... And Go!!!!

We are 2 days into our new school year and things are running as smoothly as I would expect from a new year. I feel more confident as we have one year of homeschooling under our belts. I've spent my summer planning and preparing, coming up with ideas and revising plans. Yesterday all 4 kids were home for our first day of school. Papa Goose was also home as he worked the late shift last night. I'm so glad he was home to offer a helping hand. Especially since I ended up kind of overloading our first day when I found out what the preschool schedule was and that they were not starting next week, like I'd figured but today. I had a lot of things they'd all enjoy as we're starting our year studying colors (a launch off the first homeschool program's class of colors). I learned a bit of how things would flow yesterday and rearranged the rest of the week accordingly.

We started our day with inspecting our new school room and seeing all the hidden supplies I'd tucked into the desks. We said the Pledge of Allegiance and took first day of school pictures. The pictures then went into "Star Student" frames we made. We then decorated posters I ordered that are all about the things the kids currently like- favorite color, what they want to be when they grow up, etc. It was a classroom-sized pack of posters but will be a fun thing for the kids to do year to year and see how their likes change.

We started on the Colors of the Rainbow Project Pack from In the Hands of a Child. The differences in how dilegently the kids work and attention spans really showed! We had a special snack of Smarties and M&M's for the first day. It was supposed to be Lucky Charms in a bag with a cute label that said "Lucky to have you in my class" that I found as a free printable online. It was really going to be cute until we found we were out of Lucky Charms! On to Plan B (OK, create plan B).

We did the first lesson in Roadtrip USA from Confessions of a Homeschooler. The kids aren't too into for right now. When we get to Washington DC and the states, it's going to grab their attention far more!

We did our first PE lesson, assessments, from Family Time Fitness. We did leave off some of the assessments (really, we have a 6, 4, 3, and 2 year old so there are some things that are just a bit beyond them!).

Bug finished her day with her first reading assignment (using Scott Foresman reading books bought used online. Yes, they are for classroom use, but I really liked the cross-curricular components of them and am finding ways to make most of it work for us) and spelling (spelling list #1 consists of color words).

It was a busy day, and the first day we used our workboxes which are really metal magazine holders from Ikea. We liked that they were metal and sturdy, fit nicely on top of the kids Ikea PS desks, and are magnetic, like they're desks.

Today we started our second day taking Buddy to preschool for the first time. He did great, being super-excited and all smiles from drop off to pick up. He can't wait to go back. We started school a bit late as I misjudged how long it would take me to get lunches ready and in the fridge before we started class.

We are off now to do one last activity that I wanted to wait for Buddy for. So far, so good. The new school year has begun and is off to a great start!

Get Ready, Get Set,...

So, the private school we found and really liked didn't work out. No big deal, just apparently wasn't the right time. So I have spent my summer preparing curriculum, turning Papa Goose's and my office into our new school room, trying to enjoy these wonderful years in my children's lives. I'm not ready for it to be August and to be starting our school year next Monday. Somewhere in the tball, VBS, Girl Scout day camp, soccer lessons, playtime, 4-H fair, nad countless other activities, our summer is quickly drawing to a close as I try to hang on for dear life to it's last fleeting moments. We're all excited for our new adventure in homeschooling this year, but we're all sad summer is ending. The school year will be a hustle and bustle of activity as Bug will be doing 1st grade homeschool as well as monthly homeschool classes at the children's museum. She is also involved in Girl Scouts, 4-H, soccer, and now ballet lessons (what are we thinking with this schedule?!). Bee will be attending preschool with the preschool teacher we've grown to really love 3 days a week while going to a monthly museum class. We're contemplating tumbling classes for her but are wondering if we're more insane than anything for considering one more activity. Buddy will be going to preschool on the 2 days a week that Bee doesn't (more insanity, I tell you!). Baby Bird (who, at 2 years old, is not so baby anymore) will be doing what I'm going to refer to as Tiny Tot school at home- coloring and little activities to keep her with the big kids and busy and feeling important while absorbing some of what she's being exposed to by being in the same learning environment as the others. Please wish us luck and offer us your prayers for a successful homeschool year as we start out on this journey again, although better prepared this time. And hopefully I will be posting pictures of our new school room soon as I am proud of the hard work Papa Goose and I have put in to make it a special place for our kids that they are all so excited about!