One of the few downsides to home schooling, IMHO, apart from the lack of double-incomeship, is that the kids don't get to show off their work very often. Which deprives them of both the immediate ego-boost of seeing their work appreciated by someone who isn't Mom, and of the practical life experience of putting together presentations/displays that will be judged by persons who have no stake in finding their work adorable and special.
Today's History Fair gave the kids that, and (IMHO) went one better.
You know how when schools have Open House events, you get to see 15 dioramas of Laura Ingalls' log cabin from Mrs. Boothby's Gr 5 students, and a wall of "Who Is My Hero?" compositions from Mr. Chang's Gr 3 students, and a table of macrame jungle animals from Ms Rider's Gr 4?
I love seeing stuff like that. I love the variety of ability and interest and effort.
I don't know how many kids were involved in this fair; apparently at least 38 families registered beforehand, and a bunch more showed up today, but I'm really no judge of numbers so I won't go there. I do know that the youngest kids looked about four and the oldest were teenagers. And the projects were amazing. Working dioramas of Pompeii and Roman villas and Laura Ingalls' log cabin. Posters and books and displays, some performance/presentations, and a jar of pioneer molasses cookies for the taking, recipes included.
And the subjects? The Romans, the Renaissance, Medieval times, and megaliths and Al Capone and pollution and Lego and roller coasters and hockey and Greek theatre and catapults and Vikings and King Alfred and cowboys and WWII and Canadian settlers and art and warriors and board games and the Lighthouse of Alexandria and Acadia and Alexander the Great and Nebraska Sky Disks and OMG.Bloody brilliant. We are
so doing this again.
The prep time was extensive and the boys and I were rather frazzled by the end and at one point I honestly thought we'd be better off skipping the whole thing, but they were so proud of themselves, so eager to show off what they'd done, and so thrilled at the response as people asked them about their displays and leafed through their books and complimented them on all of their hard work.
( 14 displays - image heavy! )::happy sigh::