2nd Week of School

The rest of our first week of school went much more smoothly than the first day. On the second day of school, Milly sounded out three letters and put them together to officially read her first words (hen, peg, bat, etc.) Needless to say, I was such a proud mommy! It only occurred to me later that she actually read her first words even earlier than Rachael did...maybe I'll have a second bookworm? I can only hope!

Wednesday was Rachael's half-birthday. She was up with the birds and knocked out her science assignment before breakfast. She is really enjoying having a class that's done primarily on the computer, and usually wants to do that one first. Given that I haven't been a great science teacher, Switched-On Schoolhouse was a great investment for our family. We didn't do much school that day - just her favorites (science, art, Latin) - since they don't take long and she had a friend over to play for most of the day. Hooray for flexibility!

Only...flexibility can go wrong in a hurry.

On Monday, I babysat for a dear friend for a little while, then visited my mother-in-law in the hospital, took the girls out for lunch, and went to the grocery store. It was a little after 2 by the time we got home, so our school day was practically non-existent. I think we got through spelling that day.

On Tuesday, I babysat for a little longer, and Rachael got a few subjects knocked out while we were there - even though I was a mean, mean mommy for making her do schoolwork at her friend's house. We got home in time to eat lunch, and then did another couple of short subjects...but really, once it's past lunchtime, the school day just feels like it should be over.

On Wednesday, we played catch-up. Sort of. I mean, we were pretty far behind what had been written in my lesson plan book by this time, and we just kind of got lazy and enjoyed spending the day at home.

On Thursday, we went out for a playdate that lasted from 10 till 2. Rachael did English and vocabulary during the first part of the playdate, because I'm an ogre and made her suffer the consequences of not getting her room cleaned. I probably don't even need to confess that we didn't do any more schoolwork once we got home.

And by the time Friday rolled around...eh, we're this far behind anyway. What's one more day? We'll catch up next week.

Oh dear. Being flexible last week has certainly created a larger work load for us this week.

I have actually come to realize, over the course of four years and two weeks of homeschooling, that anytime we leave the house - for whatever reason, for however small an amount of time - I can toss at least half of that day's lesson plan right out the window.

We're not exactly morning people around here. I know some homeschooling families who are up at dawn and can knock out a day's worth of homeschooling before a 10 a.m. playdate. That's awesome and I envy them, but it just ain't us. My girls will sleep until at least 8, sometimes 8:30, and far be it from me to wake them up earlier. No, being an utter night owl myself, I enjoy every minute of sleep they give me in the mornings. So by the time you roll out of bed at 8 or 8:30, eat breakfast, and get three females ready to leave the house, you're looking at it being 9 or 9:30...and we live in the middle of nowhere. It takes me 20-30 minutes to get anywhere. So if we have somewhere to go at, say, 10:00...well, no schoolwork is getting done before we leave the house.

Of course, by the time we get home, everyone is either ready for lunch, or tired, or crabby, or something that prevents us from being very productive. So schoolwork gets shoved to the side again.

And the day is a wash.

Now, I'm not suggesting for an instant that we should never leave the house, never want to leave the house, or anything else that's going to offend anyone. Some things are absolutely worth rearranging our schedule for. Even playdates - goodness knows I need face time with my mommy friends as much as the girls need play time with their friends.

However, knowing and understanding my own limitations (and tendencies to call the whole week off when we get "too far behind"), I simply must start being more prudent about our daytime activities. Except for extenuating circumstances (and those have been popping up in spades recently), we'll have to do our best to limit outings to once per week - and anything we fall behind on that day, we'll be able to catch up on Saturday morning while Gene is at work.

Preschool, kindergarten, and first grades were so easy - we could knock out our schoolwork in an hour or two and have the rest of the day free to spend however we wanted. Even second grade wasn't too bad. Third grade, though, has picked up the pace a bit already. Maybe it's just that we're still learning our way through the new curriculums, and maybe this too will slow down with time. We can always hope.  :)

1st Day of School

Now that the first two weeks of school are behind us...I'm finally finding time to blog about the first day! Yes, it has been that hectic...but next week promises to be more calm. Good thing too, since we're already a little behind where I'd planned to be.

Anywho. First day. The girls were up bright and early and ready to start their new school year. Waiting for them on the kitchen table, as always on the first day of school, was a sign waiting to be colored. Crayons on the left for my little preschooler...

...and on the right for my big (holy cow, how is she in THIRD GRADE?!) girl.

