Tuesday

We started with our new art program, Artistic Pursuits, today. The kids were so excited about making art a part of school that they finished their other subjects in good time. I think this is going to work out to be a good program for us. The lessons seem well planned and not overly time consuming, and I like that it combines art appreciation along with the fun hands-on stuff. Neither of the children is inclined to spend tremendous lots of time carefully working on a picture, but they were delighted with the special, fancy ebony pencils and heavy paper, and they were both pleased with their sketches.

(The picture is of Emma sitting on a windowsill.)

Katie did her first official narration today in the first lesson of her composition program. The story was The Tortoise and the Hare (well, actually it was The Turtle and the Rabbit, but Travis did The Tortoise and the Hare last week, and Katie wants to do everything her big brother does, so I had to promote the turtle and the rabbit to their larger counterparts), and she was supposed to try and re-tell it in three or four sentences. Brevity has always been one of Travis's strong suits in narrations, but Katie seems inclined to be a little more wordy.

Katie's riding teacher gave us this basketful of corn and tomatoes tonight. Doesn't it look delicious? I set it by the door when we got home and went to get the kids cleaned up, and when I came back the cats were busily chewing on the ends of the husks. Fond as I am of our cats, I am not sharing my corn. It is now safely hidden in the fridge.