Swinging back the other way

The post before last was all about how totally crazy I am for my kids.  I really really am.  Then I posted about being at a loss for how to deal with Bug and her mood swings and fits.  I got some really good advice from my wonderful readers and things have been better this week.  I do have to admit that Dude and I have been tip toeing around Bug a little because we would rather do anything than set her off again.  We need a break.  Now it's time to swing back the other way because I want to make sure the balance on my blog is right.  My girlies and the most amazing children you can imagine and are happy and well adjusted far more often than they have issues.  Let me show you.

Two months ago, give or take, Bug came home with a folder full of weekly assignments that would lead to a "Brown Bag" presentation for her REACH class.  REACH is the talented and gifted program for our school district and Bug loves it.  They have spent the entire year learning about different people who have influenced our lives.  People like Walt Disney, Nancy Brinker, Eunice Shriver, Mae Jemison, and IM Pei.  The final big project of the year was to be each kid in the class picking a person they hadn't studied and teach the class about them.  They were required to use a brown grocery sack as a visual aid and to write and present a report that was at least 5 minutes long.

Bug chose her favorite artist, Vincent van Gogh, for her report.  She did research, we went on a field trip to the museum to see van Goghs in person, and she painted her own version of Starry Night.

Today she presented her bag and it was amazing.  The teacher asked that they memorize their presentations instead of reading them to the class so they could interact better.  Bug decided not to write a speech to give and memorize but instead to talk about her favorite artist as things came to her.  We helped her figure out what the important topics were so she would make sure she got everything.  She worked off the bag and spoke from her own knowledge of van Gogh.  It was very impressive.

I was so very proud of the poise she showed in doing her project her own way.  She's an artist in her own right and she learned more than I expected her to about her subject.  I learned something too.

My only other comment about her project...  next time I hope she chooses a subject that isn't quite so dark and tragic.


Hey, Happy Earth Day!  Go take a look at my first joint article for Craft Critique.

Comments

[Nana]

Good grief...has she grown a foot since Easter? Maybe what she was going through was a major growth spurt.

I am very proud of Bug's confidence, her artistic talents in dance and visual arts, and most of all, her charming, sweet personality. You and Dude are doing a great job as parents and have two awesome children to show for it.