They worked on their signs while I made breakfast - cinnamon rolls, which are a special treat. Special treats also being customary on the first day of school.  :)

After breakfast, the girls were finally allowed to dig through the drawers of their "workboxes." Ours might not be the exact workbox system (especially since they're not boxes at all, but drawers), but they work for us - and Rachael had specifically asked to use them this year. If you're not familiar with the concept of workboxes, it's essentially dividing your subjects into separate boxes (or drawers) and letting the child have some autonomy, as well as decision-making powers concerning the order in which subjects are done. For us, we always start the morning with our Bible lesson. After that, the girls are free to head for whichever drawer they choose. Not all subjects appear in the drawers every day. Sometimes there are special treats or games inside. And some of the subjects include a note or page marker so that Rachael can work independently, while other times, she needs my supervision. Here are Rachael's drawers:

The numbers on the right are attached to the drawers by velcro dots. When she finishes with that drawer, she removes the number and sticks it onto a laminated card...when she finishes four subjects, she gets to choose a "special" activity from a stack on the piano. It could be watching a TV show, playing on the computer, etc. She looks forward to her "earned" break time and being able to choose how to spend it...especially when mommy-imposed breaks usually mean chores to be done.  ;)

Rachael actually got a new set of drawers this year, and Milly inherited her old four-drawer set. Yes, I'm aware that the numbers are off. Actually, we're not at all sure where the number three is, and I've yet to work up the gumption to make a new one. So Milly just puts the number two where she wants it. She doesn't remove numbers as she finishes drawers anyway...nor does she have as much to do in her drawers. There's an Explode the Code workbook, math (counting, patterns, etc.) worksheets and Cuisenaire rods, coloring books about numbers and letters, that sort of thing. But it's SCHOOL, and she actually gets angry with me when she runs out of work to do before her sister does.

Here's Rachael working in her Bible study workbook...still in her pajamas, of course. They didn't bother getting dressed at all, actually, until it was time to go outside and take pictures with their signs. Yes, another first-day custom. In breaking with tradition, though, we did not take the pictures in front of the tree in our yard - which was busy being overrun by hornets. We headed up the hill to the side of the house instead.

Rachael ran out of steam on the last line of her sign, penciling in a conversation that the letters were having with each other instead of actually coloring them. So hers is pretty much impossible to read in pictures. You know what it says, though...and didn't Milly do a nice job?

Our first day actually went much longer than usual - we had started at around 9 a.m. and, after breaks for lunch, pictures, and her "earned" break, we didn't finish up until a little after 4. We wanted to explore every single subject that first day, and it took much longer than we'd imagined...thankfully, other days are much shorter.

Their first day of school ended with their last swim lesson. (Last in this series; I'm hoping to get them into another session soon.) Both girls did great with their lessons - Milly is especially fearless about jumping into the pool. Going under the water doesn't bother her a bit, whereas Rachael was always careful to point her chin skyward in an effort to keep the water out of her face. Both girls are swimming with floats and supervision, and I can't wait to see what they'll learn next.

The very last thing they did in their class was to move out of the small-ish therapy pool, and over to the big pool. There, they were led to the diver's blocks at the end of the pool (seven-foot water!) and told to jump in - with an instructor waiting to catch them, of course. This is where Rachael had a panic attack. Not only does she not like jumping in, but now she was jumping from much higher than just the side of the pool. After much reassuring, though, and holding the hand of one of her instructors until she actually jumped...she jumped. I was so proud of her.  :)

Unfortunately - having been standing right behind her sister and hearing the theatrics, Milly was not inclined to jump when her turn came. It took even more reassuring and persuasion to get her up on the diving block, and I had to stand beside her and hold her hand while she jumped - and she DID jump! But I didn't get a picture of it, and I hate that.

Next time, we'll let Milly go first and I'll have the camera ready.  :)

Coming soon: We Got Practically Nothing Done During Our Second Week of School, But That's Okay.

'Twas the Night Before Homeschool

'Twas the night before homeschool's first day of the year;

All of the boxes of books had appeared,

Exciting the children so they hardly could sleep -

They would have gladly began school last week!

Dad is oblivious - he hasn't a clue

How many things I have yet left to do -

To make sure the day's special, the best it can be,

For a girl starting preschool and one in grade three.

Tradition mandates that I must create

A coloring page to be placed by each plate,

Announcing the new grade each child is beginning

(Later to be held for a picture while grinning.)

There's the kitchen to straighten and table to clear,

Crayons and markers to be gathered near.

Paper and pencils and scissors and glue

Notebooks and binders to be brought out too.

Workboxes are numbered and carefully filled -

Assignments for every subject they'll yield.

Even Milly has boxes, since she has to be

Just like her sister, although just three.

(And a HALF. You must not forget the HALF.)

Now the rest of the family are snug in their beds,

And me? I must be out of my head

For still sitting and blogging when clearly I know

The tasks that require me to get up and go.

Once they are done, only then may I sleep

Until two little children into my room creep -

Earlier than need be, I haven't a doubt,

Ready to get all of their new books out!

-yeah, I wrote this one.

Because I'm feeling all poetic tonight, here's one more that I just found on another homeschooling blog. It made me all weepy, but then, most things do. See you tomorrow with an update on our first day back to school!

The Teacher

Lord, who am I to teach the way

To little children day by day,

So prone myself to go astray?

I teach them knowledge but I know

How faint they flicker and how low

The candles of my knowledge glow.

I teach them power to will and do,

But only now to learn anew

My own great weakness, through and through.

I teach them love for all mankind
And all God's creatures, but I find

My love comes lagging far behind.

Lord, if their guide I still must be,

Oh let my little children see

The teacher leaning hard on Thee.

- Leslie Pinckney Hill

BOX DAY!!

