We're kicking off our school year on Monday....or at least more officially. We've done a bit of math and the summer library reading program....but Monday we're starting more of our subjects. We normally run early August until right before Mem. Day but we're starting early since the girls & I have a week long Girl Scout trip to PA in mid-August. I figure after 3 weeks of work, we'll all be ready for a field trip :lol: to Hershey/Gettysburg/Lancaster and DS 6 and Daddy will spend the week doing "boy things" around home (think napping and computer playing). I've got Monday's plan in Homeschool Tracker and most of the rest of the week. I have the "master plan" on excel (which subjects, which days)....but I'm still figuring out HST.......I already love it though....and I'm getting faster as I learn more shortcuts. We have our VBS Celebration tomorrow night from 5-8pm and then gotta try to get the kids to bed at a decent time (which is late for many folks but decent for us....think 10). This won't be easy after hours on 3 big inflatables, hot dogs, and snocones. The end of VBS celebration is a big deal at our new church Of course, the kids also want to watch the Disney Games that are on at 8 so maybe I can get them home a bit early without fussing. Hoping getting back on a better schedule will cut down on the recent rise in siblings "picking" on each other too :roll:
Yep, it's getting close to that time for me, too. We have a trip to TN coming up next week, and we'll be gone for about a week and a half. I plan to have things in order to start when we get home mid-Aug. Hope you have a great start!!
Oh I can't wait to start again We have the 4-H Fair this week.... then a week off.... the both kids are in 4-H Day Camp from 9-5 each day....which I really think they "need" right now. THEN I think we'll start a somewhat steady schedule. We have a few surprises planned that are coming up as well (American Idol concert & a beach trip for a couple of days when PS is back in session)
This is our fair week too. We have judging tomorrow and Tuesday. I have three weeks before my schedule takes over so we defiantly won't start until the later middle part of August...I still have to read a book and come up with study questions...
NO!!! DON'T START YET!!! I AIN'T READY!!! Rachael still has three units of science to do, and we've got SO MUCH to cover in history...Trail of Tears, Manifest Destiny, Oregon Trail, Mormons, Erie Canal, Texas.... And all before Fall! IT'S THE LIBRARY'S FAULT!!! TOO MANY BOOKS TO READ!!! Lol!!!
We still have about three weeks to wait and I am so anxious to start back now! The girls really want to wait until mid August. Sigh. I guess we can wait.
We won't be starting our new year until after Labor Day. However, begining the first week in August the girls will be doing math and reading everyday. Samantha has to finish up last years math and well Grace just loves to do math! We will do this for 3 weeks and then we are going to the Smokies for vacation. We will start school when we get back. Next week is full of appointments and babysitting for me. I also promised the girls we would take a day and go thrift shopping.
Hey Tiff... 'Round these parts we call the "Treasure Stores". Not thrift stores... Sounds better because my kids think they are hunting for treasure... instead of digging through other people old stuff. Funny eh?
I was all set and ready to start this past Friday. Then life happened. I'll be away from home for 5 1/2 days next week so there really was no point in going for a week then taking a week off.
So far, so good. I forgot we had to turn in our library summer reading logs today and collect the summer-end prizes. So we did that at lunchtime and got BK drive-thru to "celebrate" the end of summer program and our first day back at school. They've got 9 mins left of "lunch/recess break" and then we need to FOCUS for a solid hour before we have to get ready for DD8's 2nd ever guitar lesson The biggest thing today is the reminder that while DD8 is very bright, its in an out of the box and VERY pokey way. What she completes is usually done well but it takes FOREVER and she's not procrastinating, she's just slow and careful :roll: So I definitely had too much planned for her today with the quick library trip and guitar lessons....but that's the beauty of homeschooling. We can either do it later or tweak tomorrow's plan (which I need to do anyone given her current speed while getting back into the swing of things). At least no one is fussing about their school work (except DS6 but that's normal.....he says he's not a "school boy".....he's a "playing boy" :lol Rhonda
Sounds like your having a good first day of school. We are having our first day back today, too. I sort of schooled through the summer, but got slack this month and didn't do much other than read so decided that we needed to get back to work. The boys are having recess right now. For kinder I didn't do that, it seemed better to just get the work done quickly and then send him out to play. But One day he said "In regular schools they have recess and get to play in the middle of school, could we do that?" I of course agreed Besides, while I am still keeping things pretty light for 1st I do expect a bit more work and a bit higher quality to the work so a break will be good.
Rhonda, "playing boy" how cute... wishful thinking. My son says "I am not an outdoor kinda guy" when I want them to go out and play. He would rather play the gameboy. sigh. They have to "buy" gametime with outdoor time.
Hey, Happy "Back to School Day" to you and your children Rhonda! And Patty, to you and Ems too! With all that's going on here, we may not get started until after Labor Day. I haven't started that late in YEARS! But my parents came for a week, then a few days later, dh's parents came for a week, then a few days later ds14 left for his mission trip, and a few days later a friend of my boys, who moved to Maryland a year ago, is coming to stay with us for a week. Then we need to get ds17 back to his school, then the little girl I will be watching this year will be starting to come here....THEN maybe we can start school! Yesterday I finally began looking through everything and started organizing what to do when. I am looking up books on our Library website for History. I may get them sometime soon and have them start reading them now, so they can get a couple of them in by the time we start studying that period. So maybe I'll be on here less, or maybe more, if I run into snags and need help...
Thanks Deena and everyone else! We just got back for DD8's guitar lesson. She came out crying with a runny nose.....poor guitar instructor was not having a good day but I assured him that DD8 was just tired. Evidentally, her new guitar strap was rubbing her shoulder and she just couldn't take it anymore....and that her nose started running and she didn't have a tissues and she just "lost it". Fortunately, it was the end of her lesson time anyway. Her instructor is a great guy and she's doing very well considering she's had no previous music experience, has vision issues and is NOT very coordinated :lol:...hoping this helps with the hand-eye coordination (computer games have helped but this seems a bit more educational). I still want them to do a notebooking sheet for Zoology but not sure any of us are still motivated. All in all, a pretty good first day back considering its still summer around here and no one else is "schooling" in the neighborhood. Rhonda
My kids are 8,8, and 5and a half... Each subject last about 45 minutes.. (The five year old comes and goes when she pleases....no I am not making a 5 year old sit that long! hahahah) Anyway..... After each subject, they are ordered to go run.,.. run to get a snack, a drink a potty break, chase the dog, jump on the trampoline, whatever... just GO! They have 15 minutes..... When they come back they are tired, sweaty, empty bladders full tummies, no thirst, no munchies, ready to sit and pretty darn receptive to listening again... The time is no stead fast rule. Everything is ABOUT such and such time... could be 30 minutes for a lesson, could be an hour, could be 5 minutes... depends on the subject and lesson for that moment... but they always get about 15 minutes or so to run wild, on purpose... I use that time to post here, go potty, get a snack, get a drink, shuffle papers, read emails, etc.... After lunch, they do the same thing only it is about half an hour of free time... All free time means NO computer or video games.... This has all lead to a more focused child and everyone feels more relaxed and with less interruptions (Potty breaks, drink breaks, munchies, etc...)
