School Days ...and so it begins!

Because of our unexpected transitions over the past 18 months, Ethan is about 6 months "off" of the 'normal' school year... so, he just started Kindergarten last week (he's 5 & 1/2 years old, so really, it's still a great time for him to be doing Kindergarten, despite being "off" schedule). We're using the Sonlight homeschool curriculum, and have been so pleased with it; I just have to share a few highlights from this last week, because I've been so impressed with the subjects discussed, the books they select, and the way he's learning these things.

After each day of school, we have him share something about what he's learning with Doug, so that he can get comfortable talking about what he's learning, and to help him retain more of what he's taking in. Last week, Ethan spent the week telling Doug all about Martin Luther and William Tyndale, and Doug & I both remarked that we don't think we learned about these men until AT LEAST our late teen years. And even then, I didn't know what he has already learned about them until last week-- when I read it to him!

And just today, on the first day of week two, he learned a little about the Roman civilization and was explaining to my husband about how the Romans were in charge of "all over Europe, and part of Africa, and the Middle East-- is that right, Mom?" I said yes, and again, we just looked at each other in amazement and Doug said, "there's no way I knew what the Middle East was when I was five years old."

The kicker, though, was his explanation, for Science, of why we have seasons. It's incredible how much he's learning. Here's his word-for-word response to the Science activity question about "why do we have seasons?":

"Because it's the tilt of the earth and its relationship to the sun. When it's colder, it's further to the sun. And when it's hotter, it's closer to the sun."

It is so exciting to see him learning such new and interesting things, and to be able to share it with him!