First Week

"It seems quite early to start school," at least that's what I've been saying to the all the parents of those kids going back to public school on Wednesday.  Yet when I took a look at what we were doing at home for the past few weeks (namely TV watching, video game playing, and just about nothing else) I thought maybe it was time we added a little structure to our day too.  Truth be told, I was raring to go!

So on Monday (after we had slept in of course) the kids and I met in our homeschool room to discuss our new homeschool contract (expectations, goals, etc).  We checked out the new planners, new notebooks, new curriculum, new supplies and then got down to business.

Each day begins with devotions for Kat and reading the Bible (Romans) for Emily and James. This time with God sets the tone for the rest of the day.  Next we move on to math, science, reading, spelling, or html class depending on which student it is. So far we've managed to avoid my biggest fear - everyone wanting me at the same time. We've also been able to keep some flexibility as to when we tackle each subject... another concern of mine.  On the not so perfect side, we've had a few tears during math because Dennis spent a little longer on the subject than his two pupils would have liked.  After a quick chat about taking advantage of a good learning opportunity (i.e, any time Dennis is home from work and available to teach) all was resolved and positive attitudes reappeared. 

As for Kat, most of my time is spent with her.  I've done more reading out loud in the past few days than I have in months, but it's time well-spent, and I already see her curiosity reemerging. She's asking questions like, "What does that word mean?", and "How do you spell that?", and "How come?"  I love that she is reengaging with the learning process.  I don't know what happens in school to stifle all those questions (yes, I do know, it's called 'classroom control') but I'm glad she asks when she wants to know about something.

Tomorrow is our first field trip. The kids and I are going to Boston to check out a large gathering called Rendezvous which is for people who enjoy fingerboarding. It's a sport that includes a tiny skateboard and your fingers. Not my thing, but James is ultra excited about it and I'm so glad that we can make this experience happen for him.  Of course a little American History will be thrown in along with a visit to some family to round out the experience.  Not a bad first week I'd say!