One Week In

Ring the bell, we finished our first week of the school year!

 

We have some ironing out to do, like how to occupy one when I'm working with the other, but for the most part this year is off to an ultra smooth start.  We even squeezed in our first field trip of the year! 

As far as actual school, it went great.

I know our personalities well enough that I didn't force a start time.  We had a laid back breakfast, did a couple subjects, took a swim break, did math over lunch, rested, and wrapped up our lessons after a little Magic Schoolbus.  Nothing felt rushed and we all enjoyed the day. 

 josie's first pick from the school library was a doozy

Keyboarding Without Tears was a major hit.  As was PACES Math.  In a complete turn of events, Josie loved spelling and writing for Logic of English.

Josie totally surprised me when she asked if she could write a story on the computer about her My Little Pony doll.  She has never shown any interest in creative writing.  She banged out three little pages and is planning to keep adding to it.  I jumped at the interest and threw together a writing workshop for us to work through over the next month in hopes of sparking a love for writing in her.

Gabe is working on writing his name and we started his My First School Book from Handwriting Without Tears and Get Ready For The Code book.  Many tears were shed when he realized we wouldn't be going through the entire book in one sitting.  His Mother Goose Time box should be here next week and we will start that at the start of September.

I'm excited about this year.

Our new living situations force me to be flexible and creative and full of extra grace.  Which should be on the top of every "How To Homeschool" list.  I cringe thinking of how anal I was about schedules last year.

I'm learning so much about how kids learn and what is important, as well as what we can let them learn naturally.  And for those things that need a little more prodding, I'm glad for programs like Logic of English, cause I totally don't get English.

How about you?  Has school started in your neck of the woods?