I was thinking this morning, as I checked tracking information online for the seventeenth time, about how I could explain the joy of Box Day to a non-homeschooler, or a new one who hasn't experienced it yet. I thought that first I should lead off with a definition.

Box Day (n.) - any day in which a homeschooling family receives new homeschooling supplies via mail, UPS or FedEx. Although typically books, may include software, manipulatives, etc. A homeschooling family may have many box days throughout the school year, but the primary Box Day is the day on which the majority of the coming year's school supplies arrive, usually in a large box.

We actually received a large-ish padded envelope along with our big box today; inside was our geography curriculum for the year, Around the World in 180 Days. I'll admit, it looks very, very dry on in the inside...but the whole point is to investigate everything from other sources, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun.

Anyway...how to describe to you the feelings invoked by the arrival of the box on Box Day? Well, Rachael actually summed it up quite well for me this year. As I was removing the tape from our giant box from ChristianBook.com, she said, "It's just like a birthday or Christmas!" Ah, yes, the gift of education. Love that girl.

As you can see, the girls were quite excited to get past the wads of paper and to the actual contents of the box. I am so glad that they share my love of a brand new book, unopened, unread, fresh and full of possibilities. And then, there they were:

I started pulling out book after book, and each one was met with ooh's and aah's from the peanut gallery. Even the math book was well received, which is a drastic improvement over last year's boo's and groans. Milly was thrilled when a book came out of the box that was just for her. After looking through it for a few minutes, she hastened it away to upstairs locations unknown, where her sister would be sure to not lay one grubby hand upon it. (I finally convinced her to bring it back down and leave it with all of our other school books.)

Rachael was quite happy with all of the selections, but was most enamored (unsurprisingly) with the art book. She was also quite happy to see Volume 2 of her beloved history curriculum, even if it did come with a test booklet (gasp) and an accompanying activity guide roughly the size of the New York telephone directory.

Although I didn't take pictures of what came next, I can assure you that I spent quite some time paging through each book myself, and already have my lesson plan for next week nearly complete. I also took much nerdish delight in the installing of Switched-On Schoolhouse, playing with the background themes and customizing the assignment calendar, and I can't wait to do the tutorial with Rachael on Monday.

The best thing about Box Day, other than seeing the delight on my girls' faces as they looked through their new books? They're begging me to start school tomorrow instead of ghoulishly forcing them wait until Monday. (How many public-school kids do that?! I certainly didn't.)

But wait they shall, for Mrs. Mommy needs to finish with the lesson plans. Besides, the first day of school is always a special day, and I have to plan for that too.

And now, I'll be in the kitchen poring over our new math curriculum if anyone needs me.

Getting ready...

The books are all ordered and should be here soon. I've stocked up on more notebook paper, pencils, glue and crayons than should be allowed. I've assessed the inventory of homeschool detritus hiding in the cellar and only have a few more small items to pick up before school starts on Monday.

I haven't cleaned off the full-to-overflowing bookcase in the kitchen yet, but hey, I have time.

I did pick up the last "big" homeschool item today - a seven-drawer thingamajiggy that will henceforth serve as Rachael's new workboxes (an upgrade over last year's five-drawer system.)

Milly made friends with it immediately. Why she felt compelled to dress it in apron, shoes, and Burger King crown is still a mystery.

As you can see, the shelving unit is pretty tall - as Milly is a bit of a giant herself, compared to most 3-1/2-year-olds.

I had actually gone into Big Lots to look for a plastic milk crate or two - the better to store the junk I have yet to clean off of the overflowing homeschool shelf. I quickly realized that I would be better off at Dollar Tree for plastic storage and was just heading toward the exit when I spotted the monster drawers. It was the only one left that had seven shelves, and it practically demanded to come home with us. Since we have more subjects this year than we have in years past, it really will be helpful to have around this year.

Haven't heard of workboxes? Well, here's a blog that explains it fairly well so I don't have to. I'll admit, I haven't bought the ebook that fully explains the creator's vision for workboxes ($21 for an ebook? I don't think so) but I've grasped the concept from what others have shared, and Rachael and I loved using them last year. However, last year they were upstairs in what I considered our school room - out of sight, inconvenient, and ultimately abandoned mid-year. This year, they're more centrally located...in the kitchen. Maybe not the ultimate in kitchen decor, but hey, we're a homeschooling family. There are going to be books everywhere until my last baby is off to college, and I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts - not hide it all away for the benefit of no one, since no one that I invite into my home minds looking at our homeschool stuff anyway.

I numbered the drawers this evening, but need to pick up some more velcro dots before my vision will be fulfilled...I'll share more about our system when it's ready to roll. At any rate, I decided that the BK crown was a nice touch, so I let it stay. ;)

Now that we've set a date for our official "first day", I'll admit that I can't wait to get back into our school routine. There's something about a pile of fresh, new, never-read and never-written-in books that I just can't resist. According to my tracking info from ChristianBook.com, tomorrow should be Box Day...I'll be feverishly filling in my lesson plan book for the next couple of weeks once everything arrives, and trying to resist the urge to start before Monday!