Second Grade! YAY!

Jacob has officially begun his Second Grade school year! 

For the last three years, Jacob has asked and asked and asked to ride the school bus, and this year I have finally run out of excuses. So, once the bus driver called me and spoke to me about his riding the bus, I caved in. Ultimately, Jacob riding the bus to school will cut down on one of the four trips to/from school I will have to make between the two boys, not including extra-curricular activities. Focusing on the good and not the ugly, I drive him to the end of the street and then watch him get on the bus.

Sigh~on to the positive again...Second Grade...the year that is filled with organization and order.

While the curriculum will focus on organizing his skills that were learned up to this point, the school is also learning on how to place order around his Catholic faith. 

Reading will be more about “what have you read” instead of about completion. 

Math will build upon the math drills into more complex questions.   

Science will be taught this year, prompting him to learn about cause and effect.

Religion will organize his questions about mass as he prepares for two more sacraments:  Reconciliation and First Communion.   
Underlining each of these sacraments is Reflection. 

Greg constantly talks to Jacob about doing the right then even when no one has asked or no one is looking.  Sacrament Preparation will of course reinforce this.  I can’t wait to see it all come together.  

Second grade is an exciting year for Mr. JacobBean, but he doesn’t know it yet. 

For the Fall months, what he does know is friends, legos and golf.

Friends.  Since Jacob is Mr. Social, as many of the moms call him, he will always enjoy the friends he has in his class, rather than be upset if someone isn’t in his class. When he saw his class list and met his teacher (who is fresh out of college and looks 12), he just wanted to know when lunch and recess were.  The guys that are in his class all still play hide-n-seek, chase girls, and see who can insult the other faster with an emphatic “butthead.” The girls are sassy and funny, and I love watching his friendships with them unfold.  Lipsynching videos are what they love doing together, with Jacob as the cameraman, or as the one random boy in a scene. 

Legos.  After attending a Lego camp over the summer, Bean has learned that Legos don’t have to come in a set and they don’t have to have colorful instructions either.  So now he walks around with his 300-page Heavy Weapons instruction manual. He was building guns anyway out of legos and construction paper, so now he is organizing those thoughts, enhancing his engineering skills and getting a taste of non-fiction reading as well. 

Golf. When I asked him if he wants to play football, or be in BoyScouts, or play soccer this fall, his response:  “Nah, I just want to play golf.”  Hopefully, as the science and math behind the game unfold, he will take a hold of the game and not walk away. I guess the secret prayers in a Mother’s heart do come to fruition…no football! Hehe No way I’m going to get out of it with the next one though.  

(C) PRL