heart of Virtue is definitely a must read for parents who don’t see the value in reading old stories. I wish I had read this before we started my son in Ambleside Online Year 1 because I removed several of the readings of fairytales because I DID NOT understand them and wanted to avoid the topic of witches since this was a sensitive matter in part of our family. I don’t think if I had read this book before we started AO that it would have changed my mind about reading the specific fairytales, but it would have sparked my interest in doing more research (and fact checking…to say I can be a bit cynical is an understatement).
I have a completely different view of fairtytales now. I grew up loving them and remember checking out a particular book from the school library in second grade. I checked out the anthology so many times because I loved the rhymes and Rumplestiltskin. I liked fairytales until I saw the glorifying of Disney princesses. At that point I had little interest in fairytales (my college class didn’t even redeem them). While I don’t think I’m a fairytale expert or feel like I want to analyze them (with the knowledge I’m acquiring from my class), I am enjoying them more than before.
What I’m {nature} Journaling: I’m finally seeing the regularity of a hummingbird. It’s taken far longer than usual to see activity, but I’m glad to see it. I was concerned we wouldn’t get any since we cut down our {lone} mimosa tree.
Co-op
Wrapping up co-op was fun! We celebrated with a Mexican dinner for all. Then the kids shopped in the maker’s market. My kids sold potholders and Mother’s Day cards. (My daughter quickly spent every penny she earned.) Then the kids moved over to the talent show. Both kids played piano well. (I should also say that my daughter is completely obsessed with playing “Go Tell Aunt Rhody.” She plays it multiple times each day and in every voice on the keyboard and records it and plays the recording as she walks away to do other things. As her piano teacher, I am very proud. As her mother, I wish her piano teacher would teach her something new!) They were also asked questions about the art they had on display. My daughter showed great confidence in handling the mic and explaining the entire process of her watercolor painting.
Fourth Grade Highlight
My son has finally completed the Usborne Engineering Scribble book. He’s been working through two of the Usborne Engineering books for several years now, so he was expecting the next one. I’m not buying anymore of the series especially since he does engineering projects with his grandpa. I don’t know if he’s actually learned anything, but I know it was something that he looked forward to on the days we had it in school.
We also did a lazy mom substitution for our nature walk this week. We watched a documentary about Hawaii’s volcanoes. And I fully enjoyed my lazy mom substitution. I’m getting over a respiratory virus, the rain has been unpredictable, and we’re just trying to make it through the last few weeks of academics. The documentary was so good that we rewatched it with my husband in the same night.
Kindergarten Highlight
I’m basically done with kindergarten. We have a few books to wrap up and are maintaining a form of school routine, but I’m not doing all the things anymore. I’m letting my daughter choose whether she does math or phonics, she does three little worksheets to keep her amused, she plays piano, and we read. And I’m trying to get us outside during any good weather we may have. I do really enjoy seeing her interest in specific parts of school light up. I know it’s her next step of maturity and that she will be really ready for first grade when we start up the next school year.
Mom Highlight
I am in closer to the end of planning for next school year and feeling far more confident in myself in removing certain books and then adding in a few challenges. And I’m feeling great in being able to set up all the notebooks before school is out in a couple weeks setting me up for a summer free of planning anything for next school year.
I did have a lapse in motivation. I began to countdown all we had left and planning out each day so that we could cram it all in and finish sooner. And then I slept on it. We aren’t doing that. We’ve set this course and we are sticking to it. It’s a good course and it is filling our days with goodness. We are completely flexible to enjoy other things if they arise.
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