Swimming, Baseball, Horseback Riding, Hiking, Rock Climbing, Guitar, Art, Wild Keepers, Changemakers Club, Woodworking, FRENCH
Objectives: Physical Education—Landon will have regular physical activity aimed at developing health, coordination and strength appropriate for his age. Music—Landon will be exposed to a variety of musical styles in various settings, possibly attend live performances and will have the opportunity to pursue his own musical interests. Art—Landon will do various crafts, drawings, and paintings. He will use a variety of media. He will look at paintings pertinent to his History studies. Safety Education—Landon will learn about dangers and prevention of fires and safety during swimming and other physical activities.
Swimming
Landon was part of the Warren Dolphins Swim Team for the second year in a row. He practiced 3x per week and had a meet most Saturdays between October – February (it’s a long season!). His favorite stroke is the backstroke, but he frequently swam freestyle, breaststroke, and butterfly as well. Due to pandemic restrictions, parents were not allowed to attend meets, but Landon’s times improved consistently over the course of the season.
Horseback Riding
Landon spent the previous summer and fall learning how to ride horseback. During his private lessons (with his younger brother), Landon learned how to control, communicate, and care for horses. He worked up to confidently riding the horse through drills and cantering and is excited to pick up his riding this summer. Each lesson was ended with a cool-down lap around the pond and Landon’s favorite part was “coming home” (when the horses ran fast towards the gate after knowing their job was done and it was time for a well-deserved rest).
Wild Keeper Ambassadors
As a family, we applied to become part of Keep Nature Wild’s Ambassador Program, Wild Keepers. This is a volunteer service we complete once a month by taking care of nature by picking up trash from public parks and natural areas. We’ve removed more than 150 lbs. of trash just this year along. Landon is learning first hand how to take care of our earth, how to be a responsible citizen, and the importance of protecting wildlife!
Guitar
Landon practices his guitar a few times each week using an app called Simply Guitar and 1:1 guitar lessons with an in person music instructor. He has gone from just learning individual chords to playing excerpts from well-known rock/pop songs in just one year.
Intro to Woodworking
Landon was introduced to woodworking and built a teepee frame (progression shown in pictures below) using a table saw, sander, and other woodworking tools. These lessons really reinforced safety skills, math concepts, concentration, and technical skills.
Baseball
Landon joined the Warren League Minors Baseball League this year. Practices and games have been multiple nights per week through Spring 2021. While getting acclimated to the game he has been playing the outfield and third base and improving his hitting significantly. Almost daily, he goes outside to practice his baseball skills.
Bouldering
To keep active during the cooler months, we spend a lot of time at the YMCA and also tried out bouldering to add variety. The staff at the indoor facility we use helped teach Landon the basics and encouraged growth through small challenges.
Hiking and Kayaking
Landon’s favorite outdoor activities are hiking and kayaking! From our own community to state parks to Ohio, Charleston, SC, and the Smokey Mountains, Landon is a hiking enthusiast! We’ve done most of our kayaking locally, but in June 2021, we will be exploring the Redwoods of CA and the Rocky Mountain National Park.
ART
Landon’s art and design skills have blossomed so much over the course of the past year. So many of his art products were made with paint, pastels, oil pastels, charcoal, etc. However, Landon also started using technology as an art medium to express his ideas and design skills. He often challenged himself completely independently to refine his own skills and improve his work.
Art animation using TinkerCad first, then manipulated in Sketchfab (use downward arrow on “Static Pose” to show Maximo animation):
Art using traditional mediums:
Changemakers Club
Landon meets with a group of peers online once a week to discuss how they, as kids, can make an impact and difference in the world. A different topic is discussed each month and a campaign is brainstormed with an action day to get out into the community to exercise this change. Most topics have revolved around protecting the environment and voicing concern for animals (i.e., deforestation, pollution, etc.).
FRENCH
Landon has been learning the basics of the French Language using Duolingo.
