I wasn't sure I was ready, but we charged in anyway. :) I think the primary reason I was dragging my feet was because this summer was so much fun, and I was reluctant for that to end. However, the time spent focusing on schoolwork with Josiah yesterday and today has already been enough to remind me of how much fun homeschooling is, so I feel better! Whew, the fun is not ending; what a relief. :)
For the first time, we are using curriculum from Sonlight (with our own variations thrown into the mix). From the beginning of my acquaintance with Sonlight, I've been very excited about it; and the fact that the most common negative that I've heard about it (specifically, that there is so much reading in it) actually sounds like a positive to me has me even more convinced that this is going to be a great homeschool year!
~ I don't think school can begin without the obligatory picture by the front door :)
~ all the boys...it's fun to remember when school began last year; there have been changes since then!
~ to celebrate, we made funnel cakes (a first for us) for a special breakfast, inspired by Renee's blog (who is, undoubtedly, the Coolest Mom Ever) :)
~ David's shirt got a "little" messy, so off it went
~ breakfast of champions, right? or at least, breakfast of beloved new first-graders!I don't have any pictures of the regular school stuff we did yesterday, but here are some that show how the day ended...
~ time for swinging with Daddy (it's a good thing we have four swings!)
~ time to paint a little pottery fired in Daddy's kiln
~ time to clean up the many pieces of the Risk game (which makes Mommy happy and is a great exercise in sorting things, right?) :)I'm so very grateful for the privilege of being Josiah's teacher--just so grateful!!!
9 comments:
Sounds like you all had fun!
I'm looking forward to starting school too!
A very nutritious breakfast your boys had, right???
Happy first day of school. Caleb started his first day of college today (ok...not THAT dramatic...he's taking a class at Blue Ridge...Physics) and Katie starts a class tomorrow evening at the Harrisonburg campus (English). But the REAL first day at Good Shepherd is the day after Labor Day.
Miss you! We need to catch up soon. I know you're a GREAT teacher.
Happy first day of school! I will look forward to hearing how Sonlight goes--though I've got a few years to decide, it never hurts to see how others' experiences are! (I've heard great things about it too.)
Good for you guys! I love that you still took photos by the front door, so cute!
-Carrie
Hi Davene, I'm wondering how you manage to balance caring for David and Tobin while also teaching Josiah. I'd probably be running around "like a chicken with my head cut off!" I'm especially wondering what you do to keep little David busy.
New Mom, that's a good question; I'm glad you asked. :)
First, with Tobin, he's either sleeping in his crib or playing contentedly in the playpen or baby swing, etc. while I'm teaching Josiah. Or, if I do need to nurse Tobin, it's easy to read a book to Josiah at the same time...so no problem there.
With David, of course, it's different. So far this year (2 days into it!) I'm noticing that he usually wants to be on the couch with us, sitting and listening while we're reading. We do have the issue of him wanting to ask questions...and to a certain point, I don't mind. That's what learning is all about, after all. But sometimes if he starts asking questions that are way off-topic and clearly designed to distract us :), I tell him that he needs to sit quietly and listen. If not, then he needs to go somewhere else to play.
The thing that REALLY helped last year (and I see the fruit of it this year) is having "blanket time" for David while focusing on Josiah's schoolwork (an idea I got from Renee at A Baker's Dozen blog). I would put David on a blanket (or rug) and give him a basket of toys to play with, a stack of books to look through, a puzzle, etc.--whatever was fun for him. I told him that he could choose to stay on the blanket and play with those things or come sit quietly with us.
I haven't done that so far this year, but will certainly pull that "tool" out of my "toolbox" if needed.
The inevitable question is, "What do you do when he starts to get off the blanket?" :) Ah, the old question of teaching children to respect boundaries: teaching and expecting obedience. Then it clearly becomes an obedience issue, and I deal with it accordingly, using whatever method I've decided to use to deal with direct disobedience. Of course, if he has to go to the bathroom or something like that, he can get off the blanket; that's a given! But it did prove to be an effective way to help David have a great, fun time while Josiah was doing schoolwork. There's something extra special about getting set up on a blanket with toys that are maybe only brought out for those times...makes it seem like a camp-out or something. :)
I have found though that David usually wants to be involved with what we are doing, and so far this year, his presence hasn't been a problem. He's used to the routine, and that makes a huge difference!
I also have some very simple books for him that I may start using, depending completely on his interest level. Coloring books, dot-to-dot, that kind of thing. Since he tries so hard to imitate Josiah in so many areas of life, I know that David enjoys doing "school" like Josiah, too.
Hope that's helpful!
I am glad you got off to a good start with school. I am sure you all will have loads of fun. Thanks for sharing your tips to making it work to have homeschool with other little ones around. I want to remember those.
Hooray on making funnel cakes! You're a great mommy!
Davene - I'm so glad you get to do this with them. You do a lot of pre-planning, which is so necessary to be successful. Loved reading your comment about how you keep David occupied during school. I'm learning from you!
Congratulations! You are going to love this year~!
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