School - This Year in Review

As we approach the end of another school year, I can’t help but reflect back on an incredible year of learning. This was one of our favorite years from a curriculum perspective; Elizabeth studied countries and cultures while Christian completed a study of American history from 1850 to the present. We read a tremendous amount of outstanding literature, a couple of our favorites being a biography of Amy Carmichael and “The Winged Watchman” which is about Nazi occupied Holland during World War II. One of the benefits of traveling to churches around the country is that we have the amazing opportunity to do and see many things that we might not otherwise do. One such event took place at First Baptist Church School in Brenham, Texas.

Elizabeth writes, “In February, we had a conference at First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas. I was invited to go to their school while we were there. This was the first time I had gone to a traditional school instead of being home schooled. My teacher was Mrs. Stegint, and she was very kind. I liked the gym where we did exercises and games. We had computer class and library time. And recess was the best! And lunch was good too. It was easy making friends with the kids, especially the girls. Before I came, the second grade class had seven boys and seven girls…I made it eight girls! I will always have ‘forever friends’ in Brenham, Texas.”

Christian remembers, “I was blessed to be invited to go to school for a week and experience what it was like. The kids in my class became good friends of mine, and my teacher was very nice. It was an experience I’m not going to forget!”

Thank you FBCS Brenham for welcoming Christian and Elizabeth into your school family with such openness and sincerity. We were truly blessed!!!

Other highlights from the Slenk’s school year:
§ Christian memorized the Gettysburg Address and recited it in Gettysburg, PA
§ Elizabeth scored 100% on identifying all 93 countries we studied this year. (see picture)
§ Journeyed through the Old and New Testaments and learned about the Reformation and Christian martyrs at the Biblewalk Bible Museum in Mansfield, OH
§ Participated as a family with a mobile food bank distributing food to families in need in San Saba, TX
§ Walked the battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (see picture)
§ Pastor Bill Mummert from Gettysburg Baptist Church also raises Texas Longhorns. In October, he gave Christian one of his lassos which Christian has practiced with regularly. He's ready to round-up some cattle now! (see picture)
§ Rode the Metro around Washington, DC and visited monuments, The White House, and Smithsonian Museums (see pictures)
§ Christian caught catfish in San Antonio, TX (see picture)
§ Elizabeth made New England Pumpkin Cake while we studied the United States. She even mailed a piece with some tea to Grandma Rogers in Michigan to enjoy while she recovered from knee surgery. (see picture)
§ Elizabeth kept a science notebook this year and regularly drew pictures and wrote about what she saw outside. In Jesup, GA, she worked on her notebook under a palm tree. (see picture)
§ Visited and rode horses at Miracle Farm residential boys ranch in Brenham, TX (see picture)
§ Explored the Wilds of Africa at the Dallas Zoo (see picture)
§ Strolled through Prairie Dog Town in Lubbock, TX (see picture)
§ “Remembered” The Alamo in San Antonio, TX (see picture)
§ Both Christian and Elizabeth love to read. In addition to school reading, they each have a goal of reading 400 minutes per month. They have met or exceeded that goal all nine months of the school year! (see picture)
§ Rode a 1,700 ft. zip line at River Valley Ranch in Manchester, Maryland (see picture)
§ Imagined traveling the Underground Railroad as we viewed the secret slave hideout at Gettysburg’s oldest, most historic home, the Dobbin House (see picture)
§ Stayed next to the St. Louis Arch on our way north from Texas to Michigan (see picture)
§ Tasted Hershey’s “Chocolate World” in Hershey, PA (see picture)

We consider it such a privilege to not only home school, but to home school as we travel around the United States. As Christian and Elizabeth’s mom as well as teacher, I am so thankful for their growth this year, both academically and spiritually. What a great year we’ve had!!! Thank you, Lord!





Take a look at the pictures by following the link below:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ben.slenk/SchoolThisYearInReview?feat=directlink