(One of) The Best Days of the Year!

The final day of school!!

Happily for my  zealous , enthusiastic,  somewhat  reluctant students, our Breakup Day was brought forward from Friday to Wednesday.  Since I, and they, would find it very difficult to work after the big break up party we are calling it quits for 2011.  Despite my frequent whingy mentions of lack of work accomplished and failure to motive blah, blah, blah we have finished off quite nicely.  The boys and I have even done a little bit of clearing and dumping (groan) in our school room.  It has been a very tiring year, and full of ups and downs so we are hoping to have a good rest plus some major clean up days over the break.
~ A girl can dream ~

In 2012, Lord willing, my youngest will begin his high school years and we, our twentieth year in home education. Phew, it is a marathon isn't it!  So, dare I toss out even more accumulated stuff? Most homeschoolers I know have nearly as many books as the local library and I was heading that way until the major haul out which I posted about here, back in 2009. Since then I have restrained myself from buying except what has been essential to their work and we've utilized the library a lot more.  It is a practical matter for me.  Much as I love books and the wonders they hold, I do not have a skerrick of storage space, my homeschooling days are drawing to a close, my children are not the voracious readers that hubby and I were, and ..........  well, I do not want to leave this job until I am gone and it is lumped on the family.

Breaking up Day has such golden memories for me as a child.  What special traditions did you have for that occasion?  Watermelon, novelty races, plums and apricots in our goodies bags.  I just don't know that kids these days are so excited about fruit for a treat.  I may be wrong?  It was always hot but everyone, parents, students , teachers and towns folk all came to the Break up day festivities, in the good 'ol days!

As a group our families have tried many different type of end of year events.  You may remember the tour of the local caves in 2008 and the sand castle competition at the beach in '09.  Some years we've organised treasure hunts, done the old fashioned egg and spoon and three legged races and played lots of cricket.

This year it is a little simpler.  We are meeting at the pool and the children will have some inflatables and lots of friends to laugh away the special day.  I'm glad that is a relaxed, non organised, sort of event :-) I am looking forward to catching up with friends who I seem to have missed over this past busy year.

GS 5 begins his education!