More than ready...

So. Local public schools here started two weeks ago. We've been homeschooling through the summer. Asher will bump up to doing karate twice a week now (Micah's still at just once a week). Our first soccer practice of the fall season is later today. But. The boys' Options program (one day a week during the school year) doesn't start until September 13.

The boys are tired of waiting. ;) 

On the plus side, yesterday we had the Options "orientation" to pick up class schedules and all. The boys are stoked. Noah's pleased with his schedule...he got most of the classes he wanted and will be taking:

• Investigative Science 
• PE
• Art
• Gadgets & Gizmos
• Music/Drama
• Ameritowne

Technically, this year Noah is in fourth grade. At Options, all classes for that age range are 4-6th grade combined classes, so it works well for us. Asher's similarly happy. Though this is technically his second grade year (given that summer birthday, we'd have waited a year to keep Asher and Noah two years apart in school), he takes third grade classes at Options. He'll have:

• Science
• Reading
• PE
• Recorder/Chimes
• Music/Drama
• Math

And Micah. Well, Micah's pretty much thrilled that he gets to go this year.  We went over to meet his kindergarten teacher (one we have experience with, as she taught Noah a couple years ago for science and reading). Got to talking (as she was gathering information on her students). And, apparently, we're going to bump Micah to the first grade classes for reading and math. He'll stay with the kindergarten class most of the time, but will join the first graders for those two classes, as he's already beyond what she'll be teaching in kindergarten. :) Yet another reason I love this program. So willing to work with the individual student needs. :) Hopefully it'll all be good. (I think so.)

Sidenote. Part of me is reluctant to let him join the first grade classes. He only just turned five at the end of July after all. If we were enrolling him in public school, we might well wait another year before starting kindergarten. Okay. We probably wouldn't wait with this one. ;) But. It's only one day a week and I already do higher than kindergarten level stuff with him at home all the time. So. I suppose it just makes good sense to continue to challenge him while he's willing and able. Just hard to think about my baby being ready for kindergarten, let alone first grade. Sigh. :)

As further proof that the boy is just growing up too fast...here's a replay of a conversation overheard yesterday:

Noah: “What’s 9 times 9?”

Micah: “81. I know because there were two tree houses and one grew 8 apples and the other grew only 1. That means that one tree house grew 7 more apples than the other.”

Noah: “How did you figure that out?” (I *think* Noah was looking to see if Micah knew that he'd multiplied and subtracted.)

Micah: (looking at Noah in a baffled sort of way) “With ease.” Duh.

(Note: Micah's "story" that helped him figure out the multiplication problem comes from Times Tales. The boys use Times Tales as a math supplement and it’s awesome…has a little story for each multiplication problem...totally easy and quick to use. I think I neglected to include this in the post I did on what we use for math...serious oversight.)

So. Yeah. They're ready. ;)